Showjumping return ‘highlight’ of high-turnout A&P show

People take part in the annual tug of war competition at the Lake Hayes A&P Show on Saturday....
People take part in the annual tug of war competition at the Lake Hayes A&P Show on Saturday. Photo: Olivia Judd
All trails led to Lake Hayes on Saturday, as thousands flocked to the 109th annual Lake Hayes A&P Show.

Show president Kate Hamilton was delighted with this year’s turnout and said numbers were up on last year.

She noted "people seemed to be sticking around longer, which could be due to the return of the showjumping".

"Everyone loves horses."

A lack of volunteers at last year’s show meant the showjumping had to be removed from the show’s schedule.

Attendee Ursula Carter said "watching the showjumping was a real highlight — it’s so classic to see it at an A&P show".

This year’s show introduced the kids zone and had an extended running time to 7pm.

Familiar favourites also attracted crowds, such as the grand parade, tug of war and hobby-horse race.

The theme for this year was "Back to Basics", which Ms Hamilton said "was all about peeling things back, getting a grip on reality and just keeping it real".

Guest speakers at the show such as Nadia Lim embodied this by showing crowds how to reuse things and do the basics well.

The Lake Hayes A&P Show also had a focus on making the event waste-free. Over the past two years the show has reduced its waste by 50%.

Ms Hamilton said efforts had been successful and the food vendors had been very co-operative.

She said the show was an overall success, but the highlight was the crowd.

"Seeing the smiles on people’s faces ... having the community come together to keep it a rural event has been amazing."

olivia.judd@odt.co.nz

 

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