Horse in sport and competition : Nora Kelly with her horse 'Minardo'

Nora Kelly with her horse 'Minardo' after her epic ride from Heathercoom Station on the River Darling to Adelaide in 1937.

While horses are now used much less for working purposes around the world, the use of horses in sport, competition and recreation has grown. However, even in the days when horses formed the basis of much of our transport and agriculture, the competitve spirit was still in evidence, as seen in these photographs such as the breeder with his prize-winning draught horse at Jubilee Oval in 1914, the formally dressed boy riding a pony at the same oval in 1911 and the prize-winning horsewoman in Mount Gambier in 1913.

It may have been a competitive spirit which led South Australian Nora Kelly to make her famous ride in 1937, although she said she did it just for fun (The Mail, 5 June 1937, p.18). With her mare, Minardo, the young woman rode from Heatherbloom Station on the River Darling in New South Wales, where she worked as a governess, to Adelaide, a distance of some 400 miles. Her remarkable journey was well-reported in newspapers such as the Advertiser, in which she and her horse were also photographed. Her horse even received an entry in the column 'Out among the people' in the Advertiser of 6 August 1937.

An active member of the Adelaide Horse Riding Club, Nora competed in dressage and other competitions in shows around the state, including the Royal Adelaide Show. Her prize certificates and cards are part of a collection of her family's papers held in the archival collection of the State Library.

One of the most exciting spectator sports in riding competitions is showjumping and eventing, the latter comprising the phases dressage, cross-country and show jumping. These types of competitions are held at all levels in both country and city locations. These sports are also part of the Olympic Games where South Australia has been well-represented by competitors such as Gillian Rolton, Megan Jones and Wendy Schaeffer. One of the longest-running competiitons in South Australia, The Gawler Three Day Event was held annually in Gawler, north of Adelaide from 1954, and sponsored at various times by companies such as the West End Brewery. A very successful competition, it was selected in 1986 to host the Sixth World Three Day Event Championships.

In 1997 the Adelaide International Horse Trials event was created to replace the Gawler Three Day Event and has since become an extremely successful competition. Staged in the east parkands of Adelaide city the event is held over three days every November. Now named the Australian International Three Day Event, the competition has been given a four star rating by the Federation Equestre Internationale and is only of only six in the world with this rating, which is recognised by the Olympic Games Committee.

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