The famous festival that celebrates Australia’s bush heritage gets underway Thursday to Sunday at Corryong.
The Man From Snowy River Bush Festival attracts around 20 thousand visitors, with a full program of events underway throughout the town.
Festival coordinator Jenny Boardman says the success and popularity of the event, in particular one of the flagship events, the Man From Snowy River Challenge has had a significant impact in developing a new generation of skilled horsemen.
“When we held our first Challenge event, we would have been flat out finding 50 competitors who knew how to pack a horse,” Jenny said.
“Now through this event, thousands of people have learnt those age old skills.
“The Challenge is one of the toughest competitions in Australia for horsemen with so many disciplines
“They need to do things like ride a buck jumper, catch a brumpy at a gallop with a halter, ride bare back, manage stock and move them quietly around obstacles, complete a cross country, jump over fences – it brings out all the elements they need to be good all-rounders.”
Other attractions include a street parade, bush markets, bush poetry, photography show, concerts and dog events.
Another flagship event is a re-enactment of Banjo Paterson’s famous poem at Thowgla, 5 kilometres from Corryong.
A new horse event this year is a trainer’s challenge at the rodeo arena.
“We’ve handpicked three horsemen and each one of them will work with an unbroken young horse and educate it over the next three days,” Jenny said.
“By Saturday, they will be able to demonstrate to the crowd what that horse can do and how they’ve progressed in their education.”
For full details on the event visit their website www. http://www.bushfestival.com.au/
