Arcadia Pony Club Inc.

21/08/2024

A great read for preparing for Spring! 🌺🐴

Pony Club Australia Pony Club NSW

Spring grass can impact your horse’s diet, requiring adjustments to ensure they receive the right nutrition based on workload & health needs.

13/08/2024

Rethink your rugging as we (hopefully!) soon move into warmer weather. 🌦️

🌿 𝗪𝗘𝗟𝗙𝗔𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗗𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗗𝗔𝗬: 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 – 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 🌿

As spring approaches and the days start getting longer and warmer, it’s time to think about how we care for our horses in this transitional season. One of the key areas to consider is rugging—particularly, the risk of over-rugging as the temperature rises.

🌡️ 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲’𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Horses are incredibly efficient at regulating their body temperature. While we might reach for a jumper as soon as the temperature drops, our horses are quite comfortable in conditions that would make us shiver. The key to this is understanding a horse’s thermoneutral zone (TNZ), which is the temperature range within which they can maintain their body temperature without expending extra energy.

For humans, the TNZ is around 25-30°C, but for horses, it’s significantly lower—between 5-25°C. This means that what feels chilly to us might be perfectly comfortable for them. It’s essential to remember this difference as the weather warms up in spring, particularly when deciding whether to rug your horse.

🌡️ 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗕𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲

During the cooler months, we often rug our horses to protect them from cold, wet, and windy weather. However, as the temperatures rise in spring, it’s easy to fall into the trap of continuing to rug our horses too heavily, which can lead to overheating.

Here are some key points to keep in mind:

▪️ 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗪𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘁𝗵 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀: The best place to check if your horse is too warm is just behind their withers. If this area feels hot or damp, your horse is likely overheating under their rug. Avoid using their ears or legs to gauge temperature, as these areas don’t give an accurate indication of their core warmth.

▪️ 𝗕𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝘀: It’s tempting to think a light rug is harmless, but even these can block the natural cooling process. Horses cool down by sweating, but this only works if air can reach their skin. A light summer rug can trap heat and actually increase your horse’s core body temperature.

▪️ 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁: Just as overweight humans find it harder to cope with hot weather, overweight horses can also struggle. As the days warm up, consider reducing or eliminating rugs for these horses to help them stay cool.

▪️ 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸: Horses generate heat from the inside out as they digest their food, particularly roughage. On cooler days, providing some extra hay can help keep them warm naturally, without the need for additional rugs.

▪️ 𝗧𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀: Horses that are older or have health issues may struggle to maintain their body temperature at both ends of the TNZ. For these horses, consider adjusting their rugging based on their specific needs—lighter rugs or no rugs during warmer days, and ensuring they have adequate warmth during cooler periods.

🌡️ 𝗥𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘀

As we welcome spring and the warmth it brings, it’s crucial to adjust our rugging practices to avoid overheating our horses. Always keep in mind that your horse might be feeling much warmer than you think, and when in doubt, opt for less rugging rather than more.

Let’s help our horses stay comfortable and healthy by being mindful of their needs as the seasons change.

07/08/2024

We love this from Pony Club Australia - every pony loves a scratch! 🐴❤️🤍🖤

𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗳𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱

Positive reinforcement is essential in effective horse training, and understanding what truly motivates your horse can make all the difference. While many trainers use praise and pats as rewards, scratching offers a more meaningful and beneficial alternative for your horse.

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴
Horses have unique preferences when it comes to rewards. A simple pat on the neck or enthusiastic praise might not resonate with them in the way we expect. Instead, scratching mimics the natural behaviours horses use to interact with each other. In the wild, horses use their teeth to scratch each other’s necks, which is both a social interaction and a practical behaviour that helps alleviate discomfort.

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨
Scratching has a calming effect on horses. Studies have shown that when horses scratch each other at the base of the withers, their heart rate lowers by about 10 beats per minute. This is a clear indicator that scratching is more than just a pleasant gesture; it’s a stress-relieving action that horses find highly rewarding.

𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘛𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨
At Pony Club, we emphasise the use of scratching as part of our reward-based training techniques. Here’s why it’s effective:

▪️ Immediate Gratification: For positive reinforcement to work, the reward needs to be given immediately after the desired behaviour. Scratching provides instant, tangible gratification for your horse.

▪️ Meaningful Reward: Unlike loud praise or pats, scratching is something horses naturally enjoy. It directly addresses their physical comfort and mimics the social grooming they experience with other horses.

▪️ Stress Relief: The calming effect of scratching can help reduce stress and anxiety, making it an ideal reward during training sessions.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘜𝘴𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺
When incorporating scratching into your training routine, keep the following tips in mind:

1️⃣ Be Consistent: Use scratching as a reward consistently to help your horse associate it with positive behaviours.

2️⃣ Observe Preferences: Pay attention to where your horse likes to be scratched the most—some might prefer the neck, while others might enjoy it on their withers or back.

