Donald and District Pony Club has seen a much-needed boost in riding memberships this year, increasing almost double in number, with the introduction of four new members to the club.

Earlier in the year, Paige Brusnahan returned to the Pony Club community for the first time since childhood. As a new mum, Paige couldn’t wait to get back in the saddle on her stockhorse, “Chilli”, and also attends rallies with her daughter’s future riding pony, “Dixie”, in tow, indicating another pair set to join the club in coming years.

At its April rally held at the pony club grounds in Donald on Sunday, April 6, the club welcomed new members Cheyenne Ryan riding her black pony “Thunder”, Jessie Adams on the tiny chestnut “Ollie” and Chelsea Hart sharing Chilli the stockhorse with Paige.

And not only did they bring their excitement, in a welcome change, they brought with them a host of spectators!

The club warmly welcomes visitors, so it was wonderful to have parents and grandparents show up to watch the kids ride, spread out along the fenceline in support of our local equestrians and lifting everyone’s spirits.

New member Chelsea Hart riding “Chilli”, New member Cheyenne Ryan riding her black pony ”Thunder”, New member Jessie Adams on the tiny chestnut “Ollie” and mum Linda leading, New member Paige Brusnahan (right) with baby Sophie. Her horse chilli is being shared with another new member Chelsea Hart (left), Paige’s nana and Sophie’s great-nana Lyn Carter (centre) was a welcome spectator at the April rally. Photos: The Buloke Times

Easter egg hunt

To begin the rally, new members took to the grounds with enthusiasm, joining the seasoned riders for an Easter egg hunt, where horse and handler traipsed the grounds searching for shiny chocolate treasures.

It wasn’t just about the Easter eggs though, this exercise was to develop horsemanship.

As horses were led around, they needed to maintain a respectful distance from their handler, walk or trot as they were led to, stop when their human stopped and generally “behave” as they explored the different areas of the grounds.

Obstacles

Following this, horses were saddled up ready for the group lesson with instructor, Corrrie Potter.

At a walking pace, riders were directed through a range of different obstacles set up around the arena.

There were barrels to circle, cones to weave through, poles to walk through and over, and a squeeze between two plastic drums.

Then everyone picked up the pace to try trotting, with the more experience riders taking the whole arena, while those still new to the saddle stayed nearer to Corrie for handy instruction as needed.

Laughter and smiles were all round as the group stopped for the lunch break, with individual lessons held in the afternoon for those who requested more time on horseback.

It was great to see the pony club grounds spring to life at this rally and members hope it becomes a frequent occurrence; spectators are warmly welcomed, even with no prior affiliation with the club, if you have an interest, come along and have a look!

Meetings at the club will now move to the third Sunday of the month, with the next date scheduled to be Sunday, May 18.

For more up to date notices, or for more information, please check out the Donald Pony Club’s Facebook page, or contact Jill McEwen on 0428 915 269.

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 18 April 2025.