Healesville Pony Club riders (from left) Larna Martin, Stacey Florence, Lauren Florence and Alisha Sharp took out second place in the Victorian Flat Teams Championship in Werribee earlier this month.By Dion Teasdale
HEALESVILLE Pony Club riders earned top honours in the Victorian Flat Teams Championships held at the National Equestrian Centre in Werribee earlier this month.
The team, made up of four young women from Healesville, competed against 29 other teams from across the state to take out second place in the championship.
During the competition, sisters Stacey and Lauren Florence and friends Larna Martin and Alisha Sharp participated in synchronised dressage events and performed as a team in a musical ride event.
For the musical event the team wore flamboyant feather costumes and rode their horses to music inspired by the film Priscilla Queen of the Desert.
Healesville Pony Club president Kelly Mulcahy said she was thrilled by the result and proud of the team members and their horses.
“The girls did a great job in the championships and deserve the result they got for all the hard work they have put in,” she said.
“Our club has got a reputation of being the best competitors, for being well mannered, polite and supportive and for having fun, and this is another feather in our cap.”
Ms Mulcahy said the young women in the team, all aged between 17 and 21, had devoted themselves to training in the lead-up to the event.
“The girls worked at least twice a week and did lots of extra work top prepare for the competition and they were given a lot of support from one of our instructors, Faye Bates,” she said.
“The girls also had amazing support from their dedicated parents and families, so this result is a credit to everyone involved.”
The team members said their success would not have been possible without expert training from Ms Bates.
“Without her help we wouldn’t have been able to do so well at such a high level,” they said.
“We would like to thank our parents, all the volunteers and Healesville Pony Club for their dedication and support throughout the competition. Without their help things wouldn’t have run so smoothly.”
