Melbourne has done it again, one weekend it’s like the Antarctic; the next is a stunning sunny weekend for the HRCAV’S Top Teams Trophy Horse Trials.
For the uninitiated the HRCAV is Victoria’s body for riding clubs and the Top Team Trophy (TTT) is an annual individual and team event. The host for this year was Goulburn Valley Horse Trials Association and the venue was the site of Bulla ARC grounds (also where Avenel Horse Trials are now run) in Greenvale.
After setting off at the crack of dawn I arrived at the venue with my gorgeous horse and support crew and wandered across to the event office where we found a great trade village, lots of smiles and the coffee van. I finally decided to look at my watch and discovered I only had an hour till my dressage test; maybe I needed to get into the groove a little quicker but I arrived back at the float to find my horse missing. Apparently he didn’t take kindly to the bunting erection so took a walk, maybe this is not a good start, I’m running late and now I’ve lost my horse. Luckily for me a kind passerby had found him and he was returned safely.
The dressage and showjumping rings are all weather and after the rain Melbourne has had in the last week I would have thought the warmup area on grass would be slippery but the going was fantastic and there was plenty of room to get the ponies tuned up.
The thing I love about HRCAV is you get every size, shape, breed, color, age of horses and people. No one seems to take the competition too seriously. It’s lovely to go in and out of a test being greeted with a well done or good luck from other competitors and makes it all worthwhile.
While showjumping I did have an interesting experience, you will all probably think I’m mad though I do have witnesses. My gelding’s paddock buddies are both buckskins and there were a couple in the warm up area so he decided he knew these horses and completely focused all attention on one in particular. The rider was nice enough to let me approach to prove it wasn’t his mate but he didn’t believe me so my round was a little tense and anybody who knows me understands my horse’s attachment to his pals. Note to self, avoid the buckskins!!!!
Now comes the good part, cross country! Ok maybe it’s not my personal strong point, they don’t call me nana for no reason but I’m going to give this one a really good crack. Damn another buckskin! Step away and don’t make eye contact, luckily he hasn’t spotted them, peace ensues and we set off from the start box at a cracking pace. The course was a hoot, the footing was great, the jumps beautifully built and there were plenty of open flowing spots which allowed for a great gallop or a whoo hoo as many a competitor was heard to cry.
The water jump was well placed 2nd last on the course and as usual it caused a more than a few problems. Putting it there is a kind gesture for the lower levels as it gives the riders a chance to get at least almost all the way around if they have a horse that won’t have a bar of getting their feet wet. And the judges were very generous allowing some of the more stubborn ones a good go at it.
It was great to see the scores going up quickly and presentations, which included lots of great prizes, were held promptly. For those staying over the two days a cold night was tolerated with a spit roast dinner and the consumption of a few quiet ones, not like Adult Riders at all!
Congratulations to the organisers for a super event, all the individual winners and place getters and also the TTT winner Granite Rock.
Article by Deb McLeod
