A test success for Pony Club stars

An impressive number of Pony Club members have passed the organisation’s highest level of achievement — the A test — this year.

The A test, which includes separate exams for riding and horsecare, includes horsemanship, training young horses and handling mares and foals. It is a prestigious award, which is normally passed by just a handful of Pony Club members each year and is on a par with the BHS stage IV riding and horse care exam.

Candidates have to ride a number of unknown horses on the flat and over show jumping and cross-country fences during the exam, as well as demonstrating practical knowledge of lunging to improve a horse’s way of going and training young horses from backing to early competitions.

This year a total of 15 Pony Club members have passed the exam including:

• Gemma Tattersall (East Sussex), who was the highest placed member of the British team at the junior European Eventing Championships
• Ruth Kinsey (Badsworth)
• Harriet Carroll (Old Surrey and Burstow)
• Alex Postolowsky (Scunthorpe)
• Gemma Morris (Wilton)
• Soraya El-Khazen (Craven)
• Camilla Stewart-Wood (VWH)
• Matthew Ellis (Mendip Farmers), the only successful boy this year
• Sarah Turner (Chipping)
• Shona Galleitch (Lauderdale)
• Ffion Lowri Thomas (Gogerddan), one of just a handful of Welsh A test holders
• Joanne Little (Braes of Derwent (South)), 2002 Pony Club dressage champion
• Emma Robey (Meynell)
• Gemma Fisk (Southdown East)
• Anna Craigie (Deveron and District)

For more information about the Pony Club visit: www.pcuk.org

Check out this Thursday’s issue of Horse & Hound (9 October) for all the latest Pony Club news, including the Prince Philip Cup report from HOYS.

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