It may not be Badminton but Baxter Park on the Mornington Peninsula, venue of the Horseland PCAV Horse Trials State Championships this weekend, has also had considerable rain recently. However the grounds of the Mornington Peninsula Pony Club, owned by the Frankston City Council, have held up incredibly well and the rain held off for the most part of today for the dressage and some of the showjumping sections.
The Frankston City Council have been very supportive of the Mornington Peninsula Pony Club (MPPC), providing them with additional land in recent times to expand the cross country so that a Grade 1 course could be accommodated. This weekend nearly 50 competitors will take part at Grade 1 level so it is obviously a worthwhile project, however the cross country courses for both Grade 1 and Grade 2 (over 100 competitors)are newly designed and built courses which will be tested for the first time tomorrow.
Frankston City Council have pitched in here too, providing all of the timber required for the fences but it has largely been thanks to the ‘labour of love’ provided by Bill Walles, Phil Holland and Peter Malkin who, guided by course designer Craig Gordon, have built the fences during the past twelve months. Suzanne Walles, Bill’s wife, who has been DC at MPPC for three years and has just become its President, speaks highly of the committee that has put this State Championships together; people such as Ron, Ellen and Nicole Wernke, Alan Moore, Mary Sandic, Sam Kruijer, Sonia Murphy, Carol Rotherham and Eleanor Young (please forgive me if I have missed any of the names mentioned by Suzanne!).
Suzanne Walles
Committees can be notoriously difficult to manage sometimes but Suzanne, in her lovely Welsh lilt, speaks with enthusiasm about all of the people involved in bringing the Championships together
“They are an amazing team of people to work with” she says. They’re very productive and I would love to work with them all again”. Her daughter, who is competing at the Championships, may be missing out on a bit of mum’s TLC this weekend but all of the competitors will be benefitting from Suzanne and the committee’s hard work.
Not only is the MPPC proud to be hosting this year’s State Championships but the club is also celebrating the fact that they held the very first Pony Club Championships (then called an Inter-Branch competition) 57 years ago in 1955.
Watching some of the combinations in the Grade 2 show jumping this afternoon, it is obvious that there are some talented young riders with good horses competing. It is always enjoyable to watch these capable young competitors, usually mounted on horses or ponies that seem to know their job back to front. Some riders have a good chat with their horse as they go around the course, others let out a delighted ‘good boy’ along with a big pat at the end of the round. Some of the Grade 1 riders are familiar faces at EA events at CIC 1* level and may be destined for great things – after all this is where the Australian Olympic medallists are made.
Me, me ...... I did well, I want carrots!
As the showjumping classes were winding down this afternoon, families and friends who had travelled from all over the State were gathering in their ‘camps’ as the riders tended to their horses and prepared for a big day tomorrow on the brand new cross country courses.
Visitors from Mansfield settle in for the evening
To view the Photo Gallery from Day One CLICK HERE
