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Fran Cleland
Apr 12, 20233 min read
Emergency service equestrians gather for annual games
WHEN you think of emergency services, the average person thinks of police, fire and ambulance, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. At...


Fran Cleland
Apr 12, 20232 min read
Reynella continues to deliver top-class eventing
THE much-loved Reynella Horse Trials South Australia was one of the first eventing competitions established in Australia, beginning in...


Fran Cleland
Apr 12, 20232 min read
Geelong turns it on for autumn showjumping classic
SITTING at Werribee Park on a cool autumn day, watching classes at the Geelong Jumping Club’s Autumn Classic, you can’t help but notice...


Fran Cleland
Apr 12, 20234 min read
Bits: Two farewells, a show is saved and judging initiative
ABOVE: For anyone a bit crafty this is available as a cross-stich pattern. THE passing of John Wilsher is a huge loss to the showjumping...


Fran Cleland
Apr 5, 20233 min read
Stars come out for dressage and jumping extravaganza
WHEN champion European rider and trainer Anky van Grunsven was brought to Australia in 1998 to present a dressage master class the...


Fran Cleland
Apr 5, 20234 min read
Special pony gets family through the toughest of times
LACHIE Allen is just four and his big sister Milla is six. When Mila led Lachie to a win on the little white pony Pixie at the recent...


Fran Cleland
Apr 5, 20232 min read
Story of the stock saddle a ride worth strapping in for
I HAVEN’T enjoyed a book more for ages. I am deep into Wild Ride, The story of the Australian Stock Saddle by Fiona Carruthers and have...


Fran Cleland
Apr 5, 20232 min read
Horse trials season nears peak with Wandin, Heytesbury events
LOOKING at the Victorian horse trials calendar it shows that the sport is alive and very well. The past few weeks alone shows just how...


Fran Cleland
Apr 5, 20232 min read
Pony dressage goes distance on good ideas and hard work
A COMPETITION started more than two decades ago after a conversation about the lack of dressage events for ponies in Australia is still...


Fran Cleland
Apr 5, 20233 min read
Bits: Boort Show may not go on, but another event ploughs ahead
LIKE many agricultural shows that are finding trouble filling positions Boort needs help and has put out this plea. For the second year...


Fran Cleland
Mar 29, 20232 min read
Light harness competitors put to the test in windy conditions
WITH overseas success from Boyd Exell in teams and Janelle Marshall in singles setting an example, the light harness competitors have a...


Fran Cleland
Mar 29, 20232 min read
Competition close as it gets at Tassie's pony club state trials
PONY Club eventers from all over Tasmania headed to the Tasmanian Equestrian Centre at Lauderdale recently for the Pony Club Tasmania...


Fran Cleland
Mar 29, 20233 min read
Open win for 18yo a highlight of her campdrafting career
CAMPDRAFTING as a sport evolved naturally from young station hands competing around cattle yards and drovers' camps in NSW and Queensland...


Fran Cleland
Mar 29, 20232 min read
Volunteers make sure Mohyu event wasn't a flood casualty
LATE in 2022, North East Victoria suffered the worst flooding it had seen for many years. It’s happened before and no doubt will again...


Fran Cleland
Mar 29, 20232 min read
Championship win makes return trip for Kristy a pleasant one
KRISTY Bruhn made a happy return to Mount Pleasant for the South Australian Showjumping Championships. It had been more than two decades...


Fran Cleland
Mar 29, 20233 min read
Bits: Sire retires, Bendigo Pony Club moves and endurance news
THE champion racehorse and sire Lohnro retired from stud work this week age 22 so it's appropriate that Lyn Beaumont’s famous painting of...


Fran Cleland
Mar 22, 20232 min read
Team championships take prize for happiest event of the year
THE Victorian Pony Club Team Championships held at the Bendigo Showgrounds in March each year is simply the best and certainly the...


Fran Cleland
Mar 22, 20232 min read
Imported stallion dominates at NSW All Welsh Show
THE supreme led Welsh exhibit overall for the second year in a row at the NSW All Welsh Show was the Welsh Mountain Pony stallion Waxwing...


Fran Cleland
Mar 22, 20232 min read
Competing at Kirkcaldy is no trial for 170 starters
THE Kirkcaldy Park Horse Trials at Meadows in South Australia has been run on a beautiful property owned by Karin Edwards for nearly 30...

Fran Cleland
Mar 22, 20234 min read
Polish up your turnout with advice from boot master
SOME years ago, on an equestrian forum, there was a lot of discussion in how to make good leather boots shine. In an event like the...
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