Main image: The Pony Club Australia team visited Coolmore Farm, home of famous stallions such as American Pharoah and Justify (pictured), as part of the 2024 Pony Club International Alliance Quiz Exchange.
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Every four years, the Pony Club International Alliance (PCIA) runs a Quiz Exchange where riders can compete in the Quiz discipline at an international level. Earlier this year, Pony Club Australia sent a team to compete in Kentucky, USA – and what a fabulous trip they had!
Evolving from the Pony Club syllabus of learning, Quiz is a strongly practised and developed Pony Club discipline in Canada, United States and the United Kingdom – however in Australia it’s still relatively new. It was first introduced here in 2017 when Pony Club Canada invited Pony Club Australia (PCA) to participate in the Pony Club International Alliance Quiz Exchange that year. PCA elected to include the discipline in their 2017 National Championships, and its popularity has grown ever since.
The Pony Club Australia (PCA) team travelled to Kentucky, USA for the Pony Club International Alliance Quiz Exchange.
The 2024 Quiz Exchange
The 2024 Aussie team was comprised of four athletes: Annabelle Ennis-Wert, Hector Brennan, Kaitlyn Brockett, and Sharne Haskins, as well as coach and team manager Rachael Edwards. A reserve rider was part of the eight-month training prior to the trip but was not a travelling athlete.
“All current financial PCA members had the opportunity to apply if they met the criteria,” explains Rachael. “One criterion for international competition for the PCIA Quiz is that riders from Australia must have their C* or K proficiency Level.”
PCA Proficiency Certificate levels start at E standard and progress to D, D*, C (which you need for state level competitions), C*, K (required for International Quiz Level), B (required for International Riding Level) and A certificate).
“The Australian Team was very competitive this year, finishing in fourth position. A large majority of the northern hemisphere countries have had Quiz as a discipline for decades, whereas in Australia and New Zealand, the discipline is still quite new,” explains Rachael.
The PCA team and Ripples the Ranvet Pony watching trackwork at Keeneland Racetrack.
Meet the team
Annabelle Ennis-Wert
Twenty-year-old Annabelle has been a member of Pony Club for 14 years and currently attends Werribee Pony Club. She competes mainly in Eventing at Grade 2 level, but also enjoys Ride to Time with her off-the-track Thoroughbreds. When not riding, Annabelle is studying Criminology at Deakin University. This was her third international Quiz representation, after partaking in the 2022 and 2023 PCIA Virtual Quiz Challenges.
“I loved my trip to the USA, the cultural experience and the friendships I’ve made with pony clubbers from all over the world will last a lifetime, and the memories I’ve made with my team members will be something I’ll cherish forever. Thank you to Pony Club Australia for the selection to be on the team!”
Hector Brennan
Hector is 17 years old and is a member of Woodlands Pony Club in Victoria; he has been attending Pony Club since age four. Participating in a wide variety of equine pursuits, Hector’s favourite Pony Club discipline is Polocrosse. Hector also participates in Quiz, both at a local, state and national level, with his selection on the 2024 Australian team being his second international representation.
“Before the international Quiz exchange, I knew very little about how other countries perceive and portrayed Pony Club and especially the wider horse community, but now having been given such an amazing opportunity to view and experience American horse culture and especially American Pony Club culture it has broadened my horizons. My desire to investigate and experience a wider variety of equitation practices and events has grown increasingly, and my perception of a career in the equine industry has changed dramatically.”
The PCA team with the Rolex statue at Kentucky Horse Park, home of Kentucky Three-Day Event.
Kaitlyn Brockett
Kaitlyn, a Year 12 student residing in rural Tasmania, is a member of Lilydale District Pony Club & Adult Riding Club. Over Kaitlyn’s many years of Pony Club involvement, she has enjoyed participating in Showjumping, Dressage, Mounted Games and Polocrosse, but most thoroughly enjoys Eventing where she has represented Tasmania at a national level. This is Kaitlyn’s second international Quiz representation, having also participated in the 2023 Virtual Quiz Challenge.
“Being selected for the 2024 PCA International Quiz Exchange team would be one of the top 10 experiences of my life. I was lucky enough to go with the same team from 2023. United States Pony Club gave us so many wonderful opportunities to see their country, engage with their horse communities and bond with the countries that were a part of the exchange. I’ve made so many great friends that I will continue to keep in touch with and visit in years to come. I hope that many more riders in future years embrace the opportunity to travel with PCA and share in the same wonderful experiences.”
Sharne Haskins
Twenty-four-year-old Sharne is a proud member of Londonderry Pony Club in Sydney. With over 20 years of Pony Club experience, she has excelled to international levels in both Dressage and Quiz competitions, with the 2024 exchange being her fourth PCIA Quiz Challenge and second as Captain. Sharne has grown up in the Thoroughbred industry, completed a double degree in Agriculture Science at Sydney University and works heavily in the equine industry as nutrition consultant at Ranvet.
“It was an absolute bucket list goal to one day participate in an international exchange representing PCA, and something I have been working on since finding out about Quiz in 2017! To be selected for this trip to the Horse Capital of the world, was beyond my wildest dreams. There was so much to see and learn, not only from the incredible places we visited, but from our other international competitors as well – we learnt so much that we cannot wait to bring back to develop Quiz further in Australia. I am extremely grateful to everyone who made the trip possible, and encourage any rider to take the opportunity to embrace these amazing opportunities provided by PCA and PCIA.”
At the Churchill Downs winning post with Ripples the Ranvet Pony.
More than a competition
More than just a competition, the PCIA International Challenge embraces culture, culinary experiences, history, places of interest and lifelong friendships. “This trip embraced the heart of Kentucky with the racing industry and the equine facilities being toured,” notes Rachael.
“The trip started with team building exercises at an adventure facility in Ashbury. We then toured places such as Jonabell Farm, home of Godolphin; Churchill Downs, where we had exclusive rights to visit areas that are restricted to the general public; and The Kentucky Derby Museum & Keeneland Racetrack; and Coolmore Farm, home of famous stallions such as American Pharoah and Justify).
“We were fortunate to visit Iroquois Hunt Club. We toured the Buffalo Trace Distillery, as well as touring Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, where we saw a colic surgery taking place at the Equine Hospital. We toured and looked at the facilities of the prestigious Spy Coast Farm, and had the PCIA Quiz Competition held at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. We were fortunate to get up close to some of the five-star cross country fences and walk out on the picturesque course. The opening ceremony for the international countries competing in the Quiz exchange was held on the famous Kentucky Rolex Arena.
“Some of the key learning areas from an equestrian perspective was acknowledging and learning how other countries look after the welfare of the horse and rider, and how it can differ especially with climate changes and the facilities available from country to country.
“The friendships formed from riders and coaches will be lifelong, and the relationships formed will enable the discipline to grow through sharing skills and knowledge with each other in future years, to make the Quiz discipline the best it can be moving forward.”
Interesting in taking part in a Quiz exchange? Pony Club Australia will invite current members of PCA, who meet the criteria at the time, to apply. A selection panel will then select future teams. You can find out more here.
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