Sam Wins Gold!

Towards the end of last term, Samantha Pretty travelled to China to compete for Australia in the Australian Pony Club China Exchange program.

During her time spent in China, Sam enjoyed many different cultural experiences, including river rafting on bamboo rafts, trail rides and hiking to different lookouts in the area. Lunch and dinner times were spent at different restaurants, where competitors sampled the local cuisine.

After touring different stables (including some that were three stories high), the competitors vied for a place in the Mounted Games. Sam, who was competing in a team alongside three Chinese riders, did an outstanding job, placing second.

Next up was the Show Jumping. Porche, who were the major sponsor of the event, had positioned one of their latest models in the centre of the competition arena. Sam's horse, which was loaned to her by one of the local stables, was rather inexperienced and found the vehicle quite distracting. After spending some time helping her mount become accustomed to his surroundings, Sam took her turn in the arena. Despite coming up against 50 other competitors, Sam used all her riding experience to guide her horse to victory, earning herself a gold medal for her efforts. Considering her horse's lack of experience, this was an enormous feat!

After enjoying the adventure of a lifetime and making lasting connections with many of her fellow competitors, Sam will be forever grateful that such an amazing opportunity came her way.

Since returning home, Sam has jumped back into competition, trying her luck at the Petstock Interschool State Championship, held in Boneo on the Mornington Peninsula. In order to qualify for the event, competitors required excellent scores from previous Pony Club events throughout the year. On the day, Sam competed in three different events, finishing third in her final discipline.

Currently placed fourth on the state leader board, Sam has an excellent chance to make it through to the National Interschool Championship in Sydney, to be held later in the year, where, if successful, she would be representing her school and her state. Congratulations Sam! We are extremely proud of your achievements so far and we wish you the best of luck in your quest to make it to Nationals!