Fully Loaded … for a landmark win – Nicole Gilbert and Warramate Mayne Event, Peter Elstrek and Bullet Proof, Narelle Walker and Penrose Firedance and Julie Hanssen and Black Douglas.
By Kath Gannaway
LOCAL equestrian team Fully Loaded has won the HRCASV Top Teams Trophy Horse Trials
The team from Wandin Park Riding Club for Adults was one of three teams entered by the club and produced the club’s first win.
Fully Loaded consisted of Nicole Gilbert riding Warramate Mayne Event, Julie Hanssen on Black Douglas, Narelle Walker on Penrose Firedance and Peta Elstrek on Bullet Proof.
They were among hundreds of riders who competed in a weekend of top-level equestrian competition held at John and Angela Anker’s Wandin Park Equestrian Centre.
Hosted by Nepean Equestrian Club, Victorian Appaloosa Sport Horse Club and Merricks Saddle Club the event attracted about 400 riders as well as numerous family, friends and support crew who travelled from all over Victoria for the two-day event.
The competition consists of three phases – dressage, showjumping and cross country with place-getters at each level scoring points for their team of four riders.
Competitors went into the weekend with the prospect of unfavourable weather but the heavy rain cleared enough to allow the competition to proceed.
Wandin Park Riding Club for Adults had three teams entered, Fully Loaded, Semi Loaded (Barbara Geoffrey on Coldstream Shalemar, Kathy Smith on Oscar Blue and Sharyn Symonds on Gus) and Not a Chance in Hell (Carol Thorneycroft on Mozzie, Ian Walker on Montross and Melissa Harper on Mid Life Crisis).
Fully Loaded came up with the goods in great style taking the Top Team Trophy and an invitation for the club to the event next year.
The win was a landmark victory for the club and for Fully Loaded, who finished with the highest points for the weekend.
Gilbert rode all three phases of the horse trials on the Saturday with Warramate Mayne Event performing well in the dressage to be sitting fifth after that event.
She proved keen to attack the cross-country course and achieved a clear round with no time penalties, one of few to do so in her section that day.
In the showjumping, despite mixed results recently, she had another clear round with final results placing of second place.
Hanssen rode her dressage test on the Saturday morning in quite muddy conditions finished third in her section.
In the showjumping, while recently performing well in this phase, Dougie had a rail down, dropping them into fifth place.
Sunday morning dawned wet and windy for the cross-country jumping phase in which they needed to perform well to make up for the lost points in the showjumping. Dougie jumped a clear round with no penalties, bumping them back into third place overall.
Walker was scheduled for all three disciplines on the Sunday and with the wind blowing and the rain falling it looked as if it was going to be a very rough day to compete.
In the dressage, despite a slippery ground, they managed a reasonable test that had them placed about mid-field. The cross-country moved them up to eighth place.
Elstrek rode her dressage test on Bullet Proof with a reasonable ride in the boggy conditions and then a clear showjumping round later in the afternoon leaving her in first place going into the cross-country on Sunday.
Wandin Park is renowned for providing a tough course and the time limit on cross-country had been extended in all levels to take the slippery conditions into consideration.
Elstrek and Bullet Proof had a clear round but incurred some time faults, still managing to retain first position.
