Fran Cleland
'Queenie' shows off her diva moves to take the sashes
FOAL shows fill the time after the big autumn shows stop and finish just before the breeders decide which of their “ducklings” will...
top of page
Horse news from around Australia and overseas
Ty Manning
- Aug 22
Dream surface, inviting courses make Mount Gambier a winner
THE Mount Gambier Horse Trials has once again proved to be a highlight of the South Australian eventing calendar, attracting top riders...
Fran Cleland
- Aug 21
From the flamboyant to fluffy, dressage gets its spring on
SPRING is in the air and with the Olympic dressage watched and rewatched, inspiration has flourished. New, young horses and ponies are...
Karen Cook
- Aug 19
Showies soldier on as rain pays a surprise visit to the Ekka
THE Royal Queensland Show copped a drenching this year but this did not deter equestrian competitors who simply pulled on their oilskins...
Ty Manning
- Aug 9
Welsh breed goes on show at an event enjoyed by all ages
THE elegance and versatility of Welsh ponies and cobs has been showcased at the South Australian branch of the Welsh Pony and Cob Society...
Ty Manning
- Jul 30
Currency Creek on the money with new, growing event
WHILE the world’s eyes have been on Australia’s event riders at the Paris Olympics, eventing action at home hasn’t stopped. The Currency...
Fran Cleland
- Jul 7
Phoebe fights back from injury to be part of team representing Australia
PHOEBE Roche has been chosen as part of the eight-person team to compete at the 2024 Virtus Open European Equestrian Championships in the...
Fran Cleland
- Jul 7
Interschool finals a grass-roots showcase of future stars
THE dressage and showjumping grand finals for this year’s Victorian Equestrian Interschool Series have been held over two huge days at...
Fran Cleland
- Jun 14
Clubs head north to celebrate 70 years of championships
THIS year’s Pony Club Victoria state championships was very much a big sky event, with competitors and their crews heading north to...
Fran Cleland
- Jun 14
Battle on this weekend for a ticket to ride at Paris Olympics
THE dressage world is bubbling with excitement with the Olympic Games just weeks away and the final CPEDI qualifier in Australia begins...
Dale Webster
- May 8
Horse owners to gain greater protection on Victorian roads
HORSE riders and drivers will be officially recognised as vulnerable road users in Victoria if recommendations from a state government...
Fran Cleland
- May 8
Carriage driving dressage 'like ballet on wheels'
CARRIAGE driving is one of the most beautiful equestrian disciplines and viewing it live for the first time is a special experience....
Fran Cleland
- May 8
Middleton all smiles after 24-year gap between wins
THE 2024 Adelaide Equestrian Festival has again lived up to the hype, with record-breaking crowds and some of the finest displays of...
Ty Manning
- May 8
Guardian of the dressage gate always ready with a kind word
EACH year at the Adelaide Equestrian Festival, as the riders enter the dressage arena for the start of their test, Les Limpus is there...
Fran Cleland
- May 8
Tookak triumphs to take interschool team trophy
THE 2024 Victorian Interschool Championships at Werribee attracted 400 happy riders from across the state. They ranged in ages from five...
Fran Cleland
- Apr 25
Sydney saddle horse lineups feature new and familiar faces
SADDLE classes at the Sydney Royal Easter Show produced a good mixture of new faces in the lineups, particularly in the show hack section...
Fran Cleland
- Apr 23
Fun, games as northern zone riders vie for spot on state team
WHILE the big, elite events like Dressage and Jumping with the Stars and the Sydney Royal Easter Show were in full swing, the youngsters...
Fran Cleland
- Apr 17
Best of the breeds put on right royal display at Sydney
THE Sydney Royal Easter Show’s breed classes have again provided a highlight for spectators as the best of the best go under the judges’...
Fran Cleland
- Apr 17
Annual celebration of the stars keeps getting better each year
SOME of Australia’s finest horses put their best hoofs forward at this year’s Dressage and Jumping with the Stars at the Werribee Park...
Fran Cleland
- Apr 10
Galloping in the hoof prints of champions at Emu Creek
IF ever a pony club could lay a claim to having produced famous riders, it’s Emu Creek. Four former members of the Victorian Western...
Fran Cleland
- Apr 10
Wandin Horse Trials attracts biggest crowd since 1990s
IT’S impossible to say anything uncomplimentary about the magnificent Wandin Park International Horse Trials. Run in a magnificent...
Liz Walch
- Apr 10
Tassie's top eventers battle it out for state honours
MORE than 80 of Tasmania’s best eventing combinations have fought it out for the spoils at this year’s State Eventing Championships at...
Fran Cleland
- Apr 10
Feast for the eyes as the Arabians take centre stage
THE Arabian National Championships at Werribee Park in March was a delight to anyone who loves beautiful horses. There are few more...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 27
Imagine being in pony club in the heart of horse country
THE young riders of the Sale and Rosedale pony clubs are lucky – they live in one of the “horsiest” parts of Victoria, with some of the...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 27
Young rider shares what it's like to represent Australia at just 18
MACKENZIE Walch, 18, has only been riding seriously since 2014 but the talented young eventer has just represented her country for the...
