In a watershed occasion for the Telford equine programme, nine students, two tutors and two support staff with six horses, travelled to Christchurch last week to compete at the Royal A&P Show of New Zealand, outperforming expectations for their very first time at the lauded event.
Hosted by the Canterbury A&P Association Show and held 13th - 15th November, the Royal Show is one of the most prestigious agricultural events in New Zealand, said Telford Equine Tutor, Casey Evans. “To have Telford go for the first time ever and do well is amazing.” And while successful outcomes from attending the show were hugely rewarding for all the team, Ms Evans was particularly pleased. “I spent the majority of last year writing a Level 4 course for Equine. It’s been really fulfilling … to help bring this to fruition.”
When she first presented the idea of attending the show to management they weren’t sure if they would be able to go. “It was daunting, but I believed we could do it. I felt the students were ready. They put in a lot of hard work and honed their skills over the year.”
Ms Evans said it was important the students experience a large and notable event. “A lot had never been to a show of that calibre,“ she explained, adding “It’s all about care at an event, the turnout standard at an event,” most had no experience at that level.
Instead of sitting a traditional classroom exam, the students were assessed throughout the three days on their performance and preparation in the show environment — a real-world test that provided multiple opportunities to practise their skills and dedication. “It’s a big show, it’s a big environment”; it could be overwhelming. Ms Evans gave credit to the students for how they performed.
And the students made it count; the experience was marked by early-morning starts, a strong emphasis on teamwork, and immaculate turnouts from every member of the group. Ms Evans remarked that one of the Telford students volunteered as groom for a top Canterbury rider and she received great feedback from them after the show. “It’s an unpaid job for the student. [The rider] said it wasn’t like having a student, it was like having an actual groom,” and they had bought a gift for the student to acknowledge their work. “Even if they weren’t riding, [students] got to liaise and network with others; word of mouth is so important in the equine world.”
Equine student, Caitlyn Forde, who is about to complete the New Zealand Certificate in Equine Skills (Sporthorse Groom) (Level 4), was glad that she accepted the offer to participate in the show. “I took the opportunity; I thought I’d reach out for it and give it a go.” She also had the responsibility of riding her tutor’s horse for the week. “It was pretty exciting and a cool opportunity to [compete] on a horse that is someone else’s and to have my tutor trust me.”
Competing in the Pleasure Hack Showing, with Buddy, Miss Forde said the aim was to look as good as possible. “It’s a combination of horse and rider – how well the horse looks and how well the rider rides… I had to keep him in frame; he was plaited up, looking as pretty as can be.” And her efforts paid off, she was awarded Reserve Champion, Pleasure Horse class. Miss Forde is looking forward to establishing a career with her equine skills and knowledge and intends to start young horses (breaking in).
Ms Evans commented that gaining Reserve Champion “was a big deal” and even more rewarding was seeing her own horse “go out and win, being ridden by our students.”
The icing on the cake came a few days later when Ms Evans received a phone call from the show ‘ringmaster’ who had known the original person to start equine at Telford. “She rang to say how amazing it was to see us there and she saw we had done well.” It was the most satisfying end to their first outing at the Royal Show.
Telford Equine Top Results:
· Buddy - Caitlyn Forde: Reserve Champion, Pleasure Horse class
· Indy - Holly Hazlett: Supreme Champion, Saddle Cob class
· TJ - William Lawrence: 5th Overall, Nydfa Cup