Hilary's Story
Showjumper Hilary Scott grew up on a farm near Moree, in northern NSW, and was on horseback before she could walk.
“I began riding before I could walk because horses were just part of the farm,” she said. “Mum used to lead us around and as soon as we could ride on our own we would help with mustering cattle.
“I was surrounded by people passionate about my sport, which encouraged me in that direction specifically.”
When Hilary was 10, the family moved to The Oaks, southwest of Sydney, and she began going to The Oaks Pony Club.
“There I started to enjoy the jumping more because we would do it on a regular basis and had more access to clinics etc,” she said. “I met John and Michelle Kelly, who were down the showjumping path, and so naturally began to steer in that direction by the time I was 13. I love that in showjumping the result is black and white. There’s no question why you did or did not win and it involves so much attention to detail.”
In 2011, Hilary won the Australian Young Rider Championship and the Tonimbuk World Cup on her horse Oaks Miss Scarlet.
In 2013, she made the move to Europe. She is now based in the Netherlands and competes across Europe and in the United States. With her mother Alice Cameron, she trains an impressive team of horses through the family business Oaks Sports Horses.
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Among the best they have bred is her mount Oaks Milky Way, with whom she shares an incredible bond. Hilary and Milky – as she is known in the stables – were part of the bronze medal-winning Australian team at the 2020 Nations Cup in Wellington, Florida, and competed at the FEI world championships in Denmark in 2022. The pair also performed strongly at the 2023 Nations Cup finals in Barcelona, Spain.
Hilary was part of the Australian team that secured a place at the Paris Games with victory at the Group G Olympic Jumping Qualifier at Valkenswaard in The Netherlands in July, 2023. Hilary and Milky posted just a single time fault first time out and had two down at her second attempt.
Hilary attributes her unique partnership with Milky to the fact she has been close to the horse since she was a foal, even breaking the mare in herself.
“I have been riding her all her life, since she was a four-year-old,” she said. “She has been with us for all her life.
“She is extremely self-confident with a lot of character, but she always gives 200 per cent. She loves life and being in the jumping ring.”
