HORSES have never been my thing.

A wild ride at Scenic Hills Riding School made that clear when a horse, channelling ‘The Man from Snowy River’, took me on an unplanned adventure.

Despite my best cowboy impression, I barely made it back to the stables, realising my dreams of riding a white stallion with roses thrown at my feet at El Caballo Blanco were over.

But let’s rein it back in and talk about someone who’s mastering the horse world – sixteen-year-old Sahara Weil from Bellingen.

She’s not just riding horses; she’s doing gymnastics and dancing on them!

Equestrian Vaulting is her sport, and while it’s still growing in Australia, it’s huge in Europe.

Despite being relatively new to the sport, Sahara is doing incredible things.

With no horse, no coach nearby, and minimal facilities, she’s had to travel extensively for training.

Currently, she’s in Adelaide training on a horse named ‘Reggie’ and preparing for the Junior World Championships in Austria in 2025.

Sahara’s journey hasn’t been easy.

This year, after losing her training horse and recovering from an injury, she had only two weeks to prepare for her first international competition in Italy, where she placed second – a remarkable achievement.

She then competed in Hungary, where she qualified for the Junior Worlds, all with limited preparation time.

At home, Sahara and her mum Susan have improvised a training setup, including a horse simulator named ‘Zoomie’ to help her practice.

Sahara’s commitment is extraordinary, as she prepares for more training abroad in the USA and Europe.

So, while my horseback dreams are long gone, I’m thrilled to see Sahara galloping full speed towards hers.

Keep an eye on her – she’s just getting started!

If you’d like to support her journey, you can find her on Instagram (@saharaweilvaults) and donate to her GoFundMe page.

Onwards and upwards we go!

By Daz HALLORAN