May Speaker Dinner. Two for the price of one!

Johnny Hustler and Julia McLean both spoke at our dinner this month. What a ride they both took us on. Very different rides and most interesting rides.

Johnny's talk covered his history of riding naughty ponies, a career in steeplechase riding, to high level amateur cross country and hunting, to learning how to ride properly with a dressage coach! How lucky are we to have a member with such a rich horse riding history and experiences! Photo below of Johnny with his family - mostly riding and having lots of fun.

Julia McLean spoke about the NZ Vulnerable Road User Trust she chairs from her little office in North Canterbury. She even bought samples of the high Viz materials they are promoting to support the promotional work of the trust in supporting getting our roads safer. WRC will be there at the annual 'Pass Wide and Slow' rides in September this year.

Ashworths Beach and Better Half Kitchen and Bar– Friday 29th May

Great pick Robyn! About 17 riders turned up to our Ashworths beach ride on Friday. Our hosts opened a paddock for us to park so making the bottom end of the beach available to those with big trucks and other users. Thanks very much.

Sort of like other beaches, Woodend, Waikuku, but with one key difference if you go to the left. That is, a shingle beach, so very noisy sea! Bonus is you get to go in a lovely fairy forest developed by local ECE and school children! We maintained our small riding group focus and this proved to be just the ticket. Helen Sharp led a faster group to the right and there were several other groups riding out at various times. Somehow or other we met up back at the café at similar times! Believe me the pictures only told some of the story. Lovely ride folks and highly recommended.

VDS Poles Rally – Saturday 9th May, 2026

What more could we ask for? A very full rally (40 registrations), fabulous coach and lovely dry, indoor facilities. Sarah started at 8.30 and finished with the same lovely, focused sense of purpose and capacity to cater for everyone. From some who came in hand, some with green horses, and others getting green horses out in groups everyone seemed to gain something and leave with a smile on their faces. Superb lunch organized by Deb Woodrow and a few others! Unreserved positive comments on FB members page and to Sarah as well. Well the only thing I can think of is to have this one over two days! Bring on Cross Country at Rangiora A and P grounds in June.

Anzac Hacknix. Mousetrap Hut. Saturday 25th April, 2026

I’m not sure what I expected of a trip to Mousetrap hut. However, I was absolutely blown away by the stunningly spectacular scenery and views from this ride. Yes, it took us just over two and a half hours to get there but this time passed quickly with lovely chats with my five colleagues. Thirteen riders set off in three different groups to give the fit horses and riders a chance to get there! Nice easy tracks but steady uphill and downhill. Formed tracks and a few gates to navigate. The track downhill into the hut was a ‘get off and walk downhill’ type of steep!

A few bees who weren’t really interested in us to be honest. As long as we kept going they clearly realized we weren’t good honey food. Some nice quiet cattle.

Going back to my expectations? Well, a possum wasn’t one them! We left him/her there for the next customers of mousetrap hut. Came back with a very happy Cruz that’s for real. Plenty of happy riders! Thanks everyone and especially Ann Stewart for organizing the necessary key! I’ve popped a photo of the key owner on the WRC club page.

April Speaker-Dinner, Dafydd Fly.

Dafydd got our regular monthly speaker dinner attendees thinking more about using equitation science in developing their partnership with their equine partners. Building on Jody Hartstone’s presentation last November Daffyd gave a colourful and thoughtful address to about 35 members and non-members. Amongst the points I thought were interesting to note for future

· Mirror test. If they can’t see it they think its gone

· Can’t see below the whiskers – thus the whiskers are useful

· Important to train both sides of the horse

· Scaredy horses. The more they do it the more practice they get at it!

· Horses remember in photos. Accessed when the same or similar contexts are experienced.

· A foreign object in familiar places can cause mayhem

I really liked this saying. Memories of elephants and goldfish. Meaning limited immediate recall but don’t forget their training. Thanks for your time and the talk Dafydd! Roll on next month. Looking forward to our very own Johnny Hustler on Wednesday May 27th!

Ride report on cowboy challenge training day on 10 April

Hi I was asked by Gwen to write a ride report for the cowboy challenge training day at Francine Murray’s place in Sheffield

Around 16 riders took part in a fun training day in Sheffield hosted by Francine Murray of the NZ Cowboy Challenge Association. The weather was stunning with just a gentle breeze in the morning.

The day was organised into 4 group sessions of 45 minutes each with a mixture of in hand and ridden. The obstacles were fabulous and included water, curtains, bridges, tyres, noddles, gate and many other challenges for the horses to try. Francine was on hand offering advice on how best to approach each obstacle in hand or ridden. Cowboy challenge is growing in popularity and provides a great foundation for many other disciplines and especially for trekking.

