Northland rider to continue tradition at mounted games

Nancy Te Whata riding in the New Zealand Team at the world championships in Hastings in 2013. Photo / Bruce Jenkins

The mid-North's Danny Kopa is sure to thrill the crowds when he gallops out with the New Zealand team at the inaugural International Mounted Games Association's Five Nations Championship at Kaikohe.

The event will take place over the first weekend of December. Teams representing South Africa, Australia and New Zealand will compete in the teams games after the withdrawal of teams from US and Canada.

However, the inclusion of individual games at the first event of its kind to be held in Northland has attracted riders from Ireland, Scotland, England, Denmark, Australia, possibly the US, as well as some of New Zealand's fastest riders, said organiser Jenny Te Whata.

Hosted at the Kaikohe Showgrounds, where competitors will also camp for the week, the competition will be held from December 5-7.

Nearly 50 riders will participate in teams and individual sections.

"I'd hazard a guess it's the best mounted games line-up to be seen outside Europe," Ms Te Whata said.

The games are based on races where riders pick up and place items, at times vaulting off their ponies and back at speed. They hand over equipment such as flags in relay fashion to the next team member at speeds up to 70km/h. The adult version of the sport was founded in 1986 in UK by and for former pony club riders. It has grown into an independent sport, with more than 20 member nations.

Ms Te Whata said the action-packed mounted games are a popular spectator sport and she hopes this first International Mounted Games event to be held in Northland will attract a good crowd.

The club only learned it had won the right to host the games at the end of July.

Danny Kopa, 18, is the latest Northland rider to continue a 10-year tradition of developing national representatives at the equestrian sport. He follows in the footsteps of previous Northland-based New Zealand team members Nancy and Kate Te Whata and Dee Cherrington, the only double World Champion Mounted Games riders in New Zealand.

It is only two years since Kopa took up the sport but some impressive results include coming fifth for his age group at the Australian individual championships earlier this year. He will represent New Zealand at the world championships in Kentucky next year.

Riders start arriving from November 30 to practise on borrowed ponies, some of which have been sourced from as far away as Taranaki and Hawke's Bay, Jenny Te Whata said.

The carnival event will include barrel racing, other pony tournaments, children's activities and stalls selling food, crafts and produce.