1

- Design the new PCA

polo top for us!

- What makes a good sport?

- Your polocrosse pictures

- Is your yard, shed or stable lighting up to the job?

- Measuring your horse for a winter rug

- The Hopoti Way

Challenge to Members: Let’s Get Moving

PCA News March 5, 2020

In this newsletter

Pony Club Australia

info@ponyclubaustralia.com.au

www.ponyclubaustralia.com.au

Follow Us:

To celebrate Sport Australia’s ‘Move It Month’, we

challenge all of our members to get more active

in April and beyond - but we don’t want you to go it

alone.

Pony Club Australia will be hosting a 10,000 steps

tournament to see which clubs and centres can get

their move on this April.

The tournament is limited to 200 teams.

There is a maximum of 20 people per team.

Throughout April, we will be helping you find ways to

increase your daily steps - with and without horses.

There will also be an opportunity for you to share

your ideas.

Our friends at The Riders Pod will also be supporting

you on your journey to being a healthier, happier

and more active rider. Don’t forget that

Pony Club Members get discounted subscriptions to

The Riders Pod (use code PCA20 for a monthly

discount, or PCA30 when you sign up for 12 months).

We will be offering prizes for

individuals and teams with

the highest steps, average

and improvement as well as

most innovative way to

Move It with horses and

most enthusiastic Pony Club

and Accredited

Centre.

The tournament starts on

April 1st (no joke!) but you

can register for the 10,000

steps program now to

familiarise yourself with how it works and how to

convert horse-riding minutes to steps. Register as an

individual at https://www.10000steps.org.au

We are now calling for Team Captains.

. . . More Page 2

Calling for Team Captains for Pony Club Australia’s inaugural 10,000 steps tournament

Brought to you by Sport Australia

* 30 extra minutes of activity

2

Team Captains are responsible for:

• registering their teams details with the Coordinator

• encouraging their team members to register with the 10,000

steps website

• ensuring members are recording their steps

• viewing team progress online and managing the team members

• collating and passing on team steps if the Tournament is offline

• adding steps for offline members (if required).

Team Captains should be passionate about promoting health and team work.

The same person cannot be Team Captain for multiple teams in the one

Tournament on the website and they must be registered with the website to

set up their team.

Anyone interested in being a Team Captain should email tournament

coordinator Kirrilly Thompson at centremember@ponyclubaustralia.com.au

or phone on 0413616650.

April is not far away!

Let’s Get Moving: 10,000 steps tournament From Page 1

Which will be the

most active clubs?

Horses are measured in hands, which is not to say you have

to place one hand above the other all the way up from the

ground to your horse’s wither and count how many there

are. (That used to be the way it was done!)

The measurement is taken from the ground to the highest

point of the wither. A hand is four inches, or approximately

10 centimetres so a horse that is 10.2 hands high is actually

42 inches from the ground to the highest point of the wither

(10 hands = 10 x 4 inches = 40, plus 2 inches = 42 inches).

Measuring should take place on flat, even ground, with the

horse standing square. His neck should be parallel to the

ground so that the wither is the highest point.

(From the new Pony Club C Manual (2019)

From the manuals: Measuring your horse’s height and rug size

To measure what size rug your horse needs, measure

from the centre of his chest to his tail in a straight line.

That is his rug size. For example if it measures 66cms,

or 5’6”, that’s the rug size. This size rug normally fits a

14hh-14.2hh horse.

Will your horse

need a new

winter rug?

Cowra and District Pony Club got right into

Polocrosse as part of PCA Discipline of the

Month.

“We want to try each discipline for the rest of

the year, if we can.” More photos Page 5

3

What makes a good sport?

GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP is something

we all want to encourage, not just at

rallies but at competitions and everyday

life as well.

So we were delighted to see what

Mornington Peninsula Pony Club did

recently.

At their dressage championships, the

stewards for the two-day competition

awarded good sportsmanship

certificates - which were very well

received.

One mum said, “My daughter received

one of these and it was the highlight of

the day for me!”

And this from a coach: “One of my

students received one. I was more

impressed with that award than her

placings, though of course I was very

proud of her.” Your good sport examples

“Respecting your

fellow riders, wish

them luck and

give a smile.

And be gracious

in victory and

defeat.”

“My Daughter got upset at her first

open day and her fellow competitors

offered to go slower with her and

made her feel better.” “General politeness, consideration,

kindness and generosity toward

others. It also helps to be appreciative

of the chance to ride or compete at all,

others can only dream of it.” “As you enter the ring say 'Well done'

to the person leaving no matter how

their ride went. As you exit the ring

say 'good luck' to the person entering

no matter how your ride went.”

