Local horsemen and women have found themselves among the winners at the tough King of the Ranges stockman’s challenge in Murrurundi on the weekend.
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The challenge involves a packhorse event where a rider leads a packhorse through an obstacle course, a stock handling event with a dog and three cattle through another obstacle course, a whipcrack where competitors are to cleanly hit targets, a bareback obstacle course, a shoeing challenge and a cross country course.
There are also two freestyle challenges in a bareback routine as well as a whipcrack.
Walcha rider Chloe Swanton was the champion of the junior freestyle with her original performance.
“She had a plastic 44 barrel on a rope and she dragged it in the ring, pulled it around a couple of times, dropped the rope and the horse started kicking it with his front feet,” her dad Colin said.
“She kept kicking it, the horse kept kicking it with its front feet. It was just something different.
“People crack whips, stand up on their bum, get their horse to lay down and all that sort of thing.
“She was amazed [when she won], the smile on her face was unreal.
“They will be going back next year.”
Fellow Walcha competitor Carl Green once again made the finals of the open challenge after finishing second last year.
He managed an eighth place at this year’s event.