SUSIE DUDDY (Marheine), 27 years of age  and married  to Richard in 1997.  They live on a farming and grazing property at Willow Tree in NSW which necessitates quite a deal of travelling in order to enable Susie to participate in dressage competitions and attend lessons.  ( two and a half hours away from Heath Ryan at the NSW Equestrian Centre and competitions are four and a half hours away when held at the NSW Dressage Council grounds at Clarendon)

Despite this considerable  obstacle, Susie is one of Australia's leading competitors and is fortunate enough to own two of the country's most outstanding equine stars - Christopher and Donna Carrera.

Susie attended Rutherford High School (she refused to go to boarding school, as this would mean that she would not be able to ride her beloved ponies everyday) and completed her HSC in 1990.   She then attended the University of Newcastle and completed a Bachelor of Business (Marketing major) part time from 1991-96, so that she could continue to ride horses whilst furthering her education.

Susie puts quite a deal back into the sport she loves through judging, she is a C Level Advanced Dressage Judge,  and a Hack Judge.

She has always been a very competitive person, Susie aims to do things properly... never in halves.  At school she was involved in nearly all of the sports activities and competed in swimming (zone and regional level), cross country running (zone level), athletics (zone level) as well as being in the school teams for netball, softball and volleyball.  All of this activity kept Susie 'in peak condition' physically, and her 'mental fitness'  was developed through her involvement in debating, public speaking and mock trial teams, as well as being vice captain of the school, house captain and a member of the school band and choir.

Some notable sporting highlights for Susie came with the opportunity to represent Maitland in the all schools representative netball team for 3 years, and she was in a winning premiership team in the Maitland District Netball competition. Netball gave way to horses when the shows and pony club started to clash with netball training.  Now Susie's sporting interests (apart from the horses) involve  tennis and swimming.

Susie acknowledges her good fortune having been born into a very horse orientated family who have all been extremely supportive.   She was first put on a horse before she could walk,  father (Brian Marheine) competed at the Royal Easter Show for numerous years winning his Gentlemen rider class in 1942, as well playing polo and then polocrosse. Susie's mother (Barbara nee Mackay) had to ride to school everyday and played polocrosse as well. Sister (Judy) and brother (Philip) went through pony club and competed at Sydney and Brisbane Royals in the hack ring, with Philip going on to play polo for Australia. Judy is now professionally involved in breeding thoroughbreds.

Susie's first pony was a little black Thelwell look alike by the name of Candy, she said that he was so 'roley poley'  that he was mostly ridden bareback as the saddle would just roll around him, and leave her dangling!  (part of the experience that has helped her balance, I thought as Susie told me this story)

Her first competition pony was a grey by the name of Cally, and their claim to fame was winning the Reserve Champion Pony Hack at the Zone 7 Jamboree at Scone, which was Susie's first 'tri coloured' ribbon, and a great thrill at the time.

Then came a string of ponies of all shapes and sizes. First was Smokey (Tawarra Blue Mountain Dove - she did not name him, Susie was quick to point out!) a 13hh grey pony who gave Susie a lot of fun, doing absolutely everything from shows to pony club. He won a lot of Champion Pony Hacks at Agricultural Shows and Pony Club as well as being a terrific sporting pony. Susie won her first Sydney Royal Easter Show blue ribbon on Smokey in the Under 13 Pony Club Teams of Four (the team was coached by Rozzie Ryan). Alas, Susie outgrew Smokey and he was sold sold when she was fourteen.   It was a very sad time, as the pair had won four pointscores in a row at pony club, but, by this time Susie had to lift her legs up while showjumping, to ensure that she did not knock down the jumps!

Royal Show wins are always special (ask any dedicated 'showie') and one of Susie's biggest thrills was winning the Novice and Open Pony Hack at the Brisbane Royal Show in 1984 at the age of 11 years, with a pony by the name of Kuriheka Deborah. Two of her other favourite ponies were Kibah Delft and Tudor Park Fanfare, who won a lot between them. Susie says, "Delft spoilt me as he was a natural at flying changes - all you had to do was turn his head and at the age of 11,   I thought that every horse must be this easy"!

Susie had her first introduction to dressage under the persistent guidance of  then next door neighbour Margaret McLean (an eventing rider born in NZ). Susie recalls that her very first very first dressage test was ridden on Cally, when she was 8 years old. They scored a 'huge"   39.23% (she still has the test sheet, as a bitter reminder) with a 3 for riding. Naturally, Susie was not thrilled with the idea of dressage after that introduction ... but obviously things began to improve!  (thank goodness kids are so resilient!)

