Tina Angus competed on horses before she was born, has ridden dressage, western and showjumping, and now she is the Top of the South’s first national steward for dressage.
Her role revolves around the welfare of the horses at competitions and ensuring rules are adhered to.
In Nelson Tasman, she is already a well-known face in the horse world who keeps everything running smoothly with a smile on her face and a word or two of encouragement.
It’s a role she fits around her job as head coach with the Richmond Riding for Disabled where she has spent the past 10 years looking after the welfare of both horses and their riders.
Horses, she says, are in her blood. Her father Ross was long a steward and marshal at the Nelson A and P Show, while her mother, Pat, was a “fierce competitor in her day” who competed when she was pregnant with Tina.
A generation earlier, her grandmother, Dot Wilson, was also a keen horse rider.
So, it was natural for Tina to compete, and she has done it all from Western to dressage, she says.
These days, she’s more likely to have a dressage saddle on one of the quarter horses she has bred, while her daughter is teaching the Western breed to jump.
Regardless of the various equestrian disciplines, she says it’s all about the horse, no matter the discipline, and that is the focus as a national steward.
“It’s looking after the welfare of the horse and making sure it’s an even playing field for everyone,” she says.
“Making sure everyone has the right gear on and the rules of competition are being adhered to, and it’s also helping the riders feel at ease before they get into the arena. You’re just a friendly face to help competitors. You just go animated and over the top to help them out and also being that calm influence.”
In the past, national stewards from around the country have travelled to the Top of the South to be stewards at competitions and now, the region has Tina.
It’s a voluntary role and she says she wouldn’t do it if it wasn’t fun. Her reward is the horses and riders she looks after.
“I’m lucky to have the opportunity to help riders of any age group enjoy themselves out there. It’s being part of their success and seeing their progress. I had this email with a picture from a little girl who said: ‘thank you very much Tina’.
“And it’s the adults too, who might be so nervous before going into the area and being able to help them out.”
