Katanning and Districts Pony Club welcomes all comers to February registration and rally day

The Katanning and Districts Pony Club will host the first rally of 2023 on February 5 at the group’s Carrolup home on Kojonup-Katanning Road in a drive to attract new members to the club.

“It will be some paperwork, a little bit of riding, some games, a check out of the cross-country course and getting everyone psyched up for the year,” club secretary Debbie Perkins said.

“We need the riders to come and use our facilities so we can start running events again.”

The Katanning and Districts Pony Club has been running since 1962 and has now expanded to accommodate older riders.

“We’ve got instructors that are extremely well qualified in their specific fields, we all have to go and do training. The weekend after the February 5 rally instructors from the club will go to the State Coaching School to learn any new techniques and keep abreast of any changes,” Mrs Perkins said.

For those who don’t wish to pursue an interest in horse riding competitively, there is plenty of scope for personal development with members able to obtain badges for showing improvement and gaining new skills.

“Pony club has been an integral part of my kids’ learning,” Mrs Perkins said. “They’ve learnt life skills, responsibility, and had a lot of enjoyment.”

Not owning a horse is no obstacle for prospective members as the club has extra horses they are able to lend out.

“Come along, have a look, have a go,” Mrs Perkins said.

“Our club is one of the most affordable in the Great Southern zone. Our instructors are all volunteers — we’re really appreciative of the time and the effort our volunteers put in to developing safe and competent riders.”

It has been a tough few years for the club, which experienced five break-ins in 2022 and extensive vandalism of the cross country course in 2019.

Despite the challenges, Mrs Perkins is looking forward to the year ahead.

“We’re hoping to increase membership this year, we want to get our club going again and we’ve got a lot of work to do,” she said.