Australia’s Maree Tomkinson competing internationally with Diamantina 4. Image by Lyndal Oatley.
Every rider dreams of finding that one horse who changes everything — the kind of horse who not only shines in the arena but teaches you more than you could ever imagine. For Maree Tomkinson, that horse was the striking mare Diamantina.
Maree and her friend Lyn Sultana had already experienced the highs and lows of owning horses in Europe. They decided that, if they were to travel horses from one side of the world to the other to compete, it had to be with a horse of real quality. Their search soon became frustrating, expensive and at times disheartening.
One mare, however, caught their eye — Diamantina 4 (Diamond Hit x Campari M), who was in fact the first horse they looked at in their search. She was beautiful, expressive and everything they were looking for, but far beyond their budget. Returning to Australia empty-handed seemed like the end of the story until another investor stepped in. With a little negotiation with then-owner Johannes Westendarp, Diamantina was secured in 2006, and at just four years old she was on her way to Australia.
Maree and Diamantina in the competition arena. Image by Roger Fitzhardinge.
“You couldn’t fight
her – you had to
make it her idea.”
EARLY DAYS & THE WORLD STAGE
Diamantina wasted no time proving her talent. Too late to contest the four-year-old class at Dressage With The Stars, she instead took out the five-year- old young horse class at the 2007 Sydney CDI. Soon after, Maree and Diamantina were on a plane back to Germany to compete at the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses.
Fate intervened when Equine Influenza grounded flights back to Australia. What was meant to be a short campaign turned into nearly three years in Europe. It was a blessing in disguise. Diamantina dazzled in the six-year-old final at the World Championship, finishing sixth, and during that time became a regular winner at M-level (Medium level) competitions. Everywhere she went, heads turned, and comments followed about the mare’s beauty and presence. Maree and Diamantina trained mostly under the watchful eyes of Jürgen Koschel and his son Christoph, who adored the mare and her talent.
Returning to Australia as a six-year-old, Diamantina skipped straight into Advanced and Prix St Georges. She was virtually unbeatable — winning the National Small Tour Championship twice, as well as the Sydney CDI Small Tour Championship — as she made her mark quickly and emphatically.
She had three world-class paces, elastic steps, and undeniable athleticism, but she also had an opinion! “She had a big attitude,” Maree recalls. “You couldn’t fight her — you had to make it her idea.”
Maree and Diamantina representing Australia at the 2014 World Equestrian Games. Image by Sporthorsesonpics.
GRAND PRIX & WORLD CHAMPS
The step to Grand Prix wasn’t simple. Piaffe was her weak spot — not because she lacked ability, but because she didn’t naturally generate the kind of internal energy the movement required. Still, she learned, and when it mattered, she delivered. Maree explains, “She was never a hot horse, she lacked internal energy, and that energy often came from her environment… she then found all things easy. It was finding ways to excite her mind into enthusiasm in the correct way.”
In 2014, Diamantina represented Australia at the World Equestrian Games in Normandy. She thrived in the big atmosphere, showing that travel and pressure only made her stronger. However, it was here that she decided she could not go through the tunnel into the competition arena, and Maree had to jump off and run next to her to lead her into the stadium and then mount and ride the test. It was masterful and the pair certainly made the biggest test of their life.
After WEG they trained on in Europe, then returned home to Australia and continued a glittering career at Grand Prix level.
The dream of a 2016 Olympic start in Rio loomed. It was again a trip to Germany to prepare and compete at the selection trials. But despite all their efforts, Maree and Diamantina weren’t selected. The disappointment hit hard, and Maree and Diamantina boarded another flight home to Australia. “I felt disillusioned with the direction of the sport,” Maree says. At just 15, Diamantina was retired from top-level competition.
Maree riding Total Diva (Totilas x Diamantina). Image by Michelle Terlato Photography.
“There will
never be another
like her.”
LIFE AFTER COMPETITION
Retirement didn’t mean an easier horse to manage. Diamantina was never one to relax in a paddock. She would gallop endlessly, risking injury, until she was brought back into the safety of her stable — which, truth be told, was where she was happiest. “She’s not a country girl,” Maree laughs. “She likes city living and apartments.”
Maree continued to ride her at home for a few more years before retiring her completely. The bond between them never wavered.
When Maree later based herself permanently in Germany, training out of Performance Sales International (P.S.I) in Hagen, there wasn’t a day she didn’t think of Diamantina back in Australia. Finally, at 23 years old, Diamantina made the journey one more time back to Germany where she was born, and to Maree. True to form, she travelled as if it were nothing, arriving full of life, eager as ever.
Now she lives alongside her daughter Total Diva (Totilas x Diamantina 4), enjoying light paddock time, the horse-walker, and being hand-walked with Maree in tow three times a day. She’s certainly doted on daily and is still full of character, still opinionated, and still very much the queen of the stable.
Left: The pair always looked immaculate! Image by Roger Fitzhardinge. Right: Diamantina, 23, arrives in Germany with Maree. Image supplied by Maree Tomkinson.
BOND LIKE NO OTHER
For Maree, Diamantina is more than a horse. “She taught me so much and I am indebted to her. I only wish I could have her from the start again now,” she says simply. “There will never be another like her.”
Diamantina has also left her mark as a broodmare, producing foals through embryo transfer, but it is her partnership with Maree that will always define her. From the frustrations of the early search, through world stages, flying back and forth across the globe effortlessly to championships, disappointments, and triumphs, the mare they once couldn’t afford became the horse of a lifetime.
And when that final day comes, Maree knows she will be there, just as she has always been, with Diamantina’s head resting in her lap. EQ
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