3️⃣ Combine with Other Rewards: While scratching is highly effective, you can also combine it with other forms of positive reinforcement, like treats, to enhance the reward.

In conclusion, scratching is a powerful and beneficial form of positive reinforcement that aligns with your horse’s natural behaviours and needs. By incorporating scratching into your training, you’re not only rewarding your horse effectively but also fostering a deeper bond built on understanding and respect.

Happy training, and remember to keep those scratches coming! 🐴✨

05/08/2024

Rally days - this is why we love them! 🖤❤️🤍

There’s been a few wet weekends but we are so grateful to have been able to run our last few rally days when we had the chance. ☀️

It’s given us the opportunity to welcome our amazing new members Cleo and Liv 🤗 and also for some of our long time members like Alyssa to transition to their new equine partner for pony club.

In our last two rally days we’ve had fun at a range of disciplines including show jumping, poles and grids, sporting and games, flatwork, horse archery and even a trail ride around our cross country track which all the ponies enjoyed! Thank you to our instructors Helen, Alison and Anne for doing such a lovely job with our riders! 🙏 x

We are looking forward to our next rally day with a focus on horsemanship and certificate work!



Zone 23 Pony Club Pony Club NSW Pony Club Australia

18/07/2024

We’re so excited to see the VALA Equestrian range at Saddleworld Dural - check it out this Saturday. 🙌🐴 🖤❤️

PS And see you all Sunday for our rally day! 😄

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗔 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟮𝟬𝘁𝗵 𝗝𝘂𝗹𝘆! 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗔 𝗽𝘂𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘 𝗩𝗔𝗟𝗔 𝗰𝗮𝗽 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 😍

Founder Bec Christian will be in store with an even bigger range of VALA Equestrian to shop 🛍️

🔗 Take a Peek: https://saddleworlddural.com/VALA

11/07/2024

RSVPs for Sunday 21 July Rally Day are now open. 🤩👇🐴

15/06/2024

Hi Riders!

It’s not to late to rsvp for tomorrows Rally Day! We have booked an indoor from 9:30am kick off. RSVP before 5pm

Learn how SurveyMonkey helps you create free online surveys and forms with ease, so you can get powerful insights that drive growth in your organization.

01/06/2024

Sunday 2 June rally day cancelled due to ☔️😢

We hope our riders and ponies stay warm and dry - the heavy rain this afternoon and forecast for tomorrow means a cancellation of our rally day. We hope to see you all in two weeks. ❤️🖤

Zone 23 Pony Club Pony Club NSW Pony Club Australia

24/05/2024

Our friends at Dural Pony Club are running a show jumping event Sunday, 2 June. Heaps of prizes and classes from led to A grade!

Entries close Monday so enter now!

24/05/2024

📣 Calling all riders! 📣

Make sure you pop into Saddleworld Dural this weekend for their amazing 20% off storewide sale! 🙌🏽❤️🖤

20/05/2024

Congratulations to all of our riders for your amazing riding, teamwork and help at the Zone 23 Pony Club Dressage and Show Riding Championships yesterday.

And a massive thank you to our hard working Committee and families for the many hours of work leading up to the event and on the day.

We’d also like to thank our friends at Dural Pony Club, Avondale Horse and Pony Club, Kenthurst Pony Club and Avondale Horse & Pony Club for helping on the day too - it helped make the day a huge success.

And of course thank you to Saddleworld Dural and Castle Hill RSL Club for supporting our event, the riders all loved their vouchers and prizes. 🙏🤩

17/05/2024

We can’t wait to see everyone on Sunday! 🙌🏽 ❤️🤍🖤

Thank you Castle Hill RSL Club and Saddleworld Dural for your support!

We are looking forward to the Zone 23 Pony Club Dressage and Show riding event this Sunday, hosted by Arcadia Pony Club Inc. With over 50 entries we are sure it will be a successful day!

The Rider briefing, Event draw and Volunteer roster have been emailed.

7.30am Gates open
8am Canteen opens
8.30am Dressage commences
1pm Show riding commences (approx.)

A huge thank you to our event partners Castle Hill RSL Club and Saddleworld Dural.

09/05/2024

🔈 PSA: Entries are closing Monday 13 May for the Zone 23 Pony Club Dressage & Show riding event on Sunday 19 May, hosted by Arcadia Pony Club Inc.

We're excited to see all of our riders for a huge event with fabulous judges, great prizes, full canteen, raffle and lots more! Out of Zone entries welcome! 🙌🏽

Dressage commences at 8.30am 🐴 💃
Classes:
- Led/assisted Preparatory
- Under 13s Preliminary
- 13s-U17s Preliminary
- 17+ Associate preliminary
- Under 13s Novice
- 13s – U17s Novice
- 17+ Associate Novice
- Under 17s Elementary
- 17+ Associate Elementary
- Open Medium

- Champion and Reserve Champion in each dressage class for Zone 23 Riders.
- Ribbons to 6th Place points to 10th Place, or allocated pro-rata if less than 10 competitors in a class.

