2018 HNHS School Magazine HNHS Magazine 2018 | Page 64
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Equestrian
Back Row:
Front Row:
Kendyll Miller, Carys McCrory, Libby Charlton, Helen Bell
Mackenzie Heaton, Samara Thorpe, Tess Gordon, Gabrielle Bell, Macy Heaton
HNHS Equine Group 2018
Heretaunga Pony Club Team selections for this year were
Tess Gordon and Grace McKay (Year 11) who competed
in the hack division at the Pony Club Show Hunter
Championships held in Foxton during October.
This is a group for all students interested and participating
in equestrian activities. Mostly, our members are competing
successfully at Pony Club and ESNZ events throughout the
season. They generally have their own ponies/horses and
will have a wonderfully supportive parent driving a truck or
horse float most weekends. Our Team Captain, for her final
year, was Tess Gordon. Other Year 13 members who sadly
left us this year were Gabrielle Bell, McKenzie Heaton,
Kenyll Miller, Rebecca Richards and Danielle Thorpe. We
wish them well for their future equestrian endeavors. The
Teacher in charge was Mrs Helen Bell.
Horse of the Year, held during March in Hastings, is the
premier event for all equestrian competitors and we had
a number of our member competing. In 2018, Year 10
student, Olivia Apatu, won the hard fought Pony of the Year
individual show jumping title while a student at HNHS. Two
of our students, Ally Stevenson (Year 12) and Laura Foss
(Year 11) were also selected for the challenging Saba Sam
Hawke’s Bay area team show jumping competition. They
had to jump two rounds of show jumping at 1.15-1.25m.
Area Team Selections
Inter school Events
The 2018 season was another successful one for our
members. Selected for the Hawke’s Bay area for the
prestigious Pony Club Area Eventing Championship
were Year 13 students, Kendyll Miller and Gabrielle Bell.
They were both competing in the DC category. This event
comprised of three phases over three days. They included
dressage, followed by cross country and show jumping
at 1.05m height. Participants in this event travel from all
around New Zealand, including the South Island, with their
horses. At the same venue, Year 10 student, Samara Thorpe
was selected as a reserve for Hawkes’ Bay area for the Pony
Club Team Games Championship. Both these events were
held during the April holidays in the Wairarapa.
HNHS entered an eventing team into the Secondary Schools
Eventing Championships held 19/20 May at Taupo. The
team was comprised of Tess Gordon, Kenyll Miller, Samara
Thorpe and Carys McCrory. They had a fun weekend and
won the team spirit cup.
The 2018 HNHS Equestrian Event was held at Hastings
Equestrian Park on Monday, 20th August and was open to all
schools, including intermediate and primary. Kirsty Heaton
(mother to McKenzie and Macey) was the organiser of this
annual show and she was tireless in her efforts to make this
event successful. She was helped by an enthusiastic group
of HNHS parents. Approximately 80 entries, with their
horses, arrived to a very cold morning at the equestrian park
near Flaxmere. No rain, but a heavy frost greeted them.
They competed in two rounds of show jumping and one
round of cross-jump which included the solid cross country
style jumps. There were three choices of height: 70-80cm,
Heretaunga Pony Club team selections included Samara
Thorpe and Carys McCrory (Year 12). Samara competed in
the Bruce Forbes Eventing team at 80 cm height in January
and both Samara and Carys competed in the Cambridge
Pony Club Show Jumping team event in February. Final
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