It’s the view of the city’s equine clubs, who last week launched an audacious bid to see that the drawn-out upgrade of the equestrian centre at Equex is finally followed through.

They say a multi-purpose facility in Wagga would rival Tamworth’s state-of-the-art Australian Equine and Livestock Events Centre – considered the best of its kind.

Tamworth deputy mayor Russell Webb told the Advertiser on Monday the council-owned facility was booked about 270 days a year.

Cr Webb said since its launch in 2009, it has been an economic boon for Tamworth.

“It’s worth millions and millions to the economy,” he said.

“The benefits are found in the many hundreds of thousands of people that come here for events – not only as competitors, but as spectators as well … we have absolutely no regrets in building it.”

Cr Webb said Tamworth spent more than $30 million on its centre, which was combined with federal and state government grants.

“The decision to build it was nothing but a brave decision,” he said. “There was some risk associated with a project that size.

“But if you don’t take some educated risks in life as an individual or an organisation, sometimes you don’t get anywhere.”

While the venue mostly hosts equine sports, it also boasts others such as car and motorbike shows.

Cr Garry Hiscock – a passionate supporter of the Wagga project – said farm-based shows were “just the start”.

“Between Sydney and Melbourne it is really going to take off,” he said.

Cr Hiscock said planning for the project was only in its early stages, with stage one being the construction of an all-weather roof.

“We’ve got a lot of work to,” he said.

“We want all the main stakeholders to get involved in the design and it needs to be spot on.”

Cr Hiscock added that proponents would hope to secure corporate and government funding for the project.