Olivia Curtain with Ngahiwi Lady Blu at Willinga Parks 4CYTE Jumping@Willinga. Image by Simon Scully Photography.
When 14-year-old show jumper Olivia “Liv” Curtain lines up at this year’s Australian Interschool Nationals, it will be more than just another competition. For Liv, simply being there will represent months of grit, resilience, and the kind of determination that makes the seemingly impossible possible.
Liv’s path to the Nationals was almost derailed in May this year, when a freak accident at the Riddells Creek leg of the Victorian Equestrian Interschool Series (VEIS) left her with a shattered pelvis. But instead of a long spell on the sidelines, she staged a remarkable recovery – getting back in the saddle in just nine weeks and returning to competition within three months.
Olivia Curtain with Yalambi’s Luciana at the picturesque Willinga Park. Image by Simon Scully Photography.
A TALENTED TRIO
Liv first sat in the saddle when she was eight, and in just six years she has built a resume many riders twice her age would envy. She has a team of three talented competition horses:
Ngahiwi Lady Blu (Keila), a 13-year-old mare by Ngahiwi One Eye from New Zealand who has been with Liv for two years and competes in the Children’s classes up to 115cm.
Yalambis Luciana (Luci), a nine-year-old mare by Yalambi’s Cassini Rosso who Liv has also had for two years and rides in the Juniors up to 125cm.
Tulara Colchic (Chisel), a 14-year-old mare (Colman x Chicos Boy) who was the 2024 Australian Young Rider Champion with previous rider Jack Barker. Liv has had him for just over three months and is now campaigning him in the 105-115cm classes.
Her list of career highlights already includes winning the 2024 Festival of Showjumping Children’s Championship in Caboolture with Keila and the 2023 Willinga Park Children’s Championship with her pony Xcella. “There have been so many great memories already,” Liv reflects, “but those two wins definitely stand out.”
A FREAK ACCIDENT
On Saturday 31 May, during a round at Riddell’s Creek, Liv’s season took a dramatic turn. “It was a really unfortunate accident at the show,” she recalls. “My horse’s back legs slipped on the ground coming into the jump, which caused her to fall underneath me. She landed on me and I fully broke my left pelvis in half.”
X-Ray of Olivia’s pelvis following the fall. Image supplied.
“I ended up with
10 screws and two plates
through two large incisions.”
Liv was rushed to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne, where she faced a long and painful wait for surgery. “I was there for two days waiting for specialist equipment, before undergoing a five-hour operation,” she explains. “I ended up with 10 screws and two plates through two large incisions.”
The severity of the injury meant her Nationals campaign was suddenly in jeopardy. Surgeons initially suggested it could be up to six months before she would return to competition. For a rider used to spending every day in the saddle, the prognosis was tough to hear.
RECOVERY AGAINST THE ODDS
Rather than dwell on what she might miss, Liv threw herself into the recovery process. With her mother Sally – a personal trainer – by her side, she approached rehabilitation with the same discipline she brings to competition.
“Mum asked heaps of questions of the surgeons and physios about what I could start straight away,” Liv says. “I made it my goal to progress every day, listening to my body. When I first got home after seven days, I was still in a wheelchair, struggling to sit up and in a lot of pain. But every day, multiple times a day, I did my physio and rehab exercises.”
X-rays post surgery. Image supplied.
“As soon as the
surgeon gave me the
all-clear, I was ready.”
At five and a half weeks post-op, Liv received the green light to begin weight-bearing again. “That was a huge milestone,” she says. “But I also found out I had a small fracture in my tibia and foot, which slowed me down a little. Still, I kept soldiering on, and it resolved itself after a few weeks.
By nine weeks she was back in the saddle. At twelve weeks, she was jumping again.
“Honestly, I wasn’t nervous at all – just excited and eager,” she says with a smile. “I focused on getting fit, getting full movement, and as soon as the surgeon gave me the all-clear, I was ready.”
A TEAM EFFORT
Liv is quick to acknowledge the support she received throughout her recovery.
“A huge thank you to my surgeon Dr Lucas Annabell and the team at the Royal Children’s Hospital – I’m so grateful,” she says. “Mum and Dad played such a big role in supporting me both mentally and physically. They gave me constant encouragement. My coaches, Frida and Phil from Lever Equestrian, kept reminding me there are plenty of shows in the future and I would come back stronger.”
Friends and the wider equestrian community also rallied around her. “My friends came to visit in hospital and at home, and the greater community was amazing – sending gifts and well wishes. Knowing the sport has such great people really helped me through it.”
BUILDING MENTAL TOUGHNESS
The accident may not have changed Liv’s approach to training – she continues her regular off-the-horse fitness regime – but it has shaped her outlook.
“I think I’ve come out stronger mentally and physically,” she says. “It was an unfortunate thing to happen, but I’ve put it behind me and I just focus on what’s ahead.”
Her mindset is now one of resilience and determination. “It was definitely hard not knowing how long I would be out for, but setting goals and focusing on getting strong again kept me motivated.”
Olivia Curtain with Ngahiwi Lady Blu winning the Children’s Spectacular at Willinga Parks 4CYTE Jumping@Willinga. Image by Simon Scully Photography.
LOOKING AHEAD
Remarkably, just months after surgery, Liv’s competition schedule is busier than ever. She has just finished competing at Willinga Park’s 4CYTE Jumping@Willinga in the Children’s and Junior classes with success, notably winning the Construction Control Children’s Spectacular with Ngahiwi Lady Blu.
The 2025 Interschool Nationals at Sydney International Equestrian Centre is the next stop for Liv and her team. Representing her online school, Haileybury Pangea, she has qualified two horses: Keila, who will contest the 110cm Jumping and the 2* 115cm Combined Training, and Lucy, who will also line up in the 2* 115cm Combined Training. From there, it’s back to Victoria for the Boneo Park World Cup Show.
Her long-term goals are as ambitious as her recovery has been determined: “To compete at the highest level in Australia and take that internationally to World Cup Finals and the Olympics.”
INSPIRED BY THE BEST
Liv also finds the inspiration in her coaches, Frida and Phil, who bring with them years of experience both in Australia and overseas. “I learn so much from them on a weekly basis,” she says. Internationally, she looks up to riders like Edwina Tops-Alexander and Ben Maher, whose achievements on the world stage fuel her own aspirations.
For now, though, Liv’s focus is firmly on Nationals. After everything she has overcome, simply cantering into the arena will be a victory. But don’t expect her to stop there – she’s hungry for results.
With her trademark grit and determination, Liv Curtain has proven that setbacks are only stepping stones. Her story is a reminder that with resilience, support and an unshakeable belief in yourself, anything is possible.
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