Mother of young pony rider Georgia Mummery-Brown, Camille Mummery praised local riding instructor Deb Davies who on her own private property coaches Georgia and 17 other students from Port Pirie, Warnertown, Wandearah and Napperby.
“She is fantastic with the kids,” said Mrs Mummery who has an interest in training young riders and along with two other local people is undertaking a preliminary pony club coaching certificate. Mrs Davies is proud of her riders, who have competed throughout the year at inter-school riding competitions with other schools from throughout the state.
“Students from St Mark’s College, Mid North Christian College and John Pirie Secondary School have competed and have been extremely competitive with other riders in the State,” she said.
Meanwhile because there are no facilities in Port Pirie for a Pony Club, Mrs Mummery said that Georgia travels once a fortnight to Port Augusta to participate in the Port Augusta Pony Club. The other local riding students also have to travel to either Port Augusta, Crystal Brook, Kadina or Bute to access a facility.
With a lack of a public riding arena, Mrs Mummery is concerned for her daughter Georgia’s and her own safety while they ride their horses near their home on the outskirts of Port Pirie.
Signs on Afford Road extension indicating there are horses in the vicinity are ignored as drivers travel at more than 80kph in a 50kph and 80kph zone.
“While riding on the side of the road, the horses are often spooked by speeding cars,” Mrs Mummery said.
“I was recently riding on the flats near my home when I was almost hit by a four wheel drive, driven by youths who were cutting through the flats.”
Horses are considered to be a vehicle, comparable to a pushbike and therefore are afforded the same consideration from other road uses.
“Georgia along with her riding counterparts need to ride their horses everyday because working animals need to have a lot of flat work and be ridden to keep supple,” Mrs Mummery said.
Mrs Davies said that riders are restricted in several events at horse shows because to enter they have to belong to a Pony Club.
In the past riders have always had access to the Magor Equestrian Park on Anzac Road however this facility is now used by ‘Riding for the Disabled’.
The pony riders and future horse riders of Port Pirie should surely be afforded a home they can call their own.
Council responds to lack of facilities......
From back page
In a town that is crazy about sport and one that has excellent sporting facilities, it seems unusual that the city does not have grounds for a Pony Club.
There are 18 young horse riding enthusiasts living in Port Pirie and District who have to travel to Port Augusta, Bute, Kadina or Crystal Brook to be a member of a Pony Club.
We pride ourselves in producing some of the best sportsmen and women and our fantastic facilities are second to none.
The facilities are a major tourism benefit, enticing visiting sporting clubs and associations to the city.
However, young Pirie riders are left in the dark or should it be said without a park.
Perhaps the Port Pirie Regional Council can see the plight of our riders and allocate some land, so that we may add another promising or elite sportsman and another facility to the list we are so very proud of.
In reply the council’s manager of administration services Colin Byles would consider negotiating a possible area for the group of young riders to call their home if an incorporated club or association was formed.
Mr Byles was asked why riders could not have the land situated at the Moppett Road end of Anzac Road, part of the Magor Equestrian Park.
He said that people were using the area unofficially and after a risk assessment it was decided to close it to the public.
He said that because there was no public liability, riders who may hurt themselves would not be covered by insurance.
A decision was made to give a formal lease to the land in question to Riding for the Disabled.
The council can only lease property and land to incorporated bodies.
As a result, if a pony club committee was formed and it became an incorporated body, there could be some negotiations with the council to procure some property.
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