The great facilities at AELEC are at your disposal
The 2014 Eventing season is well underway in NSW and there are plenty of great events still to come. At this point in the year many riders look ahead and pencil the rest of the competitions they plan to attend into their diaries, with local events being the obvious choices for most riders. Yet for those riders who fancy hitting the highway and immersing themselves in the great sport of Eventing for more than just one weekend, a trip to the northwest region of NSW should be on July’s agenda.
During the July school holidays, two terrific events located just 70km apart will run on consecutive weekends, with a clinic sandwiched between them. The first will be Tamworth International Eventing’s CNC event at AELEC on the 5th and 6th of July. The second, Quirindi CCN and CCI Long Format Event, will kick off on Friday 12th July. To make the idea of doing both these events even more attractive, Tamworth International Eventing will also conduct a clinic at AELEC on the 8th and 9th of July, with group show jumping and cross country lessons available. AELEC’s first class stabling and camping facilities will be available to riders wishing to participate in the clinic and use the venue as a base between the two events.
The prospect of doing a short format event, long format event and a clinic all in a 9 day period at two of the friendliest venues on the calendar should be enough to send most riders straight to Nominate in search of the entry forms. However, those that still think a skiing holiday is a better way to spend the July school holidays should consider the following four reasons why a 9 Day Eventing holiday is the best kind of holiday:
1) It will set you up for the rest of the season: While your less savvy eventing friends are spending winter enjoying non horse related weekends (whatever they are!), you will be fine tuning your skills and laying the foundation for a super second half of 2014. We all know that preparation is the key to success in this sport, and this intense 9 day program will leave you as prepared as you’ll ever be.
2) This is the only chance you have to do a Long Format CCN event in NSW: Three Day Events have changed a fair bit over the last decade, with the four phase cross country test now a thing of the past, however they are still the pinnacle of our sport and the highlight of an event rider’s calendar. Quirindi is the only event in NSW that offers riders of all levels the opportunity to compete in a Long Format Event (the new name for the Three Day Event). Competitors will attend a Riders’ Briefing, present and trot their horses up for the Ground Jury, and experience the extra distance and effort involved in the cross country phase, all great things to be exposed to prior to moving up to the FEI classes. For the first time in 2014, Quirindi will run a CCN Long Format class for the EvA60 competitors, plus every other level up to CCI2*. Likewise, Tamworth will run an EvA60 class at the July event, having previously only offered combined training classes at this level.
3) It’s a chance to explore the area: Have you ever driven to an event in a town or region you’d love to see more of, if only you didn’t have a horse in tow? When coming to northwest NSW for over a week, why not make a holiday of it by spending some time between the events exploring the Country Music Capital, eating great local food, visiting beautiful towns such as Nundle, and enjoying drives through some truly beautiful countryside?
4) It’s a great way to meet some other Eventing fanatics: One of the best things about Eventing is the many wonderful people involved in it. But often, Eventing weekends are a whirlwind experience and you drive home regretting the limited time you had to chat to your friends and meet other people. The social aspect of Quirindi Event is not to be underestimated, with last year’s welcome dinner being described as a highlight. Likewise, T.I.E is a friendly event with many people camping onsite and a bar and entertainment offered in the evenings.
So without further ado, pencil the 9 Day Eventing holiday into your diaries!
