Emma Collins and Oaks Abracadabra had a fabulous end to 2025 and have enjoyed continued success this year. Image by Click Capture.
For Emma Collins, a second chance on the quirky chestnut mare Oaks Abracadabra has certainly paid off. At the end of 2025, the duo claimed their first World Cup Qualifier on debut and backed it up with a podium finish for second in the Australian Senior Title.
From there, they have firmly solidified their status as a force to be reckoned with and serve as a reminder to never count out the underdog.
The duo launched 2026 with a bang, taking out two of the country’s richest jumping events on the calendar at Magic Millions on the Gold Coast and the GDP Classic at Boneo Park. I caught up with Emma to discuss her partnership with ‘Abby’, as she is known around the stables, and life as a professional rider and coach at Yandoo Park.
Emma and Abby winning the World Cup Qualifier at Boneo Park last year. Image by Stephen Mowbray.
Fate (if you are inclined to believe in the concept) would have it that some partnerships are just meant to be. Whilst it wasn’t exactly love at first sight, Emma and Abby’s partnership is proof that sometimes a second viewing, a whole lot of heart and a little bit of magic can go a very, very long way in this sport.
Bred by Alice Cameron at Oaks Sport Horses, Abby is by Armitage out of Oaks Coco with a damsire of Vivant van de Heffinck, who I’m sure needs little introduction to Australian breeding enthusiasts.
Abby was just five years old when her and Emma Collins’ paths crossed for the first time. Emma, who at the time was on the lookout for a young horse for a client, approached Abby’s then rider Alison Rowland to enquire about her.
Emma shares the story of their first encounter.
“I saw her in the warm-up for a metre class as a five-year-old with Alison Rowland. I liked her canter; she jumped a couple of good fences and a couple of not so good ones. I was looking for a young horse for a client, so I asked about her.
“Alison straight away asked if it was for me. When I said ‘no, for a client’, she said she was quite spooky and quirky. I watched her in the ring; she was spooky and had a stop, so I put her in the ‘not suitable’ basket and didn’t give her a second thought.”
FATE WOULD HAVE IT
Fate would have it that a couple of years later Abby’s breeder Alice Cameron of Oaks Sport Horses was looking for a new rider for the fiery mare, and Emma happened to be just the person for the job.
“Alice Cameron approached me about taking her on or doing a deal as they still had her,” explains Emma. “We had a waitlist of client horses and I said I didn’t have room to take on a horse for myself, which prompted a totally different conversation. We ended up leasing facilities and basing at Oaks Sport Horses, which enabled me to take on the ride and eventually ownership.”
Since taking the ride, Emma and Abby have built a formidable partnership and acquired an impressive list of accolades along the way. They started in their very first World Cup Qualifier at Boneo Park in October 2025.
“My goal for Boneo was to give her a nice step up without making her try too hard. We knew it was going to be 155cm and I was hoping for a soft treble. [Course Designer Gavin Chester] built a bending either eight or nine to a careful vertical, vertical, oxer treble which was not what I was hoping for at all. I remember thinking, ‘if I can ride that well enough, she could jump clean’.”
Ride well enough she certainly did, claiming the class ahead of fellow Yandoo Park rider Jamie Winning-Kermond and Tulara WAT Colblensky.
“The Australian Senior Championship wasn’t even on the agenda until she jumped the World Cup so well at Boneo. I only changed my entry from the Mini Prix the week before the show. My main goal for the Australian Championships was to perform well the first two days and then assess how she was feeling. If we made the final, I was going to walk it out and decide whether to start.
‘A CRACKING ROUND’
“She absolutely exceeded any of my expectations when she was sitting in fourth overall going into the final day. I figured I was going to have to start and hope she had enough jump left. It was for sure the biggest track she had seen and she just kept finding a bit more and jumped a cracking round.
“While we were waiting for the final round, I was trying to convince the other competitors that the conditions were so bad [Boneo Park had been hit with unrelenting wind and rain for the duration of the event] and the standings hadn’t changed that we should just call it and not jump off. I was not successful and I need not have worried about her – she just went in for the final round and tried her heart out.”
Off the back of their success at the Boneo Park World Cup, Australian Jumping Championships and Senior Teams competition at Magic Millions, Emma and Abby knew exactly what they needed to do to secure the GDP Classic Grand Prix in February of this year.
“The GDP Grand Prix, I went to with a bit more purpose. I knew she liked the arena there, I knew she was capable of jumping the height, so it was more about being focused and jumping clear on the day to be in the jump-off and in with a shot of winning the class.”
