Sole Young Rider Does Aussie Proud at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games

Madeline Sinderberry recently attended the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, held in ‎Buenos Aires‎, Argentina. 17-year-old show jumper Madi was Australia’s one and only equestrian athlete at the Games and represented her country with pride. This was a ‘borrowed horse’ event, where the riders compete on a loan horse drawn from a ballot, carefully selected by a group of experts in the months leading up to the Games.

I interviewed Madi to get the inside scoop on what it’s like to attend such a prestigious event, how to quickly build up a partnership with a borrowed horse and her advice for other young riders.

C. What did your competition entail from start to finish?

Madi: We had a horse draw on the first day, then three training sessions. There were 30 riders from different countries and our first two days of competition were part of a Teams event. It was great to get to know our team members and work together. Australia was in Team Australasia with New Zealand, Qatar, Iran and UAE. The three best scores from each team counted. Our team posted three clear rounds on day one, going into day two in first-equal position with Europe and North America. Our team only posted two clears on day two. With so many clear rounds being ridden by other nations, unfortunately just the one rail (4 faults) on our third-best score left us in 5th place and out of the medals. The horse and rider quality was very high, so one rail made a big difference – both in the teams and individual competitions. Team North America were very excited to be the Gold Medal winners. Following the Teams event, we had two quiet training days and a trot up, then two days of individual rounds.

C. Tell me about the big bay warmblood ‘Zambo’ you rode, what did you discover about his personality that you found interesting, such as his likes, dislikes, or quirks?

Madi: Zambo was a bit cranky in his stable, and on the lead he would bite and kick at every opportunity, but with some apples and general kindness he improved. We walked him out as much as we could, and he appreciated the extra attention.

C. Was he easy to ride or challenging, and why?

Madi: Zambo was a huge horse. It was a bit challenging to get him travelling in a connected canter, but he had a good jump and achieved three clear rounds for me, with just one rail in the 4th round, so he did a good job. We went clear on the first day of individual competition, putting us in first-equal position heading into day two. Zambo handled the bigger track well, but I knew it would be challenging to round up some of the very nice horses drawn by some good riders. One lady in Argentina kindly lent the Games 11 beautiful Zangersheide horses, and the general level of borrowed horse was very good; going clear was the only way to get into the medal jump-off. Unfortunately, Zambo and I just tapped off the back rail of an oxer in round two, so 4 faults put us out of the running for a medal. The Italian rider won Gold, he was a very good rider on a smart, careful horse. One of my Australasia team mates from the UAE won silver. He was a really lovely guy and we were all very excited for him. Zambo and I placed 9th with 4 faults.

C. What kind of activities did you do to fill any down time you had?

Madi: Zambo struggled a little with the small stable, being such a big horse, so we spent a lot of time walking him out to keep his legs sound.

In my time off riding, Dave Cameron and I watched some of our Australian Team mates in sports like tennis, hockey5s, triathlon, sport climbing and weightlifting; there were so many sports to watch! I enjoyed meeting young athletes who were all at the top of their sports and passionate about representing their country 

C. What was your favourite part about the whole experience?

Madi: My favourite part of the whole experience was meeting people; both meeting riders from countries so different to Australia, and meeting athletes from so many different sports. I must thank Dave Cameron for taking more than two weeks out of his busy schedule to come to the Games and look after Zambo and I so well. He was an excellent Coach and Chef D’Equipe and I enjoyed exploring Buenos Aires with him; we were both lucky to stay alive after one of our taxi rides! The sports were held in four different locations spread around the city, and the opening ceremony was in the city centre. So we travelled around a lot and experienced the lovely Spanish culture in Argentina. The Opening Ceremony was amazing, and the locals all attended it; it was the most enormous crowd you could imagine.

C. How did riding at the Youth Olympic Games compare to other competitions you have been to?

Madi: I have been lucky enough to represent Australia in five international borrowed horse events now. I would highly recommend any young rider apply for any opportunity to ride at these events. The travel and cultural opportunities are terrific. I have experienced Hong Kong, Korea, New Zealand and Argentina, just through borrowed horse events. You also get to meet passionate riders from countries so different to Australia. Everyone exchanges ideas and wants to know what it is like in each other’s countries. I now have friends from so many different cultures, and you learn so much. Like when the rider from Qatar was late to the YOG because the military would not let him leave; we are very lucky to live in Australia! The standard of borrowed horse, and the standard of rider, was very high at the Youth Olympic Games. I was lucky to ride with, and get to know riders such as Jack Whittaker and other very experienced European and American riders. I also developed friendships with riders from all over the world, all of them excellent in their sport and dedicated to their horses and the sport of show jumping.

C: What advice would you offer to other young riders who aspire to do what you have done?

Madi: The advice I would give to other young riders is to apply for all the opportunities Equestrian Australia offers online. If you are lucky enough to be selected, enjoy the opportunity to travel, meet riders from all over the world, and work with different horses each time to do the best you can.