Show Riding commences at 12pm 🐴 🤩
Ages:
- Led/Assisted
- U11,
- 11 & U13 years
- 13 & U15 years
- 15 & U17 years
- Associates

Classes:
- Handler, Hack (or Ridden Pony - led/assisted), Rider, Best educated, Pony Club mount and Pleasure Mount
- Champion and Reserve Champion in each age group for Zone 23 Riders.
- Ribbons to 6th Place points to 10th Place, or allocated pro-rata if less than 10 competitors in a class.

Enter now: ⏰
https://globalentriesonline.com.au/event/11484

Event flyer: 🗒️
https://globalentriesonline.com.au/storage/uploaded_files/event_detail_attachment/cb8ee8044ecbfbe7c95becca95c7a5f2.pdf

Thank you 🙏 Saddleworld Dural and Castle Hill RSL Club for your generous support for our event.

Avondale Horse and Pony Club Forest Hills Pony Club Kenthurst Pony Club Dural Pony Club Zone 23 Pony Club Zone 26 Pony Club

04/05/2024

RALLY DAY UPDATE: Unfortunately, today’s rally day will be postponed due to the wet grounds and imminent rain. ☔️

29/04/2024

Zone 23 Dressage and Show Riding - Sunday 19 May - Enter now

Arcadia Pony Club Inc. is hosting the Zone 23 Dressage and Show Riding competition!

The day will commence with dressage tests at 8:30 am, followed by our show riding at noon.

‼️ Dressage ‼️ 📣👌

The Dressage events have tests for all levels of riders.

• (led and assisted) Callers (mum, dad, or a friend can call the test for you) Callers only allowed in class 1/Led and assisted
• Champion and Reserve Champion in each dressage class for Zone 23 Riders
• Ribbons to 6th Place points to 10th Place, or allocated pro-rata if less than 10 competitors in a class

‼️ Show Riding ‼️ 🎀🌟
The show riding will kick off at noon after the dressage and will have six classes and will be broken down into age groups.
Led/Assisted, U11, 11 & U13 years, 13 & U15 years, 15 & U17 years & Associates

Show riding classes
Handler, Hack (or Ridden Pony - led/assisted), Rider, Best educated, Pony Club mount and Pleasure Mount
Ribbons to 6th Place points to 10th Place, or allocated pro-rata if less than 10 competitors in a class.

📣🌟🐎Enter now
https://globalentriesonline.com.au/event/11484

Information flyer here
https://globalentriesonline.com.au/storage/uploaded_files/event_detail_attachment/cb8ee8044ecbfbe7c95becca95c7a5f2.pdf

Global Entries Online

25/04/2024

18/04/2024

📣 Calling all Zone 23 Pony Club riders & beyond! 📣

Arcadia Pony Club Inc. is excited to be hosting the Zone 23 Pony Club Dressage and Show riding Championships on Sunday, 19 May at our lovely grounds on Bayfield Rd, Galston. 🤩

Please save the date and follow us on Socials - entries open early next week and will be capped. Entry priority to Zone 23 riders. We will have a full canteen available with amazing food plus raffle prizes and more! 🎉

A huge thank you to our event partners Castle Hill RSL Club and Saddleworld Dural. 🙏 🙌🏽



Dural Pony Club Avondale Horse and Pony Club Kenthurst Pony Club Forest Hills Pony Club
Pony Club NSW Pony Club Australia

06/04/2024

To ensure everyone's safety, we unfortunately have to reschedule tomorrow's Rally day since our Arcadia Pony Club grounds are currently to waterlogged. 😨 We were hoping that they would dry out today, however after two inspections today we cannot ride on the grounds. Email to riders coming soon with further Rally Day updates!

16/03/2024

Good morning riders!

Unfortunately our rally day today is cancelled due to the unexpected rain. The safety of our riders and horses always come first.

We look forward to seeing you all next rally day.

APC Committee

15/03/2024

Calling all riders! 👇

APC Rally Day is this Sunday 17 March.🙌

We have a fun day planned with show jumping grading and PCA Certificate sessions including groundwork and ridden horsemanship. Please arrive at 8 am to assist with setup. Like to come and try Arcadia Pony Club Inc. all ages are welcome, just PM for more information or visit https://www.arcadiaponyclub.org/

03/03/2024

Go team Arcadia Pony Club Inc.!

We had a fabulous rally day today with the equisimulator, technical riding sessions and certificate work preparation for our next rally day!

We’ve had such great feedback on the equisimulator session as it’s a risk free riding environment with immediate feedback.

