Riders gather at Arran Station
Central and Southern Hawke’s Bay Eventing Group ran their annual spring event at the Fraser Road property Arran Station, owned by Silver Fern Farms, over Labour Weekend.
This year the event was a North Island Championship with rugs for the winner of each class. Entries increased significantly on previous years.
Olympians Clarke Johnston and Jock Paget brought a team of horses to have a run over one of the top cross country courses in the country. Donna and Elise Edwards-Smith brought 10 horses, not having competed at Arran for several years due to the lack of on-site yarding.
Many new jumps had been built for the cross country which allowed course designers Campbell Draper from Putaruru and C & S HB Eventing Group Chair Wendy Lansdown scope to build new courses using the natural terrain.
Silver Fern Farms Farm Manager Scott Hobbs Turner and his team had the venue looking immaculate with riders commenting on the top-quality ground conditions for riding the three phases of Eventing, Dressage, Showjumping and Cross Country.
Several riders who are heading to Adelaide in early November to compete in the only 5*FEI Eventing event in the southern hemisphere, rode as a last run before getting on the plane to Australia. Among those was Amanda “Muzi” Pottinger, a C & S HB Committee member and her Just Kidding who won the CCN 3*-S Class. The winner of the CCN4* -S Class Diane Gilder will also compete at the Adelaide event, making the trip to Arran from the north worthwhile.
Locals Emma de Latour, Hannah Appleton, Emma Dunderdale and Kimberley Carrington all competed successfully as well as supporting the running of the event. The committee had support from CHB and Dannevirke businesses through sponsorship to ensure the North Island Championship could be a pinnacle event in the calendar.