Marathon champions in action - driver Donna Tholen, groom Karen Walker and Willow Park Music Man (Leroy) - the fastest around the obstacles.
Marathon champions in action - driver Donna Tholen, groom Karen Walker and Willow Park Music Man (Leroy) - the fastest around the obstacles.
Despite Covid restrictions the Makutoku Combined Drive on March 6-7 in and around the township, attracted 25 competitors from all over the North Island. The nature of the sport with driver, groom and horse presented no problem of social distancing and competitors travelled vast distances to be there.
The eventis run by the Hawke's Bay Carriage Driving Association and the Makutoku Domain has been the favourite location for many years as it combines good facilities, great prizes and excellent terrain to test the best combinations.
While Mystie takes the turn driver and groom Val and Sam Baker look for the next flag.
One experienced driver said the Marathon finale on Sunday was one of the toughest on the calendar. Each combination travels the local roads and farm terrain, a distance of 12km, entering five venues with sets of obstacles. This is where judges time their performances, the winner being the fastest. Donna Tholen with groom Karen Walker sporting rainbow mohawks on their helmets driving Willow Park Music Man known as Leroy won the event.
On the Saturday, competitions started with dressage in the Makutoku Domain, followed after lunch with cone driving where the combinations race a slalom course like show jumping only the horse and cart must negotiate 20 sets of cones (road markers without a top, on which a tennis ball sits) without dislodging the ball.
Over the weekend most combinations consisted of one horse, driver and groom but there was a two-horse team, several tiny minis, a gypsy cob (called Boots) and even a donkey (called Winter) competing.
Local enthusiast Colleen Constable was delighted with the event – the entries were really good, the generosity of the 20 local businesses which provided prizes was amazing, the seven landowners over which the event was held could not do enough to help and the weather was awesome.
