It’s surprising who you run into when visiting the Aussie eventers . . .  turns out there is a super strong Kiwi connection in there.

Olympian Shane Rose’s groom is none other than Kiwi Jamie Atkinson from Christchurch.

The 21-year-old who competed to 2* here made the move with his horse Chatham across the Tasman two years ago and is thriving. “I just wanted to see what the eventing scene was like in a bigger country,” he says. “It is really busy but amazing to be part of it all.”

He’s just sold Chatham but is riding a number of youngsters for Shane and Niki. His job has taken him across the globe, to Millstreet and the World Champs as well as all over Australia.

“We’ve done a lot of kilometres that is for sure.”

Working with horses was always his goal and of course the long term focus is Olympic Games. “The World Champs were so cool.”

He’s loving being back on this side of the Tasman catching up with friends. “I would love to ride for New Zealand one day.”

Being part of high performance side with the Australian team is inspiring him even more to chase those big dreams.