The soggy weather hasn’t dampened the spirits of those organizing the upcoming Cochrane Heartland Saddlery Horse Trials, which is set run June 29 and 30 at the Cochrane and District Agricultural Society.
The trials, a three-phase competition consisting of dressage, stadium jumping and cross-country jumping, will draw a number of horse and rider combinations ranging in experience and talent. The event will feature a “starter” division for newbies, along with “preliminary” categories for the more experienced competitors and everything in between, said Heather Craig, spokesperson for the trials.
Divisions will be further separated into open and amateur categories.
“It’s not a team sport, really the competition is (horse and rider) against the obstacles and challenges,” said Craig. “The more advanced the division, the questions asked of competitors become more difficult.”
Cochrane’s Kathryn Palmer competed in the starter division for the first time at the 2012 Cochrane Horse Trials. Aboard her welsh pony mare, Buttercup, the 12-year-old ended the event in second place. This year, Palmer and her pony are back, this time in the pre-entry category.
“Last year was my first event and it went really well,” said the St. Timothy School student. “Once you get out there on cross-country with your horse galloping beneath you — you feel like you’re flying.”
For the upcoming horse trials, Palmer — who’s been riding for six years — said she aiming to score in each discipline and to have a fun time with her pony.
Dressage and stadium jumping will be held June 29. The cross-country phase will run June 30. Craig anticipates competition to get underway around 8 a.m. on Saturday and 9 a.m. on Sunday.
“We encourage the public to come out,” she said. “They can walk on the cross-country course, we just ask that they stay out of the way of the horses and keep their dogs on leashes.”
New this year is the addition of a cross-country schooling day on July 1. Horse trials participants are invited to train over the natural jumps, a great opportunity for those who are looking to move up a division or who struggled with jumps over the weekend, said Craig. Those looking to join the schooling sessions must do so under the watchful eye of the two accredited coaches: Shannon Daly and Sandra Donnelly.
Entries for the event are closed.
