Bruce Neal Trophy

The story

Bruce Neal was the son of Bob and Jan Neal who were very active endurance riders and members of ACTERA during the 1980s.

The Neals had an Arab stud near Canberra, Wybalena Lodge, that bred some successful endurance horses. The whole family, particularly Jan, were active and successful endurance riders.

Bruce rode as a junior but never got to realise his full potential for endurance riding. He died from cancer at an early age, leaving a wife and two small children.

Jan and Bob decided to fund the Bruce Neal Trophy in memory of their son, to recognise the horsemanship skills of young local riders.

The trophy

The Bruce Neal trophy is a perpetual trophy awarded each year to a worthy junior rider at the National Capital Brookvale ride. It is awarded on the basis of horsemanship demonstrated during the ride, as judged by the ride committee and head vet.

The trophy has been specially designed to incorporate a buckle of the kind used by ACTERA when Bruce was riding.

The man

The first photo below shows Bruce Neal on the trail; the second photo shows him holding a trophy as junior rider of the year in 1985. Click on the images to see a larger version of each.