NEWSLETTER #57 APR / MAY 2011

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1 NEWSLETTER #57 APR / MAY 2011 Hi Pony Clubbers, Wow, after a committee meeting full of ideas we have lots to tell you this month. So get out your diary now and mark all of the upcoming events! PAST EVENTS: Flags of the Equestrian Nations and Equine Behaviour Testing We had a lovely turnout for the testing of these two badges. Congratulations to the following members who passed:- Equine Behaviour Mini Pony Behaviour Flags Monique Talya Brittany Lome Erin Caitlin L Chelsea Connor H. Natasha Brittany Melissa Melissa Connor H Morgan Chelsea Sasha-Lee Mrs T Caitlin L Nicole Mrs T Nicole Easter Rally Lots of fun was had by all. (Even though there were some melted eggs and eggs that were eaten by the resident cat!!!) Our members proved too clever and found all the hidden eggs far too quickly and effortlessly resulting in the rally being shorter than expected! Members then participated in a few mounted game activities, and everyone received Easter egg hampers and sweet packs. The rally was held at Vega, and their riders were invited to join us for the day, to experience Pony Club. We trust that they found it egg-citing and we were very happy to host them! We are happy to advise that we gained a new member on the day, and hope to be able to welcome more to our Pony Club family soon. Newsletter #57 Page 1

2 COMING UP : Badge Testing : Equine Behaviour and Flags of the Equestrian Nation 28 th April Venue : Justine s house. 9 Napier Street, Crystal Park 3.00pm As promised, for those who missed the last testing session during the holidays, here is a new date for you. Please remember to bring along your R30 (per badge) if you want to do the test. If you still require the information sheets / workbooks for these badges, please speak to Nicole and she will send them to you. Note that you must have attended tuition on these two subjects to qualify. Loony Olympics Unmounted rally Monday, 2 nd May Venue : Ostlers Inn Hazel Road, Benoni Agricultural Holdings 10am (approx.) Come and have lots of fun with your fellow Pony Club members on this public holiday! No horse needed - just a smile on your face and plenty of laughs. This is a great opportunity to socialise with other members so please make every effort to attend. There will be plenty of fun games and events. Wear your jeans and Pony Club T-shirts / jackets. Tuck shop will be available. Hope to see you all there! Official Mounted Rally : Cross Country Venue : Dress: Saturday, 7 th May Arthur Valentine s Leopard Street 10am (Inspection start!) Formal pony club attire (change into your T-shirt later) It was requested that we introduce members to cross country and this is a perfect venue, not too far from all of us. Members can get the opportunity to learn more about cross country jumping and give it a try. There are two jump heights (60cm and 80cm). Tuition will be given to assist you and advise on the correct way to approach and jump the various types of X-Country jumps! For the younger ones, tuition will be given in the arena. So there is something for everyone. This is an official mounted rally so you will receive points for attendance. If you do not have a pony, your are welcome to come Unmounted and still earn attendance points! Please take note that there will be Inspection before we start the rally, so ensure that you and your pony are turned out correctly! (If you are not sure about how to correctly turn out for Inspection, please ask Nicole and she will send you a sheet on all the necessary codes!) Tuck shop will be available Newsletter #57 Page 2

