Reins, games and dreams

By Leon Gray-Lockhart
STRATFORD student, Lauren Terrill has had a love of horses all her life, and at age 14, already has an impressive track record of mounted games success behind her. The most recent being at the Kelt Capital Horse of the Year Show, held in Hastings in March.
During the four-day competition, Lauren, on her horse, Wild Knight, was one of a team of five who won the Junior Team Championship title. Her team was only formed at the start of the competition.
"We hadn't worked together before," said Lauren, "I had a person from Northland, a person from Hastings and two people from the Waikato in my team."
Despite not knowing each other, the team gelled and during the competition managed to score 68 out of a possible 70 in their heats, before claiming the junior teams title.
Lauren's success was not limited to team events however, making it into the A Final and taking second place. This gave her an individual rank of seventh overall in the junior competition.
Lauren's rise to success in mounted games began two-and-a-half years ago, trekking at a riding school based at Francis Douglas Memorial College in New Plymouth.
"She'd been asking for a horse of her own for a year," said Teena, Lauren's mother, "and when the riding school closed a couple of months after she started with it, we got a pony called Jacky from Whangarei."
Though Teena and Lauren didn't know it at the time, Jacky was actually born on the same day and in the same year as Lauren in fact, the horse was five hours older than Lauren.
As if fate had decreed it, Lauren and Jacky worked well together when Lauren started with the New Plymouth Pony Club and the pair were eventually asked to join an Oakura-based Pony Club Mounted Games team.
"I hadn't ever thought about competing in mounted games before," said Lauren.
Mounted games are, as the name suggests, 'games' performed while mounted on a horse. An example is 'speedweaving' where there are five poles placed five metres apart and the horse and rider weave in and out between them, like slalom.
"Games like that require speed, skill and accuracy," said Teena, "they can be especially hard when there are crowds cheering, music and general noise at a competition, so concentration is also really important."
There are two kinds of mounted games in New Zealand, Pony Club Mounted Games and New Zealand Mounted Games.
After many hours of practice, Lauren competed in her first pony club mounted games competition in January 2007, and she and her Oakura team came first. They went onto compete in a zone competition in Masterton, against 20 other teams from throughout the lower North Island and came seventh.
With further training and competition, Laurens' mounted games skill increased, and she and her New Plymouth teams went onto further success at pony club area and zone competitions.
"In January 2008, Lauren competed as a reserve for the Taranaki team in the North Island Games," said Teena, "and she met renowned world games rider, Aidan Hanlon from Ireland."
With advice, and long-distance coaching via DVD from Aidan, Lauren's interest in New Zealand Mounted Games was cemented.
Now, following on from her recent Horse of the Year success, Lauren sees further competition as a hugely important part of her future.
"Mounted games are my passion," said Lauren, "and now my long-term goal is to compete in the World Games in 2011."
Although she loves her horses and will continue to remain focussed on her chosen sport, Lauren's future also includes medical studies.
"I'd like to get into paediatric medicine, or physiotherapy when I finish school."
With all the time she needs to spend in training and competition, Lauren has been fortunate to have the good wishes of her teachers and fellow students at St Mary's Diocesan School, and she is grateful for their ongoing support.
As well as Lauren, Taranaki was well represented at this year's Horse of the Year competition with Taranaki equestrians competing in the open session and securing fourth place in the B Final.
"It's the first time that a Taranaki team competed so they really did do themselves proud," said Teena.
Other young riders from Taranaki made it into the Junior Championship final, securing fourth place.
Although Lauren is enjoying her recent successes, she does not plan to remain idle and is preparing for her next competition.
"My short-term goal is selection for the New Zealand Pairs. I want to compete in this event at the New Zealand Mounted Games in Waikato, on April 18/19," she said.