Sam Jeffree and Santoro, pictured here winning the CCI4*L at Sydney International Three-Day Event in 2024. Image by Ashley Grant/The Blachat.
As the Adelaide Equestrian Festival returns, rising Australian eventer Samuel Jeffree prepares for a defining week, balancing five-star ambitions, team representation and long-term goals built on precision, planning and an unwavering drive to improve.
The Adelaide Equestrian Festival takes place this week in the heart of Adelaide. “It’s what we work towards all year,” says Samuel Jeffree of the event that’s considered the pinnacle of the Australian eventing calendar.
Sam Jeffree and Santoro winning the CCI4*S at Wandin this year. Image by Angie Rickard.
This year, Sam is contesting both the CCI5L* with Santoro and CCI4*S with Wimborne Conjuror – the latter as a member of the Australian Senior Team contending the Oceania Championships against New Zealand.
Like any eventer, Sam has had an Adelaide plan in place for both horses ever since he stepped off the CCI5*L podium at last year’s event. “As soon as it was done, we had our celebrations and then looked forward to what was next”.
Third place on debut in a CCI5*L is an incredible achievement, but Sam is always planning for the future. “We can always do better,” he says, and if the last year has proven anything, it’s that Sam is a man of those words.
“We can always do better…”
Whilst he’s been on a steady but sure rise into the top placings and ranks of elite level eventing for some years now, the last calendar year has truly cemented his status as one of Australia’s best, with numerous wins and placings at CCI4* level, as well as back-to-back titles at both Tonimbuk and Wandin in recent months.
In addition to those successes, and keeping on theme of always thinking forward, he also has an impressive team of young horses making their way up the levels.
FROM DAY CARE TO FEI
Some exceptional horses are currently in Sam’s stables, and whilst any successful eventing career is impacted by an exceptional horse or two, for Sam it’s been especially impacted by exceptional people.
“I’ve had such great support and loyalty,” says Sam, reflecting on the opportunities extended to him by many people since the very beginnings of his life with horses – something that started in day care, of all places.
Sam with pony Arakei. Image supplied.
Day care probably doesn’t seem top the list of places one would expect a love of horses to ignite, but that’s where Sam first remembers his equine infatuation beginning. “I used to wander off for a bit and they’d always find me outside, sitting on the pony,” laughs Sam. “The pony had been outgrown by its previous family, and so they offered for it to come and live with us.” From there, Sam was hooked.
A more conventional path followed, and Sam began Pony Club; he was desperate to get out on cross country as soon as possible with his pony, Arakei. “You had to be eight years old to compete in horse trials – so my eighth birthday present was an entry into a local competition,” recalls Sam. “It went so well… that I bawled my eyes out before the start of cross country, and Mum didn’t want me to feel forced into it. I had to ride away from her so she couldn’t drag me off, it was pretty embarrassing,” laughs Sam.
Sam’s Mum, Wendy, no longer has to soothe a crying Sam before the cross country, but she is there to help handle the obvious things a parent of an athlete would – like easing Sam’s nerves, providing emotional support, and arranging a fair chunk of logistics. However, she is also tasked with undoubtedly one of the most importantly responsibilities: the welfare of all Sam’s horses.
“I’m so lucky to have someone with her skill set; her management and knowledge of horses is second to none,” confirms Sam. This knowledge and support have been present for Sam as he journeyed from the Pony Club and Interschools world with Parklands Whizz Kid all the way up to FEI-level eventing.
Clockwise from left: Parklands Whizz Kid (image supplied), Mighty Midget (image by Jenelle Christopher), and Jaybee Calypso (image by Jenelle Christopher).
Mighty Midget was originally campaigned by Gemma Tinney and then purchased to partner with Sam in his first international and long format events, including the Melbourne International Three-Day Event Junior CCI2*L class.
But when it became clear that Sam’s long legs required an equine partner with the same attribute, and Mighty Midget lived up to his name of being smaller in stature, a bigger horse was sought, and warmblood Jaybee Calypso was purchased in 2013. Calypso gave Sam his first experiences at the CCI4* level, as well as in Prix St George and Intermediate I dressage, honing a skill set in the arena applicable to Sam’s eventing pursuits.
The gelding also taught the invaluable experience of humility: “He wasn’t a very good show jumper, he humbled me a lot, that was a BIG part of my learning!”
ENGINEERING OR HORSES?
