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Albury Showground will echo with the thundering of hooves tomorrow when an ancient warfare tactic is dramatically played out in the main arena.
South Africa and Australia will do battle in an adrenaline-packed tentpegging match that is expected to be a major highlight of the Albury Show.
It will be the first time Border showgoers will be treated to a display of the mounted military discipline that has been a fixture at royal shows across Australia for decades.
Tent-pegging champions Jake Van Dorssen and Terry Phillips, both of Jindera, will play host to the seven-member international squad, and while it’s friendly off the field, the rivalry starts once the teams saddle up.
That’s not surprising for a sport that has its roots in a brutal battle practice that saw men on horses gallop through enemy campsites using their swords to remove pegs to collapse the tents, allowing the infantry to move in and slaughter unsuspecting soldiers.
There will be no blood spilled between combatants at Albury, who instead test their bravery in a mounted race of skill and speed, using a lance to collect pegs from the ground at full gallop.
It’s the ultimate “rush”, according to Mr Van Dorssen.
“It certainly gets your blood up to gallop full pelt with a lance to pick up pegs off the ground before coming to a screeching halt,” he said.
“You need balance, good hand-eye co-ordination and nerves of steel.”
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In 2010 Mr Van Dorssen and Mr Phillips were members of the Australian tent-pegging team that won the world championship in India and the pair has travelled extensively overseas.
They have been competing against South Africa for more than 20 years and Mr Van Dorssen said the international riders loved coming to Australia.
“Sometimes we whip them and sometimes they whip us,” he said.
“It all depends if they are playing at home or away, since visiting riders rely on pooled horses from the host team — and that can be a game-changer.”
Show spectators can catch the action tomorrow and Saturday from 1.30pm to 5.30pm, with tentpegging displays from 6pm to 8pm each day in front of the grandstand.
