Tori Glass will be almost 30 when the Olympic Games come to Australia in 2032, so the next decade of equestrian competition will have a big say in the pursuit of her ultimate dream.
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Only one of the seven-member national equestrian team that attended the Tokyo games will be less than 50 by the time Brisbane hosts the 35th Olympiad.
Twenty-year-old Tori has a distinct bounce to her stride when she takes a stroll in the paddocks of the Mathieson Rd horse stud that is home to Team Glass Showjumping — where she and mother Sharon operate Bonnie Valley Stables.
The Kyabram P-12 College graduate competed overseas for the first time late last year with a four-member Equestrian Victoria team in New Zealand.
Her progress with the Victorian high-performance young riders squad has been rewarded with an invitation to participate in an eight-day showjumping trip on the Global Amatuers Tour, in Mexico from June 10 to 18.
“She will spend four days training, because she will be riding a Mexican horse in the event,” Sharon Glass said.
“Then she will compete for the remaining four days.”
Tori was selected from more than 100 people worldwide for the trip and will attend with three Under-15 riders from Australia and two other senior riders.
Tori and her rising 11-year-old Bonnie Valley Nobuck Boris (Boris for short) have turned many heads in competitions in the past 12 months.
They will again compete at the Victorian state titles in May before travelling to Mexico, returning to challenge for an Australian title in November.
“We will be looking to do some fundraising before the Mexican competition, because we will have to fund the trip. It will cost between $10,000 and $15,000, I am hoping that we both can go,” Sharon said.
Sharon said the Mexican event would be “more of an experience thing’’, New Zealand having been Tori’s first overseas competition.
And while Brisbane remains a long-term goal, Team Glass Showjumping is quite realistic about how far away a spot in the green and gold is for Tori.
“We have two one-year-old horses in the paddock, that is their goal,” Sharon said.
“Most riders are in their 40s or beyond when they compete at the top level.”
Andrew Hoy, who is 63-years-old, competed with the Australian equestrian team at his eighth Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The youngest member of that team was 31-year-old Simone Pearce, who grew up on a farm at Lockington.
Sharon said equestrian eventing was quite a difficult sport to break into, dependent on not only rider, but also the horse.
“Tori could be competing against an Olympic rider one minute and against a novice the next, depending on the horse the competitor was riding,” Sharon said.
Boris is quite an unusual jumping partner for the Kyabram equestrian star, being part Clydesdale.
“He is a little different and we are not sure how far he can go,” Sharon said.
She said the three young horses Tori was currently working with were all purpose-bred horses with relatives who had jumped 1.50 metre and 1.60 metre fences.
“Many horses are limited to how high she can jump. We still don’t know Boris’ limit, his best at the moment is 1.45 metres (which he completed at the Adelaide Royal Show event).”
Tori is also working with an eight year old named Oaks Podium, who is jumping at about 1.15m. She also has a five and six-year-old on the go.
But Boris remains her most experienced and athletic steed.
She rode a grey named Ice Warrior in the 2022 Trans-Tasman Young Rider Championship at the National Equestrian Centre in Christchurch in early December.
Having limited preparation for the event, the Victorian team lost on day one, then won on the second day, losing overall by just two points to the home team.
“Tori had experienced a few disappointing years due to COVID,” Sharon said.
“It all but destroyed her last year as a junior in the sport.”
The 25cm increase in fence height that accompanies stepping into senior ranks did not put the determined horsewoman off her game, in fact, she has blossomed in the past year.
Tori and home-grown Bonnie Valley Nobuck Boris were jumping 1.20m fences at the Equestrian Victoria State titles in May last year, where they finished top six in a field of 50.
With a series of events cancelled because of COVID-19 restrictions in the second half of 2021, the 2022 titles produced surprising results for Team Glass Showjumping.
Tori and Boris finished third, second and seventh to lead the series heading into the fourth, and final, day of competition.
She hit two fences in the final run to finish reserve champion in a field that included past Olympians, world cup and many professional riders.
The partnership won and placed in a few 1.25m and 1.30m competitions, influencing the decision to compete at the Adelaide Royal in September last year.
“Things didn’t go to plan when lead up shows were cancelled and we were forced to step up to the 135cm fences,” Sharon said.
A disappointing first round at Adelaide was followed by four days competing on courses with the largest fences Tori and Boris had ever encountered.
Further frustration at the Melbourne Royal, which after one round was cancelled because of unsafe, wet conditions.
“A lot more shows were cancelled due to the wet year and we headed into the Aussie Championships underdone,” Sharon said.
“All our horses jumped super, the young young ones improved over the seven days of competition and Boris picked up a third ribbon in his 125cm/130cm series — making the final from 60 horses.”
Tori and Boris were one of only three Victorian partnerships in the final of 20 riders.
Sharon said the support of Team Glass Showjumping sponsors had been invaluable.
“We had great support from Southern Cross Feeds (who made the NZ trip possible), Ladhams Equine Massage Therapy, Liam Atkins Farrier Services, Petstock Country Kyabram, Clancy Family, BetaVet Australia, JNKEquestrian and Hidez Australia,” she said.
If anyone is interested in supporting Team Glass Showjumping in its bid to compete for a second time on the international stage, at Mexcio, they can phone Sharon on 0428 500 336.