Despite falling short of a $70,000 showjumping record, Olympian Katie McVean is thrilled with her performance at last night's Ride The Rhythm event at the Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.
McVean, of Mystery Creek, jumped her horse, Dunstan Zehrenland (Zara), clean over a 1.95m hurdle to finish equal-first with Australian Billy Raymont in the wall challenge.
Organisers offered $70,000 to whoever could beat the New Zealand record by jumping 2.21m, but both McVean and Raymont knocked the 2.05m hurdle.
It was the highest McVean had attempted - she had previously cleared 1.98m - and the highest Zara had jumped.
''She's just a really fun, good, honest horse so I knew it would be good to do with her because she'll try every time,'' McVean said.
She also jumped on Dunstan Delilah but knocked the 1.95m hurdle.
Maurice Beatson (NZ), Ross Smith (NZ) and Tyrone Latham (Aust) jumped 1.75m but failed the 1.8m and 1.95m walls, respectively.
Outram resident Brian Shanks was ''over the moon'' after winning the scurry driving, in which racers competed to negotiate horse-drawn carriages around a course in the shortest time.
He had been ''driving'' his 120kg 10-year-old pony Spot for about six years and said scurry driving always proved a real crowd pleaser.
The pony grand prix, comprising New Zealand's top under-16-year-old jumpers, was won by Steffi Whittaker, of Christchurch.
Australian Jamie Kermond won the super grand prix, in which Beatson was second.
Classical dressage by German rider Claudia Kaiser was cancelled because her Lipizzaner mare, Octavia, was lame, but the crowd was entertained during the mounted games, which saw teams of pony riders compete in a variety of challenges.
About 4000 people watched the afternoon's equestrian events and were joined by a few thousand more in the evening.
