Clifton Eventers on 
Clifton Eventers on 
Clifton Eventers on Donna Smith
Donna grew up on her parent's farm in Waeranga, Te Kauwhata in the Waikato region of New Zealand. She has been involved in competitive riding, both show jumping and eventing, since she was a child.
Donna was one of the youngest ever riders to represent New Zealand when she traveled to Australia for a Trans-Tasman Show Jumping competition when only 15 years old. Since then she has regularly featured on Young Rider teams for New Zealand, both in Show Jumping and Eventing. She achieved her first senior representation when riding ‘Call Me Clifton' in the New Zealand Eventing Squad at the World Equestrian Games in Germany in 2006.
From 1997 to 2000 Donna oversaw the training and competition programme of a 16-horse team, actively competing 12 horses, for Goodin Stables in New Zealand. David Goodin, father of three-time Olympian Show Jumping rider Bruce Goodin, has been involved with Donna's riding career since the early 1990's.
In 2000 Donna traveled to the UK to spend time working with Andrew Nicholson (six time Olympian for the New Zealand Event Team) and was involved in his training yard working with horses from breaking through to Advanced levels.
Donna returned to New Zealand, established and trained a team of 28 horses, taking 18 horses through to successful competition at Advanced level Eventing.
In January 2003 Donna moved to the US to work for Olympic Individual Eventing Gold Medallist David O'Connor (Sydney 2000 Olympics). Here she competed horses in the O'Connor Event team stable. Donna was specifically responsible for the Young Event Horse Programme and produced many exceptional event horses.
Donna's association with Clifton Eventers started when she moved to the US. She took over with her an outstanding young horse, Call Me Clifton, which they provided to her to target at future New Zealand team selection. The combination were extremely successful, both competing at their first four-star competition in Kentucky in April 2004. Call Me Clifton then had 12 months off with injury before they returned to place 17th at the same event in 2006 before being selected to represent New Zealand at the World Equestrian Games in Germany later that year. Here they produced an outstanding dressage test to sit in the top ten and best New Zealander.
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They stormed round most of the cross country before Donna pulled up between fences near the end of the course, feeling the horse was not quite right. He was later found to have a bad virus.
After WEG, another young Clifton eventer with great potential went to Donna, Clifton Kudos. They rapidly rose through the grades going from one-star to three-star level in 18 months.
Donna decided to return to live in New Zealand in early 2008 and brought Clifton Kudos back with her to campaign for Trans-Tasman team selection for the four-star Australian International Three Day Event in Adelaide in late-2009 and then selection for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.
Donna has made a great start to her competitive career back in New Zealand, winning the National three-star 3DE Championship at Taupo in May on her great 15-year-old campaigner, Stanage, and also coming fourth on Clifton Kudos, only a few weeks after he came out of quarantine.
Donna has already made her mark in the Young Event Horse arena, partnering Clifton Bee Gee to champion at the inaugural YEH event at Puhinui in March 2008.
She partnered this horse's younger full brother, Clifton Zander, at the same competition at the November 2008 Puhinui event. The combination has already set the eventing scene buzzing by winning a horse trial with only 13.1 penalties final score – believed to be the lowest ever recorded in the country.
Competitive Accomplishments
| 2008 | 1st Bell Tea National 3-Day Event Championships with Stanage CIC *** |
| 4th Bell Tea National 3-Day Event Championships with Clifton Kudos CIC3* | |
| 1st Young Event Horse – Auckland 3-Day Event with Clifton Bee Gee | |
| 2007 | 4th American Eventing Championships – Advanced |
| 6th World Cup Qualifier, The Forks with Rocket | |
| 6th Richland with Rocket | |
| 7th Poplar Place with Rocket | |
| 1st Red Hills | |
| 2nd Radnor | |
| 2006 | Head Trainer Young Event Horse Programme – David and Karen O'Connor, Virginia USA |
| 17th Rolex Kentucky CIC 4* with Call Me Clifton | |
| Member of NZ Event Team to WEG, Aachen, Germany with Call Me Clifton | |
If you want to contact Donna, please use this form.