About 150 riders gathered in the hope of leaping their way towards a team or individual title on the first day of the South Island Pony Club Showjumping Championships.
The Taieri District Pony Club hosted 25 teams from as far afield as Greymouth and Christchurch seeking South Island honours.
The quality of jumping in the early stages of
the championships impressed host club committee member Kyla Jasperse.
''There has been a really good standard of jumping, which is great,'' she said.
''These are your best junior riders at club level.''
Riders and their finely tuned steeds jumped their way through a series of qualifying rounds yesterday.
Directing their horses over the Taieri jumping courses is no easy task and it was made even more challenging by soaring temperatures.
As part of the Taieri District Pony Club's horse welfare policies, extra care was taken to make sure horses were in good shape for the competition.
''We have stewards here looking out specifically for horse welfare,'' Jasperse said.
''They will be making sure the riders are watering their horses, getting them in as much shade as possible and cooled down, and not over-jumping them in the work-in areas,'' she said.
Taieri teams have a strong record in the competition, having finished as runners-up in four of the past six championships.
The team will attempt to go one better on its home patch when the competition finishes today.
