scone.com.auHorse Fun at White Park
MORE than 63 children and their horses enjoyed a day at school at White Park for the inaugural Scone Grammar School Stockman’s Challenge, with children travelling from as far as Armidale and Newcastle.
Ann Davies, equestrian coordinator for Scone Grammar School said the interschool event had been a dream of hers for many years and she was thrilled with the success of the inaugural event.
See photo gallery below.
“It has been great to coordinate a life skills equestrian event with the Australian Stock Horse Society, focusing on what kids do when they get home from school they saddle up, they go and open a gate and jump every log in the paddock and maybe muster a beast,” said Ms Davies.
“On the weekend we had our first school weekend where we got cattle in and the children from the age of 6 years up were campdrafting them with instruction and we had show jump schools for the kids who wanted to learn to show jump,” she said.
“Today we’ve had stock horse classes and it’s all about being safe, it’s not about speed, there’s a utility trial where you look at how well you open a gate, pick up a diza-bone from a drum and do working horse patterns.
“The calf roping on pretend calf has bee hysterically funny and they are loving it; a lot of children have never tried to rope something before and also a pleasure hack.
“The Stock Horse Society brought on some really good judges and that makes a huge difference, we couldn’t wish for more,” she said.
“On a Tuesday we have horse sports after school and we do show jumping and from the money we raise today we are going to buy ourselves one of those gates, so we can practice some of these things for next year and do it even better,” Ann Davies said.
The major sponsor was the Australian Stock Horse Society, which has its headquarters in Scone.
Blair Forrest, events marketing for the Society said they were proud to support the first event.
“We liked the idea of the stockman’s challenge and the practical skills involved, suck as opening gates on horse back and walk over objects,” said Ms Forrest.
“It is also nice to support young riders in the community and we’ve bee really impressed by the quality of horses and young riders here to day,” Blair Forrest said.
Placed in the lead class for 8 and 9 year olds: First, Olivia MacCallum from Scone Grammar; Second, Harry Warner from Scone Grammar; Third, Andrew Crowther from Scone Grammar and in a tie for fourth place Carlton Hall from Scone Grammar and Jordan Hall from Aberdeen Public School.
