TA team shine at Timberlands event
Pony club riders emerge supreme among field of 20
Te Awamutu Pony Club’s victory at the North Island Timberlands Teams Event was a special thrill, given it was the first time a full team of six riders and two reserves had represented the club in quite a few years.
There were 20 teams competing for the title, which has been running for 42 years at Cullum and Mandy Boyce’s property in Tokoroa.
The last time Te Awamutu had taken home the Wayne Challenge trophy was in 1986.
The riders were from all three branches that make up Te Awamutu Pony Club.
Daniel Garland and Zara Cowan — Kihikihi Branch; Leah Norvall, Matt Taylor, Cam Taylor, Stephanie Rear, and Kate Sherlock (reserve) — Mt Pirongia Branch; and Addisyn Dingwall (reserve) — Wharepapa South Branch.
The two reserves were put in a combined team with O¯ torohanga Pony Club, which allowed them to compete at the event. The team were coached by Brooke Robinson and managed by Trudy Garland.
Six of the eight riders were competing at the event for the first time, with Daniel and Zara having ridden last year in a composite team because Te Awamutu did not have enough riders to make up a team.
The six Te Awamutu team riders had a great start to the competition, with three riders receiving scores of over 70 per cent in the dressage and all eight riders completing faultless rounds in showjumping.
With the top four scores to count,
the team were placed in third place with 118.1 penalties on Saturday evening, slightly behind the Whanga¯rei (113.8) and Cambridge (116.9) Pony Club teams.
On Sunday morning, the riders all walked the difficult XC course for the second time, making plans on how to attack the course.
They all rode with pride and determination, recording three clear rounds over the challenging course, which saw a lot of riders not finish.
The parents, coach and riders had a long and anxious wait until
prizegiving and were delighted to be placed first.
The two reserve Te Awamutu riders also performed well, with their composite O¯ torohanga/Te Awamutu team finishing fifth.
The team would like to thank Brooke, Trudy, the parents, supporters and Te Awamutu Pony Club sponsor Braden Chick.
Final placings:
1st Te Awamutu 137
2nd Whanga¯rei 137.3
3rd Thames Valley 150.1
4th Hamilton/Warkworth 163.1 5th O¯ torohanga/Te Awamutu 180.5 6th Cambridge 181.3