TWO hundred jumping riders and more than 400 horses headed to the northwest NSW town of Gunnedah for the Gunnedah Show Jumping Festival last weekend.
The annual festival, now in its third year, is the first major jumping event leading into the Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne Royal shows.
This popular festival is run by the Gunnedah Show Society and caters for riders from beginners jumping 45cm to international riders jumping 1.60m. Riders from Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and NSW took part in the three-day festival.
The organising committee provided an excellent three arena program. International course designer Gerrit Beker from New Zealand designed the courses for the main arena.
Jono Berry, from Ebenezer won the Zoom Zoom and NFS Agribusiness grand prix, riding his lovely imported stallion Yandoo Quincy Z.
Andrew Inglis from Wilberforce, riding the imported Amira came second and Julia Hargreaves from Wilberforce came third, riding the 2008 World Young Jumping horse champion Vedor.
David Goodwin from Queensland won the Forysths C grade championship, riding the careful chestnut Dumbledore.
Goodwin also won the Ultra Lubricants 1.15m class, riding Warrego JetsonYoung and coming junior rider Natalie McNeill from Armidale jumping the only double clear round riding her imported mare Vasandra to win the Gordon Barry CRT young rider championship.
NSW rider Drew Towns won the Garvin and Cousens Stock and Station Agents junior championship, riding Hailey's Charm.
Jack Maunder from Tamworth won the Browns Tyre Service young rider qualifier, riding Triple Treat and three-time Olympian Vicki Roycroft from Mt White won the DMI Engineering 1.25m class riding Welsom.
Roycroft also won the McDonalds 1.10m riding Nikki des Hayettes.
Nick Taliana from Wilberforce won the Gunnedah Camping 1.35m class, riding Ambrose, Sydney Eventing World Cup winner Chris Burton from Wilberforce won the Terry's Pizza 1.20m class, riding Haruzac and the 1.10m A2 riding Contenda.
James Mooney from the Central Coast won the Terry's Pizza 1.35m class riding Invadon, local Andrew White won the McDonalds 1m class, on Winkle and Aaron Hadlow from Dapto won the WJ Kelly Harvesting and Beattie Ag Spraying D grade championship, on BB Albury.
Other winners in Arenas 2 and 3 were locals Teegan Bull, Rachael Ward, Gillian Knight, Earl Herbert, Bradley Ward, Trudi Picton, Toots Gilder, Makayla Fitzgerald, Jock Rice-Ward and Jenny Clarke.
Lyndsay Wilson won the Gunnedah Rural Properties A2 class riding Al Lucive, Amber Witts won the 1m A2 riding Jazz Jive, James Hetherington from Gunnedah won the junior qualifier, riding Shilo and Jamie Priestly from Nowra won the 65cm junior class.
Valentina Aliprandi from Robertson won the 1m class on Snowy River Ginger Meggs and Janelle Waters from Forbes won the Gunnedah Show Society height class, on Play It Again Sam.