* From the PCA Facebook page

4

Hay, great job!

On the Australia Day weekend, Singleton Pony

Club hosted a stopover for the Burrumbuttock

Hay Runners who were doing a hay run from

Victoria to Armidale NSW.

The Hay Runners were providing much needed

hay to drought affected farmers in the Armidale

area. This was their 15th run since 2014.

About 170 trucks parked at the Pony Club

grounds overnight and our members helped

cater for 300 plus people.

“It was an enormous task for our small club,

especially in school holidays and a long

weekend. The children had a great time and the

truck drivers were greeted with friendly smiles

and a wave in a downpour of welcomed

rain. Singleton Pony Club was proud to be part

of such an amazing event.”

And we are proud of you, Singleton Pony Club,

helping with such a great cause.

Mounted Games Team announced

Australia’s 2020 International Mounted Games team has been announced.

Congratulations to Tahlia Burdett SA, Brooke Foster Tas,

Ella-Lin MacMillan NSW, Daniel Suvaljko WA and Gemma

Van De Rydt, Victoria.

Congratulations also to coach Dan Foster and team manager Jacqui van Rensburg (Bond) on their appointments.

The competition is in Australia this year; in Perth in

September/October. Our International Mounted Games team in 2019 (Kentucky

USA) were the champs—can Australia do it again in 2020?

Are you ready to tackle a new certificate? Pony Club members now

order their manuals directly from the MyPonyClub portal on the PCA

website. Log in here with your member number:

https://osm-pony.omnisportsmanagement.com/Memberships/(S

(h3oq452npyl3sc54zt4wbujp))/OSMMbr_LoginPony.aspx

Choose MEMBER STORE

from the top line.

Then choose NATIONAL

from the drop down list and

the manuals are there for

sale.

* NOTE: The subsidised bundle price for clubs buying the set of six manuals

ceases on 31st March. Also from that date, sales will be online only.

Quite a few clubs now have started using the new certificate manuals, particularly the E, D and D Star manuals, and we expect that soon we will see the first clubs ready to present certificates for those who have completed the manuals and passed their tests.

We are keen to hear from Clubs and members who achieve this - and where you are from! (Message us or email info@ponyclubaustralia.com.au)

Who Will it Be? Ordering The New Manuals

5

What a great reaction to the first Discipline of the Month in February. Quite a few clubs sent us

in some great photos, while others are planning on trying polocrosse in coming months.

Information has just been sent to clubs on Discipline of the Month No 2 – tentpegging.

Discipline of the Month (February) - your polocrosse photos

“Beaudesert Pony club had a Polox Clinic. We had

Chris Franklin, one of QLD’s best professional polox

players, come and teach the kids all about polox !!

They all had a ball.”

“At Woodlands Park

PC NSW, our Club

Captain and Sydney

Polocrosse player

Emily Lambert took

the kids through

various drills on

passing, catching and

picking up the ball and

was even able to get

a few small games

underway. It was a hit with the kids who had big

smiles on their faces and have asked if we can do it

again in the future. They look forward to learning a

new discipline each month.”

‘Here’s a ball toss from the sideline at Samford

Golden Valley. The Club has equipment and the kids

all had a go a couple of times last year. Not a clinic as

such, just getting their horses use to the racquets.’

“Flinders Island Pony Club had some old equipment

and we also borrowed some lacrosse racquets and

balls from the school so everyone could have a go at

riding with a racquet.”

“At Guyra Pony Club polocrosse was a huge success

and it was wonderful to see smiling faces.

(Polocrosse player) Denne Bourke said he thought

he had even more fun than the kids. Some children

cantered for the first time on this day.”

“The Albany Creek PC in QLD having fun with

Polocrosse - plus we have an actual polocrosse player

in our club to help!” They also sent a great video.

6

Avoca Park, Macclesfield VIC

Gesar Park Equestrian, Mt Compass SA

Oakwood Equestrian Academy, (left)

Birdwood SA

Penrice Park Equestrian, Ingham QLD

(right)

Former Pony Clubbers star at inaugural Explorer Cadetship Graduation

Welcome to the latest centres to sign up:

You can find out more on the Centres Facebook Page (Pony Club Australia Centre Membership)

When PCA emails Club Contacts, for example, each club contact receives the email. If your club contacts/office holders are listed as having the same email, they will all go to this one address.

