Hawkesbury Riding Club has been presented with Equestrian Australia’s (EA) Club of the Year Award for 2017.
EA chair Judy Fasher attended the club’s open dressage day at its Clarendon grounds on Saturday, May 26 to officially present the award, alongside Hawkesbury Mayor Mary Lyons-Buckett and councillors Peter Reynolds and Patrick Connolly.
The club went up against five other finalists from around the country for the prestigious award sponsored by Gow-Gates, which saw EA members allowed to vote for the winners for the first time following a change to the awards format.
Ms Fasher presented club president Wendy Pike with the award, praising the club for its achievement.
“Equestrian Australia is extremely proud of all our award winners. We understand the enormous effort that goes into winning these awards,” she said.
She also congratulated Hawkesbury City Council for its support of the local equestrian community.
“Hawkesbury Council is to be commended for their confidence in the horse industry in the area and their support of Hawkesbury Riding Club in particular,” she said.
Cr Lyons-Buckett said she was impressed with the club’s facilities, and congratulated members on the award.
“I was most impressed with Hawkesbury Riding Club and their facilities at Clarendon,” she said.
“I could see the immense dedication of the club members in ensuring high standards of operation and competition are maintained.
“I was honoured to be present to see them receive this prestigious award and they should be very proud of their achievements.”
Hawkesbury Riding Club caters for all ages and levels of riders from beginners to high performance, and currently boasts more than 300 members with a significant waiting list of riders wanting to join.
The club grounds at Clarendon are used seven days a week by both club members and the wider local equestrian community, who are able to hire out the the grounds for the training of horses and riders.
Hawkesbury Riding Club currently has four sand dressage arenas with show jumping equipment and cross-country obstacles including banks and water jumps. There are also plans afoot for a covered arena, and fundraisers are held throughout the year to see the plans through.
The club will hold its inaugural giant equestrian car boot sale this coming Saturday, June 2, at its grounds from 8am to 12 noon, which includes a sausage sizzle and coffee stand. Sale items include saddles, bridles, rugs, halters, bits, boots and secondhand clothing, plus much more.
The grounds are located at Racecourse Road, Clarendon, entry via Gate Five.
