Gisborne Girls' High School student Raphelle Kirkpatrick rides pony River Queen at the North Island Secondary Schools Equestrian Championships. Kirkpatrick placed first in both showjumping rounds and ninth in her show hunter round. Photo / Tessa Campbell
Gisborne Girls' High School student Raphelle Kirkpatrick rides pony River Queen at the North Island Secondary Schools Equestrian Championships. Kirkpatrick placed first in both showjumping rounds and ninth in her show hunter round. Photo / Tessa Campbell
A Gisborne Girls’ High School team of five riders came away from the North Island Secondary Schools Equestrian Championships in Taupō with three big prizes.
They had a first placing in the jumping championship, won a trophy for the show hunter championship and won the award for best sportsmanship.
Team members Raphelle Kirkpatrick (year 9), Mollie Douglas (y11), Maggie Johnson (y10), China Gunness (y12) and Axelrose Campbell (y10) placed 53rd overall out of 79 schools.
Mollie Douglas and NW Conrado clear a fence. Douglas placed second in her show hunter round to give Gisborne Girls' High School a points boost. Photo / Tessa Campbell
“The overall scoring was based on all seven disciplines,” team manager Tessa Campbell said.
Girls’ High entered only four of these, and their five riders were up against schools with as many as 44. Big teams meant more points overall.
Maggie Johnson and Phamias Double Take. Johnson was fifth in one showjumping round and fourth in the show hunter. Photo / Tessa Campbell
But Gisborne Girls’ High placed well in show jumping and show hunter events, which was why Girls’ High won those specific championships, Campbell said.
China Gunness was the only rider in the Gisborne Girls' High team to take on the arena cross-country at the North Island Secondary Schools Equestrian Championships. It was a new discipline for Gunness and Remington II but they went clear. In addition, Gunness finished second in her show hunter round. Photo / Tessa Campbell
Regarding the sportsmanship award, she said: “Although we were not told exactly what we did to win this, we do know we took with us our East Coast manaaki and awhi [respect, care and support] and just did what we would normally do here on the East Coast ... complete our duty jobs and then go to help others, fill in the gaps when volunteers did not show, pack down our arenas and continue to others to make the mahi easier, and most of all stay and express positivity every time we watch our crew and others that need the awhi.”
Axelrose Campbell rides home-bred King Kustom. Horse and rider have been working together for only seven months and brought home the show hunter championship with a 12th placing and 64.5 points. Photo / Tessa Campbell
Campbell said the school, along with sports co-ordinator Michelle Hall, had been supportive of the venture to take part in the championships, and the girls were set up for success.
The team appreciated the contribution of the wider equestrian community, whānau and friends, whose support and knowledge played a part in their daily riding journey.
“We say ‘thank you’,” Campbell said. “It takes a village to make things happen.”
