City of Launceston defends concrete wicket, while equestrian community voices fear for safety

Launceston equestrian show chairwoman Ash Smith said a concrete pitch in the middle of the arena was a serious safety hazard, increasing the danger for riders if a fall was to occur.

She said the installation of the wicket, which occurred last week without consultation, meant major changes had to be made to the Horse of the Year competition being held this weekend.

“The event that has been booked this weekend has been booked for 12 months time, it didn’t pop up last week … if they had done it after the fact we would have had more time to work around things,” Ms Smith said.

“There had been no communication from the Launceston City Council to any of the stakeholders in the area as to the inclusion of [the concrete pitch].”

Organisers have had to reduce number of the competitive rings and the size of the ring to ensure riders are kept safe, but the expense could be large, Ms Smith said.

If temperatures get above 37 degrees the competition must stop, which is why judges were booked from interstate so two rings could be run concurrently.

Launceston mayor Albert van Zetten said he had been assured that council officers were working to accommodate the event. 

“It’s not the most ideal situation, we accept that, but they can work around it for the event this weekend,” he said.

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UTAS stadium manager Robert Groenewegen said the pitch was needed for junior cricketers. 

“[The site] is used for a whole heap of sports, not just equestrian, at the moment there are four equestrian events a year, but every day of the week, during winter and summer that ground will be used for other sports so we are trying to balance all our users,” he said.

Ms Smith said more equestrian groups would use the space but the cost – about $1000 – was prohibitive with the council’s ground hire fee and stable hire from the Royal Launceston Show Society.