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Saddled in Spirit
The Unshakable Partnership of Jason & Moya Russell
WORDS BY: SAMANTHA SMITH © 2025 D PHOTOS BY: KEN ANDERSON EQUINE PHOTOGRAPHY & MEL JANE PHOTOGRAPHY
On a quiet stretch of bushland in Queensland, where cattle graze and horses gallop under wide Australian skies, you’ ll find the heartbeat of an extraordinary couple: Jason and Moya Russell. Their journey through life, love, and reining has been built not only on mutual admiration but also on unwavering commitment, sweat, and more than a few shared tears in the dust of the warm-up pen.
FROM CAMPDRAFTING TO SPINS AND STOPS
Before reining, Jason Russell was no stranger to the saddle. A seasoned campdrafter with a deep respect for horsemanship, he always felt there had to be a better, softer way of riding. That answer came unexpectedly at a clinic with Ray McGee. Jason brought a paint colt, untrained in the finesse of reining, and walked away with eyes wide open.
“ Ray didn’ t teach a lot of reining directly, but the way he moved a horse— spins, stops, rollbacks— it just lit something in me,” Jason recalls.“ That first clinic bit me on the bum. I was hooked.”
Another defining moment came when Jason saw a video of John Wicks riding Hustlin For Chicks, known as“ Teddy,” at the Futurity.“ That horse hit every single footprint in his circles. I watched it and thought, ' That’ s it. I’ m in!'” From that point, the pursuit of precise, disciplined, and beautiful horsemanship through reining became his passion.
MOYA’ S QUIET STRENGTH Moya ' s entry into reining came much later. A self-taught bush rider who once drove horses in weddings and ploughed paddocks with Clydesdales, she only began reining in 2021. But her roots with horses run deep.“ I used to break in my own ponies, ride old trotters, and drive carts. I never had formal training, just a love for horses and a willingness to learn,” she says.
What Moya may lack in formal reining experience, she makes up for with instinct, determination, and a deep emotional connection with her horses. Her strength lies in her quiet resolve and unshakable focus. She is methodical, observant, and thoughtful in her approach— riding with intention, always seeking to connect with the horse on its level.
2025 JULY / AUGUST ISSUE