They may not have had much style but the Border's showjumping stalwarts certainly had plenty of substance, writes JODIE O'SULLIVAN.
They were country lads and lasses who hung on with their knees and rode at jumps with a devil-may-care attitude.
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Their balance was perfect, the equipment often questionable and the horses an assorted lot.
Yet there was no doubting the tenacity of those early pioneers of the Border Districts Showjumping Club.
The first meeting was convened by Bob Prichard on March 10, 1977, two weeks later the officer bearers and a committee were elected and the club was born under the umbrella of the Equestrian Federation of Australia (EA).
Mr Prichard was elected as chairman, A. Simmons as secretary, Les Warner became treasurer and Neil Shipard vice-president.
Many of the founding members (and their children) are still involved as competitors and volunteers today.
Mr Prichard, a tireless worker for the club until only recently, was inducted into the EA Hall of Fame in 2013.
Well-known showjumping rider and trainer Des Gleeson, of Gerogery, was at that first meeting and elected on to the committee.
“The idea was to improve showjumping and foster junior riders so they could compete at agricultural shows,” he says.
“A lot of people have done a lot of hard work along the way.
“To survive 40 years, several changes of venues and the inevitable hiccups along the way … we’ve had a pretty good run.”
Mr Gleeson said one of the club’s greatest achievements was establishing a World Cup Qualifier event at Mulwala in 1984.
The top-class competition ran there for more than a decade before transferring to Wodonga showgrounds, with the last World Cup event held in 2014.
Mr Gleeson has witnessed a lot of changes to the sport during the past four decades.
He says an influx of purpose-bred horses, many from overseas, has seen it become more expensive and technical.
“Riders are getting a lot more tuition and horses are better educated so courses are more technical,” Mr Gleeson says.
“Years ago, you’d have one fence there and another somewhere in the other acre of the paddock … you’d wheel around and either jump it or knock it down.”
Fellow Border Districts Showjumping Club member Tracey Crawshaw agrees the jumping style has certainly evolved.
“Aussie riders were traditionally taught to hang on by their knees – they didn’t ride with weight in their stirrups,” she explains.
“It was a pretty wild old style that relied on sheer balance and handy horsemanship.”
As our riders started heading overseas, the European influence trickled in, according to Ms Crawshaw.
“Most showjumpers think dressage is a dirty word but we were lucky enough to have the likes of (dressage judge) Harold Craig in our midst,” she says.
“I remember heading over to Les Warner’s place with (my sister) Donna for a dressage lesson with Harold, who told us to do ‘sitting trot’ in his plummy tones.
“I was 15 and wondered what on earth we had gotten ourselves into.”
But it’s been the club’s continuous commitment to developing the region’s riders, from junior levels to the elite ranks, that has seen it survive and thrive.
It’s been blood, sweat and 40 years of effort and enthusiasm for the club that now calls Albury-Wodonga Equestrian Centre home.
The club will saddle up for its annual grand prix event this weekend, August 19 and 20, at the Thurgoona facility.
Now in its third year, the event attracts over 100 competitors with more than 700 jumping rounds, from beginner classes to the McVean Memorial Grand Prix.
This year’s event will include old memorabilia on display to mark the 40th anniversary with past members invited to come along and help celebrate the milestone.
It also comes with a huge vote of thanks to those early visionaries who took a leap of faith to establish a club that’s still flying high.