Clifton Eventers on 
Clifton Eventers on 
Clifton Eventers on Patrick Everingham
Patrick was born in Lismore 100 km south Brisbane and started riding at about the age of six on the family farm with mum and dad. He was taught by his granddad, who was a racehorse trainer, show jumper and breaker.
"It was not until I was about 13 that I started at pony club. I did four years there and then I went to work for a professional show jumper for about two years after I left school."
"I moved onto Washpool Lodge racing stables where I learnt how to break horses and did some pre-training on the track. In that year I personally broke in about 150 horses."
"I heard Clifton Eventers were looking for a working pupil in September 2009. I did not know anyone there at the time, but after a couple of chats on the phone with Jock and Frances I had a plane ticket within a week! I came over for a week's trial and I didn't leave!"
"I did my first training trial on Clifton Chess and Clifton Guvner at Te Rapa soon after getting here. Although I'd done some small one day events at pony club in Australia, I did not get into horse trails until I got here and it's thanks to Jock that I've come so far in such little time."
"When I first started at Clifton I did about three horses a day, though now I ride Clifton Zander, Clifton Guvner and Clifton Gem, doing things like fitness work and jumping in a grid. When Jock's away that goes up to perhaps as many as ten a day, including Clifton Signature. "
"When not riding I look after the 'boys chores' around the place, cutting grass, fixing pipes,and so on."
"The best part about being here is that you get professional coaching on the job, 24/7. And then there's just the professional environment. Everyone has a goal they are aiming towards. We are all work together to get to where we want to be, so every day we work on getting better yourself and to better each other. When Jock's not around I tend to pick up on structuring the fitness programmes for all the horses, but it's a team effort to produce the horses and get them to a level that Jock takes them on."
"
I did my first Intermediate in early November 2010 at Rotorua, where I finished seventh on Clifton Gem and 13th on Clifton Guvner. The plan is to take Gem and Guvner to Richfields two-star one day champs."
"My short term plan is to move Gem and Guvner up to Advanced towards the end of the autumn season (i.e., April/May 2011) and then do our first three star at the end of 2011."
"Longer term I have an ambition to compete at four-star and represent New Zealand and to follow in the footsteps of Jock."
