Two sisters from Herefordshire have been selected to ride for Wales at the International Mounted Games Association World Team Championships in Melbourne, Australia from 8th to 15th October.
Erin (22) and Sophie (19) Beach were both born in Wales and lived there until 2017 before moving to Herefordshire.
Having joined the Pony Club at four years of age, they initially participated in all equestrian disciplines, but it was soon obvious that they had a talent and a passion for mounted games.
Both girls regularly competed in the annual National Pony Club Championships and in 2015 Erin was part of the winning Prince Philip Cup team at the Horse of the Year Show with Monmouthshire Pony Club, followed by Sophie whose North Hereford Pony Club team qualified for Horse of the Year Show for the first time in their history in 2017.
They have competed internationally though the Mounted Games Association as part of a team and individually, Erin twice winning the European Championships with Wales (Ireland 2013, France 2015).
As part of different teams, they have both won the British Championships and have been finalists in World Pairs, British Pairs and World Individuals. Erin has also represented the UK at Gothenburg International Horse Show.
Today Erin runs her own business at Amberley Court Equestrian,Heredord, producing pony club and mounted games ponies. She also trains the junior North Hereford mounted games team and hopes to follow in the footsteps of the senior team who have again qualified for the Prince Philip Cup competition at Horse of the Year Show after winning it last year.
Mounted Games is a branch of equestrian sport in which fast games are played on ponies up to a height of about 152 cm (15 h). Riders require athletic ability, riding skills, hand-to-eye coordination, determination, perseverance, and a competitive spirit, which nevertheless requires an ability to work together with other riders and a willingness to help one another.
Mounted Games was the inspiration of Prince Philip. When Col. Sir Mike Ansell was Director of the Horse of the Year Show, Prince Philip asked if he could devise a competition for children who could not afford an expensive, well-bred pony, and in 1957 the Horse of the Year Show staged the first Mounted Games Championship for the Prince Philip Cup – it was an immediate box office success.
The sport of Mounted Games as it exists today was founded by Norman Patrick. His aim was to extend the sport, previously age-restricted by Pony Club, for wider participation, and for this reason, in 1984, he established the Mounted Games Association of Great Britain.
The sport which he had established is now enjoyed by riders around the world and the International Mounted Games Association, formed in 2003, now has members in 24 countries on 5 continents, the most recent to join being China. In the UK there are over 2000 members competing both at home and abroad.
The International Mounted Games Association World Team Championships are held each year in a different member country. At the first World Championships in 1985 only four teams participated, by 2007 this had grown to 18 and it continues to rise.
The girls are thrilled to have been selected but as the trip to Australia is entirely self-funded, they need to raise £5000 each for their flights, kit, pony hire, etc. There is a Just Giving page to raise awareness and get support for the sport and I know they would be hugely grateful for any offers of sponsorship or donations to help their cause:
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/nicola-beach?utm_term=BYGwKaGvE
