Bad weather at the start of the day didn't deter 30 riders from taking part in the recent autumn dressage series in Dannevirke.
"Fortunately, the weather improved and the sun shone later in the day and we only had one scratching, which wasn't due to the weather," organiser Tania Simmons said.
Sunday's event was run by the Dannevirke Social Riding Group, which was founded by Nicola Smyth in 2009.
"It started simply from one dairy farm rider wanting to ride on hills and a hill-country farmer wanting to ride on the flat," Nicola said.
"We couldn't find any low-level competitions so I made some myself.
"We couldn't afford individual lessons and so a group activity was cheaper.
"We began with four of us riding on the beach and it blossomed from there."
The group's numbers grew to 60, with members from Eketahuna to Central Hawke's Bay and Havelock North.
The focus is on low-level riding, social events and encouraging and supporting each other.
"It's great for meeting other horsey people and bouncing ideas off each other," Nicola said.
"And we do a variety of events, clinics, treks and lessons."
Nicola organised the club until January 17, before Tania took over.
The judges on Sunday were Mary Craine and Sarah Panins.