Southern Horse Magazine Page 39
Great Fun in the Pony Club Mounted Games
Northbourne, Caitlin Day (13) riding Poppy, Chantelle Day (11) riding Mandy, and from Ferndown sixth member Sophie Reis (9) are trained by Ian Mariner from Wimborne, who has been coaching the Poole & District Mounted Games team for over 10 years.
Ian was also selected by the Pony Club to train the Great Britain Mounted Games team in the World Team Championships in Kentucky in 2011 where they returned home victorious. The branch has competed at HOYS on two previous
Representing our region in the Pony Club Mounted Games was the Poole & District branch that was founded their President, Mrs J. Coleman, in 1973 and is part of Area 14. The branch is located in Dorset and borders Hampshire and Wiltshire.
Over 250 different branches started their campaign to qualify for just 6 places at HOYS, where the final of the Prince Philip Cup takes place, at Area competitions in the spring from there they
qualify to take part in Zone finals which leads them to their place at HOYS
Poole & District had some of the youngest riders taking part and qualified after winning their Area competition at Southfield House, Nr Frome on 21st
occasions, the last time was back in 2004 where they finished third, and before that in 1999 where Ian’s son Stewart was part of the team that
won the Prince Phillip Cup. April
2012, and the Pony Club National Championships at Cholmondeley Castle, Cheshire on 18th 2012.
August
The riders from Broadstone, Alice Fossey (15) riding Toby, Charlie Sutton (14) riding Rocky, and Rosie Pratt (13) riding Falan. From
This year was filled with highs and lows; two sessions are played each day and to warm up the riders for the main Prince Philip Cup competition HOYS ran the Equimax mounted games championship where all six teams take part in each session. Points accumulate for the overall competition and rosettes are awarded for each individual challenge.
Poole & District finished sixth in the last session of the Equimax cup during
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the Thursday afternoon performance and were drawn to be part of the four teams taking part in the first session for the Prince Philip cup on Thursday night where they came back into the Andrew Bowen arena determined to do well finishing in first place a full five points ahead of the nearest rival! Their team trainer said “We went from Zero to Hero in just one day, it’s an incredible feeling.” They went on to stand second on Saturday afternoon too but just missed out on gaining enough cumulative points to send them into the final shoot out on Sunday evening.
Each year HOYS introduces a new fun type of game that the riders have never seen before and includes the sixth team member. This year it was just as hilarious as in previous years and really fitted in well with mounted games sponsors Equimax – The Worm race. The first team member was dressed in a costume, representing a worm, this had the crowd in stitches with laughter as they children ran to the top of the arena, when they had crossed the line the next team member set off on their pony to fish a wriggly worm from the Equimax box on the centre line they had to gallop to the top where another team member hung the worm on a line four riders fished worms out of the box and when the last worm had been fished the ‘Worm’ was placed in a wheelbarrow and pushed down to the arena to the finish line. All sorts of techniques were used. Sophie was the worm and was pushed in the wheelbarrow by Chantelle, both girls could be heard giggling all the way to the finish! A brilliant race to witness and enjoyed by the children as much as the spectators. The Prince Philip Cup was won by the Oakley Hunt West branch from Bedforshire.
Photos Sebastian Oakley
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