In 2015, Sam was asked by then neighbour, Ros Porter, to produce and sell a homebred for her, which led to taking on some more external horses for clients and owners – a move that had him considering whether professional competition and training was something he may like to do as a career. “It’s not something I originally set out to do,” confesses Sam.
Another offer to produce an eventer through the levels on behalf of its owner kept this idea sparked. Northern Isaac arrived in Sam’s last years of high school. Isaac’s owner, Sally Stelling, initially started him as a dressage horse, but when she noticed his talent to jump, she asked Sam if he would take the ride. It was a choice well made for both parties: Sam notched his first ever CCI3* win aboard Isaac, and Sally to this day retains bragging rights that Sam’s first ever CCI3* win was aboard her horse. “She’s still very proud of that today!” says Sam.
Sam and Northern Isaac. Image supplied.
Despite the success of those first few owners and relationships, Sam was still unsure and uncommitted to the idea of riding full time. “I had heard from some people around me that their own riding had fallen to the side, and they lost motivation because of it. I wanted to keep my own riding special, as a balance between that and the professional side.”
So, in an effort to test out this theory of balance between a normal sort of life and a riding career, Sam completed high school and headed to university for a degree in Biomechanical Engineering, on a scholarship, no less. This attempt did have the intended outcome of helping Sam make a decision… and that decision was that he absolutely could not stay away from the horses.
“I pulled out of the degree one day before census…. then I pretended to go to uni for a bit because I didn’t want to disappoint Mum and Dad,” reflects Sam.
“They actually weren’t that mad when I confessed, but they did tell me that if I was going to do this [professional riding] then I had better give it my best; that if I’m going to do something, do it properly. So with the call of horses too strong, I deferred uni for a year,” explains Sam.
Eight years of deferring that university placements means it’s probably expired by now, which doesn’t matter anyway, because Sam knows this is exactly what he wants to be doing.
JEFFREE EVENTING
When Sam’s parents encouraged him to give this horse life a proper go, they too committed to giving it their full support. When he bought his Macclesfield property in 2023, his parents purchased the land directly next door. “I’ve got 50 acres, and the cross country course connects to their place so that we have more space to train and move things around.”
Jeffree Eventing is a space that Sam is always curating and evolving. It currently hosts 20 paddocks, a cross country course with portable fences to create different lines and challenges, half an arena (“The other half is coming!”), yards, and soon a car park, with the hopes of hosting clinics and freshman days. “I want it to have a reputation for the training facilities,” Sam explains. Stables are also in Sam’s future plans.
The inspiration for such facilities came from a six-week stint in 2020 at fellow eventer and former Aussie Boyd Martin’s base in the USA. “It’s an amazing facility; that’s the inspiration and the idea behind mine. He has this portable setup where you can train specifically and get things polished and nailed before going to competition. It means you can train smaller sessions that keep the horse and rider focused and return to a training lesson the next day, without having to travel extensively.” Sam has even developed quite the hobby for making cross country fences, fencing, and other farm infrastructure. “It’s a slow process; I do as much as possible myself, and I’m always finding something else to be done, it’s never finished, I’m always chasing an improved standard.”
Sam and Santoro winning the CCI4*S at Tonimbuk this year. Image by Tazzie Eggins.
That constant desire to improve and seek better is the way Sam approaches all facets of life, particularly his riding. “I do believe in that saying, ‘hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard’, at the end of the day,” Sam says. This work ethic not only steers his physical preparation and fitness for both him and his horses, but the methodical, conscientious planning for each horse and its goals.
“I measure their progress with calculated and strategic runs, I’m never just aiming for a placing or a score; I have a criteria or target in each phase for each event that we’re trying to reach, and any success beyond that is a bonus,” explains Sam. “I think this sets them up for success in the long run, and I think more and more people at the top level are approaching the sport like this.
“I make long terms goals, big plans, two or so years in the future and then work a plan backwards from there. What are the things we need to tick off? From there we work meticulously and plan our runs. If needed, I adjust.”
This approach has been aided significantly by Sam’s inclusion on Equestrian Australia’s National Eventing GREEN squad (AIS Athlete Category – Podium Potential) with both horses.
“The resources are fantastic. A big part of what I’ve learnt is have big goals; it might not be positions or placings, but what scores you get or how fast you were. If you placed on the scoreboard but felt it was an average score, then it’s probably better to be last and have met your standards and goals for that event.”
