There are a number of races with each race representing a different breed or class of horse. The Thoroughbreds,Arabs, Quarterhorse & Appaloosa, paint & Coloured , miniature scurry, donkey , hack ,pony, Clydesdale, and the Morgans.
The first years event was such fun we decided to take our partbreds along again for the Morgan race
As there are not many Morgans locally we were scrambling to find enough horses of our own that were eligible for the race, most being in the breeding paddock or not old enough.
We had five of our own and one from Cambridge that was visiting.
Riders had to found for the horses and most of those who agreed were feeling nervous about travelling at top speed on a horse. Most were riders who just liked to hack out at a leisurely pace. John thought it was a good idea to have a practice day at the beach the day before for riders to get the feel of it.
So off we went with 5 of the 6 Morgans , 1 Clydesdale, 2 wagon horses, harness and the wagon(to carry the beer of course!) and friends with their horses.
The wagon horses were hitched up for the non racing riders, and off John drove with half a dozen passengers to join us further down the beach, and head off to the Whakatane river mouth. We had a few good "blats" down the beach with the music of the harness horses jingling behind us. A short rest at the River mouth, some beer to settle our nerves and head back again
We walked a few hundred metres to calm the horses then a couple of riders up front decided to pick up the pace again,setting the others off. The front riders pulled up again but Tango and her young rider shot past Carnival & I , catching up to Paula and it was all on!. These three decided that this was just too much fun and there was no way that they were stopping. We soon discovered that our only choice was to just let'm go and hang on!. They had a good stretch out for a few hundred metres then eased up.
We all felt much more confident afterwards and the horses were all trucked back to Nikau Valley for a shampoo and trim up, tail plaits and covers to keep them clean for the night. A good day that was finished with a barbeque.
Next morning - off to the races - the band of trekking horses turned show / race horses looked a picture with their well conditioned glossy coats.
The Morgan race was 2nd up and we were all ready in good time. It was great to have a bunch of supporters from as far afeild as Clevedon, Te Kuiti, and the Waikato to watch us and egg us on.
The horses were all cool calm and collected in the collection pen until they saw the horses from the first race go thundering past-"Ooh, so that's what all this is about!!!" They danced around a bit but soon settled, then into the birdcage where we were given an wonderful promotion by the commentator.We were taken onto track for a quiet trot up to the start line . Quiet trot? Paula was rearing to go! and thought it was the start of the race, so we slowed the pace and settled them at the end. The stewards asked us to walk quietly in a line until the word "GO' was given.
They were away- all started well - Lifton Silver Peace and Annette Thumath headed out front, chased hard by Limericks Tapdance Paula and rider Julie Richmond. John was holding Lifton Cherokee Rose back but she was determined to be up front, followed by L. Riverdance and Cellina Saville, L. Tui Tango and Elaine McIndoe followed close behind and chasing up the rear was the green horse Tui's Carnival and myself. Carnivals longer legs soon overtook Tangos but he sure felt like he had the speed wobbles! He tried hard to close he gap with the front horses but those Taproot horses were too experienced for a fresh green horse. The 500 hundred metres were soon up and we were soon past the roaring crowd and the finish line. A little confusion over who won and who was placed , we were all so focused on getting over the finish line in one piece.
Lifton Silver Peace 1st ; Limerick's Tapdance Paula 2nd ; Lifton Cherokee Rose 3rd
The steward commented on how behaved they all were and we had many comments on how good they all looked.
We could relax now and enjoy the rest of the day. John took Silver Peace in the hack race, a field of 18, and finished a credible 5th after jostling for space around the bend.
The Clydesdales looked awesome with their tails all banged up and ribbons flowing. They really thundered down the track. The donkeys were a laugh, with one having to be chased down the track all the way by it's owner.
The miniature scurry looked smart and lots of local lads rode their favourite horse in the hack , pony , and other races.
It was a fun day with a strong crowd, rider talent spotters for the equine industry, many craft stalls and beaut weather.
We'll be back again for more thrills and speed next November. Who will be the winner this time? Will it be Silver again or will she have fresh competition? Mark this up on your calendar as a day not to be missed.