Horse riding: Organizers wary of bad weather ahead of third Equator Event
KAMPALA.
The decision to move the third edition of the Equator Event from October to this weekend seems to be turning into a masterstroke, at least for now.
This year’s event will be the first since the forming of the Uganda Equestrian Association (UEA) in March but despite being a success last year, it was undermined by the wet and soggy grounds at Flametree Stables in Kijabijo with the cross country events proving to be even more complex.
This time, though, organizer Miranda Bowser is determined to play to the whims of weather conditions.
“I am glued to weather reports,” Miranda told Saturday Monitor yesterday.
“We have been in the rain shadows for weeks but it has been torrential at the stables in the past week. All the same we predict a sunny Saturday and chances of rain of Sunday afternoon,” she added.
Riders from Uganda and Kenya will be battling out for the Equator Cup, McLaughlan Trophy and the Hudda Trophy with Enzo Mournier (Adult Rider Intermediate Event) and Pippa Bird (Adult Rider Open Event) tipped to retain their trophies.
Some horse and rider combinations, like Nikola Cattermoul riding Soksi and Natalie McComb atop Jack Daniels, have competed and placed high in different competitions in Kenya this year, including the Mount Kenya Championship that had a record high 13 horses and riders from Uganda. They will hope to keep up with the form.
John Thelwall a professional eventer from United Kingdom, who stated that the Equator Event was the best competition he had ever attended, has followed his lead from last year to hold a weeklong development clinic at the stables and ensure all riders and horses are ready for the competition.
