Tim and Billy at their last start at Blenheim in the UK
The Sydney @ SIEC Eventing (SSE) week of summer One Day Events kicks off at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre tomorrow. The first event, to be held on Wednesday and Thursday, has 260 competitors in classes from EvA60 to CNC2*; one of those will be SSE president Tim Boland who will be competing in the Mitavite CNC 2* with his top horse GV Billy Elliot.
GV Billy Elliot will be returning to Australian competition after his overseas trip last year and Tim will also be riding Lord Limmerick (who won the CNC1* at Wallaby Hill recently) Mercator du Ry and Umunga in this class so he’s going to be busy. Another experienced competitor in this class is Olympic medallist Wendy Schaeffer over from South Australia (and the UK!) on Sun Showers
In the NSW Office of Communities CNC1* two well known horse names are Bendigo and Mumbo Jumbo, both ridden by Alex Townsend. Alex, the owner of Wallaby Hill, has bought both horses from overseas; Bendigo was of course ridden by Clayton Fredericks and Mumbo Jumbo (by the great eventing sire Jumbo) was campaigned by Sam Griffiths in the UK. Alex is aiming the two horses at Sydney International Horse Trials in April and may then take them back to her native England to compete for the season. Alex will also be riding her horse Parodie in this class so another busy person
The lower classes are all well populated (who says that midweek competitions don’t work?) and another name of note is Brett Parbery, making his second appearance on the eventing circuit on Stuart and Karen Tinney’s My Thai after a win at his first start at Wallaby Hill. Brett will be competing in the EvA95 as is seasoned eventer Christine Bates on Gunbarrell, her 5 year old thoroughbred who is showing great promise
The best horse name in the draw is Toblerone Experience, to be competed by Junior rider Nicolette Evans in the Europa Saddlery EvA80 Division B. Toblerone happens to be my all time favourite chocolate, especially those really huge bars you find at airports, which certainly are an experience if you eat them in one go. In the same class is another Junior rider Emma Williams on Willy Wonka so I’m sensing a theme here.
I’m looking forward to hearing how these girls and their horses go and hope that someone gets good photos of them for us (preferably with a bars of chocolate in hand whilst riding). By the way, did you know that there is an image of a bear embedded in the mountain bit of the Toblerone logo? You can't say you don't learn anything on An Eventful Life ................
Probably breaking a hundred copyrights showing this image but you can certainly see the bear!
