The Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria announced three inductees into the prestigious Garryowen Hall of Fame at a presentation cocktail party held at Melbourne Showgrounds on Thursday, 29 September.

 

Exceptional Service was awarded to renowned horse judge William Aeron Jones (1891 – 1971), who played an active role in instigating the Garryowen Trophy with previous Hall of Fame inductees Harry Morant and T & E Coffey.

 

Affectionately known as WA Jones, he purchased Garryowen as part of his private business. Seeing the horse was special, Jones gifted him to Violet Murrell, thinking they would be a perfect horse and rider combination, a match that competitors strive to achieve to this day. 

 

The first horse to ever win the Garryowen Trophy, Jones, joined his former owner and namesake William Aeron Jones as an inductee of the Hall of Fame. A rare feat for a horse exhibit, Jones won the Garryowen in both 1934 and 1935 and the HM Somers Trophy at the 1935 Sydney Royal Easter Show.

 

Jones also achieved the illustrious title of Champion Hack at the 1935 Royal Shows in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide and the Garryowen. Jones joins the Garryowen Hall of Fame as a legend of the competition.

 

Rider Caroline Wagner, a four-time Garryowen winner was also inducted as the rider with the second-highest number of wins in the history of the competition. Wagner competed in the Garryowen 15 times and won or placed an impressive 10 times and now competes in Grand Prix dressage where she holds a World Ranking.

Winning Champion Hack at the Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Canberra Royal Shows as well as two Victorian Horse of the Year awards and a Rider of the Year award, Wagner is a most deserving entrant into the Garryowen Hall of Fame.

 

These celebrated Garryowen competitors represent the best in Australia’s dressage and show competitions and the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria is proud to acknowledge their dedication and skill.