The Night of the Horse promised to get hearts racing, hooves galloping and whips cracking and it did just that in Tamworth on Saturday, October 7.
People travelled from all over for the equine arena show where host Heidi Smith welcomed everyone to the Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre (AELEC) before the crowd got warmed up by whacking around giant beach balls.
Show director Dave Manchon then entered the arena on horseback, with flaming whip in hand, to get the action started.
The night was filled with oohs and aahs and plenty of laughs from the crowd.
The show featured horses, donkeys, ducks and dogs along with Texas Longhorns and a bison stampede.
Among the performers was Tamworth's Todd Graham, who won the 2023 National Cutting Horse Association's 2023 Futurity event at AELEC, reining champion Warren Backhouse, Kandanga, Qld, and bison trainer Kendal Neilson, Dungog.
From Kilmore, Victoria, Matt Jones and his family brought their Cobb and Co carriage and heavy horses while Tamworth barrel racer Katina Matthews, singer Emma Irene, Brisbane, Qld, and showjumper Brock Everingham, Marburg, Qld, also wowed the crowds.
Bronc riders Allysa Spierings, Missouri, United States, and Emily Collits, Brisbane, Qld, also went head to head in the grand sparkling rhinestone rodeo showdown.
It wasn't just the Saturday night that got people talking, though.
In the lead up to the show, the Cobb and Co carriage trotted through the main street of Tamworth to get the word out about the event.
Ben Jaffrey
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
Ben is a content curator and journalist for The Land. He has been with ACM since 2015 and first worked at The Area News and then at the Northern Daily Leader. Ben first joined ACM Agri as a digital journalist for all seven agricultural mastheads in 2022 before shifting to The Land full-time in 2023.
