Far North farmer Robert Everitt is on a mission to return horse sports to Te Kao’s local scene.
More than a hundred people turned up at an event he organised and hosted on his farm over the weekend.
“We're trying to bring something back, like back in the late 80s," says Everitt of Te Aupōuri.
"We used to have a big horse sports day at Te Rangi Station, and it just died all away. [So] to get all these young ones back on the horse is awesome. We got all ages here, the next generation, even the little wee ones. It's cool.”
Supporter and kaumātua Apiata Paraone said horses once played an essential part in everyday rural life.
“Hoki ngā mahara (I think back to) way back in the day [when a] horse was our main resource, main transport… I think when I was a kid everyone knew how to ride a horse cause on our farms they had no quads, had no bikes so a horse was the main transport to getting around.”
Paraone added: "Kids are being brought up in a different culture and in different ways, and a lot of that horse stuff sort of disappeared and died, and it's good to see the likes of Robert trying to revive the horse riding around our young ones.”
Horse sports at the event included obstacle course, barrel and pulling races, as well as horse rescue where riders had to pick up partners in a race.
Rider Aramaera Wiki said it was great for whānau: “Ko te painga he akiaki i ngā taitamariki, o tātou nei whānau, kia kake hōiho ngā kaupoi. Nā reira, āe, he rā tino pai tēnei mō mātou.”
("What’s good about it is that it encourages young kids, our own families, to ride like cowboys. So, yes, it’s a great day for us.")
For Everitt, the goal is to instil a love of riding and competition into future generations and grow keen horse riders.
“This will end up being an annual thing. I've got young boys that are in their 30s - they're keen to carry it on. They're here today and I know they'll carry it on. Gimme two more years and [then] they can run the reins. It'll be all up to them. They'll keep it alive.”
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