Equestrian

Pony Club eventers from all over Tasmania headed to the Tasmanian Equestrian Centre at Lauderdale recently for the Pony Club Tasmania State Trials. The event was hosted by the Southern Zone of Pony Club Tasmania with 94 riders competing on 110 horses.

Campdrafting as a sport evolved naturally from young station hands competing around cattle yards and drovers' camps in NSW and Queensland in the 1880s. It’s generally been a sport dominated by men, but at Lockington in Northern Victoria earlier this month, the women took their fair share of the prizes.

In an event like the famous Garryowen, where every tiny detail is important – from the quality and cut of the coat and breeches, to the stock, gloves and even the position of the spurs – the leather top boots need to be immaculate. And it’s not an easy task. Well known show horse competitor and judge Claire Uren has always been meticulous in the appearance of her horses and in correct turnout wear, including boots.

The supreme led Welsh exhibit overall for the second year in a row at the NSW All Welsh Show was the Welsh Mountain Pony stallion Waxwing Passport ... Passport also completed the hat trick by winning supreme ridden Welsh exhibit of the show, following on from the same win at both the Victorian and South Australian All Welsh shows this season.

Last weekend the weather was hot but perfect for the tough breed of Heavy Horses at the Allora Showground. This being the second year of running the Darling Downs Heavy Horse Festival over two full days. Organisers were thrilled with the crowd of around 5,000 through the gates with Saturday being a huge day.

The hardy stock saddle is a much-loved outback symbol but its story has never been written - until now. Wild Ride captures this colourful tale, involving colonial pioneers and Aboriginal stockmen and women; bushrangers and young horsemen sent to the Boer War. It catalogues the earliest models produced by amateurs sewing kneepads onto traditional English saddles, through to the development of the modern stock fender.

While spectators are used to watching youngsters mounted on their ponies doing all sorts of things, pony trots is attracting more and more young drivers. Pony trots is for children aged six to 17 years old with ponies who are no bigger than 13hh in height, and the races are conducted at meetings in the same way as the big guns.

The jingle of chains, the sparkle of big, turning wheels and the steady clop of hooves made the Victorian Tradesmen and Delivery Horse Group show a real pleasure. The group is dedicated to preserving the history and authenticity of the heritage of traditional commercial horse drawn vehicles in Australia by continuing to hold shows at regional agriculture shows throughout Victoria.

Two full days of Activities,   Displays and   Demonstrations. You’ll be amazed by the gentle giants such as Clydesdales, Percherons, Shires, Australian Draught Horses and Belgians. This year sees 120 magnificent horses displaying their versatility in Breed Led Classes, Working horses and Ridden events including hack, dressage and barrel races.

There is a Shetland-sized hole in the hearts of the Scott family of Emu Creek this week after they said goodbye to Mickey, just shy of his 50th birthday ... It is believed Mickey was used for pony rides at the Melbourne Zoo and at metropolitan race meetings in his younger days but ended up in Bendigo at age 36 when his owners moved into aged care.

Australia's two riders at the FEI Endurance World Championships at Butheeb UAE finished well, with Jodie Salinas and Baroud Rio coming in fifth and Andrea Laws-King riding Heathfield's Bin Sadaqa in 31st position. Australia also featured in the breeding of the magnificent mare Haleh, bred in Australia by Bullio Razorback, winning individual silver.

The Upper Murray Pony Club (UMPC) made a well received return to Corryong on Sunday, holding its first rally day since the 2019-2020 bushfires and having recently relocated from Tintaldra to the Corryong Recreation Reserve. Club president and Chief Instructor, Heidi Walton, declared the day a huge success with five junior and four adult riders completing the day’s activities.

Last weekend the Downs Polo Club brought back their annual camp draft after weather-related and covid-related absences from the events calendar. The committee welcomed over 300 competitors to the Allora Showgrounds with many local horsemen and women putting on a spectacular show of horsemanship and equine athleticism.

Out now!

Erin Callahan’s handsome grey Danson Lincoln continued his rise up the eventing ladder with a win in the 2.5-star S class at the Geelong Horse Trials at Inverleigh. He was the winner of the Champion of Champions Young Event Horse at Dressage and Jumping With The Stars in 2017.

Jeff Hanson. The thrills and spills of the time-honoured Narrandera rodeo returned on Saturday night, with thousands of locals on hand to witness some of the best bronc bucking, bull riding, and rodeoing seen in years. The premier event on the program was the open saddle bronc, and cowboy Tom Kerr returned from a broken back to win on the well-performed mare, Secret Sister.

I was honoured to get a Hall of Fame Award from the Barastoc Horse of the Year Show committee and I think a pocket history of the show is needed. What other event has had the same naming rights sponsor for 54 years making the name so established it can’t be separated from the title?

Brenda Renison and her Fjord pony, Irene, attract attention whenever they go to competitions ... Brenda has four Fjords. She fell in love with the breed many years ago when there was a fire in Kinglake in Victoria and her family opened up their property for people to bring their horses to a safe area.

Out now!

A team of Australian Pony Club riders have been having the time of their lives in New Zealand after being selected to be part of this year’s Inter Pacific Exchange. The four riders – Ashleigh Bennett of Young NSW, Bridget Mouat of Riddells Creek Victoria, Georgia Elias of Launceston, Tasmania and Georgia Goss of Eastern Hills WA – competed in two events while overseas, as well as fitting in a lot of sight-seeing across the 18 days of their trip.

The National Clydesdale and Heavy Horse Festival went ahead last weekend with a heavy heart, marred by a road accident on the afternoon before the show began that claimed the life of one of its own ... Organisers however, decided the show must go on and put on a cracker of an event to mark the 15th anniversary since it was first held at Werribee Park in 2008.

The honest Standardbred was once the poor relation of the racehorse world. While the Thoroughbreds had a chance of finding a life after racing, the Standardbred was far less likely to get that opportunity. In the past 20 years – and especially since 2015 when Harness Racing Victoria set up its “HERO” rehoming program – things have really changed and they can be found in any number of occupations, without a sulky in sight.