A huge thank you to our fabulous instructors for coming out today plus our parent helpers and of course our Committee members.

See you in 2 weeks for your next session in rider development. 🙌🏽❤️🤍🖤

24/02/2024

🔈 Calling all riders! 🔊

Check your inbox as you need to RSVP to attend our next rally day! 🗓️

We are so excited to announce we have Paul Cairns, NCAS Instructor Mentor, coming along with the Equisimulator! It's an amazing opportunity for all of our riders to understand and improve their riding position. 🤩

The Equisimulator is a machine that mimics the movement of the horse. It gives the rider instant feedback on how effective they are in their riding. This is an incredible opportunity as it enables all riders to understand the specific movements needed to improve your riding and be accountable in a risk free manner, allowing you to work on specific problem areas such as position, pace or sitting trot. 🙌🏽

There is NO CHARGE to Arcadia Pony Club Inc. riders for your session but you need to RSVP to book your spot. ✅

Interested in riding with us?
You can! We welcome all rider levels and ages - from 4 years old to Masters! Join us now at https://pca.justgo.com/ and make sure you search for "Arcadia Pony Club". 🤗

Don't miss out - please RSVP by 5pm Friday 1 March to [email protected] to secure your spot. 📧

See you all next Sunday! ❤️🤍🖤



Pony Club NSW Zone 23 Pony Club Pony Club Australia

20/02/2024

What a great day we had on Sunday!

A HUGE welcome 🤗 to our new Arcadia Pony Club Inc. riders:
🦄 Gemma riding Tassie
🦄 Zahra riding Lola
🦄 Maya riding Lorella
🦄 Claudia riding Cisco
🦄 Natalya riding Puzzle

It was a warm day but all the riders and ponies did so well with flatwork, bending drills and some horsemanship, plus a trail ride around our beautiful grounds at the Galston Rural Sports Facility.

And congratulations to some of our other riders who were representing Arcadia Pony Club at external events on the weekend and did us so proud!

Well done Beth and Arabella for your great riding at the x country clinic and rally day session from our friends at Dural Pony Club.👏🏼

And amazing job Kayla and Allie at the Zone 26 Pony Club Formal Gymkhana - impressive results all round with the highlights being 🥇 for C grade showjumping and 3rd rider for 15/U17! 🙌🏽

And well done to Minnie for her superstar results at Castle Hill Show! 🤩⭐️

We can’t wait to see everyone at our next rally day on Sunday 3 March, we have an exciting day planned. ❤️🤍🖤

Make sure you follow us ✅ and check your inbox for all the updates. 🗓️

Pony Club NSW Zone 23 Pony Club Pony Club Australia

03/02/2024

📣 Sunday 3 February Kick-off rally day & Jane Frankum show jumping clinic - cancelled 📣

Due to the expected high temperatures 🥵 and in the interests of rider, member and horse safety, the Arcadia Pony Club Inc. Committee has made the decision to cancel our 2024 Membership Kick-off event scheduled for tomorrow, Sunday 4 February, in line with Pony Club Australia's Hot Weather Policy. 🌞

This is as a result of the risk assessment we are required to conduct before each rally day and event.

We are very disappointed 😢 as we had an amazing show jumping clinic with Jane Frankum organised but we will reschedule this for the first available date.

The link to the Pony Club Australia Hot Weather Policy is below and we encourage all of our families to review it and be mindful of health welfare considerations in high temperature conditions.
https://ponyclubaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/PCA-Hot-weather-2019-2.pdf

Please remember to keep your ponies nice and cool tomorrow and make sure they have plenty of water! 💦

For any new or existing members who would like to purchase uniforms or saddlecloths, our Membership Officer will be available at the APC grounds between 9am and 10am tomorrow morning to assist. Our Senior Instructor will also be there to answer any questions for new members during this time.

Our next rally day is scheduled for Sunday 18 February. 🎉

Our riders have been invited to alternative rally days and competitions as per the email sent to all members today.

Depending on numbers, we might also run a shortened rally day for our new members and for members that aren't attending these events so please keep an eye on your inbox and make sure you follow us here on Facebook too.

We look forward to welcoming all of our members at our next Rally Day and can't wait to meet all of our new riders and ponies in person!



Pony Club Australia Pony Club NSW Zone 23 Pony Club

30/01/2024

RSVP today!

Entries close tomorrow for the Jane Frankum Show Jumping Clinic and 2024 Membership Kick-off event on 4 February! 🤩

The clinic is free for 2024 APC members and any new members who sign up on the day (adults welcome).
Other 2024 Pony Club riders are welcome, $75 for the clinic.
All other riders are $75 (clinic cost) plus $30 (which includes your ‘come and try’ Pony Club day fee).
Click here for more info https://www.globalentriesonline.com.au/event/11145

26/01/2024

Happy Australia Day to all of our families. 🇦🇺