In The Saddle
As always, Chipping Pony Club members have been keeping busy over the last month, both competing for the club and keeping up with their training, writes Megan Conlon
To kick off the month, our Senior Mounted Games team embarked on a journey to Cheshire Hunt South’s games competition. This was a brilliant way of practising for the upcoming Area Mounted Games competition in May. There have been many training sessions in the lead up to this, as well as the Winter League competitions which have just come to a close. It is always beneficial to get as much competition practice in as possible, as the competitive buzz of the other teams and the cheering crowds provide an entirely different environment for our brilliant ponies to race in compared to a training session.
Also representing our club, three of our members travelled to the Area Horse and Pony Care competition in South Lancashire. In this competition, members are asked to go into a number of different stables where they must complete a variety of tasks. These might include grooming a pony, identifying different types of saddle, demonstrating how to dress a wound, or discussing what to feed horses and ponies based on their physiology and workload. It is a great way for our members to demonstrate all their equine knowledge under the eyes of watchful examiners, competing against many other clubs in the area.
In preparing for this competition, members are taught how to do all things pony-care in a safe and correct way. This is invaluable for members of all ages, as it is important to know how to properly care for the animals who work so hard for us.
Another way this is taught is through achievement badges, which are particularly popular with our younger members – who wouldn’t want to be able to show off all your knowledge on your sleeves? This month we had a badge evening where members, under expert tuition, earned badges in a number of areas. Firstly, the equine behaviour badge was given to those who could accurately understand and interpret what a horse might be communicating with their body language. Then, members learnt about the basic needs of a pony in summer and winter, and how seasonal changes might affect how we care for a pony, before learning how to spot poisonous plants which might pose a danger to a pony in a field. They then learnt the proper names for horses’s colours and markings, followed by how to identify the points of the pony, which might be useful if they ever need to describe an injury to a vet.
To make all this possible, we often run fundraisers to raise money for the club, the money from which then goes back into the members. This month, we held a bingo fundraiser at Chipping Village Hall. This is always popular with locals and members alike, with great prizes to be won, from tea and biscuits to a roast beef hamper!
The Easter holidays, saw us holding an Easter egg hunt for the younger members (with some unavoidable tack cleaning too) as well as a rally for all ages where members prepare for their efficiency tests. These tests mark a person’s progress within the Pony Club, with the next one fast approaching at the end of April. Our members and their ponies continue to work hard in preparation for upcoming events and competitions. Roll on summer!
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
