Fran Cleland, The Regional

The Show Horse Council’s Spring Classic at Werribee Park is one of the last big shows for the year in Victoria before the action heads to Sydney for the EA Nationals. Victorian SHC chairman Andrew James said he was very happy with the numbers that turned out over the weekend.

Mansfield holds the distinction of being one of the most beautiful settings for a horse trials in Australia. Like many other events last weekend it was beset by the Victoria’s storms, but eventing people are tough and the rain did little harm (though spare a thought for intrepid photographer Derek O’Leary, who got caught on the cross country course in the worst of the storm).

There's no denying that the Welsh breed of ponies is one of the world’s most beautiful and the South Australian All Welsh Show at Strathalbyn had some of the best on display. Victorian judge Paul Morath was pleased with what he saw from both event and competition perspectives.

The girls from Ironbark Equestrian Club have done it again. On the back of a win at the Top Teams showjumping championships at Mansfield last month, the club has now also taken out the main event of the Top Teams Dressage championships at Benalla.

The NSW Combined Driving Championships held at Gundagai attracted 48 entries across 18 classes ... It was a great setting for dressage and cone phases, with competitors also enjoying a 14km marathon course comprising 7km of local roads and tracks and 7km containing seven timed man-made obstacles.

The Royal Hobart Show horse program had a bit of a shake-up this year due to continuing redevelopment works at the showgrounds. Classes were held at the Tasmanian Equestrian Centre at Lauderdale instead of the Glenorchy site, which has been the home of the royal show since 1904 except for the past two years while work progresses on a new arena and pavilions.

Stuart Jenkins and the nine-year-old mare Fairview Alicana won the 2023 Australian Senior Jumping Championship in Sydney last week ... At a time where megadollars are paid for imported showjumping horses, even for junior riders, it’s pleasing that Alicana is home-bred.

Geelong is the biggest regional agricultural show in Victoria and it’s a royal to boot. This year saw a new horse committee bring new ideas and energy to the event ... The program catered for every possible competitor ... There were also, importantly, district classes ... classes for Australian Stock Horses ... the Standardbred section ...

The Bendigo Agricultural Show is back. The two-day event was held for the first time in four years on Friday and Saturday after several cancellations due to Covid and then last year, the grounds being used to house evacuees from floods.

So you like competing at dressage but don’t like to travel far. Imagine being Nina Harris, whose work area for training is often an airstrip and going to a competition means a 670km one-way drive from Daly Waters to Darwin.