Hazel on Promise R performing in the dressage arena, early days with Hazel on Northern Fable and Hazel & Clifford at the Adelaide Horse Trials.

Hazel Shannon

Hazel started here at Ryans in January 2010.

Hazel hails from a little town called Mutchilba on the Atherton Tablelands in far north Queensland. Mutchilba rates a post office and a primary school, no pub. Hazel started riding at some amazing young age like three years old. Hazel's Dad is a serious camp drafter and is the president of the Cape York and District Australian Stock Horse Society. Hazel has a younger brother, Liam, who like his Dad is showing real talents in the Australian Stock Horse world. Hazel's mum, Melanie, migrated from England to Australia when she was 20 and this is the influence that sparked Hazel's interest to pursue an eventing career.

Hazel has a natural talent for nurturing confidence in even the wildest of young horses. She is very capable weaning and handling foals as they come off their mothers and she has already gained a reputation for breaking-in particularly nervous youngsters in a very quiet yet efficient manner.

Hazel started eventing riding a warmblood mare called Northern Fable who belongs to her Aunt Lynne Kaelin. Northern Fable took Hazel to 2* eventing and Prix St George level in the dressage arena. Nothern Fable sustained an injury and it was decided to put her in foal to Regardez Moi whilst she was rehabilitating.

Hazel rides a straight Thoroughbred gelding called Clifford who belongs to Heath and Rozzie's next door neighbour Wendy Ward. Clifford was bred by Wendy's sister who lives in Tasmania to be a racehorse. Clifford was a complete dud and was sent to Wendy to be sold. Hazel started Clifford at the Introduction grades eventing in 2011. Clifford was always genuine and tried hard. He had quite gumby jumping technique and was less than exciting in the dressage arena. He did however always have big overtrack in the walk and a temperament that was extremely reliable. So Clifford and Hazel bit by bit worked their way up through the grades and progressed from being a gumby horse to a handy horse to a good horse to today where Clifford must be a serious contender for the Australian Olympic Team to go to Rio De Janiero 2016. Clifford is now 3* Eventing at just 8 years of age and has two CNC 3* wins to his credit already. Hazel and Clifford have enjoyed a rollercoaster road to success from complete obscurity. Clifford is still not the fanciest dressage horse however he is technically correct, unlike most eventers he has good flying changes and he is always steady and reliabe and trying super-dooper hard. This converts into a very competitive dressage test which is always near the top of the field and there is better still to come. On the cross country Clifford is very brave, very sensible, and usually reads the fences very accurately. Courtesy of his thoroughbred blood he is very fast and has great endurance. In the showjumping phase Clfford ia again totally genuine and is is naturally very careful. In short he has evolved into a superstar under the guidance of Hazel. This is a very exciting partnership which all being well could become part of Australian history.      

Hazel, like most of the staff also has her own breeding program going with both dressage broodmares and eventing broodmares. Like most of the girls, Hazel will each year sell a foal or two as well as looking into a crystal ball and keeping one or two to be her future champions.