Strathearn Pony Club has been introducing young people to horse riding since 1949.
It remains as popular as ever with a 110-strong membership of all abilities.
And it is successful too.
The pinnacle of the mounted games calendar is the Prince Philip Cup at the Horse of the Year Show in Birmingham’s NEC Arena.
In the previous decade Strathearn’s senior games team – aged between 10 and 14 – qualified five times and actually won the event in 2013.
And just last weekend at Blair Horse Trials they were at it again.
The senior A team finished first out of 12 teams competing from all over Scotland and Ireland. The junior A team, meanwhile, came third out of 14 teams.
“Strathearn is one of the leading clubs in the UK,” says Stacey Munro, who trains the juniors, all aged under 10.
“It comes down to the amount of riders interested in games and their dedication to training.
“They are out twice a week training and competing every weekend. It takes a lot of dedication.”
For this feature we visited the club’s base in Powside, off the A85 near Almondbank, and asked riders, parents and trainers what makes Strathearn such a local success story.
Life skills and ‘kamikaze’ fun
Mounted games is just one part of Strathearn Pony Club.
There are also showjumping teams and children who compete at dressage.
Many of its members are not competitive but enjoy coming along to rallies with their ponies and learning how to care for their animals.
But the mounted games is where young people learn so many life skills.
Anna Black is a volunteer who takes her children Tom, 14, and Kate, 12, to pony club sessions.
She says: “It is one of the few riding sports that boys are really keen on because it is about coordination, agility, speed and is probably a bit dangerous as well.
“Leaping on and off ponies and having to pick things up off the ground is great fun. It has kept my son interested when he would have stopped doing other riding.
“It is quite kamikaze, great fun and very fast and furious.
“It also helps to keep them on the right track when you think of the things they could be doing.
“It is great for teamwork and encourages kids to not put their heads down, because if you have a rider who does that you have lost.”
‘Fell off’ but got back up again
Crieff High School pupil Tom Black has been a member of the club since he was 10 years of age.
Sister Kate was already involved and persuaded him to compete in the Blair Horse Trials due to a lack of players available.
“I fell off the first time I tried,” he says. “But I enjoyed it. It was fun.
“I like the social part of it. After competitions you get time to hang around with people and I have made some of my best friends at the club.”
Oli is taking on the world
Pitlochry’s Oli Ryder is a high achiever having already had a decade’s riding experience at Strathearn.
The Glenalmond College pupil, 15, was introduced to riding by brothers Josh and Sam, and sister Emily, who are all now in their 20s.
On Gunner, a 21-year-old American quarter horse, he was in the Scotland team for this year’s European Championships.
And last weekend he came third in the World Individual Championships at Aston de Walls in Northamptonshire.
Oli also rode in the pageant for the Royal Windsor Horse Show, part of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Celebration in May.
“My favourite things about riding are teamwork and getting to know people,” he says. “Not only in your own club but at other clubs and nations.
“You get a lot of amazing experiences out of it and go to a lot of places, as well as making good friendships.
“I really like the racing and you are directly against someone. It’s not about time, points or what a judge thinks.
“To be a good rider you have to be agile and quite strong, though you don’t need crazy strength.
“You also need good leadership and teamwork skills. If someone has a bad race you need to pick them up for the next race and make sure your teams are thinking the same thing because you want everyone to know their job.
“You are all working together to achieve a result.”
Not great at first but ‘now have a bond’
Methven’s Kirsty Halley, 14, took a while to get used to riding ponies but is now delighted that she persevered.
Kirsty, who attends Glenalmond School, was just four years old when she was introduced to riding by her sister Heather, 21, who is still a trainer at the club.
She initially had Spice, a grey Welsh pony.
“I did not enjoy it very much,” she says. “My pony was quite squealy and anxious but my confidence built up over time.”
Similarly, it took her a while to become accustomed to her current pony, Thumble, after getting her three years ago.
“I wasn’t great at riding her as she was better than me,” Kirsty recalls. “I eventually built myself up and got to grips with it.
“We have now got that bond. I saw what my sister had done and wanted to achieve what she has achieved.”
Kirsty is now looking forward to representing Scotland for the first time later this year.
Friendly rivalry
Strathearn’s closest geographic rivals are West Perthshire, based in Doune.
“You want to beat them but it is friendly as well,” says Braco’s Cara MacDonald, 15, who is a good judge of the rivalry given she attends Dunblane High School.
“Everybody’s really friendly here. They are all welcoming and I have made lots of different friends.”
‘Sad to leave’ but future looks bright
At 14, Aimee Paterson has one year left at Strathearn before she has to decide what to do next.
The Dunning resident has enjoyed almost a decade of games but has options, particularly with her sister Chloe, 11, still in the club.
“Leaving makes me sad because I have done it since I was so young,” says Aimee, who attends Auchterarder School.
“But I will still keep in touch and help out. I can also be involved with the Mounted Games Association.
“I have ridden at Scottish Horse of the Year show a few times and last weekend we won at the Blair Trials, which was good.
“We didn’t have the best start in the morning but then we went to the finals we stepped it up and did a lot better.
“It was also about the mindset and not feeling the pressure in front of a crowd.
“I am aiming to get on the Scotland team next year.”
‘Once they started they didn’t want to stop’
Carmen McDermott, 15, has been a member of the club since she was six years old and started doing pony club mounted games at age of seven.
“I was lucky enough to have a pony as a child and rode in the Strathearn Pony Club games team and have many happy memories of this,” says mother Lee-Ann McDermott.
“I was therefore keen to give my own children the same opportunities and so took them along to games training and once they started they didn’t want to stop.”
Lochlan, 13, and Lomond, 9, are also members of the senior and junior teams.
“They love the speed, athleticism and agility that this discipline of riding requires,” Lee-Ann adds.
Carmen was selected to ride for Scotland at last year’s Royal Windsor horse show, where she performed in front of the Queen.
She attends Glenalmond College along with two of her other team mates – Oli Ryder and Kirsty Halley.
How to join
Strathearn Pony Club is open to new members up until the age of 21. Existing members can stay on as associate members until 25.
After the age of 15 there is Strathearn Riding Club, which organises teaching and events for adults.
“Kids come from totally different backgrounds,” says Anna. “Some are privately schooled and have money, while some are able to borrow ponies, so it is for everyone who wants to have a go.”
An annual non-riding membership costs £30, enabling young people to develop practical knowledge and experience.
An annual riding membership is £80, though it costs money to enter competitions.
Stacey says: “It can be as expensive as you make it. With games, any pony under a certain height can do it.
“For example, my little girl’s pony is 23 and with medical problems and not worth much but she has great fun when there.”
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