There is always a warm welcome at Harden
The weather was superb for the running of the 28th year of Harden-Murrumburrah Horse Trials. The grounds and rolling hills made for great going for the horses this year due to more rainfall than usual. Over 150 riders entered the event, which is a good size for the club to manage on their showgrounds.
The highlight was some brand new covered yards that were able to provide accommodation for over 60 large horses. The canteen, as usual, was the place to see happy faces. Those guys from the local Gun Club really know how to keep patrons happy and they provided riders and judges with a wide variety of very nice food selections!
Two new jump combinations added more variety to the cross-country course which made the water jump the most exciting place for spectators to watch.
Everyone seemed to enjoy the event, which is run by only half-a-dozen familes. These families have gone from competing themselves to watching their children compete and now those children are helping out too.
Lin Blundell, mum of Natalie, and one of the longstanding committee members, said “Our younger members (and our grown-up kids) help with course design, building the show jump course, some cross-country maintenance and also hosted the prize giving. We also have a generous entry discount for our members who come to at least three working bees. We also try to keep costs down by doing our own scoring.”
The Harden club get help from the local shire council along with Harden Pony Club and local businesses support the event through sponsorship, including supplying a woollen rug for each winner.
This event is a real community effort and it would appear an enjoyable one. “The Harden Committee enjoy putting on this event even though we start work on the course three months before the competition. It’s worth all the effort, and the town of Harden-Murrumburrah benefits from the many riders and families that come to stay in our fantastic little town,” said a smiling Lin.
Results CNC*
1st Natalie Blundell riding Girl with a Curl
2nd Megan Bryant riding Talinga Cavaliere
3rd Tanisha Shields on Cobra Chase
Pre Novice
1st Maia Guppy-Hall riding Positano
2nd Lachie Dawes riding Hanigan
3rd Natalie Blundell on My Aladin
Preliminary
1st Oilvia Howe riding King Thing (Olivia had a great ride and a very excited Dad!)
2nd Kerri-Lee mathews riding Harvest Liason
3rd place Caleb Lock riding Kaba Banoon
Introductory
1st Natalie Blundell and GV Billiecart
2nd Tegan Bonet riding Blue Phinda
3rd Kim Shields riding Gelato Cavallo.
Newcomer Senior
1st Craig Bailey riding Willie Wagtail
2nd Isabel Eissison riding Springfield Dash
3rd Craig McCoy riding Lindenlee Ace
Newcomer Junior
1st Rececca Davis riding Browns Creek
2nd Olivia Goodwin riding Barkett masterpiece
3rd Jose Laver riding Niscinda Welsh Torque
Encourager Senior
1st Bess Morgan riding Cliffden Min Min
2nd Tracie Wells riding Barney
3rd Clare Edsor riding Mountain Didge Digger
Encourager Junior
1st Charlotte Brace riding Penley Sienna
2nd James Smith riding Fairlight Acres Kenworth
3rd Tayla Lane riding Tigger
Photos: Funnily enough, the Harden Committee were a tad too busy to spend too much time taking photos but we will endeavour to get an article to you soon with photos of the happy Harden crew!
Thanks to Lin Blundell for her help with this article.
