THE BIGGER picture

Inspirational Waitoki rider and coach Sarah Revis has experienced it all, from the highlights of national successes to the darkest times. Through her unfailing love of all things equine, she has focused on building an enviable lifestyle, and with a supportive team around her and a lineup of multi-talented horses, the future looks bright.

At just four years old, Sarah began riding at her local riding school in England. The horsey bug started with weekly lessons, but as she got older, she tried to spend every moment at the riding school; weekends and holidays were spent doing any job under the sun so that she could get the chance for even one extra ride. Moving to New Zealand as a thirteen-year-old allowed Sarah to have her own pony, as she'd always dreamed, so she needed no further convincing about the move.

“Mum was a keen rider and had lessons at a riding school in England, so as soon as I was old enough to be allowed to, I was straight down the road to the same school. When the idea of moving to New Zealand came up, Mum and Dad basically told me that if we moved, I was way more likely to have a horse of my own, so I was immediately keen and had my bags packed that day," Sarah laughs. “My first pony was a super-cute little chestnut mare. We quickly joined the local Pony Club, and I went and got a job delivering the New Zealand Herald each morning so that I could cover the cost of her grazing. In the early days, I was fortunate to go to shows with the property owners I grazed with, as we didn't have a float or towing vehicle."

When Sarah was 16, her family bought a small lifestyle block which meant she could keep her horse at home. However, no arena or transport meant lots of road riding during winter, so she saved up and bought her own little single float.

“I wouldn't even dream of having a single float now; they're a bit scary! I went all over the place in my scary little float, though, and then for my 21st birthday, everyone chipped in together to get me my first double float which was a very exciting moment. After that, my double and I travelled around the country, even to my first Horse of the Year in 2008. By this stage, we had sold the little lifestyle block, and I had found grazing that had a floodlit arena which meant I could ride the horses after work – at the time, I was working as a lab technician. By 23, I got my Class 2 licence and purchased my first little horse truck, which was even more exciting than the double float!"

THE EVENTING IS STILL MORE JUST THE FUN SIDE OF MY RIDING, THOUGH I'M NOT SURE I'LL EVER GO ABOVE 1* AGAIN; SHOW JUMPING IS WHERE MY TRUE PASSION LIES.

I COMMENTED TO HIS OWNER ABOUT HOW STUNNING HE WAS; SHE REPLIED THAT SHE NEEDED TO SELL HIM, AND THE NEXT MINUTE I WAS RIDING HIM AROUND AT THE SHOW AND THE REST IS HISTORY.

In her teens and early twenties, Sarah well and truly had the eventing bug, competing up to current 2* level with a little chestnut mare called Motley Top. Polo was by Imperial Seal and out of Island Princess (So Vain), and together she and Sarah also competed in show jumping with many placings up to Amateur Rider level.

“Polo was only 15hh, but man, could she jump. We never had a single cross-country fault in our eight seasons together. Then, in my last couple of seasons with her, I started doing a bit of show jumping, which I fell in love with, and I went into a show jumping-only phase. I only started to get back into eventing in the past couple of years after going to Northland Horse Trial to do the Pre-Training for some fun. I had no expectations because I had no idea what the horses would make of the cross-country fences. I soon realised they were actually pretty good at it! The eventing is still more just the fun side of my riding, although I'm not sure I'll ever go above 1* again. Show jumping is where my true passion lies."

A challenging year in 2018 put a considerable strain not only on Sarah's riding future but also on her mental health. However, in an industry and country where so many keep quiet about their struggles, Sarah is a refreshing and important example of someone willing to speak up. This example will hopefully help others.

