Sappho joined the Ryan team in 2006 as a young SA rider who had enjoyed Pony Club and done some work experience at local riding clubs and also with some well known identities ie Megan Jones. Sappho has always had as her goal, making the Australian Olympic Team in the Eventing discipline. Sappho has come from a very different background, being fluent in the languages of French, Chinese ( Mandarin) and of course English. Sappho in an earlier life was very musical and has featured in public performances playing the cello. Since being with the Ryans Sappho has worked her way up through the grades in the Eventing discipline to Novice Level which is called One Star at FEI level and is the first of the FEI recognised levels. In Dressage the first of the FEI recognised levels is Prix St Georges, so the name "Novice" in Eventing is really quite misleading. Sappho is starting to show quite some flair for dressage schooling and a career in this discipline is likely to blossom at some time in the future. Sappho rides some 6 horses a day.
In 2008 at the end of March Sappho accompanied Rozzie and Donna Carrera as groom to Holland to compete in the World Cup Dressage Final at s'Hertogenbosch. Rozzie went on from there to be travelling reserve for the Australian Olympic Dressage Team at Beijing China in mid August, and again Sappho took on the responsibility of travelling with Donna Carrera and looking after her.
Sappho has headed up the breeding programme at the Ryans for the past two years and is largely responsible for maintaining accurate mare records and also for organising the day to day management of follicle testing, preg testing, foaling, weaning and sale preparations. Sappho is also very competant in handling the stallions during live cover procedures which is a very serious responsibility. Probably more than anyone else at Ryans Sappho knows each mare and youngster by sight and can recite, off the top of her head, their breeding. Sappho has her own little breeding programme in place. In actual fact it is bigger than Ben Hur and not such a "little" breeding programme. Some of Sappho's mares are straight Dressage mares carrying the JIVE MAGIC and REGARDEZ MOI bloodlines and so far she seems to have been very astute in organising which mares go to which stallions and the resulting progeny demanding premium prices. Sappho also has her own little gamble going where she has invested in eventing mares with a view to producing a supply of superior eventing horses for herself to ride in competition and also with a view and an educated guess that premium eventing stock in the near future are going to become very valuable.
Sappho is a very hard worker, naturally bossy and in reality holds down a managing position here at Ryans. Sappho has sat and passed her NCAS Level I exams and so is a qualified Riding Instructor. Sappho is an invaluable member of the Ryans team.