Mounted Games

YOU HAVE TO BE THERE

Skill, courage, athleticism, split-second timing and photo finishes are the hall-marks of mounted games. Mounted games is a high speed equestrian sport in which individuals, pairs, and teams of four riders compete against each other in six lanes, performing skills on horseback such as vaulting onto ponies, jumping off at speed, leaning off to pick up and put down equipment, and changing over equipment between riders, mostly at a gallop.

World Mounted Games is an annual competition in which between 12 and 20 national teams compete for top honour. New Zealand surprised the world in 2008 by winning the World Championship in Sydney on borrowed mounts. This fantastic result was the culmination of months of training for the talented riders under Northland coach Brenda Cross.

At Horse of the Year 2009, mounted games riders will be on edge as they strive to impress selectors for the New Zealand team for Worlds 2009, to be held in England in July. Many young (and not so young..) riders have been striving all season to be in top competitive form for Horse of the Year.

Follow the music or colourful, fast, and action packed entertainment full of thrills and spills at the Mounted Games arena near Kenilworth Road from Wednesday to Sunday, especially for the nail-biting finals on Sunday morning.

* See for yourself Individual finals on Thursday afternoon

* See for yourself Friday evening in the Premier Arena

* See for yourself Team finals on Sunday morning