Top jumpers at Taihape

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 34, 10 February 1987, Page 13

Top jumpers at Taihape

A group of Raetihi Pony Club children will go to Taihape on Sunday 15th to watch N.Z.'s top show jumpers in action over an Olympic Trial course at the annual Horse Society Show Jumping Championships. Anybody interested in horses would also enjoy watching the trial. Three trials are being held this season and 3 more in 1988 with a view to fielding a team at the Seoul Olympics. The Waimarino is part of the Taihape Area of the N.Z. Horse Society so this is the 'local' show for Waimarino members. Watching the riding and jumping will not be the only aim for the children but also learning how a course is designed and built and what effect it will create. One of the world's top course designers, Mrs Pamela Carruthers, aged 70, of England will design the courses at Taihape as she has done for the previous two years. She was also responsible for the fantastic courses at Isola and Waiuku, which featured on television a fortnight ago. Mrs Carruthers is an amazing lady with limitless energy which leaves her helpers breathless and sometimes exasperated at her demands for everything to be exact. As a girl she was horse mad and at 15 her parents packed her off to finishing school in pre-war France to

forget horses. No such luck! She quickly learned French and cropped her hair short to look 1 8 so she could ride some of the top French horses in the ladies'jumping events. Back in England later she rode in point-to-points, hunter trials and hack events. In the early fifties she show jumped representing Britain and having wonderful results. However, at that time ladies were not allowed in Olympic or Nations Cups teams so she sold her horse and turned her interests to course designing. She called it designing rather than planning or building and says that the most important thing is to improve horses and riders. These days she spends some 10 months of the year travelling the world over, designing courses in Britain, Europe, iran, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. She enjoys New Zealand and is a keen adviser to the Horse Society saying that we have top horses and riders, just needing more international experience. Many of her courses used here are replicas of those built at major northern hemisphere venues. Herability is such that she can predict how many horses will have clear rounds over her course and she designs accordingly. Backing up Mrs Carruthers at Taihape will be Show Jumping Director, Lester

Jarden of Karaka, South Auckland. A hardware store owner and handyman, he has built a magnificent set of jumps copied from overseas ideas and including castle turrets, garden gates and water wheels bedecked with cascading flowers. He hires the jumps out to major shows all over New Zealand. With the stage set so glamorously the show will be a good one. The added bonus is that all the top horses will be on deck including those which represented New Zealand in Australia recently. The line up includes the Pimms team of Pukekohe ridden by Leanne Chambers, the Hensen brothers of Hawkes Bay, John Cottle's Swandri team from Clevedon, Penny & Colin Mclntosh's Naturally N.Z. team from Taupo and Anne Wilson, Waititara, the recent champion on television at Isola. Fresh back from Australia will be Maurice Beatson & Nationwide, Anne's husband Harvey with Crosby, and of course, Tony Webb, Hunterville, with Reservation. Tony grew up in Raetihi so is known to many in the area. He represented New Zealand on the World Cup circuit finishing with a 2nd at Dapto Show in a sizzling 41°C, 10th in their Grand Prix and 5th in the final qualifier at Wentworth Park, Syd ney. The Waimarino itself will be short of mounted representatives this year. Nicki Williams has sidelined her B grader, Liebestraum while

she gets her family started riding and instructs at Pony Club, Jill Martin of Karioi has decided to leave the riding and stick to her committee duties at the show and help with Mrs Carruther's courses. Let's hope she reproduces one for Karioi Sports at the end of February. Telford owned by Ohutu Grazing has been sidelined following major dental surgery but his regular rider Heather Montgomery will ride Daddy's Girl in the dressage. Amanda Collier of Field's Track will start Lucifer in the dressage and Novice jumping. Rowie McGill's B grader Sundance will compete with his now regular rider, Shane Bosher ofTaihape. Pauline Mowat's Avalon, being ridden this season by Sue Thompson of Havelock North will also compete in B grade events.