Reg and I had a great time cruising round the obstacles and catching up with friends I had not seen in a while.

We stopped at 12pm for a yummy shared lunch and an opportunity for another catch up.

After lunch there was an opportunity for anyone who wanted to stay on to try the obstacles again which a few decided to do.

A big thanks to Francine for hosting our club and to Lynn Hodgson for taking photos which was appreciated. Liz Bishop

Rory McTavish - March Speaker - Dinner

So what happens when you invite Rory McTavish, Horsemaster, to be your speaker-dinner guest? You get a most interesting talk about the knowledge, skills and experiences you can have as the chief horsemaster for horse stunts in NZ. You also get an insight into how a horseman grows and develops these skills to become more humane, knowledgable and connected with your equine partners you can by working at thinking about how to do things better!

So what is a horsemaster? Someone who can train a horse to be reliable to do what they've been asked to do!

What is a filmhorse? Calm under pressure, responsive but not reactive, can handle chaos, noise and repetition and trusts rider completly. They can also be a problem horse.

Training behind the scenes? Foundation before everything else. Exposure to unusual environments. Train for chaos in a controlled way.

Reality? Safety before anything else.

Stunts and Risks. Things go wrong fast, preparation reduces risk, stay calm under pressure and follow directions!

Biggest mistakes? Too much pressure and not enough timing, people controlling instead of repeating, inconsistency and not following directions

What actually works? Training over force, consistency, clear communication, understanding the horse mindset, working as part of a team and good horsemanship.

This is from someone who has supported horse stunts in the Hobbit, Chief of War and Mortal Engines. The audience of over 40 horsewomen and men listened closely to the talk and were most enthuastic. How relatable to our work as riders was this? Very relatable. Thanks so much Rory and hopefully we will meet again.

https://hoofpick.net/classified-details/mctavish-horsemanship/1748

Harris and Pegasus Trophy 2026

On Sunday 22nd March, two of our teams competed in the Harris and Pegasus Trophy, at Rangiora Showgrounds. The Waimak Hoofbeats team consisted of Karin, Pauline, Lillian, and Bex, while the Dashing Dames included Gwen, Belinda, Kirsten, and myself, Robyn Wakelin-Lewis.

The competition was made up of three phases: two dressage tests per rider, a wine relay, and a combination jumping/obstacles phase where riders could choose between one and ten challenges from a total of fifteen. It was fantastic to see riders stepping outside their comfort zones and embracing the opportunity to give everything a go.

We were fortunate to have a wonderful support crew on the day. A special thank you to Debra Woodrow and Lynn Hodgson for organising tea and coffee during the lunch break, as well as capturing photos and videos. Your support meant a great deal to everyone involved.

The day was filled with laughter, smiles, and strong team spirit, with competitors cheering not only for their own teams but also for fellow riders. It was also great to see other Waimakariri Riding Club members competing in composite teams and thoroughly enjoying themselves.

The final results saw the Dashing Dames achieve an impressive hat-trick, winning all three phases, Dressage, Wine Race and taking overall honours, by just one point. The dressage performances of Cruise, Angel and Tango were particularly outstanding, leaving spectators in awe. Such happy ponies. The Waimak Hoofbeats also performed very well, placing 7th overall in the dressage phase.

The wine relay was both entertaining and competitive, with plenty of enthusiasm on display—resulting in a surprising amount of water making it into the bucket!

The jumping/obstacles phase presented some challenging elements, yet both teams rose to the occasion, demonstrating excellent riding and determination. The Waimak Hoofbeats, in particular, showed strong performances, with several riders exceeding their own expectations.

Overall, it was a fantastic day of competition, teamwork, and achievement for all involved.

Special thanks to the sponsors and the Pegasus Riding group

Ecohorse, Charlie Road, Washbar natural pet care, Whinnys and Equine eatsntreats

March 26 – Flatwork Rally

Thirty riders from the WRC turned up at Harrs Road today to test out their flatwork. This included several riders with young or green horses, new members and some more mature riders! So, what happened? Well, the first thing was the weather played nicely with us and at times it was nearly too hot.

The second thing that happened is the coaches, Andrea Marsden and Debbie Nelson, said “lets do Drill riding or Formation riding”. OK I said – sounds like a great plan. I am guessing many didn’t know what they were letting themselves in for! What I really loved is that people gave it a go and loved it! Horses, well mostly, got used to being in an arena with others and following the instructions. Fun for all. It’s going to be hard to select the photos!