3 Tuition : Lorinery Achievement Badge Wednesday 18 th May (provisional) Venue : Double TT Stables, Sports Road, Fairleads 13h00 A few if our senior members missed out last year when this (advanced level) badge was done, and so we can now offer another opportunity to give tuition on Lorinery. What is lorinery? It s all about bits! So this is going to be a very interesting afternoon learning about the different types of bits and where / how they work on the horse. Everyone is welcome to come and learn something.. However, please note that due to the difficulty level and the prescribed minimum C-Test holder restriction, only qualified members will be invited to take the test when a testing date is set. Tuition and Testing : Mini Road Rider Venue : TBA (middle May) Double TT Stables, Sports Road, Fairleads TBA This is especially for our younger members (mini badge). Some of you have attended the Road Rider DVD evening a little while back, and learnt about road safety. Now you can get some practical experience on a pony at Mrs T s. There will be some revision tuition and the test will follow on the day. Please contact Mrs T if you are interested in doing this test. Remember to bring along your R30.00 for the testing. Pony Club Inter Branch Venue: 28 th and 29 th May Dunblane Regional have today confirmed the above date and venue for this much-anticipated Annual Pony Club event! Have you qualified to participate? Remember you have to attend rallies if you want to participate at the Inter Branch Competition. There is something for everyone. Little League, Showjumping, Equitation and Dressage. So if you have missed a rally or two and want to compete, please ensure that you attend the events above! The schedule and entry forms will be ed to our members as soon as we receive it from Regional. FURTHER AHEAD : Official Rally : Tuition for Loading, Bandaging & Rugging, and Turnout of horse and rider Achievement Badges Newsletter #57 Page 3

4 Saturday 11 th June Venue : Ostlers Inn, Hazel Road, Benoni Agricultural Holdings 9am (approx.) There are a lot of members who have not yet done the Loading (boxing) Achievement Badge, or the Bandaging & Rugging badge. This will be your opportunity to get tuition so we can set a date for your testing! Why two you ask? Well, because you need to put rugs and bandages on your horse prior to boxing, these two badges really go hand in hand! Those members who have already done these two badges, will be happy to know that a NEW badge has been introduced into the Pony Club syllabus Turn out of horse and rider!! You will receive tuition on how to correctly turnout yourself and your horse for Shows (and Pony Club Inspection!) etc. Unfortunately there is no mini badge for any of these but our younger members can all learn from the tuition, so please do come along. Once you are a little bigger you will then be able to do the badge and you will have lots of knowledge! Proficiency Testing 25 th June Venue : Kingsdale Equestrian Centre (to be confirmed) TBA We will be doing tests from E-Test to C-Prelim level. Please remember too, that if you want to do testing you must be an active and paid-up member (ie. You must have a good attendance record!) If you want to do your next test, please contact Nicole so she can make your reservation. Our new members are invited to consider doing their E-Test. This is our entry-level test, aimed at younger (or less experienced riders), and is very easy! So, if you would like to know more, please feel free to contact Nicole and she can forward you some information on what the test covers. For those doing higher levels, we would like to remind you that, ideally, you should have done some of the more basic Achievement Badges which are aimed at providing you with the skills and knowledge that you will need to pass your particular level of test! We have a handful of members who will be aiming for their C Advanced level Proficiency Test! This testing will be done at the end of the year as we feel that due to the high standards expected, our members will benefit from a little more time to prepare themselves and ensure that their knowledge and technical riding skills are up to scratch. We are hoping to arrange some practice sessions and mock exams to assist you, and will advise in due course. Visit to Turfontein Race Track 2 nd July (provisional) (Very) Early morning!!! Arrangements will be made to meet at an advised venue and follow through together to Turfontein. We have managed to organise a visit to the Turfontein Racecourse, and just need to confirm the date. One of their trainers will be giving us a talk on the training requirements for a Racehorse, and we will Newsletter #57 Page 4

