Australia: Richmond's riders quest for Derby glory

Queenslandcountrylife.com.au - Full Story

By Matt Sherrington
Oct. 19, 2015

You could never accuse Richmond’s Camille Bargenquast of being afraid of an adventure.

The expert rider who has traveled the globe searching for fresh thrills before finding a source of constant excitement in western Queensland is now attempting to fulfill her dream of competing in the longest and toughest horse race in the world next year; The Mongol Derby.

Hailing from a country town in France, the former Camille Champagne’s lust for excitement started at the age of four when one day while walking through a park she laid eyes on a horse up-close for the first time.

Camille said she distinctly remembers thinking to herself, “I’m going to ride those one day”. That day would come along very quickly as a mere two years later she had immersed herself in the world of competitive horse sports.

Up through to the end of her teens Camille competed in high-level equine events throughout the country, while becoming a top notch horse trainer along the way.

Endurance horse riding is Camille’s foremost form of enjoyment and seeing footage and photos of the vast open expanses of Australia; gave her dreams of taking long treks across this tough terrain in the saddle.

“I’m very passionate about long distance riding; I believe long hours riding an individual horse creates a very intimate relationship,” Camille said.

“That was the big attraction of Australia; combining my love of endurance riding with all the open space available here,” she said...

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