Alfie and Ella Conclude Their Interschool Career

Apart of the Western Australian interschool team consisting of 13 horses, Thunder God travelled across the country to compete in Sydney at the 2025 Australian Interschool Equestrian Championships. Alfie arrived safely at the venue, ready to represent retired racehorses and WA with Ella McCrum.

To honor the 25^th anniversary of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the state teams were led out by equestrian Olympians such as Shane Rose, Stuart Tinney, Vicki Roycroft and many more. This set everyone up for an exciting start to the competition.

Thunder God (competed as KP Playback) and Ella began the weekend partnering with Charli Brajkovich to compete in the Pas De Deux dressage. Opting for a Moana themed spectacle, this pair captivated everyone to finish in first place above 15 other teams. This was the perfect start to prepare them for their next classes.

Entered into the 1.10 and 1.20 show jumping, Alfie and Ella jumped their socks off.

“He outdid himself, getting better each day. A few small moments kept us out of the placings, but I was so proud of him to finish in eighth place in the 1.20m and 13^th place in the 1.10m against some competitive horse and rider combinations.” – Ella

As this was her final year, Ella was thrilled to be able to compete one last time at the Interschool Championships on her special thoroughbred.

“It was wonderful to go out on a high, with the WA team winning the Overall Highest Points for the smaller state teams – a feat that saw us finish in front of Tasmania, South Australia and the Northern Territory.”

Off the Track WA were proud to sponsor Ella and Alfie as they travelled to compete. As a junior combination competing nationally, it is important to us to support and promote what retired racehorses can achieve in their careers away from racing. Thunder God was bred for racing success, but after only three starts, retired unsuccessfully. He’s now finding triumph in eventing, show jumping and dressage with his best friend, Ella.

“I can’t thank Off the Track WA enough for their sponsorship, without which it would not have been impossible to travel with my horse to Sydney for this event.  The opportunity has been amazing, I have learnt many things with my horse, and I am inspired to continue to achieve great success with him.”

We wish Ella all the best as she completes her final year of schooling and look forward to seeing what she can achieve with Thunder God, who has safely returned to WA soil.