Rowan Willis' rise in the showjumping arena has continued with the Armidale-raised rider now the highest ranked Australian on the world table.
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Willis skipped to 61st on the FEI standings when they were released on September 30, one spot in front of one of Australia's most well-known equestrians, Edwina Tops-Alexander.
The Willis family spent Rowan's younger years living in Warialda where he was part of the local pony club before they moved to Armidale.
Nearly two decades ago, he moved to the United Kingdom to pursue his show jumping dream.
Rowan made the world stand up and take notice last year with a series of impressive performances.
Willis and his super mare, Blue Movie, affectionately known as Carrots, made their World Equestrian Games debut for Australia.
After finishing third in the qualifying event for the individual jumping, Willis and Carrots took out in 12th place.
The Australian team - also featuring Billy Raymond, Scott Keach and Jamie Kermond - finished sixth.
That was the highest an Australian team had placed at the Games.
Willis then went on to be the first Australian to win one of the toughest showjumping events in the derby at Spruce Meadows aboard the talented Everse W.
This year, Willis and his team of superstar horses have continued their success. Everse and Willis went back-to-back in the derby in July and managed to secure plenty more placings at the event. One of the biggest feats in his career was last month.
Willis and Blue Movie claimed silver at the $3 million CP International Rolex Grand Prix in Canada.
He qualified for that event on one of his up-and-comers Diablo VII before riding Carrots in the final.
It is the highest course in the world with 1.70 metre jumps. Willis and Carrots finished clear in their first round before knocking one rail in the second.
He was beaten by world number six, Elizabeth 'Beezie' Madden who has two Olympic gold medals, a silver and a bronze to her name.
Most recently, Willis and his team took on the Split Rock Jumping Tour in Ohio and scored another win on Baccus in the 1.40m as well as only hitting one rail in the 3* World Cup qualifier.
Not only did he ride those horses to top performances, he had his homebred Wellington Grandorie and Everse competing.
Keeping an eye on his success on the international showjumping circuit, are parents David and Elsa, who still live in Armidale.
And it isn't just the success which makes them proud of him, it is the effort he has put in to get there.
"It is just shear hard work and determination, he hasn't had the financial backing a lot of other ones have had," David said.
"Someone asked Rowan 'how do you get on the Olympic squad?'
"And he said 'You get up every morning and work really hard. And when you have done that, you work harder.'"
David and Elsa, along with their daughter Renae, Wendy and Michael Jackson and Warren Coventry, pitched in to help buy the special mare who has taken him to the top.
"It has turned around a bit, he battled and battled by himself, just with the one lot of sponsorship to buy Carrots and that was all," David said.
"Now he has got quite a lot of help coming in but it is still a battle; it costs him a fortune to keep a string on the road in America."
And if that doesn't make you proud to see this Armidale local at the top of his game, the affection he has for Carrots, who has been dubbed 'unrideable' in the past, will.
"He loves her dearly. His spare time, he spends it standing there patting her," David said.
Willis has his sights firmly set on representing Australia at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, hopefully aboard Carrots.
"You would think so, he is the number one pick at the moment but things can change," David said.
In the meantime, Rowan and his team have plenty more competitions coming up. This week he will line up in 3* and 5* events at the World Equestrian Games venue in North Carolina.