The four competitors for Philip Smith in 2025 were Hamza Minty from Kwa-Zulu-Natal (KZN), Rebecca Hudson-Peacock from the Western Cape, Alexandra Ric-Hansen from KZN, and Olivia Roberts from KZN. We caught up with the four of them ahead of the Philip Smith Memorial Trophy Championship 2025.
HAMZA MINTY
HQ: Please tell us a bit about your equestrian background.
Hamza: I am 16 years old originally from KZN but recently relocated to JHB to further my riding career. I started riding when I was eight years old at Shortlands Riding Centre with Shaun and Anne Oliff.
HQ: Which disciplines do you ride now, and what levels do you compete at?
Hamza: I do Showjumping and Open Equitation. In the Showjumping ring I’ve competed up to 1.45m.
HQ: What do you feel have been your biggest achievements in the sport so far?
Hamza: My biggest achievements so far are being the Reserve Champion in the Outdoor Grand Prix at Easter Festival and being Victor Ludorum; being Reserve Champion at SA Champs in the 1.35m; being Reserve Champion in the Junior Derby; winning the Junior President’s Cup two years in a row; and of course qualifying for the Philip Smith Memorial for the second time.
HQ: Please tell us about your horses.
Hamza: I have four horses currently. Three of the four of my horses were self-produced to the top since I started with them at 14. I have Callaho Corida De Rebelle, who is the current winner of the Junior President’s Cup jumping in the 1.35m. She is a quick and careful mare who always tries her hardest for me. Even if I’m not riding on top form I know I’ll make it to the end.
Continental Drift is also jumping in the 1.35m. She is what people call the special one out of the bunch. She will never let you go around a track without making sure you’re awake. She has her quirks but I love her to bits.
Callaho Conray has been my anchor through all the good and bad times being one of my most consistent horses and taking me around my first 1.45m with a clear. He has the softest nature. He loves cuddles and late night carrots.
My new boy on the block is Callaho Con Calito, Conray’s full brother. He’s still younger and he’s only been to one show, jumping in the 90cm but he’s already following in his brother’s footsteps. He has the same personality as Conray but a little cheeky at times but he also loves cuddles and giving kisses.
HQ: Who are your coaches?
Hamza: My coach is Chad Cunningham, and my former assistant coach is Jenna Odell. She has played a huge part in my riding and is one of the reasons I was able to qualify for PSM. They are the best duo and anyone under their system would thrive. I have been with them for around two and a half years now.
HQ: How are you preparing for the Philip Smith?
Hamza: I’ve been lucky enough to be riding my brother’s horse Capital Cole for a while just to help our a bit as he writes tests. But all the horses at home, including my brother’s are all so different, so being able to ride all of them has been a blessing in disguise and has helped towards my preparation for PSM.
HQ: Which phase are you most nervous about, and why? Which phase are you most comfortable with, and why?
Hamza: I’m not too nervous because I have obviously gone through it once before. I’m feeling confident and comfortable for the jumping part of things because it’s like second nature but also feeling confident for the dressage part as well as my mom does dressage so I rode a lot with her and her coaches when I was back in KZN.
HQ: You competed very successfully last year. Is there anything you will do differently this time round or any lessons you learnt?
Hamza: I don’t think I would change anything, other than focusing and thinking because I made a silly mistake in one of my dressage tests which cost me the win.
HQ: Is there anybody you would like to us to thank for you?
Hamza: I would like to thank Chad and Jenna for believing in me and pushing me to reach my goals; my mom and dad for supporting my dreams and introducing me to this amazing sport; and all my friends who are forever by my side through everything. This year is one for the books for sure!
Good luck, Hamza!
REBECCA HUDSON-PEACOCK
HQ: Please tell us a bit about your equestrian background.
Rebecca: I’m lucky enough to have been born into a horsey family, so I’ve been around horses all my life. I’ve been competitive right from the beginning.
HQ: Which disciplines do you ride now, and what levels do you compete at?
Rebecca: I compete in showjumping and equitation currently, both at the Open level. But I have previously done eventing and dressage both at Open level.
HQ: What do you feel have been your biggest achievements in the sport so far?
Rebecca: I feel my biggest achievement is producing my TI Wavedancer from 110 into the Open classes. She is not the most simple horse, so it has been a huge learning curve for me.
HQ: Please tell us about your horses.
