Keen lady riders came from all over NSW and Victoria to learn the basics of campdrafting and horsemanship from some very talented instructors.

The caliber of these instructors was certainly something to be admired and their generosity in sharing their hard earned and learned training methods was greatly appreciated.

The weekend commenced with a minute’s silence in memory of a valued and loved member of the committee, Norm McCarthy. His cheery face will be sadly missed.

PJ Cookson, Matt French and Terry McGovern were in charge of handling cattle and cutouts, and a marked improvement was noted in the ladies by the end of the weekend.

Steve Hart and Chrissie French dedicated their time to the basics of horsemanship, teaching these riders how to get their horses light and responsive, using leg aids, then on to backing, side passes and roll-backs.

Lara Garlic and Melissa Jobb demonstrated their ability in riding a course, also working stock horse classes and challenges.

This was great training for the ladies, many with limited campdraft experience.

Adam and Kayley Boyd took on the challenge of the mechanical cow, and in their quiet and efficient manner, introduced ladies and horses to the training aid of the beast.

All horses soon learned there was nothing to be frightened of when approaching this weird looking cow.

Saturday night was jam packed with activities, which saw two course roast dinner prepared and cooked by a team of volunteers.

Many believed they outdid their record efforts of last year.

After the committee presented gifts to the instructors, Gail Hannigan, president of the Young/Boorawa branch of Can Assista made a brief speech.

She explained the benefits and help to the community of this organisation.

This was followed by a presentation by the guest speaker Kelly Foran from the Friendly Faces and Helping Hands Foundation.

Without exception, everyone present was touched by Kelly’s story and what she and her foundation are achieving.

For more information visit www.friendlyfaces.info.

Each participant in the clinic was then presented with a complementary gift bag and the drawing of the prize horse – a led yearling “Chansit Toucha Heart” again bred, named and donated by Chrissie and Matt French of Chansit ASH Stud of Nimmitabel.

A whoop of joy was heard when the name of Emma Whaylan from Oberon was drawn out the barrel.

In the wonderful spirit of generosity prevalent during the night, Steve Hart came forward and donated his time and expertise to break –in this young gelding for her.

The monster raffle was conducted with an overwhelming response from all when every ticket was soon sold out!

There were over 40 prizes to give away.

The club thanks all who donated to this raffle, which raised more than $1000.

The night soon turned into an evening of dancing.

It didn’t take long for the 6.30am breakfast to come around and another day in the saddle.

After lunch on Sunday was the official presentation of the prize horse from last year – “Chansit Toucha Pink”.

Chrissie French continued to train this young gelding for winner Maureen Hulm until five months ago when the Hulms took him home.

Maureen and Stephen have been working him and are very happy with his ability and temperament.

Photographer Prue Crichton was again on hand to record all those precious moments during the clinic.

The team of volunteers, some local and some from many kilometres away, all willingly gave their time and efforts to provide and cook for the crowd.

All hot food was delivered and a vast quantity of it was consumed.

This was to provide the energy needed to ward off the cold and maintain stamina.

Thank you to all the wonderful cooks and those who came along to help out.

This undertaking could not have happened if you did not contribute to the preparation, cooking and serving of food, to say nothing of the washing up!

The feed back has been wonderfully positive, with requests from most ladies to run the clinic again next year.

A big thank you to all the ladies who braved the damp and cold conditions to attend the clinic and there was not one grumble or complaint heard during the entire weekend.

It is heartwarming to realise the appreciation and thanks offered by these budding new campdrafters.

Thank you also to the small and willing band of workers from the Tubbul Campdraft committee who all contributed to the outcome of the clinic.

Again Can Assist will gain funds from this clinic, with an estimated amount being around the $10,000 mark.