Pony Club caps off a year of success

Margaret River Pony Club ended the year on a high, bringing home a haul of accolades from the 2024 Pony Club WA Annual Awards night at the State Equestrian Centre in Brigadoon.

The night honoured both leaderboard winners and nominated riders for their achievements over the year.

The leaderboard results were a culmination of places and points accrued over the year at various statewide events.

MRHPC riders placed in the Dressage, Showjumping and Eventing categories, while the club was also nominated for Club of the Year. Charlotte Henshall was nominated for Best Achievement by a rider 12 years and under, and Emmy Fielding received a nomination for Best Achievement by a rider 13-17 years.

While not taking out the winning gongs, the recognition is an incredible achievement for the Club and the riders.

Dressage – Dressage is a program of creating suppleness, balance and obedience work that prepares a horse for pleasure riding or competition. In competition, horses and riders perform tests which reflect the movements used in schooling and so, assess the horse’s progress towards the goal of correct training, calmness and cooperation. MRHPC riders competed in a range of tests of varying difficulty.

Best placed Off the Track horse

1st – Sophie Morrison and Mississippian

Elementary level

1st – 17 -24 yrs Ashlyn O’Brien and Dizzy

Novice level

5th – 17-24 yrs Sophie Morrison and Powderbark Orlaith

3rd – 14-16 yrs Emmy Fielding and Bramley Park Sugarman

6th – 14-16 yrs Hannah Kerr and BP Georgie Boy

5th – 8-13 yrs Holly Kerr and Michigan

Preliminary level

1st – 17-24 yrs Sophie Morrison and Mississippian

4th – 17 -24 yrs Ashlyn O’Brien and JVH Saviour Faire

2nd – 14-16 yrs Emmy Fielding and Bramley Park Sugarman

8th – 14-16 yrs Hannah Kerr and BP Georgie Boy

1st – 11 years and under Charlotte Henshall and HP Sweetest Edition

4th – 11 years and under Pippa Jakovich and Sir Dusty

Preparatory level

2nd – 11 years and under Charlotte Henshall and HP Sweetest Edition

4th – 11 years and under Sunny Cowen and Jemara Cassia

Eventing – The horse and rider combination need to be well trained for the dressage phase, brave for the cross-country phase and careful in the show jumping. The cross-country phase involves jumping up to 18- 20 fences in natural terrain at speed to a set time.

PC 65 cm

8th – 9-12 yrs Ruby Hancock and Old Station Leo

PC 45 cm

4th – 13-24 years Sophie Morrison and Powderbark Orlaith

Showjumping – Showjumping classes require horse and rider to negotiate a series of obstacles in a set course over a given period of time. Faults are incurred with dropped rails and failure to completed the course in the allocated time.

60-70 cm course

10th – 13-16 yrs Hannah Kerr and BP Georgie Boy

As the MRHPC moves into the 2025 season under the direction of Chief Coach Tanya Still and her team of coaches, riders can look forward to the annual Dressage and Show Jumping series held at Margaret River as well as other equestrian events in the South West.

Entries are currently been taken for the first of the Showjumping Series at Margaret River on February 9.