The Pegasus Harris teams also practiced their tests, walking over a tarp and the ‘wine’ race moves. Thanks for calling the tests and practicing! Cruz is already looking forward to this event.

The third thing is that John and Deb Woodrow bought their new bus which meant that our shared lunch went to a whole new level! What a spread and nice way to share information and ideas!

Andrea spent the rest of the afternoon supporting riders with floorplans for a forthcoming musical dressage event. Sometimes in pairs or by selves. Super work from all concerned. From those coming to give their horses some exposure to those wanting to develop particular things with their horses everyone went away with something and smiles on faces.

February Hacknix

Friday 27th Feb - Hacknix

Well The Grange didn't disappoint. Eight rider combinations set out in two different groups for a ride. One 'go the whole hog' group headed to the top by the sattelite tower. We weren't of a mind to go to the hut but the tracks were good and weather was inviting either way.

Another group intent on making the most of the lovely day meandered around the bottom and did a smaller ride. Two newbies to The Grange and other old hands. There was something for everyone.

The picnic was all anyone could ever have wanted including a cake any tea party would be proud of. Thanks very much Francesca and you can some anytime! The cat was an added bonus supervisor! Thanks to The Grange for hosting us

Feb Speaker-Dinner - Nicolett Geldermann

Wednesday 25th Feb

What a treat we had with our speaker dinner guest, Nicolett Gelderman! Equine Manuel Therapist with lots of European qualifications. We were treated to the opportunity to think about our expectations with body workers as well as some simple tools to reflect on how anyone can apply some basic tools to our equine partners.

Our next speaker dinner is Rory McTavish on Wednesday 25th March. See details on upcoming events Event Calendar

Robyn Woods Show Hunter Clinic

14 Feb 2026

What a clinic! What an awesome opportunity for our members!

An amazing venue, Swannanoa Arena - huge thanks to Caroline for being so accommodating and ensuring horses and riders had everything needed for a super day.

The instruction, from the legendary, grandmother of show hunter in NZ, with over 40 years experience, Robyn Woods brings a unique aspect to clinics, she is a very talented teacher too.

Being clear in her expectations for each combination, which were realistic and had the magical element of pushing the boundaries of 'comfort zones' to remove fear, and bring about confident partnerships. Robyn removes the noise of complexity and focuses on the basics, of rhythm and balance, and not interfering - leaving the horse to do his job.

A very popular and well subscribed clinic. For good reason. I took part in the poles and 20-40cm lesson on my newly started, green horse. Robyn spotted gaps in our training and gave solutions to correct and build from.

There were many 'firsts' from many combinations. Great to see so many smiles and happy, safe learning from both horses and riders.

Lunch was a highlight, lovely shared kai, great to catch up with members and welcome some new faces.

A perfect combination of great venue, high quality teaching and learning, and lovely supportive members.

Well done to all who participated, particularly WRC committee, and thanks to John Woodrow for taking photos - a great clinic (when's the next one...? 😉)

Working Equitation Rally

31 Jan 2026

Kelly Mayo was one of the 24 participants and this is her recap:
It was a hot‑as‑hell afternoon - but after so many gloomy days, it was a treat to finally feel the sun. The rally was already in full swing when I arrived, with riders making their way around the course in the blazing heat while others wisely sought refuge beneath the big, beautiful shade trees.

My session began with obstacles. Deb talked us through each one step by step, focusing on correct training and solid fundamentals to help us build the skills we’ll need as we move up the grades. Cantering those tiny circles and mastering flying changes might feel a long way off yet, but I left feeling genuinely excited to try some of the exercises at home.

Andrea then took us through the flatwork phase and the patterns used in a Working Equitation test. Riding one‑handed highlighted a few holes in all our training — nothing like a new challenge to keep us honest! We then had a go at putting everything together and riding the obstacles as we would in a competition. I’m fairly sure my horse only behaved perfectly because he sensed the stakes… especially with two bags of chaff up for grabs – he loves his tucker!

All in all, it was a fantastic day: plenty learned, plenty to practise, and plenty of enthusiasm for next time. I can’t wait to give Working Equitation another go!

Seafield Horse Park Hacknix

30 Jan 2026

10 riders reported for duty at Seafields park. Two riding groups. Suffice to say what happens on rides stay on rides. However, there was some variety of routes taken by the groups! Well I guess they hadn't gone there before. Looks like a venue to revisit and show more different places to go there! Great to see Lynn Hodgson out there with Becky Speed and Deb Woodrow!

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