Delivery of Events

Eventing Day – 15 November

And that is a wrap on our Demo, Dabble & Do-it series this spring season with Eventing on Saturday! What an awesome day at Springbush equestrian. Huge thanks to our incredible ambassadors, Kyle Calder and Stephanie-Kate Vervoort for leading riders through each phase with so much knowledge, energy and encouragement. A big shout out to @equisport_nz for their fantastic myofascial release demonstration – such valuable insight into keeping our horses feeling their best. We had a little bit of moisture during the course walk, and for a brave demo riders, but the sun made a welcome return for the Dabble and Do-it sessions, and Springbush looked beautifully presented as always – thank you Tich Masey. Nothing but beaming smiles from participants at the end of each group – such a pleasure to witness. Huge thanks to our 3 generous sponsors for the series – @vetpronz @saddleandcanter @equisport_nz Days like this are what it’s all about!  PHOTO:  Kerra Ingle and Hamish relax after a major confidence win.  Springbush Equestrian.  Photos KMCK Media.  More photos at https://kmckmedia.pixieset.com/demodabbleanddoiteventingday/

Jumping Day – 12 October

September 2025

Welcome to the North Island Demo & Dabble 2025 – proudly brought to you by Equestrian Sports New Zealand!

This season, we’re taking things up a notch with Demo, Dabble & Do-it – a fun, non-competitive series created especially for recreational riders who want to enjoy low-pressure, multi-disciplinary learning.

Join in for one, two, or all three disciplines – the choice is yours! Whether you’re here to learn something new, build confidence, or simply have a great day out with your horse, there’s something for everyone.

Thanks to our amazing sponsors (listed below), there are style prizes and spot prizes to be won – awarded by our organisers and ambassadors for outstanding horsemanship and sportsmanship.  Come along, get involved, and let’s make 2025 one to remember!

Sponsors – Vetpro, Saddle & Canter, Equisport NZ

Venues – Clevedon Showgrounds ( Dressage ), Abderry ( Jumping ), Springbush Equestrian ( Eventing )

Extra off horse education offerings from  – Sav Stirling Mindset coaching, Equestrifit rider fitness & biomechanics, Equisport NZ Myofascial release for horse & rider

Entries are open NOW on https://www.evoevents.co.nz/

Follow our Facebook Events for more.

April 2025

Christchurch – mission completed!  Demo & Dabble has now been hosted in both North and South Islands.  See story here:  https://www.nzequestrian.org.nz/2025/03/equestrian-triptych-from-grassroots-to-hp/

See link for photos by Charlotte Rose Photography

March 2025

Demo & Dabble is less than two weeks away, and we are sure there will be plenty of grassroots riders joining us after being inspired by the Defender Horse of the Year recently.  A huge thank you to New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing for sponsoring the bbq luncheon to be held on Saturday.  New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing are also the discipline sponsor of our CTR (Competitive Trail Riding), while Equissage NZ are the sponsor of Dressage, NZ Tack are sponsor of Jumping and Beyond the Bit are sponsor of Eventing.

We are also very grateful to those generous folk who are providing us with spot prizes and rugs for displays of good horsemanship by the riders.  South Island Demo & Dabble event is to be held at the Dunstan Horsefeeds NEC, Christchurch on 22-23 March 2025 with entries on Evo Events closing on Sunday 16 March.

Thank you to our Spot Prize providers.  Read about our wonderful ambassadors:

February 2025

January 2025

National Development Manager Strengthen & Adapt Ashra McAvinue says ESNZ is looking forward to another enjoyable event that has all the bells and whistles of a competition, while there is no pressure to perform.  Demo & Dabble comes to the Dunstan Horsefeeds NEC in Christchurch on 22-23 March.   It is expected that some grass roots riders will be inspired by Defender Horse of the Year earlier that month, and want to try something new.

“Demo & Dabble is an ideal start for newcomers or those with inexperienced horses.  We have also had riders returning to the sport who are finding their feet again after a long break.”

“I am so grateful to the Strengthen & Adapt Working Group who has put together this great concept that gives riders the chance to explore their sport in a way that doesn’t put the unnecessary pressure on them as first-time entrants.  There are no expectations, we just want them to come along and enjoy themselves in a great facility that provides a rare opportunity to dabble in our sport,” says Ashra.

“We’re building on the success of the event held in the Waikato last year, with glowing comments and feedback from riders that will make the Christchurch event even better.”

The second Demo & Dabble follows a similar format to the Waikato event.  There will be style prizes for sportsmanship and horsemanship awarded by judges and ambassadors, turn out awards, spot prizes and giveaways.   Entries open soon via Evoevents and there will be regular updates on Equestrian Sports New Zealand’s Facebook Events page (see Discussion tab), and also on ESNZ’s YouTube channel.

December 2024

Demo & Dabble is coming to the South Island!   Opportunities to learn from passionate ambassadors in each discipline (dressage, jumping, eventing and CTR ) and then have a “dabble” at introductory levels PLUS training rings in dressage, jumping, show hunter and eventing. Loads of fabulous prizes and giveaways.