Ty Manning
- Mar 27
South Australians jump to it as season kicks off
THE South Australian show jumping season is underway with events organised by local jumping clubs and the Agricultural Show Society of...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 27
Welsh breed in the spotlight as they show their versatility
THE Welsh Pony breed has had an extremely busy month in Australia. The Welsh Cobs continue to make a real name for themselves as dressage...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 20
Bass Coast knows importance of grass roots competitors
THE Bass Coast Summer Show in Gippsland always opens the batting for agricultural shows in Victoria. Run by two experienced event...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 20
First of the big Welsh shows features some hot competition
WELSH ponies seem to bloom in March, with NSW leading the way, followed by the Victorian show later in the month. The 2024 NSW All Welsh...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 20
Gypsy Cobs - a breed loved for work ethic and temperament
THE Gypsy Cob is one of the “new” breeds being seen in Australian show rings in recent years. Their history is based in the Romani...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 20
Every horse has a story - here are three from Barastoc
THE original Horse of The Year Show in Australia – known around the country simply as “Barastoc”– has cruised serenely through its...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 13
Army of pony clubbers head to Elmore for state championships
The Victorian Pony Club State Dressage and Showjumping Championships at Elmore was a classic example of a well-organised, efficiently run...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 13
Berry blessed with good weather and plenty of entries
THE quaint little town of Berry on the south coast of NSW comes alive for the annual show in autumn and hosts a full two days of horse...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 13
Snake Valley event attracts big field of endurance riders
VICTORIAN Renee Henry and Kollage MI have taken out the Snake Valley Dash Endurance ride’s perpetual line honours trophy. The lightweight...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 13
Show a spectacle of flying feathers and jingling harness
THE Clydesdale and Heavy Horse Show Held at Werribee Park each year is an absolute spectacle. People have a deep love for the past and...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 6
Forecast not enough to put off determined showies at VASA
“NEITHER rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail shall keep the postmen from their appointed rounds.” According to Wikipedia, the original...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 6
Carriage drivers cut a dash at Battle of the Borders
CARRIAGE drivers from all around Australia, plus volunteers and visitors from as far away as Canada, made the Level 2 “Battle of the...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 6
Riders relish annual gallop across lakes and craters course
THE course designers at the Lakes and Craters International Horse Trials at Camperdown excelled themselves, constructing an amazing cross...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 6
Young dressage riders hot on heels of today's champions
WHERE not so long ago the show ring was the favourite playground of young riders, now, even diminutive seven-year-olds on 12-hand ponies...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 6
Show Horse Council pulls off the perfect event
IT doesn’t happen often, but when the stars align, an event will shine so brightly that people will smile and talk about it for months....
Fran Cleland
- Mar 6
The Clydie cross a policewoman just couldn't leave behind
THE Clydesdale cross is one of the most popular of the performance cross breeds and Second Chance, by Diana Thurgood, is a story that...
Fran Cleland
- Mar 6
Victorian showjumpers score breakthrough win in Trans-Tasman
YOUNG showjumping riders in Victoria are certainly blessed with great opportunities. Two big events at Boneo Park wound up a long and...
Fran Cleland
- Nov 29, 2023
Spring classic welcomes Shetlands to show hacks
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...
Fran Cleland
- Nov 29, 2023
It was beauty and the weather beast for riders at Mansfield
MANSFIELD holds the distinction of being one of the most beautiful settings for a horse trials in Australia. Like many other events last...
Fran Cleland
- Nov 29, 2023
State titles organised in just three months packed to rafters
THE Victorian State Showjumping Titles run by the Northern Victoria Show Jumping Club at Shepparton showed how a great event can be...
Fran Cleland
- Nov 29, 2023
Grass surface gets the nod from dressage riders
THE northern part of Victoria is quickly becoming a centre for horse activities, with Elmore, Tatura and some smaller venues having had a...
Fran Cleland
- Nov 29, 2023
'Rookie' shaping up as the one to beat this year
SARAH McMillan was named the FEI World Cup Australian League’s “rookie of the year’ in showjumping last year and with her mount, Tyrone,...
Fran Cleland
- Nov 29, 2023
Bits: Noorat Show a boomer, Tenterfield Saddlery sells and bushfire fundraiser
NOORAT Agricultural Society’s annual show this year was a record-breaker. At a time when many shows are struggling with declining...
Fran Cleland
- Nov 22, 2023
Good luck topping the girls from Ironbark, they're on a roll
THE girls from Ironbark Equestrian Club have done it again. On the back of a win at the Top Teams showjumping championships at Mansfield...
Fran Cleland
- Nov 22, 2023
Welsh supreme 'a true hunter type', judge says
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...
bottom of page