Indoor arena to the rescue

So far, so good: Zoe Newman and Seren Olos take on the rails in the Show Intro Pony 80cm at the A&P Show. Picture by Paul Rickard

The Show must go on . . . that was the mantra from riders, volunteers, supporters and judges when torrential rain fell on already sodden ground, creating a problem for the showjumpers.

And that is where the Gisborne region really stands out, according to Kaye Williams, president of the ground jury.

“The support we had was just incredible,” she said.

“It's the only place in New Zealand where you have voluntary help like this. Most other shows have paid help but when we needed a hand, in came the committee, boyfriends, friends and more who all helped us move rings 1 and 2.”

Riders made it clear when they met on Thursday that they weren't prepared to jump in the boggy conditions, but would happily move to the Riding for Disabled indoor arena.

Course designer Kevin Hansen quickly adjusted the Ring 1 courses to adapt to an arena far smaller than the outdoor one in the main arena.

“The grounds were just saturated,” Kaye Williams said.

“Thank goodness we have the designers we have. Kevin is one of the top in New Zealand and had no trouble adjusting his courses.”

As easy as Kevin Hansen made it seem, the difference between indoor and outdoor arenas is quite significant. All the courses had to be redone and Hansen says an indoor arena calls for quite a different mindset. The indoor is 70 metres by 30m while the outdoor is 80m by 110m.

“You can still get some nice big bends in the course and make it flow,” he said.

“The indoor is a little easier because you have horses coming off walls which they come off far better than fences outside.”

As luck would have it, just a month ago Merran Hain had signalled the indoor arena needed a little TLC. Being the force that she is, she had new Treadlite rubber added to the surface.

“The wait time for the rubber should have been over a month but they had a cancellation from Australia so we were able to secure it,” Merran Hain said.

The RDA paid for the rubber, and her brother Murray McPhail funded the transportation costs.

While Ring 1 moved indoors, Ring 2, designed by Edward Bullock (Waiuku), was shifted to the old Golf Mania grounds.

The showjumpers had to wait for the show hunter classes to finish before they could start, so competition indoors ran well into the evening for them.

Gisborne rider Larina Dolman made it look easy, taking out the Harrison Lane Pro-Am Rider Series class on Kiwi Lansing. Dolman has done extremely well in this series over recent years and the indoor arena suited her zippy little horse with the massive spring in his step.

Ally Carson (Putaruru) and Winston V Driene were the victors in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Amateur Rider Series class with the only clear in the opener, while Grace Kiava (Rotorua) and Stormy Weather won the Mainland Coachwork Junior Rider Series class.

The tractor has been put to good use in the muddy conditions, pulling the big trucks out of the bog.

Results –

Dunstan Horse Feeds Amateur Rider Series: Ally Carson (Putaruru) Winston V Driene 1, Claudia Porter (Hawke's Bay) Wooing 2, Tracy Mason (Hawke's Bay) WP Stella 3, Becky Kidd (Dannevirke) Centriconia 4, Sofie Gaddum (Gisborne) Sentra 6.

Mainland Coachwork Junior Rider Series: Grace Kiava (Rotorua) Stormy Weather 1, Annie Moffett (Napier) Samantha the Dachshund 2, Abe Baker (Hastings) Hawkesdale Mahe 3, Libby Fussell (Omakere) Lord Rendition WS 4, Charlotte McGuire (Waikato) Matrix I Spy 5, Talia Good (Whakatane) Floriant DHU 6.

Harrison Lane Pro-Am Rider Series: Larina Dolman (Gisborne) Kiwi Lansing 1, Alex Loiselle (Hastings) Haupouri Ferrari NZPH 1, Sally Clark (Dannevirke) Victoria's Secret 3, Noni Morgan (Hastings) Starlight Discovery 4.

Matthews Hanoverians Seven-year-old Series: Edward Bullock (Waiuku) Kiwi Sundance 1, Ike Baker (Hawke's Bay) Double J Graduate 2, Oliver Edgecombe (Waipukurau) Takapoto Tinka 3, Ike Baker (Hawke's Bay) Zirrena 4, Maurice Beatson (Dannevirke) Central Edition 5, Mikayla Herbert (Rotorua) Matai Serendipity 6.

FMG Young Rider Series: Jas Flowerday (Bay of Plenty) Hit Parade 1, Dylan Bibby (Ongaonga) Magic Dragon 2.