Fiber Fresh January Horse Trial

What a great weekend! We had good weather, an embarrassment of riches in the 'helpers' department and the event held a lovely atmosphere all weekend.  Thank you to all the many helpful people offering assistance all weekend, it was a fantastic feeling knowing we had back up bods to call on should the need arise.

It was also really nice to see some of the Woodhill Sands sponsors on the weekend. Fiber Fresh General Manager Ian Pryor popped in with some guests on Sunday and took a quick tour of the cross country course. Fiber Fresh are our fantastic Eventing sponsors and it's always great to see them at our Horse Trials.  In addition Woodhill Sands has recently welcomed new sponsor Alltech and it was nice for us to be able to host the Alltech team on Saturday.

The usual plan for our first competition of the season is to provide riders with an event that provides a good early run on consistent footing and classes that encourage entries from all levels. Judging by some of the Training and Pre Training entries, some of our top riders have some exciting horses coming through.

Juliet Wood made an early claim on the Open Novice class posting a dressage score of 24 penalties to share first place with Kirsty Guilfoyle on In The Groove II. Juliet and Bold Trader then show jumped clear to edge ahead of Kirsty, 4 penalties behind.

In the Novice class the show jumping proved very influential and clear rounds were hard to come by. At the end of day one the recently married Denise Rushbrook held the 1 and 2 spots with her gorgeous horses Britannica MVNZ and Coloraddo MVNZ respectively.

The Pre Novice Over 21 class was super competitive and at the end of dressage less than 5 penalties seperated Dannie Lodder in 1st from Helen Connett in 5th. With all 5 top combinations show jumping clear it meant that cross country day would prove exciting.

Zoe Ander opened up a solid account in the Pre Novice Under 21 class, posting a dressage score of 27 penalties. However 2 rails in the show jumping saw her drop back to 3rd at the end of day one. Leading the class was Maddie MacLean on Order Of The Phoenix from Fenella Carter on Still As A Statue.

Cross country day saw ideal conditions and, apart from a couple of combinations parting company, all classes ran fairly trouble free. It seemed Open Novice riders were not too worried about the time with everyone incurring time penalties. Juliet Wood and Bold Trader were victorious from Kirsty Guilfoyle and In The Groove II. Virginia Thompson continued her consistant form, taking out 3rd and 4th on Arctic Monkey and Ashbury Pee Cee respectively. Denise Rushbrook held her 1, 2 spots however Britannica MVNZ incurred 7.2 time penalties, reversing the placeings. 3rd place went to Madeline Banks on Cavendish and Northland's Samantha Felton took out 4th on Ricker Ridge Pico Boo.

Elise Lather and Black Schnapps put in a solid cross country performance to take out the Pre Novice Overs, from Jenna Higgins in 2nd and Dannie Lodder in 3rd place. 4th place went to Donna Smith riding Black Ice II. Pre Novice Unders was Zoe Ander all the way, riding Princess Rebecca. Fenella Carter held on to 2nd place on Still As A Statue and Georgina Forsyth and the very experience Phantom Ghost were 3rd. Anna Beverley took 4th place riding McCormick.

Full results will be posted to the Eventing page shortly.

Libby Law is back from her adventures in the UK and on the Continent. She was busily snapping pictures all weekend so check out her website Libby Law Photography to see if she managed to capture you.  In addition we have some of her great pictures (we love her candid shots!) in the gallery, check em out.

Tony McAllister, 2nd Training B

Introducing Alltech

Woodhill Sands is delighted to welcome new sponsors to our team and late last year saw the addition of Alltech to the sponsor stable.  In New Zealand the Alltech name is very well known due to their association with the World Equestrian Games (WEG), however we thought we'd take a moment to show you the broader Alltech picture.

As an organization based on science, Alltech have a commitment to research and a track record of turning that research into powerful, feeding solutions. Alltech are committed to providing natural solutions to meet the needs of the animal production industry world wide and also ensuring that they adhere to their pioneering ACE Principle – i.e. deliver performance for the Animal, are beneficial for the Consumer and natural and safe for the Environment. Alltech believes in doing business in a socially responsible way. Investing in local economies, they develop people skills - both inside their organisation and in the communities around them.

Alltech's innovation has always been its driving force and it is not just a question of bright ideas but also a dynamic integrated process that is collaborative, market driven, efficient and inspired.

The key goal of Alltech New Zealand is to be recognised as the leading provider of natural animal nutrition solutions. Alltech’s involvement in all segments of the animal feed industry in New Zealand allows them to build resources to meet local demand.

We look forward to working closely with Alltech to bring you premier Equestrian events. We hope you'll look for ways to support Alltech and choose their products when shopping for your feed and supplement products.

Christine Weal Dressage Clinics

Popular dressage rider and trainer Christine Weal is enjoying a stellar season, having formed a very successfull relationship with the Goer family's Spielzeit. In just their first season together they have proved a formidable force at Grand Prix and no doubt have caught the eye of selectors.

Christine is a regular trainer at Woodhill Sands and places in her clinics are always in high demand. After a Christmas break Christine will be resuming clinics from Tuesday 31st January. Private lessons are $70 plus ground fee and you can book a spot by phoning Tracey Ferguson on 021 930 486 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jen Hamilton Clinics

Popular Hunter/Jumper trainer Jen Hamilton is back in February, conducting a three day clinic February 16th - 18th 2012.  Participants can take part on 1, 2 or 3 days and all levels are catered for. For details please contact Winky Foley 09 412 9245 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or enquire at Woodhill Sands This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it