Above: Amelia Douglass and Cassis Z Ten Halven

Waratah Showjumping was first held in 2017 when the NSW State Titles were moved to Canberra and pushed back in the jumping calendar until October. To fill the gap left in August by this move and to utilise an existing booking of Sydney International Equestrian Centre (SIEC), experienced event organiser Edwena Mitchell and her equally experienced organising committee pulled together the inaugural and very well received Waratah Showjumping on a shoestring budget.

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In 2018 Waratah Showjumping was run once again, this time with a considerably bigger budget – meaning more prizemoney, more trade stands – and very importantly the moving of Ring 1 to the Indoor Arena. This configuration of the show, with 3 competition arenas in close proximity, led to a more integrated feeling, unlike the slightly disjointed feel of previous events (due to the size and layout of SIEC).

Waratah Showjumping was the first Jumping event to take advantage of the new Indoor Arena surface and, after the first day of big competition rounds, the quality of the surface shone through – to the great appreciation of the riders.

Tom McDermott and Alpha Activity. Winners of the Riders Cup at Waratah Showjumping in 2018

In 2019 Waratah Showjumping went one step further and proudly hosted an Australian League World Cup Qualifier – to the delight of all.  This took the show to a whole new level with the need for live streaming, website, merchandise, VIP lunches, trade stands, interstate riders and more officials and the event was a great success.

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Billy Raymont and Anton, winners of the Waratah Showjumping World Cup Qualifier in 2019.

L to R:  Michael Haese, Kevin Taranto, Michael Archer and Megan Scrivener

This year, as we all know, took a turn for the unexpected when the COVID-19 pandemic struck so suddenly. However after a few months of competition and indeed sport in general being put on hold, current restriction levels mean that the decision has been made to proceed with the 2020 event under strict COVID-19 Safe Guidelines.

Waratah Showjumping 2020 with run from Thursday 27th to Sunday 30th August with registrations due to open at 7pm on Monday 27th July HERE.

Thursday will feature the Oaks Sport Horses & Diamond B Farm Young Horse Day and Sunday will feature the The Riders’ Cup Mini Prix and the Waratah Showjumping Grand Prix in the Indoor Arena. The Thoroughbred Sport Horse Association (TSHA) classes will also be a major feature of the competition.

We are sure that this decision to proceed will be well received by all and we keep fingers crossed that the show can go ahead as planned!