Sam’s heritage goes back to Ireland, which his ancestors left in 1833 for Australia. In 1928, Sam’s grandfather had the first horse to jump 6 feet at a horse show in Australia. Sam’s mother used to ride six miles roundtrip bareback to school, and Sam’s father was a member of the renowned Australian Light Horse Brigade during World War II. In the late 1940’s, Sam’s parents were instrumental in starting the Pony Club movement in Tamworth, NSW, Australia, which to this day is one of the strongest Pony Club organizations in the world. Sam progressed through Pony Club and was, amongst other things. the champion Junior rider on the flat at the Sydney Royal Easter Horse Show. He also represented NSW, Australia at the Inter Pacific Horse Trials in Potamac, MD, USA.
Sam won the New South Wales Showjumping Title, the Australian Showjumping Title, and represented Australia in Show Jumping at the Olympic Games. Sam was the leading International Jumper rider in Hannover, Germany and won the German Grand Prix in Dortmund, Germany. He was also the Winner of AIT’s in England, which was donated back to charity. He was second in the richest Grand Prix in the world at the time (Dublin, Ireland). He jumped three clean rounds and was beaten by 1/100 of a second by Raimondo D’Inzeo of Italy on the same day the Americans landed on the moon. He was also a member of Australia's Nations Cup Team.
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Sam has trained riders and horses for sale in the USA since 1979. His students included Pan American Games Riders, World Cup Jumper Riders, World Championship Event / Olympic Riders, and National Champion Marshall and Sterling Adult Amateur Jumper Riders, most of whom were very successful. He has owned, trained or ridden competively five horses who went to the Olympics to represent four different nations. Sam and Gai Campbell have owned Outback Farm USA since 1983.
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| Sam's longtime student Frank Graham, riding the Australian World Cup horse The Fall, who was originally raced in Australia by Sir Frank Packer |
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