Horse lovers are kicking up their heels at the programme for the Bathurst Horse Show at this year’s Bathurst Agricultural Show, from 3-6 April. Following the last-minute cancellation of the show last year due to concerns about African Horse Sickness, this year’s even looks set to make up for it – and more!
From fun classes like fancy dress and handy horse to elite dressage and showing and fearless showjumping, spectators in the main arena at the Bathurst Agricultural Show have everything to fill the stands for. Appropriately, for a show that takes place on the doorstep of Makhanda, the home of the National Arts Festival, there will also be some “horse ballet”.
“We’re working really hard to make this an amazing event,” said Bathurst Riding Club chairperson Nicole Erasmus. The club hosts the annual event which has decades of history with many well known equestrians and horses showing what they’ve got in what for many is the main drawcard of the Bathurst Agricultural Show.
Assessing the anticipated 60-odd riders and their horses as they show what they’ve got will be respected judges from across the country.
Show Jumping Judge: Judy Gerardy (PE)
Course Builder: Ryan Sander (JHB)
Dressage: Amy Lindsay (East London)
Showing: Sue Dittmann (George)
The region’s serious horse and rider combos in those disciplines have excellent incentives to compete in this year’s show.
“We’ve been supported by have amazing sponsors,” Erasmus said. “Just to name a few – Rosehill Spar, African Safari Lodge, Terra-Khaya Amatola Horse Trails, Equi-feeds, Equi-nine, Shamwari, Woodbury Horse Trails, Bluesteel and many more.
“Our overall sponsorship value is around R43 000 and prizes will take the form of vouchers, gifts and cash.”
Developing the next generation of equestrians is integral to the show.
“We hope to encourage the littlies to enjoy the vibe,” said Erasmus. “So we’ve got a TIny Tots section, where kids can be taken around the ring on a lead rein.”
Back after a break are the fun and amaze-worthy categories of the show. Fancy dress, handy horse, formation riding and musical kur – dressage done to music, or “horse ballet” – are designed to be fun for participants and spectators alike.
The groom-in-hand class acknowledges the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to enable horse and rider to present at their best.
The handy horse class will test the practical skills of horse and rider.
“We’ll put the horse and rider through tasks like opening and closing a farm gate; crossing a bridge and pulling something behind.”
Something that is quite possibly unique to Bathurst because of the way the village is laid out is the Bathurst Horse Show Pub Crawl.
“We take the competitors around the village on horseback,” Erasmus said. “We show them what Bathurst Village, and the Bathurst Community are like.”
The club tested this fun outing with participants in their June 2024 show and “the riders loved it!”
Spectators enjoyed formation riding for the first time in the 2023 show. This year, on the Satruday, there will be two formation riding teams competing: the Bathurst Riding Club and Kleinemonde based Windson Livery Yard.
Show photographer Tanneth Bern of Fine Photography will judge the formation riding.
Always a big attraction at the Bathurst Horse Show is the Pig and Whistle Inn-sponsored Power Jump. The last staging, in 2023, saw Robyn Cloete on the fearless Eagle’s Liquorice up against her daughter Josie and her horse. By agreement they stopped at the point where they felt the horses and they were still actually enjoying the challenge.
The provisional show schedule starts at 8am on Thursday April 3 with adult showing and tiny tots classes in the bottom arena, and dressage in the top arena.
Keep your ringside seat, because at 11.30am there will be a sheepdog display.
Friday starts with the working hunter class at 8am in the main arena. Meanwhile, in the bottom arena, the fancy dress, groom in hand, showing classes and handy horse run from 8am to lunchtime.
The day’s sheepdog display in the main arena wil be at 1pm
Showjumping lifts off at 1.30pm.
In the main arena at 4.30pm is the tractor parade and at 5pm, a soccer match between the grooms and Bathurst Riding Club will take place in the warm-up arena.
From 8am to 9am on Sunday, while the showjumping course is being built, there will be a Boerperd display in the main arena. The Bathurst Showjumping Championships will take plae for the rest of the morning.
Starting at 12pm, the pipe band, formation riding, police dog display, sheepdog display, Boerperd display, motorbike, vintagecars and tractors will all give you good reason to hod onto your ringside seat.
The spectacular finale will be the Pig & Whistle Powerjump at 3.30pm, where fearless horses and their riders compete to clear the highest jump.
In 2023, Robyn CLoete and Eagle’s Liquorice cleared 1.68m.
In June 2024, when the postponed show was staged, Georgie Gerber on Lady Diddeo won the Power Jump at 1.5m.
Updates on the Bathurst Horse Show Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/181W196akr/
“We are very excited for the show and the BRC committee has worked (and still is) really hard to make this an amazing event. I am so proud of our team and to work alongside these amazing women,” Erasmus said.
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, March 27, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays.
