THE Heywood Pony Club will celebrate a huge milestone today when past, present and community members come together for its 50th anniversary.

Considered one of the regions most stable pony clubs, the Heywood group has put together a wide range of events to commemorate its long standing in the community.

“We’ve got a fair bit planned for the day, there will be a small demonstration from members and history house has put together a 44-page slideshow of the club’s history so that will run through the background,” committee member Wendy McFarlane said.

“We’ll be launching a few new things for the club on the day as well and also be awarding some life memberships.

“Current members will be in their uniforms and doing some different demonstrations and anyone is welcome to come and join in and have a sausage or a hamburger.”

The demonstrations will kick off at 11am while official celebrations start at 12.30pm.

Where it all began

One attendee in particular has more vested interest than most with founding member, Allan McLean, witnessing its growth since the first meeting in 1983 at the Drumborg Hall.

McLean, along with three other families, first came up with the idea of developing a club in the Heywood area and has since seen five generations of his family participate.

“It all started with four of us families in the Branxholme Pony Club and we really enjoyed it there, but two of us bought farms and moved to Heywood so to save time we thought we’d start our own club in Heywood,” he said.

“We called the first meeting in 1983 at the Drumborg Hall and got a good response, probably a dozen people turned up.

“Not all of them followed through but we had about four original families and their kids riding.

“From that founding group I’m the only one left.”

While the club is now based at Heywood Sports Park on Woolsthorpe-Heywood road, its original facilities were in Drumborg.

“We started off using the Drumborg facilities and the oval, the cricket club weren’t too keen on that though, so we moved to the old racecourse which was crown land,” he said.

“The golf club had just moved into their new facilities, so we used that spot for a while.”

On the horse

At 87, McLean says horses have been a part of his life forever, and any success on them was a result of having lived and relied on them.

“I’ve had horses all my life, I’ve ridden them forever and I can never remember a time when I haven’t ridden horses,” he said.

“I was growing up during the war so at that time we would use a horse and gig to get around, the roads were pretty bad so that’s how we moved.

“For me it’s just something I’ve always done.”

Throughout its 50 years of operation the club has enjoyed plenty of success in both event competition as well as club stability.

“I think one of our best events was the poke cup which was a team dressage event,” he said.

“Heywood won that so many times it was honestly unbelievable – we’ve had some really good riders over the years.

“But the other big success of the club is just that it’s been a success for so long, other clubs have come and gone in that time, but Heywood has always had good attendance.”

The legacy

From the 50 years of work that has been put in to sustain the club, McLean says it is a joy to watch his family continue to reap the rewards of its inception.

“Over the years families have come and gone from the club, but it has always been a family club,” he said.

“I’ve been able to watch give generations of my family be involved in it over time.

“My mum was there doing the afternoon tea and cake stalls when we started and then some of my kids got involved, then my grandkids and now my great grandkids.”

While McLean was one of the founding members, he said there has been plenty of people who have contributed across time to keep it moving forward.

“There are so many people who have been involved in the club and helped it,” McLean said.

“In particular I remember Jen Drewery and she had a huge impact on the club as well as Bev Keane, she was secretary for many years.

“I’d go as far to say that if it hadn’t been for those two people then the club wouldn’t be as successful as it is today.”

Current member McFarlane echoed the sentiment that the club is standing tall thanks to its legacy of contributors.

“Right now, we’ve got about 31 active riders, and we really pride ourselves on being an inclusive club where any ages and abilities are welcome to join,” she said.

“We are one of the strongest clubs in the area, some places have had a tough time keeping things going but we’re really lucky to have the base that we have.

“We met the first Monday of every month and have three to four events a year and try to do all disciplines.

“If you’re a horse rider, you love the animals, and they love you back and that’s what it’s all about.

“It can be a bit of a dangerous sport, but you get that support around you and our main aim is safety and improvement and as long as we’re doing that, we’re happy.”