In July 2027 I will ride at the World Reining Championship at CS Ranch in Givrins, Switzerland. I have qualified, and now I have to get there.

Reining is a western horse sport built on precision: spins, sliding stops and flying lead changes, judged on how softly and accurately horse and rider work together. To our knowledge Australia has never had a team at this championship. Steph Dunnachie, Amanda Halliday and I have all qualified, and we are going together. Each of us has our own page.

I'm an NRHA Professional Trainer and I run Sliding Lodge Performance Horses at Bungonia, NSW. I've been training professionally since 2004 and have given over 1,500 clinics in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and China. I'm the 2024 NRHA Oceania Champion, I was Open Champion at the 2026 China Reining Open Derby, and I've coached National Non Pro and Youth Champions. Im trying to represent my country to show whats possible for the younger generation

Why it costs so much: getting a horse to Switzerland means export paperwork, a long-haul flight in specialist transport, then stabling and entry fees on arrival. On top of that come my flights, accommodation, food and insurance. My campaign costs about A$26,700.

What a gift does: every dollar goes to the cost of getting to the championship and competing there. For example:

$50 covers a fifth of my travel and liability insurance

$250 covers my insurance in full

$750 covers half of my accommodation in Switzerland

$1,500 covers most of my horse's return transport

$3,500 covers my Open entry fee and stabling

$7,000 covers half of my horse hire in Europe

Gifts of $2 or more are tax-deductible through the Australian Sports Foundation. I'll post updates here as the trip comes together.

Give what you can, and share this page. Thank you.

Matt Charles

Sliding Lodge