Year 11 student Sophie Eade, 15, and year 10 Georgia Dee, 14, are part of a five-person team picked after an arduous selection process going back to trials in Christchurch last December.
At Horse of the Year in Hastings the pair placed third in the U15 pairs, then at the NZ individual champs, in Warkworth, Georgia placed fourth and Sophie fifth in the U15 class.
Its origins in the military, the late Prince Philip conceived the discipline in the 1950s as a way of making equestrian sport more accessible.
It comprises about 30 fast-paced challenges for teams, pairs or individuals, requiring athletic skills as well as riding ability — riders sometimes have to dismount then jump back on their ponies.
Sophie and Georgia will be in a team comp in Belgium before attending world pairs champs in France.
Both Wakatipu Pony Club members, they regularly train with riders in Clyde.
A disadvantage of competing in Europe is they’ll be on borrowed ponies, Georgia’s dad Ian says.
"It’s a reasonable-sized sport in Europe and there are professional riders as well."
However, he points out they’re lucky to be able to train together.
Sophie says "it’ll be a great experience for us to ride different ponies but it will definitely be a challenge because most of the time people say it takes about a year to get to know a pony".
Both girls say they’re very grateful for their supportive parents.
