NAPC Branch Teams Show Hunter – By Bella Harvey

NAPC Branch Teams Show Hunter 

By Bella Harvey

It was a brilliant start to the season for members of Whangarei Pony Club at Barge Park on Saturday. The teams show hunter made for some exciting thrills and shocking spills across all heights and levels. Kids from Kaitaia to One Tree Point turned up and turned out to represent their branches. 

There were eight rings for riders to compete in, and each rider would complete four rounds of show hunter each. The heights ranged from Training Cat A, which was 40 centimetres, to Open Hack, which was 80 centimetres.

The Open Hack ring was one of the biggest and most competitive, and this is the one I had Fred in. The riders who won this class were on form. When a course is ridden well, with each stride found perfectly and each lead struck, it’s beautiful. These riders were a pleasure to watch, and absolutely deserved the wins.

The final results for the top three riders in each team were tallied to produce a team total, which was then compared to the total of every other team. The Maunu Andalusians took the overall win on the day with a total of 86 points. In second place with 81 points was the Whakapara Unicorns, and another Whakapara team, the Whakapara Hoihos, took out third place with 78 points. Fourth was a tie between two teams- the Whakapara Tic Tacs and the Kamo Kiwis, who both scored 68 points, and fifth went to the only One Tree Point team, the Renegades, with 64 points.

I very much enjoyed taking my horses to such a well run and friendly event. A big thank you to the organisers and judges, for without them we wouldn’t have fun pony club competitions like this!

Photos courtesy of Amanda Ball