18/10/2026
Wow. Just… wow. Long post incoming so grab a cuppa if you want to read!
If you’d asked me 6 months ago what my plans may have been for the season, stepping my baby horse into the most gigantic equestrian environment in NZ was certainly not on the cards… until suddenly it was when the amazing Lara & Miranda (Lara Beth ) got the call up to join us at Equifest 2026 👀
First things first, Checky, Check, Checkers, My Big Kid, The Big Dog, Cuddle Bunny, Kid Lover, Treat Finder and downright Entertainer. I am so so so proud of you. Without fail, he took it all in his stride. I’ll be honest, you can’t ever prepare for such an environment, with thousands of people, flappy flags, and well, we all loved Lara’s hype music, and he just went in with the “we got this” vibe.
Lara & Miranda - you guys are just a breath of fresh air. Thank you so much for allowing my boy to be your partner in crime, the many hugs, the many chats and the many trainings. I genuinely can’t thank you enough for the positivity you brought to my weekend amongst everything else going on - and yes, I do race Motorbikes 😂 she wasn’t giving me sh&t for it (haha!)
They kept me fed, reminded me to breathe, and taught us some epic new tricks.
Kerry from ecohorsenz is entirely responsible for how sparkly he came out, and we are so so thankful to everything she has done for us - a lot of scrubbing was involved when Lara said she wanted a unicorn!
I want to thank Paula Riepen for the utmost care and love she has given me over the weekend while looking after my very sick mare after a horrific vet call on Friday, and allowing me to continue with Equifest instead of racing down to deal with the situation at hand.
Lindy Waijenberg - Checks Godmother of sorts, thank you for babysitting my kid when I was overwhelmed and coming over to check on us regularly, and being full of laughs and loves ♥️
the_real_top_e for some of these incredible photos and my anxiety support person - we always love you 🖤
LJ PHOTOGRAPHY NZ & Georgina for the balance of the snaps, thank you 🙏🏼