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Pony Club Moves to ‘Plan B’
Pony Club Australia has moved to offer alternative physical activity, horse management training and connection for its 40,000 members in the wake of the COVID-19 restrictions.
CEO Dr Catherine Ainsworth said many activities have moved online as Pony Club Australia supports its State Offices and 800 plus Clubs in keeping members occupied and interested.
(Do you have any photos of your horses doing the right thing? Send them in to PCA via messenger or Facebook or email info@ponyclubaustralia.com.au)
“Pony Club rallies and riding competitions have shut down all over the country,” she said. “Equestrians are good at restricting activities - look how successfully we stopped the Equine Influenza in 2007 when it reached Australia. Everything stopped and we managed to eradicate it before it took hold, and Australia is Equine Influenza free again.”
Pony Club Plan B includes:
• A 10,000 steps a day challenge for teams in April, prompted by ideas from Sport Australia, where time spent riding also counts in step totals (10 minutes riding equals 1000 steps)
• The first ever National Online Quiz Series in real time (where members login in and compete by doing a timed quiz at their own level)
• Horse-related craft activities
• Online workouts for riders provided by The Riders Pod https://theriderspod.com.au/
• Exclusive members only discounts to online education and certification programs
• Educational online videos to watch
• Competitions involving sending in videos of members riding or completing unmounted set tasks.
“The important thing is we support each other until members, their families, coaches, and supporters can gather together in Clubs and at competitions again to pursue our enjoyment of riding and caring for horses,” Dr Ainsworth said.
“When this is over, the initiatives in Plan B will continue in some form as riders and horses often have time out for various reasons and because we want to help riders develop a full range of skills.”
More information: http://www.ponyclubaustralia.com.au/Events/PonyClubPlanB.aspx
Dr Catherine Ainsworth
CEO, Pony Club Australia
m: 0438 174 222
E: ceo@ponyclubaustralia.com.au
Bronwyn Wheatley
Marketing and Development Officer, Pony Club Australia M: 0423 823 190
E: marketing@ponyclubaustralia.com.au
