The Rotorua Group kicked off the first big show of the season that many competitors flocked to, all eager to get back out there in the ring. With course designers, Edward Bullock, Philippa Howells and Becky Ormsby hard at work in the three rings, the weekend saw some fantastic competition.
It was a battle between two ladies in the first Property Brokers Grand Prix of the season, in conjunction with the John Cooper Memorial Cup, with Laura Inkster and Tara Gower both putting down a clear in the first round. First out in the jump off, Laura aboard Rodrigo MVNZ set the challenge with a time of 32.16. However, with 4 faults on the board, the door was open for Tara. Riding Riverhills Legend, Tara also picked up 4 faults and finished in 32.96, handing the win to Laura.
Laura couldn’t have asked for a better start to her season, as she also won the Outwoods Farm Mini Prix on Salut MVNZ, with 6 going double clear in an 11 horse jump off.
Laura Inkster rides Rodrigo MVNZ to victory in the Property Brokers Grand Prix. Photo Credit to Cornege Media.
“It was great to be at the Rotorua Show, the organisers ran a fabulous show and a big thank you to all the sponsors and volunteers who make events like this possible. The horses felt awesome jumping around the tracks. Rodrigo MVNZ was super in the Grand Prix, and Salut MVNZ did well in a competitive Mini Prix. We were second to last to go, and he did the inside turns I wanted and happily took a stride out down the last line which worked well for us. Big thanks to Mike McCall and my whole team around me, I couldn’t do it without them”.
The Rider Shop Pony Grand Prix Series continued this season exactly how it left the last, with Lottie Bull and Daniella Jelliman battling it out for first place. Both girls posted a double clear, but Lottie’s time of 31.66 on TCG Centadel couldn’t be beaten. Daniella stopped the clock in 33.81 on Tallyho Scoundrel for second place.
Tara Gower may have been the bridesmaid in the Grand Prix, but she made sure to go one better in the Treadlite Young Rider Series, in conjunction with the Waitangi Surf/Croucher Memorial Cup. Three out of a four horse jump off jumped double clear, Tara was the fastest by some distance on Larmani MVNZ, stopping the timer in 33.99. Ling Yun Fan riding Charmed Escudo MVNZ came home in 38.12 for second place, and Sofia Williams rode Royal MVNZ into third place with their time of 40.04.
The Seahorse Supplements Pro Am saw Simone McConnell canter off with the winners ribbon. She jumped a double clear on Chicago LS in 35.71, finishing just ahead of Dee Grant aboard The Landlady BP who stopped the clock in 37.45 for second place. Bella Lockie riding Weiti Fraise also made it into the jump off, but a retirement left them in third place.
Twyla Ashwell jumped the sole double clear in the saddle of Starlight Deanna to take out the Mainland Coachwork Junior Rider Series, with Sophie Dickson on Penny Royal GNZ picking up four faults in the jump off for second place.
The Dunstan Horsefeeds Amateur Rider was as competitive as always, with seven combinations heading into the jump off. Four went on to jump another clear, the fastest of which was Dynavyte Double J Poacher in the capable hands of Jane Stafford. Their time of 40.47 couldn’t be beaten. Not far behind was Kaleigh Kent riding Lansina whose time of 41.19 was good enough for second, and Aleisha Bradley rode Corraghoe Jewel into third place in a time of 42.15.
The NZPH Seven year Old Young Horse Series was won by Carissa McCall on Churro Ego Z, who jumped the only clear round. Churro is by Cathargo Z, out of a Parco mare, Popsicle Ego Z, and bred by Linda Mayer from Ego Summersea.
Vicki Prendergast and Liv Teixeira shared the prize pool in the New Zealand Warmblood Association 6 Year Old Young Horse Series. Vicki on her homebred Salvador C (Carrera VDL x Sofee/Powerfee), and Liv on Global PH Kingston (Euro Sport Kalaska x Global PH Mylorde /Mylord Cathargo, bred by Jenny McIntyre from Global Performance Horses).
Three combinations jumped a double clear for equal first place in the East Coast Performance Horses 5 Year Old Young Horse Series. Michelle Wakeling on her homebred BMW Margarita (Corofino II x BMZ Chaccodaizie/Chacco Silver), Tara Gower on Cassiopeia HE (Casall x Frienze Du Rouet/Balou du Rouet, bred by Hammond Equestrian), and Stephanie Anderson on LT Holst Carla’s Boy (Nixon van’t Meulenhof x LT Holst Carla/Carlota, bred by Ewen Mackintosh).
The small but mighty Rotorua Group were thrilled with the results from their show:
“The 2026 Rotorua Spring Show was a successful and positive event, with an exceptionally great atmosphere throughout the weekend.
The show began on Friday with a practice day in Ring 1 and a dedicated practice ring for horses and ponies in Ring 2 for the youngsters, this went up to 80cm. It provided riders and horses with a relaxed opportunity to familiarise themselves with the venue before competition commenced.
Competition followed over the next 2 days over 3 rings, with over 400 horses attending across the show. The overall atmosphere throughout the weekend was one of the highlights, with a real sense of enthusiasm, enjoyment and camaraderie amongst the riders, supporters, officials and volunteers.
We were extremely fortunate to receive overwhelming support from our sponsors, their contributions were greatly appreciated and played an important part in enabling us to provide a successful event, we also had Mike Baird as the MC for the whole 3 days plugging our sponsors regularly giving them lots of exposure.
This was also our first year using the Equipe platform for the show, introducing a new system for the first time was a learning experience for the organising team but overall, it was a very positive addition to the administration of the event. The platform provided a more streamlined way of managing entries and competition information was a valuable step forward, we were pleased with how it integrated into the running of the show and would consider using it again in the future.
The weather was excellent for the first 2 days of the show, providing ideal conditions for competition. Sunday afternoon brought drizzle which developed into rain but didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits!
Overall, the committee were extremely pleased with how the event went, the combination of strong participation, excellent sponsorship support, three successful competition rings and an exceptionally positive atmosphere made the weekend a very rewarding event for our small organising team”.
30 September 2026
The Jumping Team