NEWSLETTER #62 SEPT/OCT 2011 Hi Pony Clubbers, This is the last month of the Pony Club year. We have attached new Membership Forms with this mailing. Everyone has to re-register for the new year and fill out new forms with up-dated details for our records. Please ensure that you return your membership form as soon as possible (e-mails accepted), or alternatively you can hand them in at the prizegiving, to ensure that you benefit from continued Pony Club membership. (Annual membership lapses on the 30 th September and annual subs are due on by the 1 st October!!) Membership costs for 2011 remain at R200 per member for re-registration, and R250 for NEW members which includes the Pony Club metal badge. Of course, with the end of the Pony Club year comes prize giving s and AGM s so please see below in the newsletter for more details. An urgent appeal to any/all members who won floating trophies at last year s event, to please ensure that your name & year (2010) has been engraved on a plaque, and that it is returned to any Committee members, by the end of September!! Your co-operation in this regard would be appreciated. Benoni Pony Club is really keeping up to date with all the new technology! Lome has now set up a BBM group for Pony Club so you can keep in touch with all your Pony Club Friends and also hear about upcoming events and activities. So if you have a BBM Pin number please advise Nicole (or your Squadron leader) so we can set you up on the group. You may note we have amended next year s Membership Form to include BBM pins in order to make it easier for Squadron Leaders to keep in touch! PAST EVENTS: Lorinery Badge On the 20 th August, Melissa and Lome were tested on the Lorinery Badge and we are glad to say They passed! Well Done! Melissa has now qualified to receive her Blue Cross Equine Welfare merit badge, as she has managed to pass all ten of the stipulated Achievement Badges required for this award Congrats Melissa! Newsletter #62 Page 1
Quiz Evening The Inter-Squadron Quiz Evening was held on the 26 th August. Thanks again to Maggie for the use of her lapa! Nicole and Phillip set some tough questions but all our members were up to the challenge and did well - including our adult team! Results were as follows 1 st Place : Arabs 2 nd Place : Lippies 3 rd Place : T/B s Although the Arab team only consisted of 3 members, they were awarded the (Phillip Roberts) Quiz shield as the winning team well done Chelsea, Caitlin and Connor!! The adult s team did very well too. Well done to everyone who participated. Catch-Up tuition and Testing for Achievement Badges A final catch up on tuition and testing for achievement badges that some of our members had missed was held on both the 2 nd and 3 rd September. Congratulations to the following members who passed various badges: Brylee passed Loading, Feeding, Mucking Out, and Bandaging & Rugging badges Connor Haw passed the big feeding badge Natasha passed the Bandaging and Rugging badge, and the Loading badge Kristen passed the Bandaging and Rugging badge Carolyn passed her Mucking out badge. Carolyn, Donovan and Kristen received tuition for feeding and a date will be set for you to do the test. Donovan and Kristen are also yet to be tested for their Mucking out Badges (and Kristen for Loading). Nicole will arrange a convenient time with you as soon as possible. Regional Quiz This was held in Walkerville on the 11 th September. There were 8 teams participating at this years event - 3 from Walkerville, 3 from Riverpark and 2 from Benoni. Team 1 : Chelsea, Brylee, Caitlin and Chanel (Their team WON!!!! Yippee!! Well Done!) Team 2: Brittany, Melissa, Donovan and Kristen (Their team came 3 rd Well done!) As you can see Benoni did extremely well! Just shows that we know our stuff! Poor Brittany had her Matric Farewell the night before and only got home at 7am, had 2 hours sleep and was then woken up to stand-in last minute as one of the team members were unable to attend! Thank you Britt! That is true Pony Club dedication!!! Newsletter #62 Page 2
