Local rider Montana Hewson was stoked with her team’s third placing in the recent National Pony Club Eventing Championships held in Cromwell last week (April 23-25).

Hosted by the Otago Southland Area Pony Clubs, the three day eventing championships attracted about 70 riders and horses, testing them in the three eventing disciplines of dressage, cross country and showjumping.

Sixteen-year-old Montana rode with the Otago-Southland team of six and conceded only 53.6 penalty points to help her team to a podium finish. 

She picked up 33.6 penalties in the dressage but said she was happy with the outcome as the scoring was done by “high level judges”.

She wasn’t so pleased with the 20 penalties she and her horse Southern Charm incurred during the cross country, however. 

“The 20 faults on the cross country was rider error and I just didn’t set him up properly which caused a runout....”

Monty and Southern Charm showjumping. PHOTO: Rina Sjardin-Thompson

With the top four teams standings being so close, it was the final day’s show jumping, however, which sealed the team’s position.

“The pressure was definitely on for the show jumping,” she said. “As we all came away with clear rounds we actually moved up the placings on the last day.” 

Team coach Hamish Disbrowe, of Queenstown, was very happy with how both the squad and team finished and how everyone rode during the weekend, and how the team reacted to the good and bad.

“We were very lucky to have him as a coach,” Montana said.

She said attending the champs for the first time was a great and enjoyable experience, especially as her team got along so well, but the highlight for her was her favourite event the cross country - “even though I got the 20 faults”.

“I was so stoked with how he [Southern Charm] went through the whole course especially through the combinations.” 

Next year’s national eventing champs will be held in Taranaki: “I would definitely be keen to go up to Taranaki next year with the team if I were to qualify,” she said. 

Meanwhile, the new cross-country course, which was built beside the Cromwell racecourse especially for the national champs and completed this year at the cost of about $120,000, would now be available for any riders to test themselves.