Emma Parkinson reckons her pet horse Banjo has compiled many “frequent trucking points” after all the times the gelding has travelled in her trusty Mitsubishi Fuso.
Big Rigs saw Parkinson riding the 10-year-old Banjo as they were leaving the Wingen Showgrounds near Scone, NSW, in early January.
With them was her seven-year-old cross cattle dog Skippy.
Parkinson, 37, has had the 1996 Mitsubishi for a year and drives it far and wide with up to five horses in the trailer.
“I purchased it from a local guy, who had driven it many places, as far as Queensland.
“He had to downsize and it is perfect for what I do. It may be an old girl but starts first pop every time,” Parkinson said.
I discovered from sources that Parkinson is a celebrity in the Scone district which is described as the horse capital of Australia.
“I take the horses to Campdraft events which are popular around here and ride Banjo around,” she said.
Parkinson mounts Banjo at the Gold Coast Races where they are “clerks of the course”.
“I also got to the Magic Millions sales up there,” she said.
“Twelve years ago I worked at Livestock Transport Group which had 20 trucks and loved it.”
These days Parkinson is employed as operations manager at Vinery Stud which is an elite thoroughbred farm, between Aberdeen and Scone.
She was surprised to hear that less than two per cent of Australian truck drivers are female.
“I thought it would be about 20 per cent,” she said.