by Nicholas Duck
Warragul constable and keen showjumper Sam Richardson has come away a big winner at the Victoria Police and Emergency Services Games last month.
A veteran showjumper since early childhood, Sam and her horse Sylvandale Miss Vivienne won two level one gold medals and was named the overall champion of the section.

The games see police and emergency services workers come together for a week of friendly competition and camaraderie in a variety of sports covering everything from touch rugby to pickleball.
It was Sam's first time competing at the games in her eight years of police work, and she came away from the experience feeling glad she went.
"It's a great event and it's great to see that we can bring all the emergency services together to compete around the sports we all love. It's nice to get away from the everyday of what we do," she said.
"At the moment in policing a lot is expected of us and we're going through a reasonably tough time...it was really nice to have a day where I could go and do something I love while representing an employer that I really enjoy working for."
Beginning at 4am for the day, Sam and her horses travelled to Elcho Park in Lara for the event.
There they jumped on heights at 105cm and 110cm, with Vivienne taking home the lion's share of the prizes.
Despite her wealth of experience, Sam said she "never likes to count her chickens before they hatch." In the end it was a strong win for the Warragul officer as she competed against riders from organisations like Ambulance Victoria, the RSPCA and SE.
"Vivienne is one of those horses you can always trust that she's got your back. She'll always do the best job she can for you no matter what, she's a pretty touch competitor."
Sam said she especially enjoyed the social aspect of the games, meeting other people who do similar jobs to hers.
"It's nice to see there are people in other vocations who all do the same thing as you. At the end of the day it makes us all a bit normal, I guess," she said.
Sam will now gear up for the Australian Jumping Championships at Boneo Park on the Mornington Peninsula. The championships will take place from November 5-9 and will be nothing new for Sam, who has competed at them many times before.
With the success from the Victoria Police and Emergency Services Games under her belt, she'll be hoping to replicate those results on the big stage.
"Hopefully we can continue our form."