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Several Gisborne riders have been performing well in recent shows as they count down to the Horse of the Year Show in Hastings next week.
Sinead Dolman has had a showjumping season she will long remember aboard her three horses — Kiwi Lansing, Kiwi Silverkee and Floriant DHU. She is lying fifth in the junior (18 and under) rider series, having notched wins at eight recent shows.
She has also had success with Kiwi Silverkee young rider (21 and under) series, with a good number of placings. Her third mount, Floriant DHU, has also been consistently in the winner’s circle including the 1.25-metre championship title at the North Island Championships at Tauranga last weekend. Kiwi Lansing was on form as well in winning the 1.2m classes on both days.
Fraser Tombleson and his homebred mare Mea 1 have been strongly competitive with nine wins in the seven-year-old horse series to be sitting third.
The series classes run at every show and culminate at the final in late March in Masterton.
Tombleson and Mea 1 also stepped up a level at the Opotiki Show to win the horse mini prix — their first win at this level.
The doyen of Gisborne showjumping — Merran Hain — and her super horse Untouchable are proving almost unbeatable in the amateur series. They are top of the leaderboard and are also third in the amateur showhunter series. The seasoned duo will be competing in several disciplines at the HOY.
Tolaga Bay rider Jessie McNeil has enjoyed a successful season on Air Hill Squaw Valley and Ngahiwi Rouge. They have won and placed highly in classes ranging from 1.15m to 1.25m.
McNeil and locally-bred Ngahiwi Rouge most recently had a second in the 1.25m class (won by Dolman) at the Dannevirke Show, and a first in the 1.15m and second in the 1.2m at the Opotiki Show.
Another of Gisborne’s seasoned campaigners, Mick Gardner, has been going well in the five-year-old series classes on his home-bred horse Two Eye See. After taking a heavy fall at the Gisborne show in January, Gardner got back in the saddle and placed second in the five-year-old series class at NI Championships. They are 11th on the leaderboard.
Sisters Caroline Coop (five-year-old series) and Jenny Randall (seven-year-old series) have had success on their home-bred horses Budgie and Nero Bello. Coop and Budgie have also brought home ribbons in the showhunter discipline and won champion five-year-old showhunter at the young horse show. Randall and Nero Bello have had wins and placings in 1.25m and 1.30m classes but have temporarily handed the reins over to Karen Bruce to ride for the last half of the season.
Holly Baines has been in winning form with her horse Premo. They were first in the 1.10m and second in the 1.15m jump at the Opotiki show after success at Gisborne and Wairoa shows.