Team J News Issue 5
To Bourke and Back!

Thanks to the wonderful service offered by the Pony Club Association of NSW in providing funding to remote clubs to put on training clinics, I was lucky enough recently to get a Coaching trip to Bourke.

On Friday 28th April I flew to Dubbo, then Cobar and then Bourke to be greeted by the father figure of the far west Pony Club movement for more than 3 decades, Allan Morrall, and his lovely wife Cynthia. I had a great day of looking around Bourke, which despite enduring nine years of drought, is battling on stoically.

The spirit of these out back families is best represented by the way they band together for an event such as this Pony Club Clinic. Parents and kids and ponies travelled many hundreds of dusty miles to attend the 2 days at the Bourke Showgrounds. For many students I wasn't only the best guest instructor they had ever had, (I was the only guest
instructor they had ever had!)

































Despite their isolation it is a credit to Alan and his Bourke instructors that the children are as well prepared and behaved as any of their city counterparts. Their enthusiasm and determination made my job as Coach a delight.

Over the 2 days I coached 4 groups of 6 children each day. Their ages ranged from 7 to 17 years and their horses ranged from impish ponies to some stunning big Thoroughbreds.

We started on day one with exercises and grids to improve rider position and horses pace line and rhythm. And by day two we were jumping combinations, related lines and small courses.

I know that from that group of riders there are sure to be some champion riders of the future because they soaked up every bit of instruction I gave them and all tried to apply it. Improvements in every horse and rider were evident by the end of day 2.

I would like to thank my host families Jenny and Dan Buster, and Judith and Gary Roughly all of Darling Farms, who made me feel so welcome and comfortable. I was fascinated by the huge agricultural enterprise they conduct and welcomed all their explanations of the cotton, citrus and jojoba growing operations.

I flew home on Monday morning marvelling at the different life in the far west of my new Bourke friends and hoping that I would get the chance to go back again in the future.

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