Samantha Lissington

From a childhood sailing the ocean to reaping major success, the Kiwi event rider is now in the form of her life. She tells Martha Terry about the hot streak and standout string that have put her in medal contention

- Martha Terry

PIGLET and Toothless might seem like unlikely allies in Samantha Lissington's bold run of form.

These mascots (more on them shortly) assigned to her two five-star horses, Lord Seekonig and Ricker Ridge Sooty GNZ, are a cute symbols of a campaign that's turning heads. But while they add a touch of charm, Sam's stellar performances this summer have been anything but a matter of luck.

First came her “career-best” result with Lord Seekonig, runner-up at the Bicton Nations Cup, swiftly boosted by Sooty's second-place finishes at both Royal Jump CCI4*-S and Luhmühlen CCI5*. Add to that a clean sweep of the Royal Jump CCI4*-L podium, with Quantas R, Billy Alberto and Delarado.

Sam may have been knocking on the door of representing New Zealand at a championship for a while, but this barrage of results has kicked it right open.

"I feel it was a culmination rather than a breakthrough," Sam says, "but to have all those top results hit at the same time at three events with several horses was wild.

"While you prepare and plan for it, and stick to your processes, you don't imagine every phase is going to come together on each horse. Luck does come into it, but certainly it doesn't feel like a fluke. It just feels like all the training has paid off."

Five horses excelling at four-star and beyond would be enough to satisfy most riders. But what's galvanising Sam and her team, grooms and owners, is that she's not just reaping the rewards right now - this is simply a stepping stone, with the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics the ultimate goal.

“It might sound wild, but I think they're all five-star horses - and Olympic prospects,” she says. “If they all stay, we've potentially got seven for LA.