We would love more members to participate, so please come and join in the branch and regional competitions. For the quiz, you don t need a horse, so you don t have the expense of getting the horse to the venue. So no excuses!! Side Saddle Rally This had to be postponed and we will look into doing something along these lines at a later stage. COMING UP: Mounted Games Practice Date : Sunday, 25 th September Venue : Cnr 2 nd Ave and 4 th Road, Bredell Time : 9.30am For all of you who want to prepare yourself and your horse/pony for the games! Come and enjoy a morning of practice with us. Regional has advised us that they will be unable to host the Games in October this year (as is the norm), and have decided to schedule for early next year. So that gives us more time to practice!! Other practice dates will follow. It is important that you attend these if you want to be in a team. Western Riding Date : Sunday, 23rd October Venue : Next door to Ostlers Inn (Please park your horseboxes at Ostlers Inn, and walk across!) Time : morning ( t.b.a.) This promises to be a really fun-filled and eventful rally. We really hope you can all make it! There will be a demonstration on the discipline of Western Riding whereafter our host has arranged for us to all compete in a mini show. Rosettes and Certificates up for grabs, as well as a prize for the best dressed cowboy.so bring your horse along and join in the fun. There is no cost involved! We will email you more detailed information prior to this rally. Diarise this date everyone! Avis Derby (Not a pony club rally just for those who are interested..) Date : 9 th October Venue : Kylami Equestrian Park Time : 8am Newsletter #62 Page 3
If you would like to sell programmes at the gate and get free entry to the Derby then please urgently contact Michelle : Michelle@optionsit.co.za. They are looking for 10 members throughout all of the Pony Clubs to assist. Prize Giving and AGM Date : Sunday 30 th October Venue : TBA (Old Bens Sports Club, Rynfield) Time : 11am We will start with the AGM and then follow on with the prize giving. The braai / social afterwards, has met with great success over the past two years, and we would like to continue with this new tradition. It is a wonderful opportunity for the parents to meet and socialise. We will be sending out Invitations to all our members very shortly, so please diarise this date and make sure you can attend this important event. (Every member will receive a medal for their Squadron placings!) Pony Club Camp Date : 10 & 11 th December Venue : TBA Time : TBA As per our previous Newsletter, negotiations are underway for our Pony Club a camp! In the meantime, book this weekend for the camp so that you can participate. A full and exciting programme will be organised to keep our members very busy, with lots of fun to be had by all!!! OTHER Well done to Lome, who recently represented the EGR at Inter Regionals in Equitation and Showing. She achieved a 4 th Place individually for Equitation and her team came 2 nd! Well done Lome, we are very proud of you! There is an eventing show happening on the 25 th September and 2 nd October at Presidents Park in Springs and they are urgently looking for jump judges. If you are one of the older members and would like to assist please contact Mariette 082 889 2122 or Justine 084 583 6487 for more information. BIRTHDAY WISHES: Congratulations to the following member(s) who will soon be celebrating their Birthdays :- Donovan Nowers (14 th October) Newsletter #62 Page 4
On behalf of all of us at Benoni Pony Club, we wish you a Happy Birthday. May you have many more!! GENERAL: With the end of the Pony Club year drawing to an end, please ensure that if you owe any money to please do so urgently so that Maggie can close off the books for the financial year. Thank you for your assistance. Food for thought: If I had a horse, I d ride off in the sunset, where dreams, and shadows lie. To a life, where pain and sorrow don t exist, and to where hopes, and dreams become reality. Happy Riding BENONI BRANCH OF PONY CLUB COMMITTEE Nicole (083 280 7129) nicole.taylor@iburst.co.za Maggie (083 629 5239) accounts Justine (084 583 6487) jharpin@tis-sa.com maggie@cailim.co.za Mrs T. (082 453 4235) rttremaine@mweb.co.za Sunette (083 229 433 4) Gideon (072 498 200 1) Newsletter #62 Page 5
Dates to diarise: DATE DESCRIPTION VENUE 25 th September 9:30am Games Practice Cnr 2 nd Ave and 4 th Road, Bredell 25 th September 8am Training Show Dunblane 25 th September 8am Training Show Van Rhyn Equestrian (assist the Para Olympic riders) 29 2 October Classique (Graded Show) Equestrian International 1 October New Pony Club year R200 Subs Due 9 th October Avis SA Derby Kylami Equestrian Park 15 & 16 October The Manor (Graded Show) The Manor 22 nd October Training Show Crystal Ridge 23 rd October 23 rd October Western Riding Rally Dressage Show Bredell Equestrian International 30 th October Prize Giving and AGM TBA 25 th and 1 st October Jump Judges required Presidents Park, Springs Payments to Benoni Branch of Pony Club: Please keep our bank details handy for doing EFT Payments :- Benoni Branch of SA Pony Club Standard Bank Benoni Branch (IBT code 01-30-42) ACCOUNT NUMBER : 02-107-963-3 When you are paying into the Pony Club bank account please use your name as reference so that Maggie knows where the money has come from. Newsletter #62 Page 6