For the last eight months, Kingstown Pony Club have been crossing their t’s and dotting their i’s with the aim to make this weekend’s Zone 13 Jamboree a resounding success.
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The annual three-day competition culminates the end of the season for the region’s pony clubbers.
Kingstown will host the event, which starts on Friday at Guyra Showground, and president Guy Croft said it has been a long journey to get there.
“We talked about it at our AGM back in February, March we did a little bit more and then May we started to get fair dinkum,” he said.
“The way I look at it is we have a jigsaw with a heap of pieces and we have to join them all together.
“It has just been an effort by all. We are only a small club with a small committee but it is all coming together.
“The judges are right, the canteen and the bar is organised and so on.”
SEE ALL THE ACTION FROM LAST YEAR’S EVENT:
There will be more than 150 riders from the 11 Zone 13 clubs competing with under 17 and over 17 associates split into two categories.
In terms of junior riders only Guyra and Glen Innes have managed to enter a full contingent of 20 riders.
Kingstown have 14 competitors who have been hard at work preparing for the event.
Friday will mark the start of the competition with dressage and showjumping in the morning before the campdraft in the afternoon.
“We are starting with the young E graders in the morning at 8.30am,” Croft said.
“Those little kids can get their event over, let their horses go and they won't be so tired for the next day.”
The Zone stretches from Inverell to Tenterfield and down to Walcha.
Croft said with a wide spread of competitors, Jamboree allows all clubs to come together.
“I think the kids like the camaraderie between them,” he said.
“Down in the southern end they will see a couple there, then a couple in the middle and a couple in the north but Jamboree brings them all together.
“It doesn't matter what club they are from, they all cheer them on which is great to see.”
Saturday will see the prestigious team of fours begin the day before the rest of the ring events and the start of the sporting.
The sporting will continue on Sunday, rounding out with the finals of the bending and flag race, a highlight of the whole event.
“That is the spectacle of the whole weekend,” Croft said.
“There are only five boys and five girls out of each age group competing for that and sits in the grandstand cheering whoever on, or the whole lot. That is just where the greaet camaraderie comes into it.”
Last year Guyra hosted Jamboree and Kingstown have continued where they left off.
Kingstown applauded Guyra for their help in pulling everything together.
“Kingstown is very appreciative of Guyra letting us host our Jamboree here,” Croft said.
“It is central for us but they have been very good to us by lending their gear to us and that sort of stuff.”