Popular local rider and coach Yona Lloyd on home ground at Ballarat
An Eventful Life is filming all competitors on cross country at
Ballarat Pony Club Horse Trials 2021 - find out more here
If we were filming in England, heat would certainly not be an issue in January, but we’re filming at the Ballarat Pony Club Horse Trials this weekend in Victoria, Australia and it is going to be a scorcher
However, plans are in place to avoid the worst of the heat on Sunday by running all dressage classes and most of the show jumping on Saturday, when the weather is kinder, which means that classes on Saturday will run from 8am until nearly 7pm. But, as we all know, eventers don’t mind a long day if they’re with their ponies!
On Sunday the cross country will start at 7am and finish around midday, so avoiding the worst of the heat which is currently set to be around 35 degrees.
Despite the forecast heat, the first event of the year in Victoria at the Ballarat Pony Club grounds, which is also the venue for the ‘big’ Ballarat CCI4* event in May, there is plenty of enthusiasm to get eventing underway after a very difficult year for Victorian eventing riders in 2020.
Approximately 250 combinations will compete in Pony Club and Open classes from Grade 1 to Grade 5 and there are some familiar names on the draw including local coach, course designer and 5* rider Yona Lloyd as well as Pakistan’s Usman Khan, who is also based locally. Usman became the first equestrian in Pakistan’s history to qualify for the Olympic Games but sadly his qualified horse Azad Kashmir died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm in September 2020.
In the Pony Club Grade 1, two well-known horses will be bound to catch the eye with the coloured Visual Laughter, previously ridden by Rob Palm, being competed by Charlotte Cuming and Practise Makes Perfect ridden by Leilani Justice, winner of the Grade 1 at Gisborne Pony Club Horse Trials early last year will also be one to watch
We’ll be bringing you updates after the event and some great winners’ videos so stay tuned ….
