TAMWORTH’S Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC) will be a hive of horse jumping activity again this weekend.
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AELEC will host a Tamworth International One Day Event on the weekend after it had a massive three-ring, three-day showjumping spectacular last weekend.
The Tamworth Winter Indoor Championships had 180 riders and 320 horses completing almost 1400 rounds of show jumping in 35 different classes last weekend.
It followed a big Gunnedah Showjumping competition the weekend before.
Another 180 riders are entered for this weekend’s One Day Event at AELEC.
Run by Tamworth International Eventing, it has not only 180 riders entered but 269 horses from around NSW and Queensland competing in 10 classes from EvA60 up to CNC3*.
The Olympic sport of eventing is similar to triathlons and requires combinations to complete three phases of dressage, show jumping and cross country in one competition.
This is a true test of training, fitness and bravery for the horse and rider.
Competing in the Peel Valley Machinery CNC3* class, with cross country set at 1.20m over a course around 6km, is multi-discipline Australian representative Heath Ryan from Heatherbrae near Newcastle.
Ryan will be riding Aspire R who placed 2nd in the 2* class at last year’s event.
Ryan first rode for Australia in eventing at the 1990 World Equestrian Games in Sweden.
Since then he has repeatedly represented Australia at World Equestrian Games, World Cups and the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as a member of the Australian dressage team.
Ryan has won the Sydney International 3DE three times, has been the Australian Three Day Event Champion three times, and was the 2010 and 2011 Australian Grand Prix Dressage Champion.