The Upper Clutha (Adult) Riding Club’s wish list also includes Queenstown Lakes District Council support for equestrian safety and user awareness on rural roads and off-road trails and increasing the maintenance of road berms.
The club was established in February 2024 and has 16 members.
It is just one of many Wānaka-Upper Clutha ward clubs that have asked the council for more funding and support over the next 10 years.
Upper Clutha Riding Club spokeswoman Anne Steven, a life-long horse rider who grew up on a Canterbury farm, said equestrian sports and recreational activities were not supported by the council, except at the Hāwea Domain and, for the purposes of the Wānaka Show, at the Wānaka Showgrounds Recreational Reserve.
Equestrian sports and activities were long-established in the district and it was not commonly understood horse riding was permitted on trails that were being claimed by cyclists and walkers, she said.
In an interview with the Wānaka Sun before making long term plan submissions on Tuesday, Mrs Steven said the riding club submission agreed with the council’s investment priority of social infrastructure over the next 10 years, "specifically recreation and sports facilities, which are stated as core activities delivered on an everyday basis".
The riding club had noted millions of dollars worth of requests for "new sports fields, tennis courts, re-surfacing of hard and soft fields/courts, new lighting, Wānaka Recreation Centre upgrades, new playground equipment, general infrastructure upgrades, renewals and replacements through all council parks and reserves and a new Ballantyne Road Sports Hub at $7.69m."
Equestrians around Upper Clutha were using outdoor arenas and paddocks for dressage, showjumping, working equitation, cowboy challenge, rodeo and general horsemanship.
Recreational riders were also using rural roads or trail riding in the wider landscape.
The Dublin Bay to Outlet track was very popular for riders, including those training for the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust Cavalcade, she said.
Mrs Steven said the 100ha Hāwea Domain was "the most realistic place" for an indoor arena, which could be used for children and family activities, as well as for training, events and rallies.
It would also mean local horse owners might not need to travel so frequently to other indoor arenas, she said.
The domain was already the base for the Hāwea Wānaka Pony Club and the Upper Clutha (Adult) Riding Club, but there were no council facilities or equipment based there.
An indoor venue could appeal to other user groups such as dog trainers, Mrs Steven said.
"People with horses invest a lot here buying feed, on grazing and vets, supporting the local economy, more than a mountainbiker would, on a per capita basis."
Mrs Steven spoke to the riding club’s submission at the QLDC long term plan hearing on August 27 at the Lake Wānaka Centre.
Note: Due to the Sun production deadlines, the council’s LTP decisions will be reported in subsequent editions. Ed.