Keep an eye on our Facebook Events page (see Discussion tab) as the excitement unfolds.  We’ll build on the success of the event held in the Waikato last month with glowing comments from riders who took part:

“Simple and informative, great confidence building experience”

“Thoroughly enjoyed the group vibe and interacting with the other riders, all of us from different backgrounds and with different aspirations”

“Both ambassadors were knowledgeable, patient and encouraging”

The format remains very similar to the Waikato model:  a hand-picked team of ambassadors will take riders through the Demo rings, and then they get to Dabble in the discipline(s) of their choice.   These include Dressage, Showjumping and Show Hunter, Eventing and Competitive Trail Riding.  Riders can take part on one or both days and a social event will be set up for Saturday night.  Prizes are rewarded for horsemanship (see winners below):  Kristy Bovill-Meakin with Vancouver and Jenn Ludman with Benson. 

November 2024

Quotes from riders who came to Demo & Dabble:

“Fabulous day”        “Amazing day… learnt so much”       “How lucky are we?!”     “Great opportunity to work with quality instructors from a range of disciplines”

We did it!   Our first multidiscipline event aimed at our grassroots and recreational riding community took place at the Waikato Equestrian Centre on 16-17 November. We were graced with a beautiful sunny weather weekend and the WEC grounds groomed to perfection by Kara Lockhart and her team. Our team of ambassadors put on fantastic and informative demonstration sessions that had riders chomping at the bit to get in the ring and have a “dabble”. It felt so easy to stay energised across the two days due to the enthusiasm and energy that was beaming from our riders and ambassadors.

Horsemanship and Sportsmanship

It was very rewarding to see the level of enjoyment and engagement from our riders. In particular, it was pleasing to see people being rewarded with prizes for good displays of horsemanship and sportsmanship and for having a go at something outside their comfort zones. As we regroup from the event, we will take some time to reflect and survey our riders, ambassadors and team of organisers as we look towards 2025 and the planning for our South Island Demo & Dabble which will be held in the New Year. A huge thank you to our sponsors, organising team, ambassadors, and riders. The Demo & Dabble concept came out of workshops set up from the Strengthen & Adapt Roadshows, after a survey identified that people felt a passionate need for an event that is fun, social, multi-disciplinary and not necessarily competitive.

A huge thank you to the Sponsors of Demo & Dabble.

October 2024

We are well on the way to deliver Demo & Dabble our first-ever multidiscipline event that will be held in Hamilton at the Waikato Equestrian Centre on 16-17 November.  See here the schedule below.  Entries are now open at evoevents.co.nz for this fabulous event, and close on Friday, 8 November.   See the Discussion tab on our Facebook Event for more info as it comes to hand.

The Demo & Dabble concept came out of workshops set up from the Strengthen & Adapt Roadshows, after a survey identified that people felt a passionate need for an event that is fun, social, multi-disciplinary and not necessarily competitive.

It’s a combination of education (Demo rings) and low-level training / give-it-a-go rings in each discipline (Dabble rings ).   And we also have plans to bring Demo & Dabble to the South Island early next year. 

September 2024

𝗗𝗘𝗠𝗢 & 𝗗𝗔𝗕𝗕𝗟𝗘 | 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹

Who are the Ambassadors joining us at Demo & Dabble? Join our FB event and be the FIRST to see the reveal and find out more at https://www.facebook.com/share/CDtHxUmZ2XZABeaN/

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 “𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼 & 𝗗𝗮𝗯𝗯𝗹𝗲”?

We’ve hand-picked a team of awesome Ambassadors from our membership to mentor the riders at this unique multidiscipline event at the Waikato Equestrian Centre in Hamilton on 16-17 November. It’s a combination of education (Demo rings) and low-level training / give-it-a-go rings in each discipline (Dabble rings ). We will be offering low level classes in Dressage, SJ & SH, Arena Eventing and a CTR-modelled trail ride that riders can do with a friend or in small groups. And we’re including a half day training session with Heelan Thompkins – one of our top ESNZ coaches. Plus there’s the Saturday Night social! Entry cost will be kept to a minimum and will be advised shortly.

The Demo and Dabble concept came out of workshops set up from the Strengthen & Adapt Roadshows, after a survey identified that people felt a passionate need for an event that is fun, social, multi-disciplinary and not necessarily competitive. So, click on the the button below to tell us you’re coming, and spread the word!  

PHOTO:  (L-R) Daryl Owen, Alyssa Harrison, Steph Kate Vervoort, Ruth Dawber, Rosanna Dickson, Heelan Thompkins (Coach), Kyle Calder and Nicky Hallen (not pictured – Kirsten Hence). 

August 2024

We are pleased to announce a new event aimed at making equestrian more accessible to grass roots with the first of two events to be held later this year.  And we thank our Delivery of Events Working Group for helping us to develop this project.

Demo & Dabble is a fun and friendly multidiscipline event for grassroots riders.  The idea behind the concept was to offer ‘demo rings’ as an off-horse option for those who would like to learn a little bit more about each discipline, and the ‘dabble rings’ to function as a fun and supportive approach to introductory levels of Dressage, Jumping, Eventing  and CTR.  The first Demo & Dabble will hosted by the Waikato Equestrian Centre in Hamilton on 16 and 17 November.  See our news story.

Also see our Facebook Event for more details.