Sport
25 July, 2025
An Australian trailblazer
Having only started competing in working equitation in 2023, Tamara Patch from East Greenmount has done remarkably well to qualify for next year’s world championships in Spain.
This will be the first time an Australian has competed in the sport’s top competition.
Working Equitation is a three-phase discipline incorporating a dressage test, obstacle course judged on style, and obstacle course judged on speed and accuracy.
Mrs Patch qualified for the world championships by finishing second overall in the Australian World Association for Working Equitation (WAWE) Qualifier held in late June at Blayney, New South Wales.
“I have been in a range of disciplines but decided to try working equitation in 2023 and the rest is history.
“It has made me strive to improve my riding and training for myself and my horses but also I want to continue to learn about it,” Mrs Patch said.
She is already preparing for competing at the World Championship next year in Spain, to be held in the facilities of “La Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Ecuestre” in Jerez de la Frontera, a city in the county’s south known as the “Capital of the horses”.
Mrs Patch said she is travelling to Portugal, where Working Equestrian is part of the country’s history and culture, compared to Australia, where it is relatively new.
She began travelling to Portugal this week for a five week journey, training with the current world champions and trying to find a suitable horse to borrow.
Mrs Patch said the horse will have had to already qualified for world championships.
She said the cost of borrowing the horse, as well as other expenses like uniforms, accommodation and lessons, will cost over $50,000 so upon her return she plans to be doing a lot of fundraising.
“I have had a lot of support and people who want to help so once I come back from Portugal I will start a lot of my fundraising,” she said.
Mrs Patch is very thankful for everyone who has helped her along the journey, from her family including husband Todd, friends, fellow competitors and her employer Edwards Saddleworld for being accommodating with her busy schedule.
Working equitation is prevalent across the globe but it is most popular in Europe.
It is currently one of the fastest growing new equestrian disciplines in Australia with one of the largest clubs in Queensland based in Toowoomba, Darling Downs Working Equitation.
