Hi Members,
A huge welcome back to another fun year at pony club. I hope you have all enjoyed a summer break and are looking forward to an exciting year ahead with your ponies and horses, whether it be at rallies, at home in the paddock, riding with friends or out and about competing.
Welcome!
A new year brings new members and this month we are very pleased to welcome Samantha Woods, Hannah Bird and Lily King who officially join us as members this month. We also welcome Lauren Rossin back to the club after a brief break and once again we have some guest riders joining us at the Feb rally, so please be sure to welcome them aboard and make their day at our club a great day!
2014 Christmas Rally and Awards.
Wow, what a great day and night we enjoyed at our Christmas rally and party! The change this year to a team format seemed to be a winner and it was fantastic to see our junior and senior riders come together to compete, albeit in a fun and very positive environment.
Thank you to Britt, Dani, Abbey, Jess, Brigitte, Sheridan and Ciara – our team leaders on the day who all did a wonderful job, aptly leading their teams through a huge variety of events and all the time making sure that fun was the number one priority! Their job was made all the easier by the attitude of all of our riders, parents and supporters in getting into the spirit of the event – so a big thank you to everyone, including our resident photographer Jaz Gill, who wasn’t riding on the day, but spent the whole day taking some magnificent shots.
A great deal of work also went into organising and setting up this event. Friends, family, riders, past riders and parents all pitched in to help. A special thank you to Bec & Craig, Maddie Ray (past member), Lisal O’Brien, Britt Salthouse, Abbey Turnbull, Ciara Hanlon, the Brocksopps and John & Rosalie O’Sullivan (my parents) who all worked very hard preparing the grounds for the Christmas rally.
The fun continued at night and a huge thank you also to Cathy Theuma and family for organising such a fantastic evening with entertainment for everyone.
If you couldn’t make it to our Christmas party and awards presentation, a list of the 2014 winners is outlined below. If you have not yet received your trophy, please see us at the rally.
PCAV Certificates
Presentation of certificates to our recent C Cert graduates will take place at the Feb rally during lunchtime.
Commencement of Certificate work for the 2015 year will commence at the March rally, starting at the beginner E certificate level through to C Certificate (pending numbers).
For any riders who are interested in completing their K Certificate, NMZ are holding an information night on 16th February at the Ringwood Pony Club – please contact me if you require any further information.
Grading and Groups
Grading and grouping is not an exact science and often a rider’s ability can vary across the disciplines. With this in mind, we work very hard to ensure that our riders are placed in groups that allow the group to operate at a similar level where everyone can learn, be challenged and enjoy the rally.
Please remember that pony club rallies are not intended to provide the same level of instruction as a private lesson and sometimes a group lesson can flow tremendously, and sometimes they don’t! We ask parents and riders to remain positive and encouraging when someone is having a tough day.
For senior riders in the “Ring to ride” section, please choose your showjumping and x country sessions wisely. If you wish to ride above your graded level, please seek approval from myself or Bec before the lesson and if you haven’t ridden for some time, please choose a session where you will be able to participate safely and will not delay the group unnecessarily.
A reminder that riders wishing to be re graded or graded for the first time, need to come and see us before the rally starts.
Flat Teams, Pairs & Musical Ride 2015 –Fun, Team events!
A meeting will be held at lunchtime at the Feb rally for any riders interested in participating in these events this year. The musical ride is a fun team event and riders do not need to be graded to participate in this event. Further information is contained in the link below.
The Qualifiers for the State events are being held on the 15th March, which does not leave us with a lot of time to get teams organised and practicing!
http://www.ponyclubvic.org.au/?Page=72
Look forward to seeing you at the rally.
Sinéad
YHPC AWARDS 2014
| PERPETUAL AWARDS | WINNER
2014 |
| Don Currie Memorial Trophy | Ciara Hanlon |
| Peter Worrell Eventing Award | Brittany Salthouse |
| Marchesi Dressage Award | Brigitte Theuma |
| Dawn Hayden Showjumping Award | Abbey Turnbull |
| Grade 3 Dressage Award | Jasmine Gill |
| Pam Ellis G3 Eventing Award | Kristen Press |
| C Grade Showjumping Award | Jessica Grant |
| The DVHRC Junior Achievement Award | Georgia Bissicks |
| The Smith Family Showing Award | Emily Gamble |
| Derlwyn Joshua Gymkhana Award | Madeline Ballinger |
| Ken Hubbard Most Improved | Emily O’Brien |
| The Salthouse Games Award | Rose Stephen |
YHPC AWARDS 2014
| ANNUAL AWARDS | WINNER 2014 |
| Junior Eventing Award | Rebecca Press |
| Junior Dressage Award | Lucy Yob |
| Junior Showjumping Award | Ashley Davies |
| DC’S Award | Sheridan King |
| DC’S Award | Rosie Brocksopp |
| Encouragement Award (Junior) | Alice Davies |
| Encouragement Award (Senior) | Cassie Zaccagnini |
Team Challenge 2014 Results
| Team | Place | Score |
| Prancers (Ciara Hanlon) | 1st | 64 |
| Blitzens (Sheridan King) | 2nd | 58 |
| Dancers (Abbey Turnbull) | 3rd | 45 |
| Dashers (Danielle Apted) | 4th | 39 |
| Vixens (Britt Salthouse) | 5th | 30 |
| Comets (Brigitte Theuma) | 6th | 17 |
| Cupids (Jess Grant) | 7th | 16 |