Equestrian Australia presents Gemma Tinney, Young Athlete of the Year

Gemma Tinney is the winner of the 2017 EA Young Athlete of the Year Award Presented by Horseland.

20-year-old Gemma Tinney is one of Australian Eventing’s rising stars. She is currently on the Equestrian Australia ‘Generation Next’ squad and looks destined to follow in the footsteps of her Sydney 2000 Olympic gold medal-winning father Stuart.

Gemma began riding when she was five-years-old on a pony called ‘Snowy’ that she shared with her sister. She says; “What I love about the sport and what got me hooked is the people and the fun of it.”

At the age of just 11, she started competing in Eventing and last year represented Australia at the Oceania Championships staged during the Melbourne International Three-Day Event and was on the winning Young Rider team.

She said being part of a team and competing for her country for the first time was “an amazing experience.” Another major highlight for her last year was winning the National Eventing Championship at Equestriad on her mare Annapurna. Gemma’s future goal is to compete at the Olympics and or World Equestrian Games in the next few years.

Her 2017 Performances include 1st at Camden CIC3*, 2nd at Melbourne 3DE CIC2* and 4th at Albury CIC2*.