Competing in Two Worlds: Pip Cullen's Success in Showing and Polocrosse

Competing at a national level in any discipline requires immense skill and dedication. For 15-year-old Pip Cullen, this challenge is doubled as she excels in not one, but two contrasting disciplines. Showing has always been close to Pip’s heart, a passion she nurtured from a young age. Recently, however, she has developed a keen interest in Polocrosse, a sport that offers a thrilling contrast to the precision and elegance of the show ring.

Horse Deals caught up with Pip to learn more about her experiences competing in both Showing and Polocrosse, and how she adapts to the unique demands of each discipline.

Pip, tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into horses. I am 15 years old. For as long as I can remember I have had horses in my life. Before I could walk, I would be sitting on a horse. At around two years of age, I was off the lead as mum said that she would never lead us kids. We always had great kids ponies, most sourced from the local Walgett Pony Club families, but we also had a couple of super quiet young ASH galloways. My sister and I had a love for horses, and my brother not so much!

What was your first competition? I can’t fully remember, but I think it would have been Walgett Pony Camp when I was four and I rode a chestnut mare called Solitaire, she was only five. I have so many amazing memories from when I was young riding for the love of my ponies, and it has definitely carried on.

So you started in the show ring. When did you discover your love for polocrosse? Yes, I found the love for showing when I was about nine years old with the support and the equal love for the sport, of the Fleming family. I had a little pony called Bambrough Amber Dream ,she was a bay pony mare. She took me to first in my rider at Toowoomba Royal. From then on, I have loved riding. I have had many beautiful horses, and I will be forever grateful for everything they have taught me.

Polocrosse was in our family already with my sister Molly and mum Bek. I would always go to polocrosse and trot my little show ponies out the back of the field, and to be honest, I didn’t like the game at all because ‘they went too fast’. I am a very determined person, and about three years ago, I got this feeling and thought that I wanted to make it to the 2024 Nationals and represent NSW in the junior competition. So off that, I borrowed the most amazing first polocrosse horse a girl could ever want, Thistlehill Flint; she is owned by the Hunt family. After Flint, I was lucky enough that Christie Hunt put some amazing horses under me. This is where it started. I am now riding a grey mare, One Stylish Pink, owned by Linda Drynan, as my first horse and JH Delightful as my second.

What is your favourite aspect of showing? I have always loved getting dressed up and looking pretty. Showing does that for me, how particular you have to be when you ride around the ring, and over everything the people. We have an amazing group of friends who support and help us all the time.

And polocrosse? Adrenaline! Riding onto the field with my teammates and being ready for whatever the opponent is going to throw at us.

Obviously, both disciplines require a particular set of skills. Do you find it hard to adjust to each discipline and the horses required for these? Not particularly. I know my job and what I have to do on each horse, what they like doing and what they don’t like doing.

When you first started playing polocrosse, what was the most challenging aspect to get accustomed to? Game time, as I started when I was going into juniors, I found it hard to learn the play of the game and just the little tactics. I had put time into my racquet and ball skills, so that was ok it just came down to playing the games.

How do skills from one discipline enhance your performance in the other, and are any skills transferable? Yes definitely! With the background of showing it is ever present in my brain that I have to ride correctly and neatly. When playing polocrosse at the speed we play at, you have to have black and white cues for the horse to not get confused. My leg aids that I have learnt with the showing are very handy when I am going down the field one-handed and I need to stop and/or turn.

What have you learnt through the process of competing in two very different disciplines? Goals are everything, and you have to work for it. Nothing comes on a silver platter. The best player or rider will always come out on top no matter who you know or what you know.

Competing at a National level in one discipline is time-consuming. How do you balance your attention on two? Work hard! I have a desire to succeed, and when I want something, I will try my best to get it. So if it means getting up early to work a horse or two in the morning to make sure all the horses are getting the attention they need, that’s what has to happen. I am pretty lucky to have a mum who rides, so whenever she is free, she helps out riding a pony.

How do you manage the pressures of competing and training at a high level in multiple disciplines at such a young age? Doing a lot of competition has definitely taught me a lot about keeping my head and always, no matter what, being a good sport. I make sure that in myself, I know that I have done my best and that the horses I am riding are going and feeling the absolute best they can be before the event. I believe that if you are worried or unsure about an event, you have not prepared enough. Again the people around me supporting and helping me have a massive impact on how I perform.

Do your events ever clash? If so, how do you choose which one you wish to attend? It’s not too bad, as showing is in the summer months and polocrosse in the winter. I have never been in a position where I have had to choose a big showing event over a big polocrosse event (I don’t know which I would choose).

What’s your most memorable moment in the show ring? 2023 Champion Large Hunter Galloway at Tamworth Hack Championships. This was particularly special as I was riding Fairleigh Olivia who in her first year of showing had qualified for Grand Nationals for her Open and Child’s twice. Another highlight would also be Olivia at her first ever Royal winning Supreme Hunter.

And in polocrosse? Best Horse and Rider at Barastoc this year. I received Player Of The Match in two out of three games, which was super exciting, and then, to top it off, I was also awarded the Best Horse and Rider award, which was definitely a dream come true.

Which discipline is your favourite? Hard to choose. I love them both. If you were to ask me when I am at Polocrosse Nationals, I would probably say Polocrosse, but if you were to ask me at Grand Nationals, it would be showing. I think I will always have showing at the top because that’s where it started, and I love it!

Would you hang up your polocrosse boots and focus on just showing? I don’t think so at the moment, but you never really know. I have heard many stories of people just waking up, and they can’t handle it anymore. I feel that if it were getting all too much, I would find a way to figure out how I could make it work. My favourite quote is, ‘Love the animal first and the sport second’, and this is definitely what I think about when I am getting down. At the end of the day, I love all my horses so so much, and that will always come first. I will definitely not be hanging up my boots to either sport anytime soon.

What is your advice for another rider wishing to compete in more than one discipline? Work bloody hard! Make sure you love it and that you are doing it for your horse and not just for a ribbon. Have a big support crew around you that pushes you to do better and keeps you accountable when you are slacking off. I am super lucky that Mum does the horses with me, so she always keeps me on my toes, making sure I am working all the horses correctly and feeding them the right food and supplements. Most of all, set goals. I would not be doing both of these disciplines if it were not for the goals I set.

Pip is proudly sponsored by Animal Therapeutics.

Searching for your own horse? Check out these show horses and polocrosse horses for sale.