As Susie grew,  the ponies were sold all and she moved onto her first hack - Bolagamy Spider. He was purchased as a 4 year old when Susie was was 14.  He placed in his hack classes at Sydney and Brisbane Royals and became her first 'real' dressage horse. Susie trained Spider from Novice to Prix St. George, and they placed at State and National Dressage Championships along the way.

In 1984 (when Susie was 10) her father Brian purchased the beautiful 'picture perfect' Lunchtime (thoroughbred) gelding, Galloping Gourmet.  He was to be Susie's future ride, but until she was a little older, he was given to Libby Laing (Sauer) to train and show.  At the age of 15 Susie started to ride Gourmet (he had just had a two year spell in the paddock). Riding such a well known and loved horse was quite a daunting experience for the 15 year old, even so, at their first competition (in 1989) they won both dressage tests at the National Dressage Pony Club Championships. Gourmet was the horse who gave Susie many of her most valuable lessons - both in the hack ring and the dressage arena. Some of their notable highlights were - winning the Open Hack over 16.2hh at the 1992 Sydney Royal Easter Show and competing in the final of the Samsung Cup in 1991 (now FEI International Challenge) at 18 years of age. This was in addition to winning the NSW Dressage Horse of the Year. Gourmet showed horse lovers of his time that a good thoroughbred has everything!!!

Galloping Gourmet was retired in 1993 and is living the "life of Riley" at her Mum and Dad's property at Lochinvar.  He is now 21 years of age.

In 1994 when Susie was 21, her riding was put on hold due to injury.  She recalls, "It happened when I was warming up for a dressage competition at Maitland on a young 4 year old mare, Miss Louise.   I just froze and could not move. Three weeks later I had a back operation and I did not ride a horse for two and a half years".  This 'time out' made Susie keener than ever, and when she recovered in she went on to ride in her first competition in 3 years - the 1996 National Dressage Championships in Tasmania, where she won the Novice/Elementary Freestyle and placed in the Elementary tests. ( talk about throwing oneself right in at the deep end!!)  This level of determination and commitment is the special 'Susie Duddy ingredient' and the reason that success follows her, very closely!

Towards the end of 1997 Susie started to ride Christopher, an attractive bay gelding bred by the Marheine family,  who have connections with Christopher's gorgeous sire, Salute. Susie described Christopher as "such a willing big talented horse".   Susie is sure that his character and temperament have been major factors in their outstanding success. The most significant Susie Duddy/Christopher performances to date are:

Australian National Dressage Championships 1998 Medium Dressage Champion,  Australian Young Dressage Horse Championships 1998 - 6 year old,  Australian National Dressage Championships - 1999 Advanced Champion, Member of the NSW State Squad

Christopher will start at Prix St. George/Intermediare 1 level in the year 2000, and is set to be a force for the 2004 Olympic Games.

In March of 1998 the family purchased the beautiful black mare,  Donna Carrera (by the international superstar sire Donnerhall) from Clyde Wunderworld in NSW,  who had imported her 6 months earlier from Germany. Susie has enjoyed some wonderful success on this mare, who   gave Anky a lovely ride at the 1998 Young Horse Competition.  Anky commented how soft and beautifully trained the mare is - and like most people in the very large audience, I would loved to have taken her home!

Susie and Donna Carrera's achievements include - NSW State Young Horse Championships 1998, 4 year old Champion Australian Young Dressage Horse Championships 1998, 5 year old Champion Award, at the Hannoverian of the Year titles.

Susie currently trains with Heath Ryan,  Rozzie Ryan, Clemens Dierks and Christopher Bartle who, she says, "All have been very big influences on my dressage training and competition riding".

Susie reminisces, "My  biggest thrill was at the 1998 Dressage with the Stars, and having Anky Van Grunsven congratulated me on the way that both Christopher and Donna Carrera were working. She  awarded me the Bates Special Award for the best rider over the two days. My biggest regret was not being able to ride Donna Carrera at 1999 Dressage with the Stars".

Susie has very clear ambitions to take Christopher and Donna Carrera through to Grand Prix, and with her 'nothing by halves' commitment, she is sure to succeed.

I feel very privileged to have been given the chance to know Susie a little better through this interview, and I am sure that she will turn her dreams and ambitions into reality.  I would like wish Susie the very best of everything that she will need to reach the top in the 'international dressage arena' and hope to get the chance to follow up on her progress.