Sienna Holdsworth-Rose: 2024 Sydney Royal Junior Grand Prix Winner

Having grown up in a family of showjumpers, it was no surprise that a young Sienna Holdsworth-Rose would, too, jump her way to success. Recently, at the 2024 Sydney Royal, Sienna and Coolart Farm Short Torque claimed the Junior Grand Prix as well as the Most Successful Girl Rider. Horse Deals spoke to Sienna to hear more about how she does it all at such a young age and her bright future.

Age: Just turned 16 years old

Lives: Glenburn, Victoria

Education/occupation: Currently studying Year 10 VSV.

Family history with horses? Mum has ridden all her life and showjumped since her teenage years. She is a full-time showjumping coach and trainer. Dad has been involved in the sport for many years now - early on as a rider and most recently within our local showjumping club as President and also was Chair of Jumping Victoria for a period of time. Dad also commentates at a lot of our shows. 

Tell us about your early involvement with horses. Horses have been in my life from the day I was born. I used to sleep in the stables wrapped in a woollen rug when Mum would be riding in the cold and feeding. She says I used to refuse to go inside before the horses were done and settled.

What was your first competition, and how did it go? Mum said they let me into pony club early, at age four, as I was more of a risk running around the ponies on foot than I was on a pony. So my first competition was a pony club Christmas Gymkhana. I remember there was a dress-up class and I had a super pony called Magic and we sprayed him with pink and purple spray paint and dressed him up as a unicorn! 

What drew your attention to showjumping? I have always had a passion for showjumping. I can’t remember wanting to do anything else. I find dressage pretty boring and eventing at the higher levels too risky. I love the training and precision that goes into producing a clear round, and the trust between horse and rider. Mum and Dad have always made sure I have had great ponies/horses so that has supported
my passion.

What are your top 3 most memorable wins? My most memorable wins have all been on the amazing Diamond - Coolart Farm Short Torque. Honestly, she is just so amazing and has won or placed in nearly every Junior Class she has done for the last 18 months. It’s hard to choose just three, but I guess my memorable wins were Magic Millions up in Queensland, our recent win at Sydney Royal - the Grand Prix Junior Final and also being crowned Victorian Junior State Champion in 2023. 

Congratulations on your Junior Grand Prix win at Sydney Royal. Tell us about your partnership with Coolart Farm Short Torque. My partnership with Coolart Farm Short Torque (Diamond) started when I was 12 and we were looking for a horse to do Children’s Classes. Jamie Coman rang Mum and said he had a little pit pony down in the back paddock. She had been a very good horse for Zoe Boulton and had been off for 6 years and had 4 foals. It might be time for her to get back to work. It was a partnership that took time to build. In the beginning, I struggled to ride her. She has her own way of going, she is sharp and super careful and needs a good ride to jump. I have never worked through so much to build a partnership with a horse. We had our differences and we still do, but we have figured out a way to get along and we have been very consistent ever since. Diamond and I have had so many huge successes and we still have some more we want to achieve. She is such an amazing horse, such a competitor and loves her job so much. I never dreamed I would be given the opportunity to ride a horse like her so early in my career, and I am so thankful to Jamie and Sue for the opportunity. 

What was it like being called forward as the Most Successful Girl Rider at Sydney Royal? It was one of the best feelings. Knowing that out of all the girls in that section I was named most successful was just amazing, especially given the long list of amazing riders who have won this award in the past. It has a long and impressive history. We had set a goal to jump clear rounds and end up in the top 6 each day of the show, which we achieved. Diamond was just amazing every single day and jumped her heart out for me. She gives me everything every round and I am so thankful for her. 

Last year, you won the Junior division at Magic Millions. What is the secret to your consistent success? Diamond is certainly responsible for this success. Once she trusted me and I trusted her we have been unstoppable. We also have a great training program at home, which is geared towards setting my horses up for these big classes and we are careful to prepare them well. A great team around me when I am at home and travelling is also essential to achieving good results.

