Riding a way of life for local woman

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 525, 1 March 1994, Page 1

Riding a way of life for local woman

It's easy to tell that horses are the life blood of local equestrian Christine Reynolds! The biggest give-away is the competitipn-sized dressage arena installed on her Rangataua property. The arena was recently made all- weather with the addition of layers of scoria, pumice and bark for year-round training. Christine, together with fier thoroughbred Arab 'My Warrior', recently qualified for the 1994 Horse of The Year and will travel to the New Zealand Championships,inTaranaki, between 1 113 March. The pair will travel to Karaka the following weekend for further competition. Qualifying for the prestigious title was no mean feat for Christine who has amassed 22 points this season through wins and placings at regional competitions. Another eight points and rshe will be eligible to progress from 'elementary' to 'medium' class. , Training for the upcoming events is being kept light while 10-year old 'My Warrior' recovers from painful bunched muscles in his rear quarters. Christine, who specialised in dressage around two years ago, is philosophical about the fact that she and her mount must travel considerable distances to train and compete. Training involves travelling to Pahiatua once monthly for instmction from one of this country's top dressage instructors. Christine enthuses about her future competition prospects with three-year-old Hanovian thoroughbred filly, 'Margot Fonteyn', which she hopes to train to 'grand prix' competition level. The youngster who is aptly named according to Christine, already displays the qualities of a dressage champion.