ONE-DAY EVENT FOR HUNTERS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27427, 13 August 1954, Page 2

ONE-DAY EVENT FOR HUNTERS

DISPLAY OF SKILLED HORSEMANSHIP TESTING COURSE AT “OTAHUNA” Spectators who watched horses and riders compete in a event at “Otahuna,” Tai Tapu, yesterday, will realise why this spprt has become so popular in Britain, where the annual three-day event at Badminton attracts crowds of up to 80,000. This is riding at its best, demanding as it does skilled horsemanship, fine judgment, and plenty of courage, with hunters that are bold and well-trained in handiness and obedience. Yesterday’s one-day event, which produced keen competition, was conducted on similar lines to Badminton programmes, but on a smaller scale. It was organised by a committee of members of the Christchurch Hunt, with Mr D. C. Gould as chairman aad Mr L. Bennetts as secretary. Many visitors to Christchurch for Grand National week, including some from Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne, Otago, Southland, and all parts of Canterbury, attended the event. Dressed in tweeds and strong footwear, they enjoyed a picnic outing in th® beautiful countryside of Tai Tapu on a warm early spring day. The programme, which began about midday, was made up of three parts—a roads and tracks phase, a cross-coun-try phase, and show jumping. Because of the time factor a dressage contest was not held.

The starting point for the first two phases was set in a picturesque valley at the base of tree-lined hills, near the “Otahuna” homestead. The roads and tracks course of about two miles, which included a steep hillside climb, had to be completed in 13 minutes, with a time limit of 18 minutes. Competitors were sent off at four-minute intervals. A penalty of one point was imposed for every second taken over the time allowed. This was a test of timing judgment, for if a rider took the course too fast it meant his horse would probably be blowing hard for the start of the cross-country, and if he took it too slowly points were lost. All competitors except one went round the course within the specified time. After completing this phase, riders were able to give their mounts a breather of four minutes before starting over the cross-country course. Most of the 18 obstacles on the crosscountry course looked somewhat formidable, but only four of the competitors failed to complete it and two were eliminated for riding on the wrong side of, marking flags. Though it was not possible to see more than seven or eight jumps from one vantage point, spectators were kept informed of each competitor’s performance at every obstacle by a n an " nouncer who was in communication with field telephone operators posted near jumps beyond his.vision. Water Splash One of the most testing obstacles, which probably accounted for the most refusals on the course, was a double jump made up of a wire fence a few feet in front of a hurdle landing into a water splash. From here competitors had to negotiate a steep hill, take a sparred wire fence, a heap of willow branches, then in quick succession on the flat jump a rail over water, a gate, then a rail over wire, with a creek on the landing side. After three more '’obstacles they had to go over a rail jump from out of a yard, make a sharp turn to jump a gorse fence, then go down into a drain to clear a rail at the bottom. Other obstacles which called for quick thinking and manoeuvrability were a double jump of post and rails only two feet apart among trees, bluegum logs, followed by a stile-rpost-and-rails double through trees and—the last—a huge log in front of a drop landing. Time allowed for the two-mile journey across country was 7min lOsec. The limit was 14min 20sec. Bonus points of three for each second under time allowed, up to a maximum of 34 points, were available. Riders were penalised by three points for each second taken over time, 10 points for the first refusal qt a jump, 20 for the second (at the same obstacle) and 40 for the third. A penalty of 30 points could be imposed if a rider or horse fell within 11 yards in front of an obstacle or 16 yards beyond it. Competitors were eliminated if they omitted a jump or a boundary flag. After a short luncheon break, show lumping under Olympic rules was held m a paddock below the homestead. Set against-a background of stately trees, which surrounded the field, sunlight and shadow, the show course made a most impressive picture. Results:-

Cross country phase; Mrs A. G. Holmes’s Starry (D. C. Gould), 7min 57 4-ssec, 14 faults, 1; E. G. O. Rutherford’s Spike (owner), Bmin 54 2-ssec, 41 faults, 2; R. Parsons’s Muskerry (owner), 9min 37 l-ssec, 44 faults, 3. Show jumping phase: Mrs F. F. Wilding’s Pepperpot (owner), 5 faults, 1; Mrs E. G. Rutherford’s Cressy (owner). 7 faults, 2; H. C. Greenwood’s Hero (owner), 10 faults, 3. x Prize for best performance by a novice horse that had not previously been placed in any competition under international rules: Mrs E. G. Rutherford’s Cressy. One-day event: Mrs A. G. Holmes’s Starry (D. C. Gould), 46 faults, 1; Mrs E. G. Rutherford’s Cressy (owner), 56 faults, 2; R. Parsons’s Muskerry (owner), 59 faults, 3; .Miss Shirley Hill’s Sandow (owner), 74 faults, 4.