5 then be allowed to watch an actual training / practice session, followed by the thrill of sitting in the crowd and watching a real, live race on the track!! As the SAPS mounted unit is based at the venue, we are considering also making time to visit them afterwards. Important Note : This is a very early morning start and probably an all-day thing! We request that all members please ensure they have a parent/guardian with them, as we feel that taking on the responsibility of all the children (especially younger members) is too great and unfair to place on the Committee. Thank you for your understanding in this regard. This is going to be a fun and interesting day, so please try and attend!!! Something for the whole family Car Rally Venue : 13 th August (provisional) Starting at Mikes Kitchen, Rynfield Terrace (to be confirmed) TBA Some of you might have read about the local Car Rally in the Benoni City Times recently. Louise De Waldon Holmes has created a fun car rally for Benoni Pony Club - ideal for the whole family! Bring out mum and dad, brother and sister and participate in this rally (with horse-related clues!) driving around collecting clues and going to various places (in Benoni area) based on information that you have been given. Guaranteed to be good fun!!!! What a lovely opportunity to get your whole family involved in Pony Club. As this is a fund raiser, a Registration Fee for each car entering will be required. More information will follow closer to the time. BIRTHDAY WISHES: Congratulations to the following member(s) who will soon be celebrating their Birthdays :- Daniella Tondi (20 th April) Amy Flockhart (17 th May)\ On behalf of all of us at Benoni Pony Club, we wish you a Happy Birthday. May you have many more!! NEW MEMBERS: The following member(s) have recently joined Pony Club :- Newsletter #57 Page 5

6 Natasha Pienaar (ex-member from a few years back!) Kristen Musterd (ex-member of Benoni and now transferred from Sedibeng Branch!) Kendra Evans (Vega) A very big, warm welcome to all of you, we trust that you will have lots of fun and learn a great deal at Pony Club!! GENERAL: Please remember (for safety reasons) when you are at a Pony Club rally, a show or any gathering with your horse or pony, that you tie a red ribbon in his tail if he is prone to kicking. Also, if you are in a situation where there are plenty of horses in close proximity, do not bunch up together and try to keep a safe distance between you and others. If one horse spooks it can trigger a nervous response by all the other horses (and riders!) around you. Going back to attendance.once again, we reiterate that if you want to participate in tests and inter branch competitions, to avoid disappointment you MUST ensure that you attend rallies! This is a Pony Club Rule. If you have not attended rallies, you will be listed as an inactive member - do not be upset when the committee have to turn down your application for a test or entry. Now, a serious topic African Horse Sickness is on the rampage!!! We would like to urge our members who have their own ponies, to please take all the necessary precautions to prevent them being infected with this deadly virus (which is transmitted through the bite of a specific midge ( miggie ). Gauteng is being hit very hard this season so be vigilant. Check your pony often.. the quicker you call the vet and get treatment, the better the outcome. Food for thought: If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question or asked the question wrong Happy Riding BENONI BRANCH OF PONY CLUB COMMITTEE Nicole ( ) nicole.taylor@iburst.co.za Justine ( ) jharpin@tis-sa.com Sunette ( ) Mrs T. ( ) rttremaine@mweb.co.za Gideon ( ) lord@vodamail.co.za Maggie ( ) accounts maggie@cailim.co.za Justine ( ) jharpin@tis-sa.com Newsletter #57 Page 6

7 Dates to diarise: 28 TH April 3.00pm 2 nd May 10am 7 th May 10am 19 th May 1pm Middle May DATE DESCRIPTION VENUE Badge Testing: Justine s House Equine Behaviour 9 Napier Street Mini Equine Behaviour Crystal Park Flags Loony Olympics No Horse required, lots of fun come and socialise Official Rally (mounted) Cross Country Rally incl. inspection Badge Tuition Lorinery Badge Badge Tuition & Testing Mini Road Rider 28 th & 29 th May Pony Club Inter Branch Competition 11 th June Official Rally (unmounted) 9am Loading and bandaging and rugging Turn out of horse and rider 25 th June Proficiency Testing E C Prelim Testing 13 August Car Rally For the whole family and lots of fun 2 nd July (TBC) Outing Go to a racing yard and learn all about training and racing horses Ostlers Inn Hazel Road Benoni Agricultural Holdings Arthur Valentine s Leopard Street Double TT Stables Sports Road Fairleads Double TT Stables Sports Road Fairleads Dunblane, bredell Ostlers Inn Hazel Road Benoni Agricultural Holdings Kingsdale Equestrian Centre Holdings Road Fairleads Meet at Mikes Kitchen Turfontein Newsletter #57 Page 7