This can be changed in MyPonyClub by going into Communications >Contacts Manager

Among the first group of graduates of the Explorer

Cadetship program, were these two former Pony Club

women who won outstanding achievement awards in all

areas of horsemanship.

Kaitlyn Summers - West of the Range Pony Club (Zone 15)

“The year has been amazing, I have worked with world

class horses and people that I never imagined I could ever

work with. Receiving an award during the graduation

ceremony was a really fantastic way to end the course.”

Kiara Henderson - Cooma Pony Club

“A year ago TIC took us to the Inglis Classic sale as one of

our first excursions and I will never forget the amazement

and awe I had watching my first sales, hoping I could

someday be a part of it. It was in the Arrowfield Stud

marquee where a few of us sat down to have morning tea

where I first saw a yearling sell for a million dollars.

To be able to graduate in the same marquee after having

experience working for some of the best employers in the

industry was pretty special!”

The majority of the inaugural Cadets are now in full-time

employment or further equine-related study.

Looking for a career in the racing and breeding industry?

More from - Thoroughbredindustrycareers.com.au

ABOVE: Graduates from the first crop of the Explorer

Cadetship program run by Thoroughbred Industry

Careers, included (l to r) Kaitlyn Summers, Jack Cripps,

and Kiara Henderson. Both girls are former Pony Club

members who wanted a career in the industry, and they

achieved outstanding results.

“The 12-month stud and stable training program includes three months vital hands-on horsemanship training

(including track riding), as well as two paid work-placements, firstly in a racing stable and then on to a stud farm.”

PCA Accredited Riding Centres - Update

Club Officials - are you

receiving multiples of the

same email from PCA?

7

Have you asked

your local

Mitsubishi dealer

about the

Pony Club

discount?

We are grateful for the support of national sponsors.

The Australian Government through Sport Australia

recognises Pony Club Australia to develop Pony Club

in Australia. The financial support of Sport Australia

is gratefully acknowledged.

Did you know that instead of saying ‘clip clop’, people in Finland say ‘hopoti’?! Hopoti is also the

name of a Finnish software company that has developed an e-commerce platform which is

available in Australia exclusively for Pony Club Australia.

For horse owners:

Hopoti can make it easier for you to care for your horse. You can create a profile for your horse

and log your training sessions as well as medical treatments, shoeing, de-worming, vaccinations

and details important to you and your horse. Visit https://hopoti.com/en-au/horsecare today to

create a profile for your horse. Because Hopoti is cloud and web-based, you can login and view

the information from any device. That means that when something happens, you can retrieve

important information quickly. You may even find revealing associations or patterns that help

you better understand your horse. Hop on and tell us what feature you are most excited about!

For riding centres:

Hopoti was developed specifically to help horse riding schools manage all the unique challenges

of running a riding school – like monitoring horse health, matching horses to riders, rostering

coaches and scheduling individual and group lessons according to level of experience. Riding

schools set up a profile on Hopoti and riders can login to see what their favourite horse is up to

or request a lesson. Bookings, payments, cancellations and refunds can all be managed through

Hopoti. That’s why Hopoti can make the running of any horse-related business easier –

including farriery, physio, dentistry, agistment, clinics or lessons.

Visit https://hopoti.com/en-au/business for more information.

Pony Club Australia is hosting an online Hopoti Q &A on the evening of Monday March 9.

Register your interest for this free event at: https://tinyurl.com/tj6uysd

Hop to it

with Hopoti

horse care

and business

https://www.sonaray.com.au/equestrian/

Sonaray Equestrian Arena and Stable Lighting are serious

about the best type of lighting to benefit horses and

their vision, and rider needs, such as no shadows.

Read more Page 10

8

Design the new Pony Club Australia Polo Top - Competition

It is time to update the Pony Club Australia Polo Top which will be available to buy for ‘Pony Club Proud’

members. Are you creative? We want to see what you - our members - can come up with.

Please read the criteria and rules carefully.

Rules:

• The competition is now open and closes at midnight on March 31, 2020.

• The competition is open to financial members, including riding and non-riding members. You will need to

provide your membership number with your entry.

• You can enter as many times as you like.

• You must use the template attached to this entry form and complete all the entry details.

• 10 finalists will be selected by a PCA panel (with entry names hidden) and members will have the chance

to vote on their favourite, just as we did with the 80th birthday cakes in 2019. This will play a very large

part in the final decision.

• Late entries not accepted.

• The winner will receive a trophy and a new polo top and the other nine finalists will receive a sash.

• You must follow the design guidelines below.

Design guidelines: (must be followed)

• The design must include the PCA logo.

