Pony Club Australia

Pony Club Australia Ltd is a not for profit organisation that encourages people to ride and teaches them horsemanship and how to care for horses.

Pony Club members competing in Pony Club events at a gymkhana

Australia has the largest Pony Club membership in the world with just under 40,000 financial members. In Australia, there are approximately 850 clubs spread over the seven states and territories. Its members are the recognised State Sporting Organisations for Pony Club in each state and the Northern Territory including Pony Club Association of New South Wales, Pony Club Association of Queensland, Pony Club Association of Victoria, Pony Club Western Australia, Pony Club Association of South Australia, Pony Club Association of Tasmania and Pony Club Association of the Northern Territory. Pony Club Australia members also include the individuals who are registered with its Member States.

Pony Club has always been the foundation of horse-riding in Australia and continues to play a pivotal role. Pony Club riders participate in diverse sports including Mounted Games and Modern Pentathlon, play polo and polocrosse, and pursue careers in the racing and broader horse industry. Pony Club members have gone on to fill the Australian Olympic equestrian teams, such as Shane Rose, Megan Jones, Wendy Schaeffer, Gill Rolton, Phillip Dutton, the Roycrofts and others. Regardless of the level of participation, Pony Club Australia emphasises education, safety, horsemanship, variety, friendship and fun.

Pony Club Australia is affiliated with The Pony Club in the UK and collaborates with Pony Club and equivalent organisations in Canada, the USA, New Zealand, Europe, Ireland, Hong Kong and China.

Pony Club Australia is recognised by Sport Australia as the National Sporting Organisation for Pony Club. The Australian Government through the Australian Sports Commission recognises Pony Club Australia to develop Pony Club in Australia.

Vision: A life with horses starts here

Mission: Remain the largest equestrian organisation in Australia through education, opportunities, enjoyment and community

Values: Unity, Responsibility, Leadership, Innovation, Integrity, Accessibility

History

The first Pony Club in Australia was formed in 1939 at Ingleburn, New South Wales. Many early Pony Clubs were affiliated with the British Horse Society Pony Club (BHSPC) and used their resources – syllabus, instruction notes, even the badges and ties.[1]

The development of the knowledge and ability of riders was the concern of Pony Club from its foundation. The emphasis has always been:

  • The safety of the rider
  • The comfort of the horse
  • The enjoyment of the rider
  • The progress of the rider

The first Inter-Pacific Exchange was held in America during 1962 and in Western Australia in 1979. Teams participated from New Zealand, Great Britain, the Far East, Japan, Canada and Australia in the 1979 Inter-Pacific Exchange.

In 2019, Pony Cub Australia celebrated 80 years of teaching people how to ride and care for horses in Australia. In the same year, Pony Club Australia introduced Centre Membership, making it possible for people without their own horse to experience Pony Club as a Centre Member.

The Syllabus of Instruction

Pony Club in Australia has been teaching young people to ride and care for their horses since 1939.  The Pony Club Syllabus of Instruction has provided a safe and solid foundation to prepare our members for a life with horses. In the past two decades, significant advances have been made in the field of Equitation Science which further improve the safety of riders and optimise the welfare of the horse. The 2019 edition of the Pony Club Australia Syllabus of Instruction combines past knowledge and tradition with these latest scientific understandings.

The Pony Club Australia Syllabus of Instruction is built on certificate levels that enable riders to continuously develop their skills in riding, horse care and citizenship. Pony Club certificates are recognised in Pony Club countries across the world, and at the higher levels demonstrate to potential employers the member’s knowledge of working with and caring for horses. Certificates are often used as a pre-requisite for selection for teams competing at the state, national and international level.

Structure

Pony Clubs are arranged into zones and, in turn, states.

Pony Club Australia Ltd is a company limited by guarantee, whose members are the state Pony Club associations and members of Pony Clubs across Australia. The governance of Pony Club Australia is by a skilled board of independent directors. In 2019, a strategic Education and Development Committee was formed.

