Snowy Mountains Showjumping Festival Kicks Off 2012 in Style!

The largest ever Snowy Mountains Showjumping Festival kicked into gear on 3 January 2012. With Record numbers embracing Cooma as their home over a week, the Cooma Showground is now bursting at the seams. With over 450 horses stabled at the ground and over 1000 people camping, a mini horse city has been created! With trade stalls, horse feed, jumps and the all important Cosmorex Coffee stand, day one of the Festival started and never seemed to end. 

Ring One saw over 280 rounds conducted with well deserved wins in massive classes going to Gradyn Stones, Steph Mackillop, Tom McDermott and Grant Hughes.

Ring Two, as far as organisers are concerned, set a new record in terms of rounds completed. Kicking off at 8.00am and not wrapping up until 9.00pm, a MASSIVE 346 rounds of competition were held. A huge credit to all the Ring Two team of Bridget Cross, Tim Dansey Edwina Mitchell and all the beautiful volunteers.

Ring Three is always a massive hit in Cooma, it kicks off each and every day with Cross Rails, the sport of showjumping is in good hands with the next generation starting their careers and doing a fine job.

With such a late finish on Tuesday night, the Committee made the decision to put an early start on for the next day's competion, so at 7am the first horse was on course in Ring Two.  By 7.00pm, some 12 hours later, Ring Two was once again complete and the pack up began in readiness for the first ever Snowy Mountains Hack Festival.

Ring One saw the first leg of the Hawkesbury River Saddle Company Amateur Series. Jen Mitchell is sitting in the hot seat taking a great win, with Emma Hughes showing great form running second. The C grade class was a hit with a super fast jump-off win to the always consistent Tom McDermott, Brett Clarke grabbed a catch ride on Tom Laurie's Jipp to run second by one one thousands of a second, thank goodness for electronic timing.

It was then onto the Cabacy Equestrain A&B Grade, when all eyes were on the main ring. Six horses jumped clean and it was on for young and old. Grant Hughes and Yakity Yak were first out putting a faultless round on the board to have Tom McDermott come out and smash a crazy six seconds off Grant’s time riding Statford Delight. The final line up saw Tom in first and second, Grant Hughes third, Colleen Brook and Poets Corner fourth, while fifth and sixth went to Jamie Grant on his two horses. A super 1.2m class wrapped up Ring One as a cool change came across the oval.

Everyone is now braced and ready to roll with days three, four and five in Cooma!

Results to be added shortly.