Emma Gaze, winner of the Pro-Am Rider of the Year with Fire Bug, was ever-so chuffed she had finally nailed a title. Emma first came to HOY with her pony, when she was ‘about 12’. “I have never won a title; always wanted to but it never actually happened. I’ve been the bridesmaid – or we have always had that four-fault round.”
This time, she and Fire Bug were double clear, and had the fastest round of the six-strong jump-off.
Emma, who works as a radiographer at Waikato Hospital and lives in Ohaupo, has a team of horses, all with ‘bug’ in their name to honour the founding mare, Bush Bug, in their small breeding operation. “We got her off Maurice Beatson when I was 17 and we just fell in love with her. She is the quirkiest little thing you can come across and she tried so hard for me. Mum wanted to get on with playing about with breeding and it just kind of rolled from there.”
There are five “Bug” horses currently competing; Jitterbug, Woodland Bug, Lady Bug, and Kowhai Bug but it was Fire Bug (‘Cody’) who won today, against big odds. Three years ago the mare had a serious paddock injury and there were many who thought she wouldn’t make it, though Emma and her mother Wendy were not among them. Cody had got herself ‘hung up in a deer fence’, and spent a lot of the night there. “We said that if she lets us handle her we will treat her, and we will keep treating her as long as she is a happy horse and wants to do it,” says Emma. It took a year and a lot of work, then came some gentle riding, followed by some trekking. and finally Cody was back at her first show. “She was just so excited! We thought, hmm, this might happen.”
Emma and Cody had a good season but Emma wasn’t confident she could pull off the win in this class. “I’m not going to call her opinionated, but she has her own personality and you have to ask her nicely to do everything. I wanted it and I would have loved her to do it, but I just wasn’t sure. Once you get out here, it is the first time in the atmosphere and you don’t know how they are going to react. I know that when she is on form she really tries.”
And try she did, pulling off a great win in a very competitive field.
Emma has more competitions ahead. “I would love them to do really well in the 1.30 speed. The Pro Am and the 1.30 speed were the two that I really wanted them to do well in.”
As to celebrating? Emma’s first priority after the win was feeding her horses, then she thought she might go and reward her mum with a cup of coffee.
GJ Gardner Homes Pro Amateur Rider of the Year (part of the Let’s Bale Pro Amateur Series):
- Emma Gaze (Ohaupo) Fire Bug
- Bob Bleakley (Cambridge) Airthrey Resolution
- Rosie Commons (Auckland) Athena GNZ
- Tim Pearce (Marton) Oracle WT
- Louise Bowie (Pahiatua) Kiwi Hammer
- Kelly Smith (Foxton) Corlinka
