Horse TrialsOver the weekend of November 14 & 15 horse power will return to the Adelaide parklands. The Adelaide International Horse Trials are right within the parklands, capitalising on both sweeps of landscaped gardens and rustic olive groves and creeklines.
The cross-country event on Saturday is the most spectacular and curls back and forth for six kilometres through the trees and over jumps. The jumps have been created to blend in with the city's East End and include fruit and produce stacks and cafe tables. There are also miniature outback sheep station homesteads.
The event had previously been held at Gawler but organisers decided to bring the event to the people rather than trying to lure spectators north. The three star cross country equestrians face 31 jumps and they'll need to take most at a gallop to complete the course in the optimum time of 11 minutes 5 seconds. The two star course event is only slightly less demanding. The cross country event is free.
Nearby Victoria Park Racecourse is the home of the other two events - dressage and show jumping. Last year the winner wasn't known until the last hurdle. The dressage takes place over two days Thursday and Friday with the show jumping on Sunday.
The Adelaide International Horse Trials made a splash in international equestrian circles with its inaugural event last year. It will lift the rail with this week's event as it heads for rare four star status in 1999.
