I started riding when I was 3 years old in the late 1950s. We had a farm, lots of big horses for the cattle and sheep work and I wanted to ride. I got to ride the big horses from the beginning. If I wanted to go to pony club I rode the antsy one for a couple of hours to the pony club rally, got to do ‘sitting trot’, and then some more on the way home! Probably where I got my ‘sticky bum’. I rode to Dorothy Campbell standard in my final year with a beautiful thoroughbred horse my father had acquired. We ‘got’ each other, developed our dressage and cross country. He would do anything. Timaru Show reserve novice champion then out to polo pony in the main field.
On leaving home to ‘go nursing’ I was without a horse for three years. Leaving nursing behind me I went to Canterbury University where I met my husband Kevin in Geography 101. He had standardbreds. Well, I developed my skills with them and over the next period of time we became quite successful until late 1989 when I finally got to train as a secondary teacher. We had children and a dairy farm at that time, and I was too busy to maintain the horses.
To fulfil my educational ambitions I stayed in NZ until 2001 and then we headed overseas to the UK where I led big educational projects in the local authorities there. I turned down the opportunity to become ‘an education inspector’ in 2006 and instead was allowed to do my doctorate. Exeter University was my playground for the next four years. Very proud of the work I did there and made many friends and changed lives of many children and young people for the good.
In 2011 I was offered a contract in Abu Dhabi and had an interesting 6 months there. I returned to a role at Massey University training the RTLB for a year. In 2012 I was head-hunted for an Australian University and had a lot of fun teaching Australian’s how to teach. I reclaimed my riding past in Melbourne. Tired from working silly hours a friend and I went to Hungary on our 60th birthdays to decide if we really wanted to go back riding. Yes please….
Always finish at the top I reckon and in 2017 we came back to NZ. My lovely Australian thoroughbred, Dr James, came with me having decided I knew a bit about what to do! We started off in Nelson, got regular lessons in dressage, learnt about working equitation and did a bit of general riding there. James did his first CTR ride there and was most puzzled by the ‘white sheep’ – they are dirty grey in Australia.
Moving to North Canterbury I started learning the essentials of dressage on my Cleveland Bay mare, Twiggy. She actually preferred working equitation and jumping. In due course the best horse in the world, Don Cruise BH – Cuz- arrived and we’ve started on a bit of dressage journey. Well he actually likes working equitation a lot, trekking, CTR and actually – cattle work.
In 2023 I supported starting the Waimakariri Riding Club. In our first year we got 40 or so members. By June 2025 have 90 members so has grown like topsy. We’ve developed a nice structure with a monthly rally, a monthly hacknix (ride followed by picnic) and a monthly speaker dinner. The latter are a super innovation as it keeps riders who are injured, or who have injured horses, and keeps our educational purpose to the fore. We don’t pay a fee but do give them a dinner! Speaker lasts for an hour or so, from 5.30, and then dinner at the RSA means an affordable meal and catch up for members and non-members. Our website is here https://www.waimakaririridingclub.com/
I am now retired and have time to support a few more riding initiatives. With this in mind I have got together a few South Island riding clubs and in October 2025 we will have the first South Island Teams event since 2018. I have volunteered to support developing the website and thanks Shirley for allowing me to take this role and further my development and understanding of this most interesting organisation.
Nga mihi
Gwen Gilmore