4* winners Donna Edwards-Smith and Henton for Glory at the Treadlite CCI Horse Trials held at the Fiber Fresh National Equestrian Centre Taupō. November 2025. Copyright photo: Take the Moment.
The Fiber Fresh National Equestrian Centre at Taupo provided a superb setting for the international standard horse trials staged there at the weekend, 8-9 November. Competitors from throughout the North Island enjoyed summer conditions with the venue looking fresh and green after much mowing.
Stuart Buntine, the British-based Australian cross-country course designer for the Treadlite NZ-sponsored event, set challenging courses for the top two classes, CCI4*-S and CCI3*-S, with the most common remark after walking the courses being, “It’s a bit different.” Stuart’s mantra was to “make the riders think.”
The 4* winner, Donna Edwards-Smith on Henton for Glory, said, “He put a different perspective on some of the jumps and placed them in different spots to what we have seen, which was cool to see and ride.”
Donna led from the start, leading after the dressage on the talented but quirky Henton for Glory, showjumping clear, and incurring 20.4 cross-country time penalties for a final score of 50.5 penalties. The horse had been out of action for eighteen months after a spectacular fall at a previous championship event, but has come back “more rideable, knows his job, enjoys his job, and very much trusts his people and his team.”
Current national three-day event champion, Carys McCrory and her Thoroughbred Nemesis producing the fastest time across country, taking all the direct routes, incurring just 5.6 time penalties, to pull up to second place on 52.8 penalties. Needless to say Carys had nothing but praise for the course, saying, “We loved it.”
Charlotte Penny was third on the relatively inexperienced Carousal, having been second after the dressage, but a run out at the blue cottages in the forest clearing was expensive, plus 34 time penalties, and she finished on 85.9 penalties.
Tessa Bradcock, the current NZ Junior Rider champion, won the 3* class on Ceremony, pulling up from eleventh after the dressage with 0.4 of a showjumping time penalty, but the only combination inside the time allowed on the cross-country.
Former three-day event champion, Amanda James (nee Pottinger) was second on the horse she brought back from the UK, May B It’s Maisie, and produced a trifecta in the 2* class with CEO Xtreme, DSE Mr President, and On The Cards. Her mother Tinks was kept busy in a new role, looking after the baby!
Stuart Buntine is looking forward to returning next year, saying, “This was a huge learning curve for me, seeing how the terrain worked with related lines, etc. It was interesting to see where the level is at here. I would have been happy to put that 4* course anywhere in the world.”
In England, he designs courses where half the field are international competitors from all over the world.
Stuart now heads back to Australia to lead the safety management presentation at the FEI Regional Seminar running alongside the Sydney Three-day Event, before a frangible pin (safety device) workshop in Melbourne.