Women Excel At Point-To-Point Races

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29872, 12 July 1962, Page 2

Women Excel At Point-To-Point Races

But for the enthusiasm of women riders, the Brackenfield Hunt’s point-to-point steeplechase meeting and hunter trials held at West Eyreton yesterday, would have had very poor support. The meeting was postponed from last Saturday because of bad weather and many of the men riders who had entered for events could not attend the mid-week meeting.

In both the members’ anti light-weight point-to-point races, women riders filled the first three places. When scratchings were completed the members’ event was left entirely to women riders. Miss Angela Wright, a land girl on her father’s farm at Darfield, won both these races on Highwayman. On this horse she won many champion hack and champion hunter.events at Canterbury shows in the six years she has owned it. She follows the Christchurch Hunt, usually twice a week, and often rides Highwayman 12 miles

a day in his work as a shepherd's hack.

Highwayman is a useful, even-tempered horse that is capable of winning a point-to-point race one day and a dressage test the next. Its breeding is by Cimbrone out of Coalpit. A 13-year-old high school girl, Morwen.na Allin of Waikuku, collected more prizes than any’ other competitor at the meeting. She won the maiden hunter trial, the wire jump and both the pony trials with her mounts Flyaway, Jumpaway and the pony Colleen, as well as gaining second and third places in the open hunter trial and second in the women's hunter trial. Though competition was not hard, her successes could not be passed over a mere good luck. Last year, when

only 12, she was awarded the trophy for the best woman rider over jumps in the Canterbury A. and P. Association's 1961 show. She has been riding since she was four and has a bright future as a horsewoman.

Riding Pepperpot. wellknown in Canterbury show rings for many years," Mrs F. F. Wilding of Parnassus won both the open and women's hunter trials.

The meeting was held on Mrs Denis Chapman's property. “The Ranche,” and "Hambleden,” the home of the master of the Brackenfield Hunt (Mr C. A. Macdonald). The course was well laid out to test the skill of riders and horses, and for most of the journey was in full view of the spectators. Visitors came from many parts of Canterbury to the meeting, and they saw some excellent racing. But the attendance was disappointing even though the programme had to be held on a week day.

It seemed a pity that more townspeople had not taken the opportunity of a stimulating day out in the crisp country air, away from city smog, to watch one of the most spectacular of winter sports. After the events, the patroness of the hunt (Mrs G. R. Macdonald) presented the prizes.