This weekend the National Equestrian Centre Christchurch, Mcleans Island, plays host to the FEI South Island One Day Event Championships 2017.

It’s the highlight of Eventing Canterbury’s spring season and this year will not disappoint, with over 140 combinations including those travelling from Southland, Otago, Nelson and the West Coast, a trade alley made up of everyone’s favourite brands in the region, and Australian FEI Technical Delegate Des Hughes coming to officiate. 

There are four combinations contending the Dunstan Horsefeeds CIC3* title. 2017 CCI*** champion Emily Cammock has her two mounts Lewis and Shaw Lee entered, and Southlander Corey Wood has his thoroughbred Pick Up Line, while Lydia Truesdale and Allander Rocket make their step up to the grade for the first time.  

There are five combinations contesting the Hei Hei Pharmacy CIC2*: Janelle Gibson and King Curtis, Larissa Srhoy and Rockquest, Kirsty Sharapoff and Shoot the Breeze, and Giles Gormack and Lucero.

Larger numbers dominate the remaining grades. A competitive field of 24 are entered in the Ultimate Design and Renovation CIC1* while the CNC105, and 80 grades – sponsored by The Saddlery Barn, BetaVet, Weatherbeeta, Equi-Lise, and Equisssage – have been split into age group classes, those over 21 years and those younger than. The Burgerfuel CNC65 grade has 10 combinations, and there are also 10 combinations entered in the recently-introduced Combined Training classes, sponsored by Mitavite.

As well as bragging rights as the South Island One Day Champions, the Championships offers riders the chance to pick up points towards the ESNZ Eventing Series 2017/18, the South Island FEI Series – contended over the SI ODE 2017 (11-12 November), Eventing Southland FEI at Ryal Bush (27-28 January 2018) and the SI ODE 2018 (21-22 April 2018, due to rejigging Eventing Canterbury’s season to return the SI 3DE to its better-suited original spot, during the spring season) – and the Mitavite Cool Crusada Eventing Series, which is run in conjunction with Eventing Canterbury.

Event Director and ESNZ Eventing Canterbury Chairman, Margaret Evans, on behalf of the Organising Committee (OC), extends a warm welcome to all the riders, officials, sponsors, supporters and visitors to the FEI South Island One Day Championships.

If you’re in the Christchurch region for the 11th and/or 12th of November, come along to the National Equestrian Centre, Mcleans Island for what is sure to be a spectacular display of Eventing action.