Horse Sports Success

By Michael Flaherty

SCONE Grammar School hosted Scone Horse Sports yesterday with entries from both local and Hunter Valley schools but also attracting entries from schools as far south as Sydney.

The event is held every year around the Scone Horse Festival and Event Coordinator Anne Davies was pleased with the weather on offer today and the number of entries from schools and riders and puts the success of the event down to good organisation.

“It is a beautiful day, we have about 37 schools and 150 riders which makes it just perfect, not to big and not to small, calm and organised. We love our day here because it’s different from the other horse sports days because as well as having riding, hacking and sporting, we are the only local horse sports day that does show jumping and dressage so it’s really encompassing a lot more than just the  average horse sports day,” said Ms Davies.

“It becomes very popular, we have Sydney schools that have attended as well as plenty of Central Coast schools and the local schools,” Anne Davies said.

“I suppose it comes down to very good organisation, I work with Julee Gilmore and Scone Pony Club who have been doing this for over 20 years, we know what happens, we put it together and it all falls into place. It is usually about a three or four month lead up.” said Ms Davies.

“We are very grateful to our sponsors and we are very lucky that the Grammar School has from the beginning hosted the insurance so we can do all these extra things” Anne Davies said.

Katrina Gorman from Scone Grammar School with Waratah Liberachi who she trains with everyday before school.

Jane Gorman was there with her daughter Katrina and horse Waratah Liberachi and see’s horse sports as a good opportunity to get experience for both rider and horse in a friendly environment.

“It’s another opportunity to get the horses out and about and have a good time with a few friends, this is a fairly green horse and he’s been in a lot of work for a while so this is one of his earlier outings and it is more to get experience for him,” Jane Gorman said.

Karina Jansen was there with her daughter Charlie and enjoys the opportunity that Horse Sports provides to her daughter.

“It’s a bit of fun and getting some experience riding and sharing that with other children of similar ages and coming together,” Karina Jansen said.

Friends and family together at Scone Horse Sports. L-R Karina Jansen, Charlie Jansen, Adelaide Cooper, Jenny Moschner, Joel Wilkinson.

Charlie Jansen from St Mary’s here in Scone sums up the feeling of horse sports for the riders when asked what it means to her.

“Probably having fun and just enjoying yourself,” Charlie Jansen said.