Gisborne riders in midst of busy time

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Local showjumping and show hunter riders are in the midst of a busy few weeks to start the year.

The Waerenga o Kuri Sports were held at Showgrounds Park this month where valuable points were on offer for the Bernina Showjumping series, EJ Gordon Livestock Show Hunter and Little Patches Show Hunter series.

These series are contested at local events from October to January, the last two opportunities for points being the Wairoa A & P Show last weekend and the Larsen Sawmilling Jumping Championships in Gisborne from Friday to Sunday.

The top of the leader boards, leading in to the Wairoa Show, were —

EJ Gordon Livestock Show Hunter Ponies: Kaycee Montego and Isobel Bevitt, 43 points; Buffalo Man and Isobel Bevitt, 36; Ruby Tunes and Ella Rouse, 32; Iamwhatiam and Lily Beaufoy, 27.

EJ Gordon Livestock Show Hunter Horses: Graceful and Lidy Loffler, 40; Untouchable and Merran Hain, 32; Hero and Holly Baines, 18; Ngahiwi Knight and Kirsty Harnett, 16.

Little Patches Introductory Show Hunter: Indyscribable and Nicole Kissling, 20; Kilmac and Rebecca Watson, and Tangiwai Warrior and Sam Knauf, 12; Sassafras and Kim Leckner, 10.

Bernina Showjumping Series Ponies: Envious Edition and Amelia Paull, 21; Iamwhatiam and Lily Beaufoy, 17; Simply Sassy and Jamie De Costa, and Platinum Playboy and Amelia Paull, 16.

Bernina Showjumping Horses: Nero Bello and Jenny Randall, 26; Ngahiwi Vesper and Frankie Darter, 24; Ngahiwi Prince and Sarah Aitken, 21; Ngahiwi Knight and Kirsty Harnett, 17.

Holly Baines competed with distinction at the Central and Southern Hawke’s Bay Showjumping Championships held at the Dannevirke A&P Show grounds early this month.

Riding Ngahiwi H20, she placed first in the open horse one metre and first in the open horse 95 centimetres.

Riding Halo, Baines also won the amateur rider series event.

Dannevirke rider Robert Steele and Mick Gardner’s Two Eye See were fourth in the open horse 1.20 metres.

See also this story.