Equestrian: Nationals return to Arran Station

Last year's winner, Clarke Johnstone (left), receives the Forest Gate Trophy after from Duncan Holden jnr.

Central & Southern Hawke's Bay Eventing will run the 2016 National Eventing Championship, for a second successive year, at Arran Station, the Takapau property of Silver Fern Farms, on October 29-30.

This is the 60th running of this event, which moves around the country, first competed for in 1957.

Before last year it had not been hosted in the area since 1982, when it took place on Larry White's property, Sherwood, at Ashley Clinton, near Takapau. On that occasion, the two White sisters from Otane, Tinks and Ginny, quinellaed the top title, ahead of a guy from the Waikato called Mark Todd.

Tinks, now Pottinger, was subsequently in the same Olympic team as Mark Todd at Seoul in 1998, when he won his second individual gold medal on Charisma and the team were bronze medallists.

Tinks' daughter, Amanda, from Havelock North, is now competing at top level, and is a favourite to win the title at Arran Station this year.

Sherwood was subsequently sold and converted to dairying. Meantime, the Hawkes Bay Farmers Meat Company granted permission for the Central & Southern Hawkes Bay eventing group to build a cross-country course on the freezing works farm at Takapau, known as Arran Station, and in 1985 the fledgling event was held there.

Now owned by Silver Fern Farms, the property has changed hands several times, bought first by Richmonds and then PPCS, but all were supportive of the local eventing group.

The venue has developed over the decades into one of the top courses in the country, finally being invited to stage the national championships last year.

The winner of the top title is awarded the Forest Gate Trophy, presented in honour of Duncan Holden, a founder of the NZ Horse Society (now Equestrian Sports NZ), who lived at Ongaonga on his property, Forest Gate.

His grandson Duncan now runs the property, and presented the trophy, the oldest in the ESNZ cabinet, to last year's winner.

There are some illustrious names on the trophy, including Mark Todd on Charisma in 1983. Sally Clark won on Sky Command in 1987, and they won individual silver at Atlanta in 1996.

Australian Andrew Hoy won on the NZ-bred Kiwi in 1991, and like Sir Mark, he is still competing internationally, both based in Britain. Vaughn Jefferis won with Bounce in 1993 before becoming World Champions in 1994.

Local riders who have won the trophy include Susan Talbot (1959), Judith Simmons (1960), Arlene Mackenzie (1961), Arthur Grenside (1962), and his sister Margaret (1963-65), a feat only matched by one other combination. Hawkes Bay was obviously the powerhouse of the sport in those days, with none of those wins on home grounds.

Others to triumph were Mark Dooney (1970), Barry Beatson (1972 & 76), Tinks White, now Pottinger (1982), Mary Hamilton, now Darby (1985), Joanna Wilson (1992 and 96-97), and Campbell Draper (1994).

So it is high time a local claimed the coveted prize again - go Amanda.