To be selected, the 21-year-old sent in a resume of his most recent performances, including agricultural, equestrian and pony club results.
With each state only able to send a team of six riders per event, Waddell said it was a good feeling to be selected to represent Victoria in his third National Championships.
‘‘This is one of the most competitively applied for so far,’’ Waddell said.
Having first applied with two horses, Waddell is set to compete on horse Wilfred, an off-the-track thoroughbred and ex-race horse.
He will be also be coming off a strong showing at the National Championships held in Adelaide last year.
The Benalla rider placed ninth individually in showjumping and joined his Victorian counterparts in placing third in the team event.
And in the weeks ahead, Waddell will also be attempting to gain a further selection in the Tetrathlon event at Nationals this year, an event he placed sixth in last year.
He will attend a training camp in Geelong in the first week of July for a weeks’ worth of training, before competitors set their times for selection.
Tetrathlon is a variant of the modern pentathlon, and comprises shooting, swimming, show jumping and running.
And although he stressed it was no certainty he would gain selection, Waddell said he was fairly confident of his chances.
‘‘There isn’t too many going for selection, so I’m a fair chance,’’ he said.
But it’s a modest statement for a rider who has also placed third in the event in an international competition in Ireland.
And while Waddell usually only gets home on weekends to ride, having finished his most recent exams for his Bachelor of Science and Master of Teaching in Melbourne last week, the Benalla rider is looking forward to getting some solid training in ahead of the camp.