Julie Davey estimates she’s probably in her fourth decade of competing at the Poverty Bay A&P Show and over the many years it has been a happy hunting ground for the Hawke’s Bay rider.
On Saturday she once again won the Property Brokers East Coast Wools Ltd Horse Grand Prix – the climactic event of the equestrian.
Davey and her star mare LT Holst Freda were the only combination of the nine-strong field to go clear on a course designed by Dannevirke’s Heather McDonald.
Last year Davey and Just D did the same for victory at the popular Gisborne show.
Second-equal on Saturday afternoon were former Gisborne rider Luke Dee (Havelock North) and his imported mount Gangster WW, who knocked over the last rail for four faults, and Alex Loiselle (Norsewood) aboard Haupouri Ferrari NZPH.
Edward Bullock (Waiuku) and Kiwi Sundance were fourth, Daniel Webb (Hunterville) and WSJ Centaur fifth, and Tara Gower (Ōhura) and Riverhills Bayliner were sixth.
Some quality combinations competed but Davey and Freda were favourites from the get-go.
The pair are not long back from Australia where they edged other top combinations to collect their first World Cup qualifier win together.
Gisborne was their first start at home for the season.
“We’ve been back [from Australia] for about a month but I’ve kept her fitness up,” Davey said. “It was a good course out there. It was tough and that showed in the final results. Freda has done a few miles but it still had to be jumped.”
Davey said the 10-year-old mare was a careful jumper but showed her class with a superb display in an A&P Show atmosphere that adds to the challenges for horse and rider.
“A&P shows are all about the atmosphere and there aren’t many left,” she said. “You can’t practise competing while there are kids screaming and balloons going off around you. I just wanted to keep her focused.”
Freda’s horse-shy nature sometimes made even the warm-ups challenging, she said.
Next up for the duo is a premier show in Hawke’s Bay, followed by the opening round of the FEI World Cup Series (New Zealand League).
Davey was third in the series last season and is keen to go better this time round. She’s likely to take her horse offshore again at the end of the New Zealand season although where is yet to be decided.
The win wrapped up a good Poverty Bay Show for Davey. Freda won the 1.4m on the opening day of the show and Davey picked up a win and a place with her youngster LT Holst Elle Star.
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A small field started in the AMS Saddlery Pony Grand Prix in which three combinations returned for a 12-fault jump-off.
Birthday girl Isobel Jayne Bevitt (Gisborne) and Mangatu Solar Eclipse came home clear in the jump-off for the win.
They had the luxury of being last to go and crossed the flags in 43.41 seconds – a second Grand Prix win for Bevitt and first for her pony.
Pony Grand Prix debutant Georgie Coop (Gisborne) and Barney Rubble set a cracking pace with their 37.33 second-round effort, but paid for their speed with a rail at the first of the double to finish on four faults and second place.
Next out was Lottie Bull (Atiamuri) and Rascal Flatts OS, who were unlucky to clip the last in their 41.69 second round for third.
The two grands prix brought the curtain down on another excellent show where the weather gods played ball, competitors enjoyed challenging courses and the competition was fierce but friendly.
Entries were up in the equestrian this year – 70 more combinations making the trip to Gisborne.
Gaddum, Rouse, Kershaw Tombleson lead local charge at Show
The Poverty Bay A&P Show is a chance for local horses and riders to shine, and shine they did at the 149th event.
Many hometown hopefuls collected ribbons for wins and places across all disciplines, but there were a few standouts.
Sophie Gaddum, aboard Sentra, and Cindy Kershaw, on Kiwi Vision, completed a quinella in the Dunstan Horsefeeds Amateur Rider Series class.
Ella Rouse and Halo picked up a third in the Mainland Coachwork Junior Rider Series (with equitation).
Fraser Tombleson and Mr Shelby won the East Coast Performance Horses Five-Year-Old Series class.
Kershaw and Babbington also did well in the showjumping classes.
Hollie Falloon, riding Merran Hain’s Untouchable, proved to be just that in the show hunter classes. They won the NRM Open High Points, Equimatch Junior High Points and the Auckland and Waitemata Show Hunter Junior and Sea Horse Supplements Adult Equitation Series class.
Annabelle Gourlie, on Arlo 11, Jane Rau, on French Lync, and Lucy Bond, aboard What a Gentleman, were third, fourth and fifth in the open high points.
Annabelle was also second in the junior and adult equitation series class while Emma Gibson and Midweek Martini were third.
As well as having a blinder in the showjumping, Georgie Coop was also second on Zola in the show hunter Equimatch Junior High Points.
Also doing well in the pony show hunter classes were Jennifer Hofman, Olivia Fay Briant, Lacey Cribb, Zoe McNaught, Ivey Speirs, Chloe Garbett and Hannah Andrew.
In showing, Lily Moss won champion adult in hand sport pony with KS Curious George.
Rosalyn Waghorn and RnB Whorley Marz were reserve champion novice park hack and Megan Kanz won the champion novice riding horse aboard Solmization.
Kim Leckner and Volition were reserve champions and the pair replicated their results in the champion and reserve open riding horse.
Kelly Couper and Whorlwind Sierra won the champion novice saddle hunter while Hazel Cheetham and Rivermill Clementine were reserve champion open saddle hunter pony (not exceeding 138cm).
Olivia Fay Briant and Totaranui Hope were the champion novice saddle hunter pony (over 138cm not exceeding 148cm) and reserve in the open.
Amber Lewis, aboard Kismaayu Dolce Fiamma, was the reserve champion senior rider.
Diana Dobson is a Gisborne-based freelance writer and photographer with extensive experience in media communication and sport.