STRETCHING OUT: Rotorua rider Mikayla Herbert, on Grand Caballo, was third in the open horse 1.4m in the jumping and show hunter championships at Showgrounds Park yesterday. Picture by Paul Rickard
New Zealand's young rider team have drawn first blood in the opening round of the transtasman clash at the Larsen Sawmilling Jumping and Show Hunter Championships.
Double clear rounds came from Kiwis Ally Carson (Putaruru) and Emelia Forsyth (Clevedon), and Australian Sally Simmonds. New Zealand picked up six points for
the win plus a bonus point to end the day on seven points, with Australia on three.
However, with two days to go and the pool of borrowed horses to be shuffled again today, it was still anyone's game. The Kiwis have won the past two match-ups but the Australians have brought a strong team to Gisborne.
The test was just one of the highlights of the opening day of the annual January jumping show, which has attracted a high calibre of entrants across the classes.
Local rider Larina Dolman had a good start to her show with a second in the open horse 1.2 metres (for horses seven years and under) on Eye See Ruby, and a third in the open horse 1.2m (over seven) with her well-performed Kiwi Lansing.