“The toughest year of my life would have been 2018. It started with losing my beautiful mare Bailey to a freak paddock accident which broke her leg; I had only had her for three months and had purchased her to take me up the heights as she had jumped to 1.40m with her previous owners. Bailey was my dream horse; I had put everything into her purchase. Then my wonderful little Thoroughbred Sunny had an aneurysm in the paddock and also passed away. Sunny had been part of my life for five years, he was a very quirky hot horse, but we had worked each other out really well, and he knew his job in the ring and won many prizes over the years. At this point, I was at the ultimate low of my riding career; I had no horses and wondered if I could ever get back to where I was and find horses like the two I had just lost.

MY FRIEND THOUGHT I WAS ABSOLUTELY INSANE DRIVING FOR SEVEN HOURS TO TRY A RANDOM HORSE I'D SEEN ON FACEBOOK WHEN I WASN'T EVEN LOOKING FOR ONE, BUT I TRIED HIM AND LOVED HIM.

“Grief was a massive thing for me; it was a very tough time of my life, and to this day, just talking about it still brings tears to my eyes.

“I had professional help with the grief to help me get back on track. My biggest breakthrough, though, was meeting Tane; he truly saved my life. Getting to ride him showed me it would be okay, and I could go out, have fun and love riding again. I owe him everything; he will be part of my team forever."

Thoroughbred by Rock N Pop and out of Civetta, is still relatively new to his sporthorse life.

“Royal Blue, known as Charlie - or Charles, depending on the day - was found by accident through a friend on Facebook. I wasn't looking for another horse, but I found myself continually returning to his photos and videos. My friend thought I was absolutely insane driving for seven hours to try a random horse I'd seen on Facebook when I wasn't even looking for one, but I tried him and loved him. I've had him for three years now, and last season we won our first Amateur Rider class and competed in some dressage and showing – plus, he also takes my working student out eventing!

Sarah's team

currently made up of three horses who compete across multiple disciplines. First, Royal Blue is a 16.3hh 11-year-old grey Warmblood cross by Eurosport Centavos and out of Blue Bird (Billys Dream) competing in dressage, show jumping, showing and eventing. Next is Sarah's saving grace, Triple Star Puzzled By Time (Tane), a 16hh 14-year-old Pinto crossbred. The partnership dabbles successfully across many disciplines, including winning the Pinto Saddle Hunter of the Year in 2019.

Finally, Pop Culture RE, a 15.2hh

Tane (Triple Star Puzzled By Time) was parked next to us at a show one day, and I commented to his owner about how stunning he was. She replied that she needed to sell him, and the next minute I was riding him around at the show - the rest is history. I've owned him for five years now, and he has done pretty much every discipline possible with success in every one of them. He has been my rock in my hardest years and gives me everything at every show. He's truly a one-in-a-million teammate.

“Rocky (Pop Culture RE) is an off-the- tracker I bought to produce in June last year. He has been super-cool to bring on. Originally he didn't have a clue what jumping was and spent a lot of time bashing through cross bars. However, he's finally found his feet and is proving to be really bold now."

Now based on an equestrian property in Waitoki where she runs her business Revis Equine Sarah is flat out with coaching and riding and is an instrumental part of the West Auckland Pony Club scene. With a gorgeous group of horses and a supportive team around her, it looks like the next few years will provide a massive amount of promise and fun for her.

“I'm very grateful to have a 40x60 jumping arena, stable block and plenty of yards and paddocks to put ponies in for camps and schooling at home. I've been running Revis Equine for about five and a half years. I work with a vast range of riders, from Pony Club kids to adults, and am also the Head Coach at Silverdale Pony Club and Chief Head Coach at Harbour District.

“I've been fortunate to have the support of Edward Bullock over the past 20 years as my coach and friend. He has always been amazing to watch with all his horses and certainly hasn't had easy ones - this is what I love about him, as he gets the quirky ones and can always work out how to make them tick and perform in the ring. As most of my horses have been a bit hot or quirky, he is awesome to work with, as he doesn't try to get every horse to fit in the same box. Edward has been extremely supportive of my riding over the years; he has laughed with me, celebrated my successes with me, cried with me when my horses passed away and been at the side of the ring riding with me around the course. I owe so much to him." C