Pony Showjumping - Australia missing the mark

This article appeared in February 2019 Horse Deals magazine.

Unlike the rest of the horse world, Ireland, the UK, Europe and New Zealand, Australia has been left behind when it comes to official pony showjumping. Pony dressage has made a start here, but interestingly the ponies are often ridden by adults. Counteracting this, children are more often seen riding horses in official Children’s and Junior classes. If New Zealand can have official, quality and well attended pony jumping classes, why can’t we? It’s not as if we don’t have ponies here and good ones; Snowy River Ginger Meggs and Alcheringa Tradition immediately come to mind, but there are thousands of Welsh bred ponies out there that could and would do the job.

According to the FEI, pony rider competitions are an important element in the development of equestrian sport around the world. The FEI administers Pony European and World Championships for Dressage, Eventing and Showjumping as well as a World Cup like FEI Pony Jumping Trophy competition. Australia is eligible to send a representative to the Pony Trophy Final, but alas we do not have the qualifying competition in Australia. Our children are all too keen to get on horses, but if there was the possibility of making the Australian Pony team to the World Championships or the Pony Trophy Final, they would be keen to stay on or ride ponies.

International showjumping couple, Michelle and Peter McMahon took their girls, Maleah, Emily and Elkie to Ireland recently and the trip involved pony jumping competitions. “Pony jumping is very strong in Ireland” says Michelle. “The classes start with 1.28m ponies for riders under 12 and go up to 1.48m (14.2hh) for riders under 17. They are miniature jumping riders and the likes of Bertram Allen and Michael Duffy and doubtless many other Irish international riders started their careers with the ponies. By the time they are in junior classes, they are already experienced and competitive jumping riders and it is why Ireland does so well in Nations Cup competitions. The riders have already had international team experience before they are 18 and that goes for riders from Great Britain and Europe as well.

“My daughter, Maleah rode ponies, but she was keen to get on the horses as soon as she could and I was happy for her to do so, but she went from winning everything to not winning a ribbon for 12 months. However, if the pony competition was as prestigious here as it is overseas, I am sure she would have stayed with the ponies for longer. We should have pony classes and I could run some classes at Aquis, but I think I would only have a few starters. In my opinion the pony advance needs to come from Victoria for a culture to develop. I know they have had pony jumping competitions at Boneo, but at this point in time it is unofficial.”

“We were disappointed with the turn out for the pony classes we had at the Australian Championships last year,” adds Scott McNaught, Showjumping Director at Boneo Park. “However, if there were a demand we would run specialist pony classes, but what is needed is the desire to have the classes and an official body to run them.”

“We are a century behind the rest of the world” continues Michelle, “but we have good ponies. That culture would include producing the ponies and if there was decent demand, the professionals would produce ponies. It would be a winner for the pony breeders too, as not all the ponies can be successful show ponies and just about every Welsh pony can jump. I know a number of Australian ponies have been sold to make very successful hunter jumper ponies in the USA.

“Angela Dobbin got the Children’s Championship up and running at the Nationals a few years ago and it has proved successful. The riders are 14 and under, but for the children’s they are allowed to ride horses. Charlie Dobbin, Angela’s daughter is eleven and rides a horse, but again if the ponies were prestigious, she would have spent more time on them before stepping up to a horse. The children’s classes could be divided in to section A and B, A for the ponies and B for the horses. That would involve a course change, as all the pony classes are built to accommodate a pony stride and are true distances for them. Ponies here that jump in open competition have the added complication of horse distances. The pony competition would be another competition for EA to administer, however if each discipline administered their own sport under the umbrella of EA, it might be possible to find the positive culture to include FEI pony competition. Equestrian Sport New Zealand run a strong pony jumping programme, we should too and I would be happy to support the ponies at the competitions I run, if there is a demand.”

Story: Anna Sharpley.

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