Who are your current rides? Tell us about them. Coolart Farm Short Torque (Diamond) also gets called Queen D - she is my favourite horse - we know each other so well and she is so special to me. She is 20 years old this year and is still wanting to jump and do the job she loves. 

Oaks Kestrel (Rabbit) also crowned Princess Bunny - Rabbit is such a cool horse and is owned by Craig and Ingrid McElvaney. I have the ride on her this year while Ingrid is away at school at Timbertop. Rabbit is by Kannan and is only 9 years old. She is so brave and such a jumper - she certainly has strong opinions and is teaching me how to get along with her. She has stepped up to Young Rider Classes this year and is doing so well. She has a very bright future ahead of her. 

Onyx DP (Onyx) - by Emerald out of Spartava is a very talented young horse who is owned by Ally and Andrew Lamb. He is only 5 years old and is jumping around 1.05/1.10 this season. A stunning horse who will be awesome in the future. 
Patangas Florida (Jocelyn) - by Caracas out of Castleberg - a lovely 4-year-old we purchased from James & Bronwyn Harvey as a 3-year-old. She is a beautiful mare and will be out at shows after winter.

Walk us through a day as Sienna Holdsworth-Rose. I wake up at 6.30/7am and I go feed the horses while Mum does the bus run with my brother. I come back inside and I have breakfast, usually toast or just Up & Go. The days vary depending on what schoolwork I have and which horses need to be worked. I break up the day between schoolwork, which I do through Virtual Schools this year and I usually ride between 4-6 horses per day. I also do the stables for my horses during the day and help with feeding in the evening, depending on what mum is doing. In the evenings we try to have some family time at dinner and relax on the couch together before I have a shower and go to sleep to get ready for the next day. 

How do you juggle school on top of the horses and competing? I do online schooling VSV, which is Virtual Schools Victoria. So I do my schoolwork between riding and caring for the horses. Doing my schooling online means I can be flexible when I do my learning, which works well for me. 

Who’s your idol? I don’t really have an idol. I admire many of the top riders in this country and overseas and I find the top riders here are always encouraging and helpful. I have been lucky enough to have some special people who have helped me during my career. Jamie and Sue Coman have been a huge support. Mum has trained with Jamie for 20 years and they have known and helped me with all my horses since I was very little. I have been lucky enough to work with David Dobson recently and he has given me some great help with my riding and with Rabbit. 

What are the best words of advice you’ve been given? The best advice I have been given is not to skip important steps in building your partnership with a horse. If you take small steps you will achieve so much more in the long term. It may take longer but the steps backwards which inevitably happen don’t push you back to rock bottom. 

Which horse has taught you the most as a rider and why? Diamond has most definitely made me a better rider. If I don’t ride her well - if I don’t have a connection leg to hand and ride to a consistent distance she just won’t jump. More recently Oaks Kestrel is teaching me the art of getting along with a big brave chestnut mare and I am learning so much from building a partnership with her. 

What is it like riding alongside your mother and sister? It is very inspiring to ride alongside Mum and Arienne. When we ride I always like to try to find something I can learn from. I like to learn how to do things myself, but to just have those other riders at home who know what they are doing helps me to work out my training with each horse. Mum trains with me every day and we jump all my horses together, so I have great eyes on the ground which is so valuable. 

What are your future plans? This year we will continue to travel to the big shows and gain more experience in the Junior and Young Rider classes. Rabbit is currently leading the Stal Tops Series and I am very keen to have another ride at the Australian Championships on Diamond. I also want to get some experience in Mini Prix and Grand Prix classes in the next couple of years. Long term I am looking to compete overseas with a view to going to the Youth Olympics in 2026. My ultimate goal within the next 10 years is to compete at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics in front of a home crowd! 

3 things we don’t know about Sienna

I talk in my sleep, especially before a big class.
I love pasta & McDonald’s any time. 
I love camping and water skiing.

Sienna is proudly sponsored by Saddleworld. Betavet Australia and Johnsons Natural Formula.

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