Sam confirms that those “big plans” are exactly what you’d think. “World Championships, five-stars, the Olympics. That’s what I’m aiming for,” he says. Sam’s personal and business ethos are one in the same: To produce top level eventing horses that get selected for national teams. Clearly, it’s working.
THE IMPORTANCE OF TEAMS
Sam will represent Australia on the Oceania Championship Senior ‘A’ Team at Adelaide this week, alongside fellow team members Sophia Hill, Hannah Klep and Shenae Lowings. He will be riding long-term supporter Fiona Mitchell’s Wimborne Conjuror, and they’ll contest the CCI4*S as part of the Oceania Championships.
You can view the full list of Australia’s Senior A and B teams and U25 team here.
Fiona was also part of Sam’s first Australian Team representation as the owner of Woodmount Lolita, who he rode in the Oceania Championships at Melbourne International Three-Day Event in 2022.
Sam and Woodmount Lolita winning the CCI4*S at Wandin in 2022. Image by Tazzie Eggins.
Sam says that he’s feeling more prepared the second time around on an Australian team. “It feels like I know what’s coming a bit more, I’m more experienced and a little less stressed about it. Obviously, there is still pressure and nerves and wanting to do well, but I’m a little more comfortable coming into it.” The team experience is not often or easily replicated in a sport that is predominantly individual in its nature, and its significance isn’t lost on Sam. “The exposure of representing Australia and being part of a team, as well as the support network around that, their experience and knowledge, and the support staff, make it really special.”
The pool of young but proven talent is bright for the future of Australian eventing, and Sam is excited for this generation of competitors to have gained well-earned team places. “It’s fantastic to see; the team has a great chance of success, and these team members really deserve their spots. They’ve put in a lot of hard work, and have produced some very, very good results. We have amazing riders coming through, ready to take the baton for team representation into the future too,” says Sam.
Alongside team representation in the CCI4*S at Adelaide, Sam will tackle his second CCI5*L with Santoro (last year, the duo placed tenth).
Santoro is owned by Sam and the Santoro Syndicate, including Karen Dabbs, Lisa Roper and Andrea Kennedy. Sam has now syndicated a couple of horses, a concept well known overseas but not as common in the Southern hemisphere. “Syndicates are really import, especially in Australia,” says Sam. In a sport that’s individual by nature and can sometimes feel lonely, Sam loves the sense of comradery and getting to share the success amongst the syndicate.
Sam and Wimborne Conjuror winning the CCI4*S at EV Spring Horse Trials in 2025. Image by Tazzie Eggins.
“I don’t ever feel pressure from any of my owners or supporters, which makes me really lucky. I want to do well for them of course, but they’re also the type of people who know the highs and lows of this sport, and I feel really supported, always.”
The support and loyalty to Sam from his owners, supporters and followers is integral to who he is as a rider, but also as a person. It means that he can, when needed, take time to prioritise his mental health and sport psychology, a resource also provided via the National Squad.
“A lot of normal life things get sacrificed in this sport,” reflects Sam, and in both trying to maintain a balance of normal life, as well as the day-to-day operations of his business and riding career, his people make all the difference in keeping both parts balanced and moving.
“My groom, Shannon Price, keeps the day-to-day running, and the day-to-day is a LOT, she’s amazing. Her and Mum have had a crazy week in the lead up to Adelaide, managing the farrier, vet, massages, and everything else that comes their way. Mum also manages the business side of things and networks the owners, syndicate and clients. My girlfriend, Charlotte, is always there through the ups and downs; she’s an incredible and massive support.”
Sam is also very thankful to his sponsors: Bates Saddles, Flexible Fit Equestrian, Elite Equine Vets, QJ Riding Wear, BetaVet, Lumaflex, Sharnika Design, and Natural Mobility.
“I don’t know how I got so lucky,” ponders Sam, when talking about the people who have been and continue to be integral to his career and success.
Sam and Santoro are making their CCI5*L debut in Adelaide. Image by Britt Grovenor Photography.
Though considering the devotion, planning and love that Sam possesses for his equine partners, and his appreciation for the people who have got him this far, it’s more likely that ‘lucky’ should be swapped out for the words ‘earned’, ‘merited’ or ‘deserved’.
A method of dedication, preparation and passion has yielded great success and fantastic results so far for Samuel Jeffree, and with his Australian team dreams coming to fruition at Adelaide this week, his future goals look like exciting plans – and all that more within reach. EQ
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