Hilary Scott – A Jumping Journey

Despite the global pandemic, which has disrupted the well-laid plans of the world’s top athletes, Australian showjumper Hilary Scott remains positive in the face of uncertainty.

Hilary’s productive attitude, infectious positively and overall ability to seek out the small wins in the adverse situation has without doubt assisted her in not just surviving the pandemic but pushing forward through it.

Her focus on her young and exciting string of horses whilst keeping her ‘eye on prize’ has enabled her to achieve a remarkable amount in the past few months. From continuing her competition schedule at the highest level throughout Europe to producing and selling upcoming stars of tomorrow Hilary hasn’t let Covid-19 break her stride, or her outlook.

We caught up with Hilary last weekend whilst she was competing at the CSI5* Hubside Jumping in St Tropez, France. With the stunning Cote d’Azur as our backdrop, the bustle of a busy show and Hilary’s unwavering positive attitude one could almost be forgiven for forgetting we are in the midst of Covid-19, the only give away is the strict enforcement of social distancing and a sea of face masks adorning all those in attendance.

When asked how she has been enjoying the show in St Tropez a beaming Hilary says, “It is beautiful. Obviously you can’t get any nicer area than St Tropez and the Cote d’Azur in France so we are pretty lucky. I don’t think there will be many more five stars before the end of the year so I am really trying to take advantage of it and enjoying it while I am here.”

 Photo: Hilary Scott and Qualoma Z in the CSI5* at Hubside Jumping St. Tropez

Hilary, who moved to Europe in June 2013, has spent the past seven years ‘finding her feet’ on the European circuit and settling into the different showing culture on the continent. 

“It was very different in the beginning. Just the way they run things here, lots of things were on a totally different level, and there is something on every day almost. 

“In Australia we have more breaks between shows whereas here even if you have just been to an FEI show on Tuesday you could be taking young horses to training the next day and then again Thursday and again on Friday. Every week there is something, so getting my head around the opportunities to do a lot more with a lot more horses without overdoing it myself was really interesting for me, and I really like that” describes Hilary.

With Covid-19 wreaking havoc on the global sporting community, and the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, athletes have been forced to re-evaluate their training and competition plans in the ‘new lead up’ to the Games. For Hilary that means additional time spent concentrating on her exciting string of up and coming horses.

“It was a good opportunity to keep training with the young horses and re-focus our short term goals because obviously in that time it was hard to stay motivated knowing that the goals had changed so we had to reassess weekly and monthly our short term goals just to stay motivated for the big picture.

“My older horses I chose to give them a little bit of time off, it was a good opportunity to try and do some breeding with them too. We were lucky to get some embryos at the same time and it was a good chance to give them some time out, with no big shows there is no point to keep running the legs off them. I was also really trying to make time to go and watch a lot of professionals training as well” shares Hilary.

The sheer hunger and drive to hone and improve her skills is not lost on anyone who meets Hilary. Incredibly humble about her own achievements she continues to seek out opportunities where she can surround herself with the best riders in the world and learn from watching them in the arena, even though she is already competing with them on a peer level.

“Here you are surrounded by all the best riders in the world, I think there are 20 riders from the top 30 here at just this show, so it is really nice to be surrounded by all of those fantastic athletes and it gives me motivation,” explains Hilary.

In addition to training young horses and competing at some of the biggest shows in the world with her established horses Hilary is part of the ‘Oaks Sport Horse’ dynasty. Hilary’s mother Alice Cameron runs the breeding operation in Australia, which has produced many quality Australian jumping horses who have gone on to find success on the international stage. One such horse is the striking Oaks Milky Way, Hilary’s 5* ride with whom she shares an incredible bond. The combination was part of the bronze medal winning Nations Cup Team this February in Wellington, USA and they are also qualified for Tokyo 2020.

Hilary contributes her unique partnership with ‘Milky’ and the close bond they share to having known the horse her entire life, even breaking the mare in herself.

 Photo: Hilary Scott and Oaks Milky Way in the CSI5* at Hubside Jumping St Tropez

“Definitely with Milky for example I think that is why we go so well together because we do know each other so well. I don’t say that I can take all of them through to the top level, I think horses for courses, and different people suit different horses, but I try to ride as many different horses as I can and for the ones that really, really don’t suit me I try to place with different people” 

“During this period we have had a lot of interest in young horses in Australia still. So we have been able to sell quite a few along the way. I have started breeding a few over here and it would be really nice to create that bond with another one going through, but you have to sell them along the way to keep it all ticking over” explains Hilary.

When asked what her immediate plans are Hilary makes it clear that whilst nothing is set in stone yet, all decisions are based on the best interests of her horses.

“It is nice to have some goals again and to have something to be motivated for, but I think it is important to remember that we are approaching winter and it is going to be very quiet in winter so it is important not to overdo the horses now and then they are not in peak condition again for another four months potentially. It is important to pick and choose where you take which horses and we are very lucky there are a couple of bigger shows but I think it is a good time to really work on younger horses and produce them” she explains.

With the uncertainties that have been thrust upon the world in 2020 and the complexities the corona virus has introduced to equestrian sport one thing remains steadfast – Hilary Scott and her team of horses will continue to strive for the top.