For young rodeo enthusiast, Gloucester’s Danielle Channon, it’s all about perfecting the details in the lead up to the 2018 Glowalman Junior Campdraft and Sporting Championships.
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One of the biggest equestrian events of the year, the championship comprises of a three day series covering a number of events for junior riders, and for Danielle, it’s the culmination of months of preparation.
“The first day of the series is Wingham on Tuesday, followed by Gloucester on Thursday and Nabiac on Saturday,” Danielle explained.
“There are lots of different events, including campdrafting, barrel racing, bending and flag races, and the points you get for each add up to a final point score at the end.
“For me, the barrel race is a highlight, it gives me a chance to extend out and get some pace up.”
Astride her thoroughbred-Australian stock horse Flint, Danielle cuts quite the professional figure, and her secret is all in the finer details.
“The most important thing is getting your horse fit enough to compete,” she said.
“They are big days, and you don’t want to get halfway through an event and have your horse needing a nap.”
Getting their bending, weaving and rollbacks down pat, Danielle and Flint put in tireless hours of practice both at pony club and at home.
“He knew how to do most of it when we bought him a couple of years ago, but you can always get better with practice,” Danielle explained.
“Most of my training has been through pony club, mum used to ride but she doesn’t anymore so I have learned mostly through pony club and local events.
“It should be a really good week, lots of my pony club friends are competing as well, and there are competitors who travel from Newcastle and further so the competition should be good.”