Seasoned equestrians Barbara Hopkinson, Marcia Bayley and Helen Ransom have become firm friends over the past 20 years.
And it's their shared passion for judging dressage events which brought them together.
The three ladies have a strong background in riding, as they all have competed themselves over the years - and now they're ready to pick out the cream of the crop at this year's 54th Horse of the Year event at the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds.
They were soaking up the sunshine by the main arena on the opening day, and looking forward to a fantastic five days at this year's show.
Marcia Bayley who is from Te Awamutu, was once a top dressage competitor and represented New Zealand overseas. She won many competitions including Dressage Horse of the Year.
"I'd like to have continued competing but my age has caught up with me, so I've been a judge for many years now," she said.
Helen Ransom, who hails from Dannevirke, has also been involved with horses all her life, although she says she competed at a lower level than Marcia.
"I started riding at an early age, and like most New Zealanders I went to pony club and started entering competitions and it went from there really," she said.
And Barbara Hopkinson, of Bulls, says she got in the saddle as a child and hasn't looked back.
She remembers: "Even as a child I rode my horse to school. From there I was hooked and started doing a little bit of showjumping and a little bit of eventing. But I enjoyed dressage the most.
"For me, dressage is the most difficult and challenging event, because it's all about getting the horse to move correctly with the music.
"I enjoy being a judge because it's a great way of putting something back into the sport I've enjoyed for years. And you never stop learning about it from a judges point of view, as you've got to have a really open mind."
Helen and Barbara will both be judging the Novice Musical class today, which runs from 8am until 1.30pm.
Helen said: "We have got to be at our sharpest to judge this event for five and a half hours. We know just how much time and effort the riders have put into their routine, so we've got to be really on the ball."
Barbara is also judging two classes on Saturday, while Marcia has one class to judge every day, as well as the International Derby.
She added: "We're just hoping that it stays fine. Last year it rained and rained and the saddlery shops did a blistering trade in gumboots."
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