When Alli Reinke won Australasian National Medium Show Pony Champion, she was so excited she wore her garland – complete with flashing lights – for three days straight.
She did celebratory laps around the yard on her scooter until 10 at night, by the light of her flashing garland, and slept for three nights with her pony’s winning rug.
See more photos at end of story, below.
Hard work pays off
Local schoolgirl Alli Reinke has outshone a class full of adult professional riders to win Australasian National Medium Show Pony Champion.
Beaudesert High student Alli, 12, won the title at The Nationals Australasian Showhorse and Rider Championships at Sydney International Equestrian Centre in December.
It came after she won Supreme Champion Show Hunter on Mundoora Park Davito at Beaudesert Show Society’s rescheduled Horse Show on 29 October.
At The Nationals, Alli rode in three classes, placing fourth in her rider class and winning Australasian National Medium Show Pony Champion on Thorne Park Dance All Night.
She was the only child rider in the class she won, with every other person in her class of eight being a professional adult rider.
After starting competitive showing in 2020, Alli went to The Nationals in 2021 but didn’t place, then rose to the top in 2022 with her new pony Thorne Park Dance All Night, nicknamed Daizi.
She rides five times a week, including twice with coach Paul Austin, and competes nearly every weekend at Show Horse Council Australasia and Equestrian Queensland events.
She also works hard shovelling and selling horse manure to earn some spending money for when she competes at the royal shows.
Her closest weekend competitions are at Park Ridge and in 2022 alone she travelled to Canberra, Werribee, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Toowoomba and Caboolture for events.
Alli’s mum Jess Pamment-Reinke said local ag shows like Beaudesert were important.
“Beaudesert Show was a qualifier for us to be able to do Ekka but also a qualifier for us to do Canberra Royal and Southern Cross. It was great they still put it on because there were so many who needed that extra qualification just to be able to go,” she said.
Alli will go to the Royal Canberra Show in February and the Southern Cross Show Horse Spectacular and Show Horse Council Australasia Grand National in Sydney in March-April.
Ultimately, she has her sights set on doing dressage at the 2032 Olympics.
“it’s not about the winning or the losing it’s about going out there and having fun and doing your best,” said Alli.