EQUESTRIAN Australia's 2010 Show Horse and Rider Championships brought horses from Australia and New Zealand to Werribee Park.
Although two weeks ago the Show Horse Council's state titles were held outdoors in drenching rain, Victoria's capricious weather meant the EA event. held in the indoor arena, sweltered in humid, 30C heat.
The two-day show celebrated the silver anniversary of the event.
Queensland took the lion's share of main awards, right from the first event.
The small show hunter pony champion was Queenslander Emma Cullen's Cherrytree Vagabond. Bred in Victoria by the late Anna Baker, his dam, Buena Vista Vanessa, was a prolific champion pony hunter, so Vagabond is following in her footsteps.
The big show hunter pony title went to Silkwood Riverside, taking the sash home to Western Australia for Jacqueline Bowden.
In the Galloway section, Dianne Firth's Rothwell Kind Regards won for NSW on a countback, via the EA's complicated points system, from Victorian Langtree Masterpiece, ridden by Greg Mickam.
New Zealand scored in the big show hunter class, when the impressive bay Glentullock, ridden by Dorothy Lennard, galloped away with the title (pictured above/photo by Derek O'Leary).
He stood ahead of the national Australian champion, Diamondz, ridden by Rebecca Richards, of Victoria.
The small pony championship went to Langtree Jazzman and Anna Douglas, of Queensland.
The blonde chestnut has a spectacular trot and it was one of the rare occasions that the Victorian champion, Silkwood Angel Wings, ridden by Holly Lewis, has had to take the reserve position.
Kolbeach Stud had a field day in the big pony title. Kolbeach Be Free won, with Margot Haynes, for South Australia. The reserve, Kolbeach Aster, was ridden by Lynda Hayes for Victoria, and owned by Carmen Novak of the Northern Territory.
The Galloway classes were divided into a big and small championship, with the small Galloway section won by Willowcroft Regal Winter, ridden by Sabrina Durante, of Queensland, with the reserve to Kolbeach Review and Margot Haynes, from South Australia.
The large Galloway championship was won by Kolbeach Venetian and Toni Harper-Purcell, of Queensland.
The attractive brown mare has a startling resemblance to her grandsire, Owendale Percival, even to her markings.
The reserve sash also went to Queensland, to Rathowen Envy, ridden by Nicole Jamieson.
The small hack championship went to SLM High Profile, ridden by Queenslander Laura Widdowson, with DP Mayfair, ridden by Stephen Gladstone, of NSW, in reserve.
Mark Kenzig's Supernatural, also from NSW, was champion big hack, with last year's champion, SLM Mindgames, and Francesca Christie, reserve for Victoria.
CLICK HERE for full results and copies of various workouts.
Story: Fran Cleland/www.weeklytimesnow.com.au