Pony Club Australia has been a great learning place for young riders for more than 80 years and has launched the careers of many of our best international riders – including all but one of the nine who represented Australia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
Pony Club is a place to cultivate a young rider’s interest and skills, and a springboard to greater achievements, with new strategies being introduced to ensure it can continue to do so for another 80 years. One of the biggest equestrian brands in Australia, Hygain, sponsors many riders who started at Pony Club. Plus, Hygain is also committed to supporting the growth of equestrian sports from the grassroots up! As part of this commitment and to celebrate the relaunch of Hygain’s My Champions Club rewards program, Hygain and Mitavite have rolled out a massive promotion for Pony Clubs across Australia.
The promotion is now up and running until 30 September 2022 with the aim to give all clubs a chance to share in $150,000 in prizes! Pony Clubs have “free rein” on how they use their prize. This gives them the freedom to apply the prizes as needed, whether it’s for new show jumps, a coffee machine for the club house, prize ribbons for an event, or much-needed renovations to their grounds. It’s an exciting opportunity that has come at the right time for Pony Clubs, particularly those in need of upgrades or resources to support exciting, new riding careers.
Already, many members, their family and friends have embraced the chance to put their club in the running to win simply by scanning QR codes on specific purchased feed from the Hygain and Mitavite range.
BUILDING PONY CLUBS FOR THE FUTURE
Pony Club Australia has around 40,000 members across 800 clubs around Australia. It can boast many success stories, including the incredible journey of Olympian Wendy Schaeffer and her amazing eventing horse Sunburst, who took her from Pony Club all the way to Olympic gold!
A Pony Club Australia spokesperson said the organisation was very excited for its members and clubs to have the opportunity to get a cash injection through the Hygain promotion. “Hygain has always been supportive of our members. This promotion will certainly be welcomed by all clubs, but particularly by clubs who experienced bushfires last year, or flooding more recently, as they seek to replace equipment and buildings.
“Pony Clubs have been the kickstart for riders in this country for over 80 years. Most of our equestrian Olympians started in Pony Club; in fact, all but one of our nine Tokyo Olympians and Paralympians started in their local club, and the one that didn’t, grew up in New Zealand.”
Pony Club provides an incredible springboard for young riders.
How Pony Clubs are run in Australia has changed a lot over the years, and it’s continuing to change for the better. In 2019, PCA introduced a new syllabus of instruction that includes a more thorough emphasis on horse welfare (equitation science) and rider safety. And now, Pony Clubs in other countries are sitting up and taking notice. New sports are also being introduced into the Pony Club world, including horse archery and pony racing! While Pony Club is often thought of as a younger rider environment, some clubbers never want to leave, which is being made possible by clubs extending their age limits to include adult riders. There is now also a path for those keen to ride to start their Pony Club journey at a PCA Accredited Riding Centre. You can find out more by visiting www.ponyclubaustralia.com.au.
Future Olympians Shane Rose and Edwina Tops-Alexander pictured in their Avondale Pony Club uniforms.
More and more activities are being added to the Pony Club repertoire, including now horse archery and pony racing! © Ellie Jolley.
Wendy Schaeffer and her Pony Club horse Sunburst on course at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. © The Shaeffer family
HOW DOES IT WORK?
If you’re keen to help support and win your Pony Club some cash prizes in Hygain’s new promotion, here are the instructions! Members can submit an entry for their club every time they scan a QR code from one of the participating Hygain and Mitavite feeds. Each scan also contributes rewards points to individual rewards accounts. Rewards points are redeemable on a range of online products.
The following feeds contribute an entry when their QR code is scanned and submitted to a My Champions Club account:
- Hygain® Zero®
- Hygain® Meta Safe®
- Hygain® Tru Care®
- Hygain® Balanced®
- Mitavite® Gumnuts®
- Mitavite® Munga®
- Mitavite® Cool Vitality®
- Mitavite® Xtra Cool®
The impressive prize pool is awarded to Pony Clubs as follows:
- 5 x monthly $1,000 prizes from May until 30 September
- 25 x major $5,000 prizes at the end of the promotional period (30 September)
With the first round of monthly prizes closed for entries on 31 May, if you’ve already entered your club then stay posted for the first month’s prize winner announcement. For details click here.
With the relaunch of My Champions Club, it’s now even easier to accrue and redeem rewards points on purchased feeds and supplements. The tokens that used to appear on the side of selected Hygain feeds have been superseded by convenient QR codes, which can be scanned to instantly send points to a rewards account. It’s free to sign up for a rewards account, making it easy for every horse owner to take part in the program. Look for the QR code when you purchase your next bag of Hygain feed or Hygain supplement. Start saving your points and work towards your first reward! EQ
For more information or to sign up visit the Hygain website. Join now for 100 bonus points.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE TO READ:
A ‘Hangry’ Horse is an Unhappy Horse – Equestrian Life, May 2022
Maximising Absorption in Your Horse’s Diet – Equestrian Life, April 2022
Finding the Way Back to the Saddle – Equestrian Life, February 2022
Electrolytes: Getting Out What You Put In – Equestrian Life, January 2022
A Good Gut Feeling for Performance Horses – Equestrian Life, December 2021
Gary’s Guide to Building Lean Muscle – Equestrian Life, November, 2021
In a Bind: The Role of Toxin Binders – Equestrian Life, October, 2021
Hold Your Horses: Feeding for Coolness – Equestrian Life, September, 2021
The Importance of Vitamin K – Equestrian Life, August, 2021
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