January/February 2018 AQHA JAN_FEB 2018 WEBSITE | Page 35

Invited by the Australian Quarter Horse Association, the NC Team comprised of three Youth and five Amateurs from ACEW (AQHA Affiliate). We headed to Brisbane on Saturday 9th of September, on a trip full of laughter and jokes, thanks to Karl Willemot and the kids . We got the chance to visit around on Sunday and had the privilege to have a saddlery opened especially for us, where we had our first encounter with our Kiwi new friends (special thanks to Paul Lorimer). On Monday, everybody was thrilled to meet the horses coming all the way from Melbourne with our Australian Coach, Trish Wettenhall, her team and Glenn Wyse. We must say we’re very grateful for their support. It didn’t take much time for the riders to find their partners and we felt very honoured to ride such good horses. The clinics with the different coaches were amazing and we had a wonderful time working with the others, socialising with people from different countries, and just being part of the horse lovers world. Our kids made a great improvement in their riding techniques, it will last for their future shows and will benefit the others by showing them the right things to do. The Amateurs were happy to work hard and tried to do their best each time, enjoying every moment of the training sessions. We also learned a lot in the horse show preparation then, and we’ll be better in the future in our shows with the presentation of the horses. The opening ceremony will stay in our memories as an exceptional moment of emotion and the proud feeling to be part of something great. The show was a great experience for everyone and we did the best we could. We were lucky enough to have been coached by the best trainer we could have and it showed in each of us entering the arena by the way we tried hard. Everyone enjoyed the show without pressure and appreciated the Challenge between the Australians and New Zealanders. We would like to thank the AQHA Board, who made this incredible experience possible by inviting us, the AQHA Staff who helped us every time we needed. The New Zealand Team for their sympathy and their enthusiasm. Our coaches Trish Wettenhall and Laurence Lebegin and our Team Manager Véronique Fayard for their support and their dedication. Katrina Wallace and Karen Pemberton from Team Triandibo for their help and support. We headed back to Noumea on the 19th of September, our heads full of great memories and wonderful moments from the amazing people there. Team NC Sarah Fayard, Jean- Pascal Pagès, Brigitte Courtot, Karl Willemot, Leslie Pasquier, Ambre Willemot, Laurie Moglia et, Lou Daver. January • • February February • • 2018 2018 • • The The Australian Australian Quarter Quarter Horse Horse Magazine Magazine • • Page Page 35 35 January