Cowboy Challenge: Whanganui training day shows equestrian sport taking off

Local rider Sue Gaisford guiding her mount over the Mogul.

A recently held Cowboy Challenge training day held at Pukiti Arena, Whanganui, was fully booked within hours, highlighting how quickly this equestrian sport is growing in New Zealand.

The clinic was hosted by Joni Reynolds and training was provided by an experienced clinician and successful Cowboy Challenge competitor, Cookie Clarke, who runs Airlie Performance Horses based in Waipukurau.

Coach Gudrun (Cookie) enjoying a moment.

“It was absolutely wicked as a ‘horsey event’ with like-minded people,” said Pamela Laurence. Cowboy Challenge, although being a western riding discipline, is quite separate from rodeo and other western riding events.

Cowboy Challenge is all about a horse and rider going over, through, or performing tasks at 13 obstacles. The course includes obstacles such as a narrow bridge, a seesaw bridge, water crossing, jumps, picking up a mock sheep, and riding over a tarpaulin. The course has to be completed within a given time, and any riders finishing over time are deducted points.

Along with the obstacles, a well-trained horse and riding skills are required to get a horse going backwards (sometimes straight, sometimes an L shape), do a side pass, a figure of eight changing the leading leg of the horse.

Local riders Zane and Mel Scott from Falling Creek Ranch strategising.

It is all about a horse having total trust in its rider, willing to go over or through an obstacle knowing it will not get hurt. All the obstacles are designed for the safety of the rider and the horse.

Natural horsemanship is to the fore, any rider putting uncalled-for pressure on a horse at any stage is significantly penalised, or in some cases disqualified.

Cowboy Challenge events are divided into six classes, Open, Intermediate, Rookie, Youth, Beginner, and Lead Rein. Riders competing in the Open, Intermediate, Rookie, and Youth all compete for points going towards winning a Cowboy Challenge NZ national title.

There is a planned Hi-Points Challenge event in the Whanganui area in February 2024, and a number of training days are planned before then.