In The Saddle
The days are getting colder, the clocks have gone back, but Chipping Pony Club is staying active throughput the autumn with competitions and training, writes Megan Conlan
Chipping Pony Club’s newest members have been taking full advantage of all the opportunities offered at Pony Club with the resuming of the Winter League competitions. These competitions take place across a wide range of equine disciplines including dressage, showjumping and mounted games and give members the chance to represent Chipping Branch against 15 other branches in our area.
For many of our members, it is their first season of the Winter League and these competitions can be an excellent stepping stone to the Area competitions in spring and summer where winning members can qualify for the National Championships!
The first of these competitions was Mounted Games, a discipline which has been hugely popular within the club even since it was founded in 1977. Members donned their Chipping red and raced their socks off against the other teams, weaving in and out of poles, placing items on tables and chanting each other’s names in support. We are proud to say our Novice Juniors came seventh and our Juniors came third. This is a huge achievement for all but particularly for the bunch who had never competed in Mounted Games before.
The next Winter League competition was the 12-and-unders and 10-and-unders showjumping. These younger age categories are brimming with new talent and there is always an encouraging environment being fostered for the beginners. Our members took full advantage of this and put their hard work to good use around some tricky courses.
In preparation for upcoming competitions, Winter League and other training has been continuing as ever. Some of our older members travelled to Kelsall Hill Equestrian Centre for Arena Eventing training with David Llewellyn, who gave superb tuition. This was another reminder that even when members have been in Pony Club their whole lives, there is always room for improvement, especially given the unpredictability and changeability of horses. There is always a new challenge to tackle. That is one of many reasons why members stay for so long – the maximum age to be a Pony Club member is 24 years old.
Members of all ages came together at the All-Day Rally at Charity Farm, receiving excellent cross-disciplinary tuition. Members got to go out on the cross-country field and tackle some of the solid fences, a very different skill to showjumping, which is in an enclosed area with fences that can fall if touched. They, of course, had to have a splash in the water too!
In the coming weeks, members will be preparing for more Winter League competitions with regular training sessions being held. We are also having a wreath-making fundraiser at Chipping Village Hall on Sunday 26th November.
To sign up contact Sarah Fishwick on: chipping@pcuk.org
If you’d like to know more about Pony Club, in particular Chipping Branch, please contact the District Commissioner Joanne Conlon 01200 445143 or email: chipping@pcuk.org
