All the fun of the show
With new events and traditional favourites like the woodchopping contests, this year’s Nelson A&P Show attracted thousands of people – including hundreds of families – to Richmond over the weekend.
Wood was chopped, alpacas were shorn and horses put through their paces at the Richmond A&P show over the weekend.
Rain cleared yesterday for the annual event, and Richmond Park office and show manager Annette Robinson said up to 12,000 people were expected through the gates over the show’s two days.
The event offered plenty of old favourites, including the strongman, woodchopping and sheep shearing competitions, as well as a new royal equestrian event.
However, one favourite was absent. The spectre of mycoplasma bovis meant there were only a couple of dairy cattle on display – and from a safe distance, Robinson said.
Photos in the museum dating back to the show’s beginnings 124 years ago showed crowds of people at the popular event. Robinson said it remained popular, especially with children.
‘‘You grow up with it. A lot of the town children don’t see the normal domestic animals, they don’t have the chance to see them and touch them.’’
Plans are already in the works for next year’s 125th show, which Robinson said would be ‘‘extra special’’.
Erin Cassie and her team of Clydesdale horses travelled from Erewhon Station, in Canterbury, for the show. She and her husband competed in the Clydesdale pairs and sledge event, taking the animals around an obstacle course to show their ability to work as a pair.
On the station, the horses were used for tractor and wagon work, Cassie said.
The few shows the couple attend each year allow the public a chance to get up close to a working Clydesdale.
‘‘It’s nice for the public to see them in action,’’ Cassie said. ‘‘And the horses seem to enjoy it – it’s easy compared to the work they do at home.’’