OLYMPIC showjumper Ron Easey is after his share of the massive $23,000 prize money on offer at this year’s South East Queensland State Showjumping Championships at the Gympie Show.

Easey will ride nine horses in all levels of competition when the showjumping gets underway this morning.

He is hoping to win the $1500 first prize for the glamour event, the Grand Prix, on board his top mount Townman.

But Easey said the competition in the Gympie showjumping arena would be fierce.

He said Brett Warren, Billy Raymont and last year’s Gympie Show Grand Prix winner Becky Allen would be hard to beat.

“Becky had a win at Ipswich last week,” Easey said.

“They have all just come up from the Royal Easter Show in Sydney.

“They competed well down there.”

Easey’s top horse Townman, owned by Ian Dodd from Cloncurry, has also been in good form.

The stockhorse cross has won at his last six starts.

“Let’s hope he goes well,” Easey said.

“He is a very clean jumper, an honest horse that gives 100% all of the time.”

The Gympie Show is like a second home for Easey.

He has been coming here for the past 25 years.

The 51-year-old keeps coming back to compete at Gympie because he says it is the best show outside the Ekka in Brisbane.

“It’s the regional royal,” he said.

“It’s a good show.

“It has good jumps and good prize money.

“The competition is very strong with strong horses and better riders,” Easey said.

Easey and his groom Nicky White and "manager" Col Leslight are on the road for around five months on the show circuit.

They keep travelling and competing to educate new horses.

Easey’s best-ever horse was his Sydney Olympic mount Rolling Thunder.

“I haven’t got one as good as that at the moment,” Easey said.

“A few of the young ones have potential, we will just have to wait and see.”

After the Gympie Show, Easey his nine horses and crew will work their way up the Queensland Coast to Cairns and then back for the Brisbane Ekka in August.

SHOWJUMPING PROGRAM

Thursday from 7.30am

 Class 2

Table A Jumping

 Class 2a

Young Showjumping

 Class 3

Table A Jumping

 Class 3a

Young Showjumping

 3.30pm Class 4

Table A Jumping

 5.30pm Class 5

Junior Six Bar

 8.30pm Class 6

Young Riders Six Bar

 9pm Class 7

Open Six Bar

Friday from 7.30am

 Class 8

D Grade Showjumping

 10am Class 9

Grand Prix Showjumping

 3pm Class 10

C Grade Showjumping

 6pm Class11

Open Jumping Contest

Saturday from 7.30am

 Class 12

Junior Showjumping Championship

 Class 13

Young Riders Showjumping

 Class 14

C and D Grade Jumping

 Class 15

A and B Grade Jumping

Grand Prix prize money

First

$1500

Second

$1200

Third

$1000

Fourth

$750

Fifth

$500

Fifteen event total

$23,000