Local Girl Shines at Tentpegging Championships

MERRIWA’S own Emily Ninness was one of the best junior riders at the Australian Tentpegging Championships played in Scone on the weekend.

Emily Ninness from Merriwa on Chrome during the Australian Tentpegging Championships in Scone.

A team from North East Victoria took the top spot in A grade, B grade winners were Wild Track from Queensland, C grade winners were Maitland and Melissa Elms was also a notable junior rider at the event.

Watch some video of tentpegging on our Facebook page: scone.com.au

Barry Biffin, president of the Australian Tentpegging Association said it was great to play the tournament in Scone during the Festival.

“It gives our sport a bit of exposure and we won an award for our entry in the Horse Parade and it adds another 40 odd horses to the parade which is a good thing,” Mr Biffin said.

“It’s wonderful to play in Scone, this year there could have been a little more moisture on the ground wouldn’t have hurt, but that is not really anything we have control over at the moment,” laughed Barry.

“But the ground is very good ground there and Scone is good because it is central half way between Queensland and Victoria for all of the teams travelling,”he said.

Tentpegging is believed to have had its origins in the military with speculation that the skills were used to collapse tents on sleeping enemies or spear the feet of elephants and there are similar techniques used by the Light Horse.

Mr Biffin used to play polocrosse and said many of the competitors enjoy both equine sports.

“A lot of the skills used in tentpegging are used in polocrosse, but the peg doesn’t jump out of the way, even though sometimes you might think it does,” he laughed.

“You have to be able to gallop on a horse, but once you learn the technique of it , it’s not that hard and quite safe, but the horses also need to be suited to it; to gallop 120 metres and then switch off and walk, so you need to have the  ability to ride at a gallop with one hand and the horse has to have the inclination for the sport too,” he said.

“We also do a skill of arms, we use balloons as targets and there are techniques that would be sued for shooting in the trenches, some companies still use pistols,” he said.

“It’s not that big in Australia, but it is growing and there are approximately 3,000 players in Pakistan, with India and the United Arab Emirates also very active,” he said.

“They are a good mob of people and it gets you n,” Barry Biffin said.