With prizemoney on the rise in Australia due to generous sponsorship and increased participant and spectator demand, I ask Emma what it means as a professional rider to see these increases enter our sport.
“It’s incredible to have some good prizemoney coming into showjumping and it definitely gives the sport a boost in profile,” Emma enthuses. “It would be really cool if we can see it continue and maybe one day end up with some shows that attract ranking points outside of just World Cup classes. As a professional rider, showjumping is an expensive sport to do, so it’s really nice to pick up some prizemoney.
‘A LITTLE SURREAL’
“Josh and I had discussed goals for the year and we had decided we would aim to have her do well in the big money classes for the year at Magic Millions, GDP, Showcase of Showjumping and Jumping@Willinga, and then maybe choose a couple of World Cup starts. It’s a little surreal to have managed the Magic Millions and GDP Classic duo – the year is off to a good start!”
Emma and Oaks Abracadabra were part of team James Harron Bloodstock & Aveley Homes who took out the Senior Teams competition at Magic Millions in January this year. Image by Click Capture.
Emma and Abby have clocked some of their best performances to date in the main arena at Boneo Park. I probe Emma on whether she thinks this statistic is purely coincidental, or if there is something Abby loves about that arena to which she replies: “It’s a very good surface and I do think she likes an enclosed stadium-style arena. We have jumped in that arena a lot over the years, so I do think she feels a bit at home there.”
Whilst Abby may feel at home once she’s in the ring, she has never been a fan of the gateway and has to follow her support person and groom Brydan in and out each time.
Now based at Yandoo Park alongside her husband, Josh, and fellow husband-and-wife duo Jamie Winning-Kermond and Jamie Kermond, Emma describes life as part of team Yandoo as a well-oiled machine.
“Everyone has their own horses and people that they mainly work with, but at a show we’ll step in to walk courses or help in the warm-up, so there’s definitely advantages to having that flexibility and back-up within the team. In terms of training, sometimes we’ll all be on the arena throwing ideas around or it could be a busy day with lessons, where two of us take horses offsite for training.
“At the moment Jim (Jamie Winning-Kermond) is based overseas and Kerm (Jamie Kermond) is back and forth, so Josh and I are running the day-to-day operations in Australia.”
JUGGLING PARENTING
On working alongside husband Josh and juggling the parenting of their young son Levi, Emma shares: “It’s pretty smooth sailing most of the time. [Josh and I] have a very clear schedule for each day and alternate early starts while the other has Levi in the mornings. I’m often teaching with a headset and Josh is working horses, so we’re working in the same arena with completely separate focuses.
“Changing the course is probably the most challenging task as a couple; we definitely have different approaches there, so I much prefer when I don’t have to be involved in that process!”
For Emma, there are currently two types of days on her rotation, riding and teaching days. “Teaching days start at 6:45am with my first lesson and I teach through until 2-3pm with occasionally a couple of riding breaks before I pick up Levi. On my teaching days, Clem Hughes comes to work my horses.
“On my riding days, I drop Levi off at 8am and then go straight to the stables and ride all of my horses and my client horses. I try not to schedule too many lessons on these days.
Emma, little Levi and Josh with Abby. Image by Stephen Mowbray.
“Abby flats/exercises four to five times a week in a non-show week. We keep it very simple with walk, trot and canter no more than about 20 minutes, all focusing on keeping her relaxed. On a show week, I’ll give her a jump around small jumps at home (about 110cm-120cm) and if she hasn’t been to a show in a while, I’ll take her for an outing to Chatham Park and have a bit bigger jump.”
Around the stables, Emma describes Abby as very quiet, sweet and well-mannered on the ground. “She can be a little standoffish with new people, but once she’s under saddle, she is on a mission and everything she does is quick. The most fun is riding a jump-off with her.
“She has a really guilty until proven innocent attitude with people. When Brydan [Abby’s groom] first met her, she didn’t really like him. He made it his mission to win her over and now she would follow him anywhere.”
Looking ahead for the rest of the year, Emma and Abby have their sights set on consolidation at Grand Prix level, with the aim of keeping Abby confident.
It takes a village to support being a professional coach, athlete and working parent. “Thanks to our whole team at Yandoo Park, Maddo Robertson and Jess Hugo are out MVPs and nannies,” says Emma. “CWD Australia have sponsored myself and Josh for a long time now and their gear is second to none. 4CYTE Australia, it’s a fantastic product that we’ve been using since it came on the market, and CLK Equestrian for our riding wear.”
Emma and Abby have certainly proved that if you have enough heart (and Abby has heart in spades), anything is possible. EQ
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