JUMPING AT SYDNEY ROYAL SHOW

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 26967, 17 February 1953, Page 3

JUMPING AT SYDNEY ROYAL SHOW

SIX HORSES MAY BE SENT FROM N.Z.

.(New Zealand Press Association) ROTORUA, February 16. Ten horses, from which will be selected five, with a probable sixth as an emergency, to compete in the Olympic jump at the Sydney Royal Show, were schooled on Saturday afternoon and yesterday morning under the supervision of Mr C. Bolgar. An exhibtion over an international course will be given tomorrow. Over the last week in Rotorua the training programme has been intensive.

The c-nly casualty has been Miss Heather Swarbrick, who contracted influenza on Saturday night and sent home to Morrinsville.

On Saturday candidates were schooled over a series of 11 obstacles. Yesterday 18 fences were set up at the show grounds, the course being over 650 yards and as nearly as possible a replica of the Prix des Nations course jumped at the international competition in Rome in 1951. Two of the fences-were 4ft lOin in height. They were of every variety to test the horses’ ability—brush, post and rails, board fence, hog’s back, and a simulated water jump.

The course concluded with a triple jump over fences set at close intervals. There were no spills, and some of the horses completed the course without a point against them for jumping.