HTF Equestrian
Hilltop Farm Equestrian Centre
Care
Presentation
Performance
Ron Paterson
Personal & Professional Profile
FEI International Eventing Judge – Retired
EA Level 3 Coach – General
EA A Level Judge – Retired
EA Coach Educator
EA Judge Educator – Retired
Ron Paterson’s riding career started when he rode around in bare feet and shorts and rode a pony to school. A chance meeting with ex-campdrafter and Ekka ‘red coat’, Bob Williams, led to some lessons and Ron winning his first Champion Boy Rider award at Dayboro Show in 1959.
Since then, Ron has been a force to be reckoned with in the area of Performance horse sports in Australia. (see Career Highlights)
In the rare position of being a competitor, judge, trainer and coach, Ron’s expertise continues to produce both horses and riders with quality and true and correct technique.
The Equestrian Federation of Australia (now known as Equestrian Australia or EA) has only ever offered two scholarships, and Ron has been the recipient of both (the second as a co-winner with the late Gert Donvig). This enabled Ron to train with such ‘masters’ of our sport as Mairinger, Schultheis, Pileke, Feldt and Holzel.
Short-listed twice for the Australian Olympic Eventing team, but both times accident and injury preventing participation, Ron then turned to focusing on his primary passion of Dressage. He has consistently produced many horses to FEI level and dearly loves working with the young horse to create the true and correct foundations that enable the horse to go on and compete successfully through to the highest levels. A strong believer that the correct classical lines produce success in all areas of equestrian sports, Ron is able to turn his training and coaching talents to enhance performances in not only Dressage, Show Jumping and Eventing but also the ‘Hack’ ring, Reining and Campdraft!
His wish is to continue training young horses and riders on the correct classical lines and to demonstrate the success of these principles for all areas of equestrian sport. He hopes to pass on the knowledge that he has learnt from the brilliant ‘masters’ that he has had the privilege to work with.
Career Highlights
1959
First show! First Champion Boy Rider award
Career Highlights
Early 1960's
Undefeated, Champion Boy Rider throughout SE- Qld and the whole east coast of Australia
• Tweed won Open Saddle Pony, Sydney Royal Easter Show and Champion Saddle Pony, Brisbane ‘Ekka’
• Tweed won two successive ‘T A Field’ trophies (the Pony Club Eventing Championships at that time)
• Riding numerous mounts for other owners to success in Hunter, Show Jumping and Eventing competitions
• Selection in the PCA Inter Pacific team to tour Canada
Career Highlights
Late 1960's
Rode Great Topic and Anytime to many successes in dressage, eventing and show jumping
• 1967 Great Topic won the Group 2 Puissance, Sydney Royal Easter Show, jumping a height of 6″6′, and in the same week placed in PSG and Int 1 dressage events; then went on to win all the major dressage events at Royal Melbourne Show and won and placed at many of the major show jumping competitions throughout Victoria
• 1967 won the first ever scholarship offered by the Equestrian Federation of Australia enabling fulltime training with Franz Mairinger (the EFA has only ever offered two scholarships and Ron Paterson has been awarded both)
• 1968 short-listed for the Australian Olympic Eventing team
• 1968 Great Topic won PSG and Int 1 dressage at Sydney Royal Easter Show and placed in the show jumping events
• 1969 Suffolk Prince with numerous successes in dressage events along the east coast
• Judging Pony Hacks – Sydney Royal Easter Show
Career Highlights
Early 1970's
Moonlighter won the Elementary and Medium dressage events at Sydney Royal Easter Show and then in the same week, second in the Open 3DE; then repeating those exact same results at the Melbourne Royal Show
• Suffolk Prince second to Moonlighter in those dressage competitions
• 1972 short-listed for the Australian Olympic Team in Eventing
• Judging various dressage, hack and rider classes at Perth, Darwin, Melbourne and Hobart Royal Shows
• Judging Barastoc Horse of the Year, Vic
Career Highlights
Late 1970's
Rolf – National Dressage Championships; 1st Elementary
• Eastern Star – Qld State Dressage Championships; Champion Novice, Reserve Champion Elementary
• Coaching such riders as Gill Rolton (Eventing dual Gold medallist) and David Green (Australian Olympic Team member)
Career Highlights
Early 1980's
designed Kooralbyn International Resort first cross-country course for the National ODE Championships
• sanctioned to help coach Australian riders based in England prior to the World Championships
• Eastern Star, Blue Biyou regularly on State Dressage Squad
• The Fisherman – Queensland Dressage Horse of the Year
• Eastern Star – National Dressage Championships; Reserve Champion Medium, Champion Advanced and 2nd in the Int 1
• Co-winner (with the late Gert Donvig) of the second EFA scholarship, the Dunhill Scholarship, to train at the DOKR, German Olympic Centre. While there, having the opportunity to observe and train with such ‘masters’ as Schultheis, Pileke, Feldt and Holzel. Asked to ride for a Judges Clinic, the only non-German ever to have been asked to participate. Also asked by Wolfgang Feldt, then coach for the German National Eventing squad, to train one of the squad horses in his absence. Feldt was astonished at the improvement in the horse which went on to be placed in the European Junior Championships
• Judging Show Hacks – Toowoomba Royal Show
Career Highlights
Late 1980's
• Seaweed and Peace, home bred and trained, with many successes
• Seaweed won at the State Championships at every level from Novice to Int1
• Peace – State Dressage Championships; 1st Advance
Career Highlights
1990's
• Carrington Mist – National Dressage Championships; Champion Medium, Reserve Champion Advanced
• Hilltop Otis – State Dressage Championships; 1st Elementary, 1st Medium
• Hilltop Brianna – State Dressage Championships 2nd Elementary
• Dressage judge – Hong Kong
• FEI Eventing Judge Taupo New Zealand
Career Highlights
Early 2000's
• Coach for the winning Australian Trans-Tasman Young Rider Eventing Team
• Coaching Liz Hunt and Briary Heysen (see Testimonial)
• FEI Eventing Judge – India
• Coaching Sonja Johnson and Ringwood Jaguar, winning both Melbourne and Warwick World Cup Qualifiers and participating in the World Cup in France. Ron continued to train this combination and was a major influence in their successes. Sonja and Jag went on to be part of the silver medal winning team For Australia at the Beijing Olympics.
• Another member of this successful team was All Luck, who Ron trained while being ridden by Ebony Tucker to 2* eventing level.
• Cameo trained from breaking to winning at 2* Novice level, exported to USA where she won
• Donatraum – State Dressage Championships; Reserve Champion Preliminary, Champion Novice
• Royal Rubin – State Dressage Championships; Champion Preliminary, Champion Novice, averaging over 74% for the 4 tests ridden. Winner of both EFAQ Novice and Young Horse awards
Career Highlights
Late 2000's
• Coaching and training Animate and Michelle Lang-McMahon.
• Continuing to coach, train and compete young horses and train many of Queensland’s top Show Jumping competitors
Career Highlights
2010''s
• Coaching and training Animate and Michelle Lang-McMahon.
• Continuing to coach, train and compete young horses and train many of Queensland’s top Show Jumping competitors
Career Highlights
Currently
• As an EA Coach Educator and Australian Judge Educator, Ron continues to be consistently involved in coaching workshops, seminars and the development of new coaches and judges. Continuing to regularly coach throughout most states of Australia. Coaching many great young, and older(!) keen horse people in an endeavour to pass on the knowledge of correct riding and training that was learnt from such ‘Masters’ as Mairinger, Holzel, Schulteis Pileke and Feldt.