Pony clubbers mount up for games championships
MOUNTED games riders have the late Prince Phillip to thank for the origins of their sport.
When Sir Mike Ansell was director of the Horse of the Year Show, the Queen’s husband asked if he could devise a competition for children who could not afford an expensive pony.
In 1957, the show staged the first Mounted Games Championship for the Prince Philip Cup and it was an immediate success.
The popularity of the games spread right across the world and Pony Club Australia’s Prince Phillip Mounted Games Championships took place in Canberra last weekend. Riders from each state competed on pool horses.
They had five minutes before each set to meet and learn the intricacies of a horse they had never ridden before that would be their mount for the next four races.
Luckily 60ml of rain the night before the event started didn't dampen spirits.
The seniors section was won by the West Australian team, with Tasmania second, NSW third, South Australia fourth and Victoria fifth.
Western Australia did it again with a victory in the juniors, with Victoria taking second place, NSW third, Tasmania fourth and the Northern Territory’s young team fifth.
GALLERY
(Click any image to expand)
Event images by HAYLEY MAY
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