Hugh Miles is a prime example of where hard work and determination can take someone.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
In 2017, the Woolomin campdrafter set his sights on the title for the Australian Bushmen's Campdraft and Rodeo Association 2017 Australian Champion.
Last week, he claimed that crown as he was named the most successful open rider of the year at the ABCRA National Finals.
“It was just one of those things I wanted to do,” Miles said of the feat.
“I wanted to tick it off the bucket list.”
Miles has been campdrafting for over 10 years and rates 2017 as his best year in the sport.
The ABCRA champion – who breeds and trains horses as well as competing with them – said he couldn’t have done it without all the support he received.
“We have some really great clients, some really good horses and a good team of workers that make it all possible,” Miles said.
“A lot goes into it, without the employees and the owners and trusting us with their horses, we wouldn't be able to do it. It’s a real team effort.”
Miles now heads into “the biggest deal” on his calendar – the Landmark Classic Campdraft and Sale.
The event runs from February 3-11 with $250,000 in cash and prizes on offer.
Miles said the introduction of the Landmark Classic Campdraft and Sale had been “unbelievable for the whole horse industry”.
“It’s taken the campdraft and cutting industry to a whole new level,” he added.
“It’s now one of the pinnacle events of campdraft and cutting.
“It’s the equivalent to a grain farmer’s harvest. A lot of people rely on money out of that sale for bank payments. It’s what a lot of them base their year around.”
Miles and his team at Hugh Miles Breeding & Performance Horses will take roughly 25 horses to compete in the classic campdraft at the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre and another 15 or so sale horses.