Last weekend, Yass High School student Lucy O'Sullivan put her equestrian prowess on display to claim her third consecutive title at the National Capital Horse Trial Association competition in Canberra.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
![Up and over: Lucy O'Sullivan and Jackson during the competition in Canberra, which ran from March 6 to March 7. Photo: Supplied. Up and over: Lucy O'Sullivan and Jackson during the competition in Canberra, which ran from March 6 to March 7. Photo: Supplied.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ijfQKXbsEKgSKGW5xB5NiF/f44fa2bc-c0de-4452-8316-1dd3ab2bb1df.jpg/r0_77_614_426_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The youngster won the EvA95 Junior height class at Equestrian Park, riding Sandford Park Blue Steel, who she affectionately calls Jackson.
"She was so excited to win," Lucy's mother, Glynese Evans, said.
"She's been working really hard towards this, and is now looking at the next grade up, which is known as one star."
The grades range from one star - about 1.05 metres - through to five stars, which is Olympic standard. Despite the increase in difficulty, Lucy is determined to continue improving and pit herself against tougher opponents.
"She wants to be up in those bigger classes competing," Evans said.
"But once she goes up into those star classes, she is competing against professionals and Olympians."
Though Lucy's record at the Canberra event over the last three years is spotless, her victory last weekend did not come without some speedbumps.
The competition consists of three events: dressage, show jumping, and cross country.
After the dressage test in the first round, Lucy sat in the lead with a score of 75.53 per cent. During the show jumping in the second round, she pulled a rail and dropped to second place.
"She was really angry with herself," Evans said of her daughter's mentality ahead of the third round.
"She was angry that it wasn't the perfect round. At the end of the day, it doesn't have to be. Horses are animals, they misjudge striding and get things wrong.
"Pulling a rail isn't really a big deal, but she's a perfectionist and over-analyses it a little bit."
Lucy's frustration at her error spurred her on to a strong finish in the cross country, which saw her regain first place and win the competition.
As she eyes a move to more senior competition, Evans hopes her daughter can find the happy medium between striving for perfection and not dwelling on past mistakes.
"Things happen too quickly out there, and you have to put it behind you," she said.
"Concentrate on the next jump, or move, or next corner. You've just got to forget about it."
While you're with us...
Did you know the Goulburn Post is now offering breaking news alerts and a weekly email newsletter? Keep up-to-date with all the local news: sign up here.