By Callum Ludwig
Horse riders were thrilled with the return of the annual Yarra Valley Horse Show on Sunday 11 December.
The Upper Yarra Pony Club ran the event, and the rain held off to ensure it all ran smoothly.
District commissioner Anita Prowse said it was the third event since the show was restarted.
“We started it up again three years ago, but missed one because of Covid, and the last one before that was all the way back in 1996. We ran an open ring, a pony ring for kids and an HRCAV [Horse Riding Clubs Association of Victoria] ring for the adult riders,” she said.
“It’s good to have everybody from all different parts of the equestrian world all coming together after fire, floods and Covid, it’s been a bit higgledy-piggledy for everyone.”
The Upper Yarra Pony Club’s dressage competition was held earlier this year and had a record number of entries as keen horse-riders return to the sport.
Ms Prowse said participation in equestrian is growing all the time.
“We’ve been getting constant calls, a few years ago, you might get one call a month or something about people inquiring for membership, but we’ve just got heaps,” she said.
“Especially now since we’ve started doing the riders without horses programme for the kids who can’t either afford or aren’t in the position to have their own ponies, it’s been getting really big.”
A big thank you is extended to Meredeth Williams and Stella Patterson for judging the competitions on the day.
Ms Prowse said Wesburn Park provides a great location for the event.
“We have such a peaceful, quiet and nice grounds out here that people can bring horses that haven’t been out before or had much experience out before, and it acts as a bit of a training exercise,” she said.
“I think a lot of people just want certainty back into everything that they are entering, that they’re actually going to be able to go to is. Entries are expensive, and so once things with cancellations settle, we will have a clearer idea of how much numbers have increased.”
