Ring-Master Has Big Job

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30287, 13 November 1963, Page 22

Ring-Master Has Big Job

Early today Mr T. C. Grigg, of Hororata, will be arriving in the ring at the Show Grounds to prepare for the diverse range of events which will be held there in the next three days, Mr Grigg has been ring-master at the show since 1955, when he succeeded Mr C. H. Bethell. He is assisted by a team of men some of

whom, he says, have been helping with the running of the ring events for quite a lot longer than he has. Mr Grigg’s duties involve the co-ordination of all events taking place in the ring and ensuring that they run up to time. Among his most important responsibilities is the running of the grand parade on Friday afternoon. This parade, which begins at 1.30 p.m., is in many ways the climax of the show. It begins with the City of Christchurch Highland Pipe Band forming up in front of the secretary’s office and then marching up and down the ground before taking up a position at the southern end of the ground. Mr Grigg says that members of the cattle committee do a very fine job in marshalling the cattle into breeds prior to the start of the parade—a job made more difficult in that it must be done amidst a crowd of people. The cattle come into the ring in two lines—one comprising mainly beef

cattle and the other line dairy cattle—and these lines move round opposite sides of the ring. At the far end of the ring each line turns and comes back the way it came to the starting point where the two lines change sides of the ring and repeat the manoeuvre so that no

matter where the spectator is standing beside the ringside he or she has an opportunity of seeing all the cattle.

While the cattle are moving round, the horses make their entry from the opposite end of the ring. Led by the champion hack, the hacks are followed by thee cobs and ponies and the led horses in pairs. Once they have done a complete round of the ring inside the cattle they move up the centre of the ring and form up into a series of circles with one line of horses moving in a clockwise direction and the other in an anticlockwise direction in each circle, so that each circle has the effect of being a circle within a circle.

When the horses leave the ring the ponies and harness horses, trotting with their traditional high stepping action, make three rounds of the ring. At this stage the pipe band strikes up again and plays up and down the centre of the ring.

All prize-winning cattle and horses participate in the grand parade on Friday but at 1.30 p.m. tomorrow there will also be a parade for all cattle in the show. As well as providing a public spectacle, this also serves as an exercising function for the show cattle. Tomorrow and on Friday the polo match will follow the grand parade, and Mr Lear’s riding demonstrations will come after the polo. The three dogs in the final of the dog trial will compete against each other just before the grand parade on Friday and in the late morning that day there will be a tractor driving competition involving two tractors with trailers racing and backing around separate courses.

Jumping under F.E.I. rules will be seen each afternoon this week beginning at 2 p.m. today and after Mr Lear’s demonstrations tomorrow and on Friday.