Equine centre celebrates half century
he Katanning Equestrian Club will celebrate its 50th anniversary this month.
More than 50 members are currently involved from across the Great Southern and president Amy Klipin said she was excited to get some old faces back together again.
“I think it’s important to acknowledge where the club has come from,” she said.
“We always look to the future, and we love our club, but it’s always important to look back to see how we can improve and learn moving forward.”
Geoff McGuire has been involved with the club since its humble beginning in the mid-1960s, when it started as the Katanning Polocrosse Club from a paddock near Kobeelya.
Now a life member and patron of the club, McGuire and his family have grown up riding with the club.
“I’ve ridden horses my whole life, then my family started riding,” he said.
“I was the ring master of the show and chairman for some of the time, I started judging and show jumping and got to be an international judge.”
McGuire recalls a number of riders who started with the club but went on to much bigger things, such as Richard Sands who rode in the 1972 Olympic Games and Scott Keach who participated in the 1988 Olympics.
Fellow long-term club member Vicki Sukiennik has been riding for more than 20 years and said it was a great club and she was looking forward to celebrating the milestone.
“We are so widespread, we are all over the Great Southern,” she said.
“We have a lot of different sports too, we aren’t concentrated on one discipline.
“It’s going to be interesting to see people who you know of, but haven’t seen them in a while.”
The club will celebrate with a dinner on February 12 from 7pm.
An open invitation has been extended to anyone who would like to attend and organisers are encouraging attendees to bring their memorabilia for a display.
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