1 week Ago By Ellie Chamberlain
She's a woman in a male-dominated sport, but that hasn't stopped Audrey Haywood taking home two handfuls of awards from a first-of-its-kind national event. or signup to continue reading However, Ms Haywood and her horse nearly didn't make it to a competition that will see her and her ride go down in history. Ranch roping, boxing, drafting, cutting, reining and trail pattern skills were all on show at the 2024 Ranch Horse Association of Australia (RHAA) National Show where Ms Haywood and her stallion were a standout.
Ms Haywood and her horse 'Amaroo Bet Hes a Blueboon' took out 11 National Champion titles in total with the stallion winning overall Australian Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) National Champion Ranch Horse of Australia. "Amaroo Bet Hes A Blueboon will go down in history to be the first horse to have won this title," Ms Haywood said. The National Show was held at White Park in Scone on October long weekend, from Friday 4 to Monday 7.
Their entry was uncertain after a series of events left Ms Haywood feeling "exhausted and unprepared." She lost a mare and bottle fed a sick foal every two hours for four days to keep it alive leading up to the championships. "I was basically sleeping in the stable with this foal," she said.
"I wanted to cancel, I wanted to scratch the event, but I pushed through and I won it." At 55 years old, Ms Haywood is inspiring both the younger generation and older women in the industry. "It's a male-dominated sport but a female just has to work a little bit harder to be recognised in this industry.
It's definitely doable, and I want the young girls to know that." Ms Haywood proved this to be true at this month's championships. "There were only two people at the whole show that caught their cow roping.
..I was the only woman at the show to have caught her cow out of eighty people who threw a rope," Ms Haywood said.
Riding horses her whole life, Ms Haywood is passionate about empowering women, especially in the world of ranch horses. "Women will stop me on the streets or write to me to say thank you," Ms Haywood said. "They tell me they thought they were too old to keep riding but I inspire them to keep going.
" Ms Haywood's message to those women is 'do what makes you happy, that alone will keep you young.' After showcasing her skills at the National Show, Ms Haywood was invited to the Australian Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) awards night on Saturday, October 12. She travelled from her home in Clybucca to Brisbane to be presented with the end of year Highpoint AQHA Snaffle Bit Champion of Australia buckle.
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