New equestrian club has early success

PINES Working Equitation Group, a newly formed equestrian club in Mount Gambier, recently achieved outstanding results at the 2025 Victorian Working Equitation State Championships.

A small contingent of five riders and six horses, along with their dedicated support crew, undertook the 600-kilometre journey to compete at the event, held in Oxley in the Victorian Alps. This year’s championship saw the highest number of entries to date.

The Pines group fielded two teams: one in the competitive level and one in the training level.

The contingent included riders from both Victoria and South Australia: Benni Rosmann and Trevor Roulston (Tarpeena, SA), Clarissa Fitzgibbon (Kingston, SA), Darren Holmberg (Casterton, VIC), and Michelle Wilksch (Tyrendarra, VIC).

Working Equitation is currently one of the fastest-growing equestrian sports worldwide.

Competitors compete individually over three phases: Dressage, Ease of Handling (obstacles), and Speed (obstacles at speed). The fourth phase is a team cattle event. In this phase, each rider must individually cut out a cow marked with their drawn number. Once the beast is moved past a containment line, the other team members assist in penning it at the opposite end of the arena while keeping the remaining herd within the containment area.

The competition kicked off on Friday, October 3, with the Dressage and Ease of Handling phases, followed by the Speed phase on Saturday. The individual three-phase results were strong, with both Pines WEG teams placing midfield or higher.

In the Training Level (Preparatory), Clarissa Fitzgibbon, riding Scotty, was named Reserve Champion in the individual three phases. Darren Holmberg, riding Coleslea Tara, secured third place overall.

In the preliminary levels, Michelle Wilksch, riding Colbandy Willow, finished Fifth Place Overall in the individual phases. The team’s highest-level rider, Benni Rosmann, riding homebred Kalimna Xbox, competed in Debutante W for the first time and took home top honours, winning the well-deserved Champion ribbon for the individual three phases. Trevor Roulston, riding Kalimna Vision, finished midfield in his individual phases.

On the final day, Sunday, the teams travelled to Forge Farm for the cattle phase.

The Training Level team Trevor Roulston, Clarissa Fitzgibbon, and Darren Holmberg performed well, penning two of their three required beasts to secure third place in the cattle phase. This strong performance earned the team the overall title of Reserve Champions across all four phases.

The Competitive Level team, Benni Rosmann, Michelle Wilksch, and Darren Holmberg were exceptional in the cattle phase, with each rider penning their beast in under a minute. This stellar performance won them first place in the cattle phase and also earned them Reserve Champions across all four phases.

Group representative Darren Holmberg said the 600km trek to North East Victoria was a huge undertaking, requiring many hours of training and preparation beforehand.

“We are very proud of our club’s results in such a highly competitive competition,” Darren said.

The Pines Working Equitation Group holds club days once a month. Interested riders are welcome to attend and learn about Working Equitation, receiving instruction and encouragement from our passionate club members. The group also travels with its equipment trailer to other riding clubs in the area to provide instruction and promote the sport.

For club information find us on Facebook, or call Benni 0414 667 778

PHOTOS COURTESY OF B-MAN PHOTOGRAPHY