• You must give an option for both the front and the back of the polo top.

• The design must include the two Pony Club Australia colours featured in our logo.

Other colours are optional.

You do not have to match these colours exactly in your design – just use dark green and yellow. But for

those who want to be accurate, the dark green is Pantone 348 and the yellow is Pantone 116.

What to do next?

Download the entry form (next page) as many times as you wish.

Colour in your entry.

Complete the entry information on the form and scan it in or take a clear photo

Attach your entry or multiple entries to an email and send back to PCA by the deadline, midnight March 31, 2020 to

marketing@ponyclubaustralia.com.au

9

Name Club

Member No Age

Email

If you need to describe any part

of your design, add it here

(50 words or less)

Entry form – PCA Polo Top Design

* Complete one entry form for each of your entries. Send your entry to Bronwyn Wheatley at

marketing@ponyclubaustralia.com.au - by the closing date midnight, Tuesday March 31 2020

What you need to know about Equestrian Arena LED Lighting

When it comes to creating the perfect riding arena many

horse enthusiasts purely focus on the surface, leaving the as-pect of ‘lighting’ to be considered further down the track. It is important to plan for lighting at this early stage, even if you’re not thinking of installing until a later stage. At this design stage everything must be mapped out to include placement of pole locations, wiring and power supply access to future proof your investment. Lighting is to enable the safe movement of both horse and rider appropriate to the standards of participation. It should provide uniform illumination over the total floor area to mini-mise shadowing as these might distract the horses as well as minimal glare for safety. Indoor and outdoor arenas are treated differently and hence have different lighting requirements.

Best Lights for your arena

If you’re going to use your lights frequently, LED lighting should be a better choice. The traditional lighting technologies such as metal halide, HPS, or fluorescent are prone to flicker and / or buzz as well as long warm up times. This can cause irritation, low quality experi-ences and spectating, with LEDs this issue is removed entirely.

“Lighting is to enable the safe movement of both horse and rider appropriate to the

standards of participation.”

Purpose

Average Lux level Indoor Uniformity -

Min

Average Lux level Outdoors Uniformity -

Min

Glare Rating Max

CRI Rating

Min Dressage Show

Jumping Dressage

Show Jumping

Training 200 400 0.5 100 150 0.5 ≤55 ≥20

Intermediate Competition 300 550 0.6 200 300 0.7 ≤50 ≥60

Top Level Competition 500 700 0.7 500 500 0.7 ≤50 ≥60

Traditional lighting also fades at a far quicker rate than LED lights and require far more maintenance. LED have virtually no maintenance. LED lights would be the best choice if you’re riding most eve-nings under lights. They will be more expensive to purchase, however they use about 1/3 less power than the traditional lighting, instant on, brighter, and some have additional safety features eg glare reduction, controllable light spread. Further-more, LED lights will reduce installation material costs com-pared to traditional lighting (eg smaller cabling and switch-gear). Selecting the correct wattage and height of the fittings will be determined by the lighting designers to comply with the owners requirements. It’s not as simple as just putting up any light. With new technology constantly being developed lights are now designed with a purpose. The brightness of an arena (measured in lux) is not the only factor arena owners must consider. In the design, considera-tion of the riding discipline, uniformity of the lighting , glare levels, CRI (colour rendering index) the quality of light emitted and which light standard class to comply to. Currently there are no Australian Standards for the Equine industry, but there is a review in progress to include equine lighting standards later this year.

General lighting table provides a selection of recommendations in accordance to EN 12193:2007 and CIBSE LG04 Sports Lighting.

Outdoor arena lighting

When it comes to choosing lights for your outdoor riding

arena, locations and heights of the poles play a critical role. The light poles will need to be placed symmetrically around the riding arena. The number of poles will depend upon the size of the arena, but a minimum of four is a must, to avoid shadows, which can in-turn spook your horse. Lighting Beam angle helps to maximise the lighting efficiency and controllability. The lens provide better aiming accuracy to reduce light spillage to areas not requiring lighting (eg neighbouring properties). Keeping glare to the minimum to both horse and rider is an important safety factor to consider. Lighting must be adequate to enable the safe progress of both horse and rider over the jumps and to discern the finer points of dres-sage. Hence a well designed a lighting plan ad-

dressing all the factors within the equestrian

arenas are necessary.

Indoor arena lighting

Indoor arenas tend to require more lighting to achieve the

standards. This is due to the assumption there is no external light from anywhere in the design. Indoor arena lighting tend to be easier to fit by simply follow-ing the roof supports. The amount of light fittings require is determined by the riding discipline, lux requirements, glare and uniformity as well as power cabling and access. The newer LED high bays have different lens angles which can

reduce the number of fittings required to provide a higher

lighting efficiency.

