Jayden's Story
Dressage rider Jayden Brown grew up on a small property near Bellbowrie, on the outskirts of Brisbane, with three older sisters who all rode and attended poly club – so little brother just went with the flow.
Jayden admits he showed no talent for jumping, so his only option was dressage – and he has never looked back.
As a 13-year-old, he was introduced at pony club to Jenny Gehrke, one of Australia’s leading riders and coaches, and the pair have worked together for two decades.
“(Jayden) has a great natural position and he has a great feel and empathy for his horses,” Jenny said. “He has an unending thirst to gain knowledge and become the best rider he can. His work ethic on and off the horse is outstanding.”
Jayden competed in the World Young Rider dressage final in Frankfurt, Germany, on one of his first horses, Widelo. He trained with Canadian Olympian Leonie Bramall when she came to Australia and based himself with her in Europe as a working pupil before the Young Rider final – and then stayed on to ride and train.
Returning to Australia, he had success on a new horse, Furst Fredreich. He finished 14th at the World Young Horse Championships at Verden, Germany, on a mount called San Andreas.
Over the next few years, Jayden spent time between Australia and Europe, competing on several horses, working as head rider for English equestrian Emma Blundell’s yard and training in Germany with Canadian dressage rider Leonie Bramall.
In 2022, in order to maximise his chances of making the FEI world championships that year and the Paris Olympics in 2024, Jayden and a team of six horses moved from Willinga Park, near Bawley Point on the NSW south coast, to Chedington Equestrian in England.
"This is the fourth major move in eight years, to chase a goal and improve myself in a career that I love,” he said.
At the world championships in Herning, Denmark, Jayden and his horse WillingaPark Sky Diamond, affectionately known as Beans, ranked 41st with a score of 69.674 per cent.
In 2024, he placed with both his rides at a Grand Prix event at Wellington in the UK, finishing fifth aboard Sky Diamond and sixth with WillingaPark Quincy B. The scores of 69.969 per cent with Sky Diamond and 69.478 per cent with Quincy B were both Paris Olympic qualifying scores.
