Riders head to Naracoorte in record numbers for horse trials
IT WAS a record year for Naracoorte Horse trials with 244 entries that saw riders from Victoria and Tasmania joining the South Australians.
It’s the only event in the world that has run consecutively for 49 years on the same property with the same landowners and is a real favourite with young riders and young horses.
David Middleton made the trip over from Gippsland worthwhile winning the FEI four-star class with WEC In The Breeze rising from sixth after dressage with good jumping rounds and taking third place with WEC In The Money. Madison Seivwright and Waitangi Pinterest split the pair with second place.
In the FEI three-star, the winner was Connie Miller on the Thoroughbred Delicato with Tasmanian Chloe Daun just two points behind on the Riding Pony-bred PEC Barindale Grandeur.
Chloe, at just 15, was technically too young for a three-star class but was riding with an exemption.
Her mother, Meegan, says it was a bit nerve-wracking as it was Chloe’s first three-star start.
“I was nervous but I trust the horse,” she said. “He hasn’t had a jumping fault in two two-star classes so even though he’s so small they were fine. They will do the junior two-star class at Melbourne next month as Chloe is only allowed one exemption a year.”
Samantha Cesnik and Giovanni Giorgio won the FEI two- star from former gold medal Olympian Wendy Schaeffer-MacDonald on Sun Quest.
On a busy weekend there were also EA classes with big fields including a senior one-star won by Courtney Fraser on Thunda Rolls and a junior one-star won by Chelsea Clarke and Viscount Visage.
There was also an eventing state of origin teams competition (South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania) and a state championship.
Samantha Cesnik (Giovanni Giorgio), Iona Hawkes (Harley Quinn), La'Moza Velisha (Masterson NZ) and Chloe Brooks (Caught in the Breeze) took the team trophy home to Victoria, ahead of the combined South Australia-Tasmania team of Millie Treloar (Sandon Grove Ralphiel), Chloe Daun (PEC Barindale Grandeur), Audrey Nicolai (Insidious Ghost) and Petra Schuecker (Jelly stone Park Schnapps).
As if that wasn’t enough, there were dressage championships and showjumping classes, where Claire Nitschke and West Side Vision were the elementary dressage champions, Danni Hampton and Wedgwood Big Deal the novice champions and Mia Ozolins and the pony Sierra Park Serindipity preliminary champions.
In the showjumping, there were seven classes ranging from 1.20m to 65cm (all results available via link below).
Event organiser Ashley Copping said the support from riders this year was amazing.
“There were 50 more entries than we’ve ever had,” she said. “Brilliant jumping from all riders, amazing sponsorship and the landowners give us great support – it was a brilliant event.”
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