Rebecca: My horses are TI Wavedancer and Capital Chesterfield. Wavedancer, AKA Danny, is a 12-year-old SA Warmblood mare who I’ve had for three years now. I compete her in showjumping as well as her being the horse that helped me qualify for Philip Smith. Capital Chesterfield AKA Chezzy is a 12-year-old SA Warmblood gelding who I’ve been riding for five months now after stealing him from my sister after she jumped him at 1.35m. I compete him in showjumping as well as equitation.
HQ: Who are your coaches?
Rebecca: My jumping coach is Mandy Mason and my dressage coach is Michelle Moreira. I’ve been riding with Mandy since mid 2023 and I started riding with Michelle at the beginning of last year.
HQ: How are you preparing for the Philip Smith?
Rebecca: I have prepared for Philip Smith in many different ways, including having lessons on many different horses as well as running mock environments of what I’ll be doing at Philip Smith to prepare me physically. However, I believe my greatest preparation is that I’ve always been open to learning new things from many different people throughout my riding career over the years.
HQ: Which phase are you most nervous about, and why? Which phase are you most comfortable with, and why?
Rebecca: I’m not nervous for a specific phase, though I know how intense the jumping phase can be mentally and physically; however, I do feel confident for the dressage phase with my experience at Medium dressage level. I know I’m very ready for this event and have done all the homework, but I also know that I am competing against the best of the best.
Good luck, Rebecca!
ALEX RIC-HANSEN
HQ: Please tell us a bit about your equestrian background.
Alex: I have been riding since I was two years old, making it 17 years of riding this year. I have competed in showjumping since I was nine and Equitation since I was ten and slowly worked my way up in both. I’ve been incredibly blessed to have some amazing horses that have helped me develop so much as a rider.
HQ: Which disciplines do you ride now, and what levels do you compete at?
Alex: I mainly compete in showjumping with my horses and occasionally equitation whenever there is a class. I compete in the Adult Opens, bouncing between the 1,35s and 1,50s with my incredible horse – Laios – and my up-and-coming mare is in the 1.30s with plans of moving up in heights this year.
HQ: What do you feel have been your biggest achievements in the sport so far?
Alex: It would have to be a tie between winning SA Junior Open Championship, getting my Junior Protea Colours and jumping my first World Cup Qualifier with Laios.
HQ: Please tell us about your horses.
Alex: To start off with my golden child – Laios. He is a 12-year-old Callaho Warmblood, and he has taken me around my first 1.30-1.55m. He is a soft and loving horse; he is my true once-in-a-lifetime horse. I ride him bareback everywhere. He’s forgiving and has the attitude to win. I am extremely grateful to have found him and had him as a part of my career.
I then have Lemalia. Lulu is an eight-year-old Warmblood. We bought her in 2022, with the help of Michel Van Eck, but only imported her at the end of 2023 due to quarantine restrictions at the time. I have been slowly working through her quirks since she arrived. She tends to be quite an opinionated mare. She is an incredible athlete and I believe she is one of the best horses I have ridden. She is currently in the 1.30s and will continue to develop this year under Jenna Odell.
HQ: Do you know yet who your horse for the competition will be?
Alex: I will be using Carol Nurden’s Capital Chaplin, who she has very kindly lent to me.
HQ: Who is your coach?
Alex: I currently ride with Jenna Odell. I have been with her since the beginning of 2022 and have loved every second. She approaches everything meticulously, sympathetically and professionally – I wouldn’t be where I am without her.
HQ: How are you preparing for the Philip Smith?
Alex: Sadly, I haven’t had a lot of time to prepare for the Philip Smith as I am studying in Stellenbosch. Luckily I had a week of recess where I was able to ride Chaplin daily, doing the elements of the test and getting a feel for how Chaplin wants to be ridden. This time did include a lot of no-stirrup work and when I get back before Easter Festival I will continue to practice my test with him and ride other horses.
HQ: Which phase are you most nervous about, and why? Which phase are you most comfortable with, and why?
Alex: I would say I’m most nervous about the jumping phase—specifically, the gymnastic with only one hand and no stirrups. It is a bit nerve-wracking having to jump with only one hand on a horse I don’t know. I’m mostly content with all the phases. I aim to try and ride every horse the way they want to be ridden.
HQ: Then please tell us a bit about varisty, what you’re up to and how you’re balancing it with your riding?
Alex: I finished matric last year and I am currently studying at Stellenbosch University. I sadly don’t have any horses to ride down in Stellenbosch, as mine stayed home in KZN. I try to go home whenever I can to ride. It does make it easier not having to balance university and riding but I do miss riding every day. Thankfully I have an amazing team at home keeping my horses going, so that I am able to come home and commence as normal.