The Strategic Plan is designed to provide a strong and sustainable future for Pony Club in Australia. It is supported by an operational plan and resources to deliver key outcomes. While its perspective is necessarily national in scope, it was conceived with the aim of informing the planning processes of State Pony Club Associations.

The Patron of Pony Club Australia is Olympic rider Heath Ryan.

Qualifications

Pony Club Australia offers qualifications in coaching and training in gear checking.

Centre membership

Horse ownership is not possible or desirable for everyone, but it should not be a barrier to participating in equestrian sport, recreation, and activity. For the first time in its 80-year history, Pony Club Australia have made it possible for people who do not have their own horse/pony, or exclusive use of a horse/pony to advance their skills through the Pony Club Australia programme of training and education. Funded by a 2019 "Move it Aus" grant from Sport Australia, Pony Club Australia has started Centre Membership. Riders who do not have their own horse/pony, or exclusive use of a horse/pony can become Centre Members of Pony Club Australia. Centre Membership is for youth and adult riders. Centre Members can develop their skills in horse handling, riding, care, knowledge and management by working their way through the syllabus and achieving internationally-recognised Certificates of Proficiency. Participation is made possible by Centre Members riding school horses at Pony Club Accredited Riding Centres across Australia. If Centre Members purchase or sole-lease a horse, they transfer to club membership and join one of over 800 Australian pony clubs.

Centre Membership is an active form of membership that has already been in place in other Pony Club countries, such as Linked Centres in the UK. Centre Membership is a new pathway to equestrian participation, horse ownership and Pony Club membership in Australia.

Disciplines

Pony Club Australia teaches riders the skills in riding, horse care and sportsmanship that are the foundations of recreational and competitive riding. In addition to the Olympic equestrian disciplines, Pony Club riders participate in a variety of sports, including the quintessential Australian horse riding events of polocrosse, campdrafting, team penning and Stockman’s Challenge.

Eventing

Pony Club holds events over the year. They are either run over 1 day (a one-day event) or 2 days (a two-day event or horse trials). 3 phases must be completed by the combination of horse and rider. Phase 1- Dressage Phase 2- Cross country Phase 3 - Show jumping The organisers may complete phases in whichever order but have to hold the dressage phase first.

There are different levels of competition called grades. There are grades 1–5, 1 being the highest, 5 being the lowest. Some Pony Clubs have an encourage event, but it is an unofficial event. Grade 1 max height = 1.05 m Grade 2 max height = 95 cm Grade 3 max height = 80 cm Grade 4 max height = 65 cm Grade 5 max height = 50 cm Encourage max height = 35 cm

Tetrathlon

Tetrathlon may lead on to Modern Pentathlon if riders take up fencing.

Mounted games/novelties

Mounted Games is a great equestrian sport at Pony Club and develops riding skills, teamwork and partnership with your horse. It is fun for competitors and exciting for spectators.

In 1994 the International Mounted Games were held in the Southern Hemisphere for the first time at Beverley, Western Australia, competing teams were from Canada, Great Britain, United States of America and Australia.

The Australian team won the International Mounted Games in 2019 and placed second in 2017 and 2018.

International Mounted Games competition is an annual event and will be hosted in Western Australia in 2020.

National championships

Pony Club Australia National Championships are held every second year, changing states every time. This includes eventing, games, show-jumping and dressage.

In 1995 the Pony Club Association of New South Wales hosted the first Pony Club National Championships at Wagga Wagga.[2]

The 2019 Thoroughbred Industry Careers Pony Club Australia National Championships were held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre from 7–13 October 2019.

The 2021 National Championships will be held in Victoria.

International teams and Inter-Pacific Championships

In 2019 Pony Club Australia has sent teams to compete in Mounted Games in the USA, Showjumping (Inter-Pacific championships) in Hong Kong and activities in China.  

Pony Club members travel with a coach and/or manager and applicants need to be resilient and capable of riding borrowed horses.

The 2020 International program includes competition in Tetrathlon, Mounted Games, Polocrosse and visits to China.

See also

References
  1. "Our History". www.ponyclubaustralia.com.au. Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  2. Pony club history Retrieved 2010-10-11
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