HORSE TALK

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31119, 23 July 1966, Page 11

HORSE TALK

Coming Events The Belfast Pony Club’s one-day event will be held on August 21 at Stewarts Gully. The Ranglora Pony Club will hold its one-day event on September 4. The annual Christchurch Pony Club Show is to be held at Yaldhurst on September 10. The Kaiapoi Jumping Show will be held on Saturday, September 17, on the property of Mr and Mrs P. M. Moore, Island Road, Kaiapoi. The Ellesmere Pony Club Show will be held on September 24 at the Leeston Showgrounds. On October 1 the Dressage Group will be running ILs dressage and combined training competition day at Yaldhurst. Horse Society At the annual meeting of the Canterbury Area of the Horse Society, Mr K. McBride, was elected president, Mr J. Baxter and Mr R. Kendall vice-presidents, Mrs D. M. Crowther secretary, and Mr G. Hutton treasurer. A committee of 20 was elected with an even distribution throughout the area. The first function of the new committee will be the cocktail party to be held after the Christchurch Hunt Club meeting on July 30 in the Riccarton tea kiosk. Tickets are available from all committee members or from the secretary. Tomorrow there will be a working bee at Yaldhurst for all committee members, Horse Society members and friends to continue the much needed work of painting rails. This is one way Horse society members can give their practical support 'I.Z. Pony Breeders The annual meeting of the New Zealand Pony Breeders was held in Timaru on July 11. Members from as far afield as Gore and North Canterbury attended. Mr J. G. Wilson of Sanson, Palmerston North, was re-elected president, Mr N. I C. Mahon (Amberley), who chaired the meeting in Mr Wilson’s absence, vice-presi-dent, and Miss S. Mahon, South Island liaison officer. The secretary is Mr E. G. Dobson, Palmerston North. This is the second time

the meeting has been held in Timaru. It will be held alternatively in the North Island and at Timaru. The society has presented a silver medal to all Royal Shows in New Zealand for the best registered pony brood mare exhibited. A medal has also been presented to Invercargill and Christchurch shows. Brood mare registration numbers are to be stated on the entry forms when entering in the class. It is hoped these medals will help stimulate an interest in the Pony Breeders’ Society. Volumes I and II of the Pony Register are now available. National Horse Trials From the North Island comes the news of the Horse Society’s national one-day event championship, the Forest Gate Trophy. The course this year was very well built, the fences imposing but still attractive. It was a course which rode well and drew praise from all quarters. A notable feature of the Raro Trophy was the performance of the well known trainer, Mr E. Ropiha, who entered three horses. He took first place

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himself on Mrs J. L. Smith’s Why Not, and produced the second, Albino, ridden by Miss G. Bambry. The other Ropiha entry was also ridden by Mr Ropiha and put up a good performance to be fourth. In this section only one horse incurred jumping faults in the crosscountry. Three-Day Event The first full scale threeday event to be run in New Zealand was held this year at Rotorua. This was run and organised by the Bay of Plenty area of the Horse Society, and a very good job they made of it. Stalwarts behind the venture were Miss E. KnoxThompson and Miss S. Dickens. The first day the competitors performed their dressage test, the second the speed and endurance, consisting of roads and tracks, steeplechase, more roads and tracks and cross-coun-try. The third and final day was devoted to the showjumping phase. The total distance covered on the second day was about 14 miles with 25 natural obstacles which were in keeping with the hilly country of this phase. The second day’s programme required the use of

100 stewards, marshalls, time-keepers and officials. Most horses paraded in very good condition and proved their fitness over the three days. Only one failed to pass the veterinary inspection in the third day. A tragic note was struck when Impala, third placegetter in the Raro Trophy the previous week, dropped dead when about to begin his show-jumping round. Jose and Mr Anton Koolman showing the benefit of experience gained In Australia last year led throughout for a convincing win.