CRACOW is set to be awash with visitors this weekend when the Cracow Horse Sports and Team Penning event is held on Saturday.
There’s a full day of events planned, with the action kicking off at 7.30am.
First up, before the heat sets in, will be the kids, with the eight-and-under flag race and bend race, the 11-and-under and 15-and-under barrel racing, and a nine-to-15 years obstacle course. The obstacle course will also have an open division.
At 1.30pm the team penning will begin, with the juvenile and open divisions.
There will be a canteen all day, free camping available on-site, and showers available.
One of the event’s organisers, Fiona Skinner, NK Brahmans, Theodore, said the event was back on the calendar for the first time in a few years.
“Since 2012 the Cracow Horse Sports haven’t held an event for the sheer fact that there wasn’t enough people, insurance, and we weren’t making enough money to keep it going ourselves,” she said.
“So we have now amalgamated with the Cracow Community Centre because we’re all little – we’re all little groups.
“We just decided it would be easier if we would amalgamate everyone.
“There used to be only six of us in the horse sports, but now we have 20 or so being involved.”
After lunch, when the team penning begins, the big prize money will be on offer.
“We’re capping it at around about 45 teams, and we reckon it’ll probably run late so we will be running it under lights,” Ms Skinner said.
“The open team penning prize money is $2000 plus 50 per cent of nominations, so they get a nice cheque – and we’re placing to fourth.
“Nominations for horse sports can be taken on the day.”
Ms Skinner said so far the response to the event had been great.
“When I put it on Facebook it went like wildfire,” she said.
“Cracow has been renowned as one of the great horse sports days. We’ve decided to take it to the team penning as well as we think that’s where it’s going and our grounds are more suited to that sort of things.
“We have a fair sized arena which is suited for team penning.
“And we have a lot of access to cattle from around the area.
“We’re hoping that this one, being our first team penning day, that it’ll just get bigger from there.”
Ms Skinner said the group was hoping to draw a big crowd on Saturday.