The 2017 National Show was a resounding success! Held at the Pukekohe as part of the Franklin A&P show  on the 19th February 2017. 

Show day dawned with some dicey looking weather and we were worried it wouldn’t co-operate.  Fortunately, the grounds held up surprisingly well given the huge amount of rain we had had over the preceding week!

Despite the weather, we had a nice group of people arrive to show their horses, all of which were extremely high-quality and superbly turned out. A standout for us was the very beautiful grey mare ‘Lunaire’ from the 2014 muster.

The morning started with the in-hand classes.  All ponies were in good form and Champion in-hand went to Lunaire with Caroline Cornish with Reserve Champion going to Bella Lockie and Kea Bronte.

Following the in-hand section we had Ridden on the Flat classes. There were a few boisterous ponies who soon settled down and showed just how trainable this breed really is. Some of the horses from the 2014 and 2016 musters were competing and doing extremely well with young riders.

Champion on the flat went to Maddison Smith riding Rockstar and reserve to Samantha Mcquire riding Bullwinkle.

After lunch we literally launched into the jumping.   There were a few horses and riders with little jumping experience that showed some serious talent.

Being that the ground conditions were not the best, a few adjustments to speed were the order of the day.  We had some slips but everyone carried on stoically, showcasing the bravery and honesty of these horses, as well as the mettle of their riders!

One pony put in a very big jump and popping his little rider right out of the saddle, elected to stop and graze while she climbed back on.  Well done!

Karen Rutherford, Lisa Messenger and their daughters presented the new Curious George trophy to the winner of the jumping round.  This trophy was donated in loving memory of Curious Geroge who was tragically killed in a road riding crash recently.  Samantha Mcquire riding Bullwinkle was the lucky recipient of this stunning trophy.

Champion over fences was Samantha Mcquire riding Bullwinkle and reserve was Caroline Cornish riding Lunaire.

It is a real credit to the riders and trainers of these horses to see how well they are going.  It was lovely to see ponies being ridden by several different riders; Lunaire was ridden by both mum and daughter.

We also enjoyed seeing Bullwinkle now being competed by a young rider.  Bullwinkle was from the 2016 Muster and has been trained by Tina Fagan for the 2016 stallion challenge, which the pair won down at Equidays.  It shows the temperament and the versatility of these fantastic horses.

A massive thanks to all of our sponsors as we couldn’t do this without you.  All our winners went home with piles of prizes and faces sporting massive grins. We also had a fantastic judge that was outstanding with his encouragement and positive words of advice for everyone.

To everyone that helped and gave up your time, this wouldn’t be possible without you.  Lastly, thank you to all the people who headed out to compete in the show; it was awesome to see your smiling faces and shining horses.