Emma Webb and WESTERN ACRES have taken out the 2025 Prydes EasiFeed Performance Horse Challenge Final, delivering an outstanding performance to claim the top spot by a stellar 20 points. Photos by Jo Thieme Photography.
A huge congratulations to the top ten competitors: Emma Webb & WESTERN ACRES – 350.25 Michael Wilson & WILLDRAFT BISCUIT – 330.25 Penny Macintosh & METRIC MAN – 327.25 Will Durkin & ROMANTIC REMEDY – 324 Michael Wilson & ROYALISH – 321.25 Penny Macintosh & DOTMAH SWEET TALKER – 319.5 Penny Macintosh & TOONGA ROYALTY – 316.75 Alex Molloy & NIBBEREENA NEON MOON – 315.25 David Manchon & THE GIRLINTHESPIDERSWEB – 314.5 Matt Stanger & RHONDHU CATS R DOUBLE – 314 Emma Webb & ROYALLE INSIGNIA – 314.
Emma said, “To go in the Challenge and the Draft up here the horse has to be bought out of this Sale.
“Morgan and I bought this little horse that I was on as a two year old and I brought him back last year as a four year old and I got reserve champion on him.
“He went through all the challenges up in Queensland this year and he actually got Australian Stockman’s Challenge Classic Horse of the Year, and that was a big achievement itself.
“He was pretty well set to come here and I had high hopes as I love him, he’s a great horse and we smashed that and we won by 20 points. It was a challenge that is open to anyone, men, ladies, kids if they want.
“This year there was 140-odd in it, which was the biggest one that has ever been held.
“You have to do a dry work pattern and then you do a working cow horse pattern and then the final is the same with a different dry work pattern and another working cow horse straight away and the horse was just with me the whole way.
“He loved every minute of it. He had his ears pricked the whole time. There wasn’t one minute of being in that arena that he wasn’t enjoying it as much as I was.
“It still gives me goosebumps the noise that was coming out of the crowd. It was a huge crowd, the Aelec Centre was full.
“The horse is a five-year-old stallion known as Western Acres.
“We have been standing him at stud, but we haven’t advertised him yet. I’ve won two drafts on him as well, a maiden and a novice and have just been waiting for the right time to put him on Select Sires.
“His stud fee is $2200 inc GST.”
Emma said that she has won plenty of drafts around the Coota area, but probably the biggest thing she has won in the area is Battle on the Bidgee back in October.
“We had a little spell and then I won a big Open Draft at Tumut in December.
“I got second in the open draft at Berra-goon in January this year and also won the open Challenge there.
“Our next event is the Rosewood Stockman’s Challenge in a fortnight.
“They are all pretty difficult to win these days, but Rosewood is a great show and it’s only just started up again and we love supporting things that people start up from scratch and it will be a really enjoyable little show for us to go to.
“The kids didn’t come up this year as we had 12 sale horses and we brought 26 horses up altogether and the kids started school, so it was only Morgan and I and the kids stayed with Gran and had to go to school that week.”
It is a big operation for the Webbs with a prime mover that fits 21 horses and a couple of their clients combining to bring their own horses up.
Emma said, “They help us out up here with stables and washing them all and getting them ready for sale.”
Onwards and upwards for the next competition.
The South West Slopes Times covers an area approximately the size of Fiji in country NSW. We look after a population of more than 50,000 people with our staff servicing 7 major towns and dozens of villages with our story telling footprint.
We offer weekly print editions at $3 a copy and we also offer digital subscriptions across 3 months $30, 6 months $60 and 12 months $120.
We are one of the last truly local independent family run newspaper businesses in the state.
Contact us today to find out how we can promote your business or organisation across our huge network by emailing ads@thetimes.net.au or by calling 0413 763 216.
If you have a news tip, lead or scoop for us please make contact as we love celebrating our communities. You can contribute articles via our South West Slopes Times website.
