Save Clarendon announced on Thursday that the group is “working constructively with Hawkesbury Council Mayor Les Sheather, the Hawkesbury District Agricultural Association (HDAA), Dressage NSW, and Equestrian NSW to develop a plan and model for the future of Clarendon.”
“We still have some detail to work through and everyone is working towards a positive solution that will see Clarendon continue as a key part of the Hawkesbury’s equestrian infrastructure. Thanks everyone for your continued support,” concludes the statement.
The battle to save the Clarendon grounds for ongoing use as a dressage facility was taken up earlier this year by a dedicated group of equestrians committed to the future of the sport. Coming together, they created the “Save Clarendon” campaign and have been registering community support through their Change.org petition.
“Clarendon has been the home ground for dressage in NSW for over 35 years, not just for riders in the greater Sydney region but the whole of NSW,” reads the petition.
“Dressage NSW has use of the area within the showground, which houses the dressage arenas, via a license agreement with the HDAA – this licence for use of the grounds will expire in June 2025.”
DNSW confirmed to its membership earlier this year that they did not have the option to renew the licence in June 2025 as HDAA did not want to continue with any dressage activity on the permanent sand arenas. HDAA required demolition of the existing arenas at the expense of DNSW, with the intention to turn the grounds into a car park for commercial events at the showgrounds.
The dressage arenas are significant not only when it comes to the history of dressage in NSW and Australia as a whole, but in terms of also providing important and much-used infrastructure for dressage events in the modern era.
You can read Roger Fitzhardinge’s article on Clarendon and its significance for Australian dressage in the September 2024 issue of Equestrian Life.