Good luck, Alex!
OLIVIA ROBERTS
HQ: Please tell us a bit about your equestrian background. When did you get into riding, how long have you been riding, etc?
Olivia: I am very lucky as I was born into a riding family so I have always been surrounded by horses. However, I only started riding at the age of four and I got my first pony when I was seven. I started my riding career in dressage as my mum, Sacha Roberts, is a retired Grand Prix dressage rider, so I followed in her footsteps. However I quickly transitioned to showjumping around eight years old. Throughout my pony years, I participated in dressage and showjumping, and I did a little bit of showing as well.
HQ: Which disciplines do you ride now, and what levels do you compete at?
Olivia: I am now focused solely on showjumping and I have three Open horses in my string: Coscar FZ, Eagles Coastwatch and African Artisan. I compete Coscar in the 1.35/1.40s, Coastie in the 1.35s, recently doing our first 1.40 together, and African Artisan in the 1.30/1.35s.
HQ: What do you feel have been your biggest achievements in the sport so far?
Olivia: My greatest personal achievement thus far was my first 1.40m track on Gallantry Canoe two years ago at the 2023 Maple Ridge Youth Extravaganza. Canoe has never been the easiest ride; however, as it stands now, the bond we share is incomparable. He carried both of us around the biggest track either of us had done with only a pole in the third round, and to this day, it is one of my proudest memories. I owe so many of my more recent achievements to Canoe.
HQ: Please tell us about your horses.
Olivia: I have three horses in my string at the moment, all of which I compete in the Open classes: Coscar FZ, Eagles Coastwatch and African Artisan.
Coscar FZ – more affectionately known as Cossie – is one of the most divine horses I have ever ridden. He is my sister’s horse; however I took over the reins about one and half years ago when she went to university. He is 17 years old now and he is such a people pleaser and will do anything you ask; when you go in the ring with him, you know you’re going to go through the finish flags. He is amazing in the show ring but also very sensitive and can be quite sharp at home. He is an absolute love bug and he adores and demands cuddles in the daily.
Eagles Coastwatch, otherwise known as Coastie, is 13 years old, and he was also my sister’s horse but like Coscar I took him over, and he has become my heart horse. He is very special to me. However he is not an easy horse at all and he is not the type of horse that will save you if you’re on a difficult distance. He often makes me laugh because he is very ticklish and does not like to be tickled, but if you give any other horse attention other than him, he will throw a complete tantrum.
African Artisan is a Zimbabwean Thoroughbred and he is now nine years old. My mum originally bought him as a three and a half year old off the track as a horse she could produce to go eventing. However when I sat on him she never got him back. His original name was Scribbles but we changed it to African Artisan when we started showjumping him. We have kept his stable names as Scribbles, though. He is a very special horse; he is brave as anything and he loves to pronk around after the jumps, but he can throw a proper buck and you really need superglue to stay on when he does those.
HQ: Do you know yet who your horse for the competition will be?
Olivia: I have chosen Eagles Coastwatch as my horse for Philip Smith as he is beautifully schooled and he was the horse I qualified for Philip Smith on so I decided that out of my horses he would be the best option.
HQ: Who are your coaches?
Olivia: I am coached by Jenna Odell and Chad Cunningham. I have been riding with Jenna since I moved to South Africa in 2020. She has been such an amazing coach to me, and my riding has progressed tremendously under her tutelage.
I have been riding with Chad Cunningham since I was around ten years old when he used to come to Zimbabwe for clinics. I have continued to ride with Chad because he is one of the most amazing coaches out there, and my riding gets better and better every time I see him.
HQ: How are you preparing for the Philip Smith?
Olivia: I have been riding as many different horses as I can to help me prepare for the different horses that I’ll have to ride in the Philip Smith. On each of these horses, I have been practising for the dressage test, and I have also been jumping them around courses and through gymnastics in preparation for the jumping part of the test.
HQ: Which phase are you most nervous about, and why? Which phase are you most comfortable with, and why?
Olivia: I would say I’m more anxious about the dressage part, as I think it is the most important part. We only get one minute to prepare for a five-minute dressage test, and dressage is also very strict. One mistake can greatly affect the test mark. I’m more confident for the jumping part as we would have had a feel for each horse prior to competing and I think that will give us a huge advantage when getting on to jump.