Over specified lighting vs planned lighting

Lighting can easily be over specified if there is no lighting plan. Well planned light plans will

save you a lot of money in the long run and improve safety for both rider and horse, plus

with new LED technology there are more options available.

Make sure the lighting you choose can do the job.

This area has unsuitable lighting which doesn’t penetrate to the ground.

Newer LED high bays with lenses can reduce the total amount

of light fittings to achieve the same or better results.

60° 90° 120°

Efficient Light Control through

different lens angles - Sonaray

Delta Highbay

Stable lighting

In dark or dimly lit stables there is less time for horses to visu-

ally contact with other horses or other stimuli. This can cause horses to develop stable vices, such as wind sucking, weaving and cribbing, which are often caused by boredom. Three main factors to consider in any stable is light brightness (lux), uniformity and also the colour spectrum of light. For a well designed stable lighting regime, 16 hours of light followed by 8 hours of darkness, produces positive results. For this level of commitment, LED lights generate a more stable performance which means lower maintenance cost, and pow-er consumption. The exposure to the extended period of light will naturally prolong the horse summer coat and encourage the horse to grow a thinner winter coat, which makes a significant differ-

ence in terms of work and costs, and give you adequate lighting during the shorter day light hours throughout winter. Independent research has shown that a minimum light level of 150 to 200 lux is recommended. It is suitable for the horses’

visual contact, also bright enough for you to plait up your horse the night before. Timers and sensors can be easily set up to

keep it simple.

The correct lighting creates a better work environment

A well designed stable lighting regime creates a balanced environment for horses and better work environment.

Light Quality and Spectrums

Not all light sources are equal, high quality LED mimic as much natural sun light as possible. This is because when we are ex-

posed to the full light spectrum of the sun we feel good and blissful but on a cloudy day we are not fully exposed to the full spectrum so we feel a bit gloomy. This goes for horses too. All lighting have specific and limiting light spectrums which can not be seen by the naked eye. This is a consideration for the well being of horse and humans alike on a long term exposure level.

Light spectrum comparison from different light sources

Other Benefits of LED lighting

for horses It is reported with the right spectrum the LED can stimu-late the release of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), the major carrier of energy to all cells that provides the en-ergy driving the chemical reaction of the cell. Increases in ATP allow cells to use nutrients faster as well as get rid of waste products faster by increasing the energy level in the cell. Studies in Singapore and Italy using LED lights to heal strains and wounds showed encouraging results. Balancing the day/night length by means of appropriate lighting influences melatonin production. Melatonin is also known as the sleep hormone. Light inhibits melato-nin production and darkness accelerates it. By using light to balance the sleep hormone results in healthier and more active horses. Lighting also plays an important role when it comes to breeding, because it has a significant influence on the hormone levels and fertility of your horse. You can ex-tend the day length by simply installing lighting into your horse’s stable. Mares are more likely to come into sea-son (oestrus).

Future proofing your investment

Other features to consider are sustainability, power consump-tion, environmental light spillage/pollution and maintenance. LED’s light fittings should be modular to for easy upgrade and DIY maintenance. LED chips should last over 50000 hours that’s over 11 years assuming they were on everyday for 12 hours a day, hence a reasonable warranty should be expected. Also lens based LED light design to increase efficient use of power to emit light with minimal light loss and controllable to the areas where you want light. Eg no need to light up the in-door arena walls while you can have all the light on the arena.

Good lighting Conclusion

Combining good lighting levels and the correct lighting regime, will result in:

• healthier, more active horses

• happier horses, with more opportunities for better visual contact

• better fertility and hormone levels

• prolong summer coat and thinner winter coat

• lower operational/ maintenance cost

• safer riding arenas for both horse and rider An unsuitable light level or lighting regime may have implica-tions for the health, performance and welfare for your horse. Sonaray Australia is a LED technology company, specialised in the design, development and manufacture of award winning LED lighting solutions to over 80 countries. Providing lighting solutions to suit your horse’s needs with a range of quality products. Turn key solutions are also available from Sonaray approved electrical contractors (who are also horse owners & enthusiasts), taking the stress out of all aspects of your lighting and power requirements. Tel: 03 9315 1377 info@sonaray.com.au www.sonaray.com.au

Facebook: Sonaray Equestrian

Horse under LED therapy - Horse owner stated the horse gained appetite, was calmer and a better gen-eral well being.