Christchurch Western Riding Association NZ

24/09/2026

CLUB DAY POSTPONED

Unfortunately, due to sickness and a pretty terrible-looking weather forecast, we’ve made the early decision to postpone the Club Day Lindsey was due to run this Sunday.

The new date will be Sunday 18 October.

Hopefully the weather plays the game for us then! We’ll share another reminder closer to the time.

12/09/2026

🎄Christmas Show Sponsors Wanted! 🎄
Show dates: 11th, 12th & 13th December 2026

We’re currently seeking sponsors to help make our Christmas Show a success!

Whether you’d like to sponsor one of our showcase classes, contribute a prize or product, or make a small donation towards prize money — every level of support helps our riders and keeps Western riding thriving in Canterbury.

Your sponsorship will be acknowledged throughout the event and across our social media, giving your business great exposure while supporting a passionate equestrian community.

Interested in partnering with us?
Email [email protected] or contact us through Facebook to learn more about sponsorship options and how you can get involved.

11/09/2026

**September Club Day – Sunday 27th at 10am** (NOT the usual 3rd Sunday of the month due to availability)

A reminder to our members that this month’s Club Day will be held on **Sunday 27th September, starting at 10am**, with **Lindsey McPherson** taking the day.

Lindsey will be covering **“How to Ride the Pattern”** – looking at how to approach and ride a pattern based on both you and your horse’s ability, as well as how patterns are scored.

This will be a great opportunity for our **Rookie riders, those new to Western disciplines, or anyone wanting to improve their understanding of patterns and scoring** before show season gets underway.

Lindsey will also cover the **duties of the Gate Steward**, including what the role involves and how it helps keep a show running smoothly. At a later Club Day, she is also happy to cover the role of **Ring Steward**.

We’re hoping that giving members a better understanding of these roles will encourage a few more hands to go up to help at our shows — many hands make light work, and you don’t need to be an expert to get involved!

**Sunday 27th September**
**10am**
**CWRA Grounds**

We’d love to see plenty of members there!

11/08/2026

Expressions of Interest – Youngstock Versatility Classes

We’re looking for expressions of interest in holding our Youngstock Versatility classes at the CWRA Christmas Show this year.

These classes are usually held as part of our New Year Show, but as we won’t be running the January show this season, we’re considering including them in our Christmas Show instead.

Youngstock Versatility is an in-hand class for horses 3 years and under, giving our youngsters a chance to get out and gain some show experience without needing to be under saddle.

Before we add the classes to the programme, we’d love to get an idea of how many people would be interested in entering.

If you have a youngster you’d like to bring along, pop a comment below or send us a message to let us know.

CWRA Christmas Show
11–13 December 2026

11/08/2026

CWRA Club Day – This Sunday!

Just a reminder that we have a Club Day happening this weekend, with Grecia Ratahi running the day.

We’ll get underway at around 10am-ish and the plan is to spend some time working through trail practice and patterns.

Club Days are a great chance to get your horse out, have a practice, try something different and spend some time riding with other members in a relaxed environment. Whether you’re getting ready for the show season, want to work on a few things with your horse, or just fancy a day out riding, come along and join in.

All CWRA members are welcome — no need to be competing or have everything polished and perfect. Club Days are all about having a go, helping each other out and making use of the grounds.

CWRA Grounds- Mandeville
From around 10am
Grecia will be running the day
Trail practice & patterns

Hope to see a good crew there!

06/08/2026

As many of you will have seen, the NZWRF South Island calendar includes dates for both our traditional December and January shows.

To clarify, while approval was sought for both weekends to keep our options open, it was agreed at the CWRA AGM that for the 2026/27 season we will be running one major show only.

That means our focus is firmly on making our Christmas Show, 11–13 December 2026, the best one yet.

Rather than splitting our volunteers, resources and sponsorship across two events, we're putting everything into one weekend to deliver a bigger and better experience for competitors, supporters and spectators alike.

We're already busy behind the scenes planning what promises to be a fantastic event. From great competition to a fun, welcoming atmosphere, we're aiming to make this a show you won't want to miss.

Pop 11–13 December 2026 in your calendar now and keep an eye on our page over the coming months as we start sharing schedules, judges, sponsors and everything else we have planned.

We look forward to seeing you there!

16/07/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who commented on our last Club Days post. It was great to see so many people keen to have regular Club Days continue.

Now we need people to put their hand up to organise them.

The committee simply doesn't have the capacity to run Club Days on top of everything else, so these days will only happen if members are willing to take the lead. Organising a Club Day doesn't have to be complicated—it can be as simple or as structured as you'd like—but someone does need to be responsible for each one.

If you'd like to organise a Club Day, comment below and put your name next to a date:

🗓️ 16 August- Grecia Ratahi to run. Trail patterns and practice.
🗓️ 27 September- Lindsey McPherson to run. Ride the pattern and show help. Date moved out a week due to organiser availability.
🗓️ 18 October
🗓️ 15 November- Beka Robb/Sylvia Jansen to run. Obstacles/ Adventure Trail.

If no one volunteers for a date, unfortunately, that Club Day won't go ahead.

We'd love to see Club Days continue to be a regular part of the club calendar, but that will only happen if members are willing to get involved and organise them. 🤠

07/07/2026

It is with sadness that we share the passing of Kelvin Dymock.

The Dymock family have been part of the New Zealand western riding community for many years and have made a valued contribution to our sport. Our thoughts are with Kelvin's family, friends, and all those who knew him during this difficult time.

A service to celebrate Kelvin's life will be held at the Murchison Recreation Centre on Tuesday 14 July at 1:00 pm. A livestream will also be be available for those unable to attend, with details to be shared by the family closer to the day.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Helping Hands Murchison would be appreciated.

On behalf of everyone at Christchurch Western Riding Association, we extend our sincere condolences to Kelvin's family and all who are mourning his passing.

25/06/2026

Club Days – Member Interest?

Traditionally, CWRA club days have been held on the third Sunday of each month.

As we head through winter, the committee is reviewing what activities we can realistically offer and support over the coming months. At this stage, we don't have anyone available to coordinate regular club days, so we'd like to gauge member interest in both attending and helping organise them.

Club days are intended to be relaxed, informal opportunities for members to get together, ride, practise patterns, work on obstacles, or simply enjoy some time with fellow members. They don't need to be complicated, but they do require someone willing to take the lead on organising them.

If you'd like to see club days continue through winter, or return more regularly over the summer months, and would be willing to help coordinate them, we'd love to hear from you. Likewise, if you'd attend club days, please let us know in the comments so we can get an idea of the level of interest.

As with all club activities, they rely on members being involved, and we'd welcome anyone keen to help make them happen.

31/05/2026

🐴2026/27 CWRA Membership Now Open! 🐴

It’s time to join or renew your CWRA membership for the upcoming season!

As a small volunteer-run club, we rely on our members to help keep events, training days, and shows running. Membership helps support everything we do and keeps Western Riding active in our region.

💛 Why join?
• Club days, training & events
• A supportive riding community
• Helping grow Western Riding locally

We also welcome help at events, working bees, and fundraising — every bit of support makes a difference!

📌 Join or renew here: https://form.jotform.com/261506976249872

We’d love to see you back for another great season! 🐎

Please click the link to complete this form.