PHOTO: SIGRID CHRISTIANSEN
CANTERING beside the crashing waves of Mōkau’s black sand beaches, toasting marshmallows over an open fire, and taking horses over jumps. Those were among the highlights of the Te Kūiti & Districts Pony Club’s annual camp.
“Camp Aunty” (and food organiser) Shaina Downey found the experience rewarding.
“I love it because the kids love it. Seeing the smiles on their faces when they go and do the river swims and the beach rides.”
President Dani Darke said the kids learned to tackle new tasks with confidence. “It’s challenging as well. The kids do stuff that’s hard, and [find that] they can do it. I guess it’s lots of first times, like taking the ponies in the water today.”
“When they get with their mates, they push each other along. They see someone else is doing it, so they want to do it too,” Shaina said.
For Dani’s daughter, Maddie, 11, highlights included the horse mastership lessons. “And learning how to take care of your pony. How to treat it well,’ she said. Riding also helped kids cope with the unexpected.
“When you’ve got a pony, things aren’t always going to go to plan. It’s really good for them. They’ve got this partnership. It’s not like a motorbike. You point it in a direction it will just go. No, it’s got a mind of its own and you have to develop a relationship. Work with it. You can’t be against it,” Dani said.
Pony club also benefitted farming kids who had left the district for boarding school. By returning to the camp during summers, they retained a connection with the people and culture of their home community.
Nelly Moorhouse, who attended with daughter Kaitlyn, 10, said it brought back fond memories of a riding trip through the same district with her family as a teenager.
Nelly and her family rode basic Standardbred horses “off the dog truck,” she said. “We started in Mahoenui and we rode all the way down here. We swam in the river, did beach riding, pretty much everything we’re doing here,” she said. “You remember the small things like sleeping in the woolsheds.”
Now her daughter could enjoy a similar experience.
“When I loaded everything up in the float yesterday as we were leaving. I actually felt like crying.”
Club members thanked Piripiri Station owners Mark and Wendy Smyth for their hospitality, and for making their property and its historic woolshed available to the group.
