It's as Aussie as a beer at the pub with mates – a “monster” event set to rumble over nine days at AELEC.
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The 11th instalment of the Landmark Classic Campdraft and Sale is testament to the exponential growth of this uniquely Australian sport, event spokeswoman Hannah Murray said.
And it also pays handsomely, with $250,000 in cash and prizes on offer including $40,000 to the winner of the top contest – the Landmark Classic Campdraft.
It's become a monster of an event.
- Hannah Murray
That’s one of the reasons it has morphed into the premier campdraft and performance-horse sale in Australia, Murray said, going from 130 horses for sale when it debuted in 2008 to 635 horses this year. It starts on Saturday and runs till the following Sunday.
There will be an estimated 1500 vendors and competitors from every state and territory in Australia, with most camping at AELEC, she said.
“It’s become a monster of an event,” she added. “I think campdrafting is one of the biggest and fastest growing sports in Australia.
“And it’s a sport that was originally a bit of a bush sport but it’s now drawing more urban competitors, I guess you would say.”
Murray said the sport’s appeal lay largely in its family friendly nature.
She said campdrafting was a way for people to reconnect, especially those living in remote areas.
It is also “a way to get together and showcase skills and tune up your skills and also have a social outing”.
“The campdrafting family in Australia is like a big family,” she said. “People come from all over Australia [to the Tamworth event], and it’s their yearly catch-up.
“They take holidays and see people they may not see again for the rest of the year.”
At the Landmark Classic Campdraft and Sale, there is no separation of the sexes in competition. The youngest category is the 15 to 25 age group. “There’s a huge number of [campdrafting] events throughout the country now,” Murray said.
