Waiouru junior achiever on horseback

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 15, Issue 691, 17 June 1997, Page 6

Waiouru junior achiever on horseback

Fourteen-year-old Hone Brausch, of Waiouru, is the only person to be selected to compete in both the New Zealand Pony Club Cham- j pionships and the Dressage j Championships. Althoughhehasbeenrid- J ing for the past seven years , this is only Hone's second season on his hack, J "Howards' Way",orTedas . the 16-hand bay gelding is commonly known. He has done particularly well to have achieved these results in just two seasons. To be selected for the Dressage Championships, candidates must enter the dressage competition from which three riders are selected in each of the junior and senior sections. At the Zone Dressage Champion-

ships held in Taumarunui on 21 May, Hone was placed fifth overall on the day, giving him a standing of 1 1thoverall in New Zealand. Selection for the New Zealand Pony Club Championships is very tightly controlled and candidates must meet specific criteria before they are even considered. Experience obtained through attending events in Rotorua, Palmerston North and even Wellington is put to good use when competing in the required three one-day events at the open level. Jumps at this stage are 1.5m high and may be combinations such as jump, stride, water jump,.especially during cross-country events. Hone attended these Championships at Ambury Park in Auckland during mid-April but a fall meant that he was unable to complete the event. However, he learnt a lot through the experience of attending a national level competition. Now that he is 14-years old, Hone is gaining further experience by competing in novice horse trials which

incorporate more difficult jumps. Mrs Brausch commented that people like Mark Todd compete in the higher grades at such horse trials so Hone is up against some serious competition. Demanding To achieve results such as these, Hone follows a demanding schedule during the season. His horse needs to be fed twice a day, and is groomed and ridden six days out of seven. With both dressage and cross-country riding skills needing to be practised, Hone works on each area for three days each week. A member of the Ohakune Pony Club for the past seven years, Hone has received coaching from Sharon Plowman of King Country Pony Club and Liz Rennie of Meersbrook Farm, Taihape. With the main season over until training starts again in August, Hone is enjoying the opportunity to play rugby and basketball at Taihape College and to rediscover what it's like to have spare time.