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Our History    Message From President    What is Pony Club?    West Auckland District    Waitemata/Rodney Area

Our History

The Henderson Valley was originally formed in 1963 as the Henderson Riding Club.  In 1964 we became a branch of the Western Suburbs District Pony Club.  Our branch grounds were originally a nursery and garden centre.  The remnants of this are still seen today in some of the beautiful trees and plants that grace the grounds.  The land was rented from Sunde's until the council purchased the land from Sunde's and rented it to us.

The first club building was a shed which was used for just about everything - canteen, entries and storage. The second building on the grounds was the tractor shed which was also used for meetings.

Most events were held in Cooks paddock, the venue for the Western Suburbs District 30th Anniversary show-jumping in 1980.  Before the sub-division the branch had the use of the paddocks through to Border Road and the park on Henderson Valley Road.  The cross-country course was amongst the sub-divisions and orchards and in the 1980s events were held to raise money for equipment.  The membership in the 1980s was over 100.

For many years the Riding for the Disabled has been riding on our grounds, providing therapeutic activities for handicapped children.

An outdoor sand arena has been built allowing members to keep their horses fit through the winter months.  Access to further acres in 1975 enabled us to build an open cross-country course including an extensive water jump.

Presidents 2011/2012 Welcome 

Karyn Barnaby - President - Henderson Valley Pony Club

What is Pony Club and how does it work?                                               

Pony Club is a youth movement for young people up to the age of 25 years for obtaining certificates but up to 21 for National and Area competitions.

When you join Pony Club, you are joining one of the largest youth movements in the world.

The objective of Pony Club is to provide young people with the knowledge and skills to ride correctly and safely, to know how to care for their ponies/horses and to have lots of fun.

Pony Club is run by a committee made up of Mums and Dads who have volunteered to help because they believe in the movement and want as many children as possible to experience the joys of owning a pony/horse. They, of course, cannot do it all by themselves and so Working Bees are held to get done the many jobs needed to ensure the club is kept in good order and safe for the riders. An important part of organising the club is to run competitions for riders, both within the club and outside guests. These competitions provide the much needed extra money to purchase new equipment and maintain the standards, we at Henderson Valley have come to expect.

Working Bees and helping out at events can be a lot of fun and we encourage parents to get to know other members and the committee. Parents are expected to attend working bees throughout the year, to assist in setting up for competitions and to help on the competition days themselves.

As riders gain experience they will want to enter events away from their own Branch and should be encouraged to do so. Most events are advertised in the New Zealand Herald on Wednesdays and Saturdays. If you are unsure what events would be suitable for you, ask your instructor or one of the committee, who will be only too pleased to help.

Henderson Valley and West Auckland District Pony Club                       

Henderson Valley is a Branch of West Auckland District Pony Club (WADPC), the other branches being Massey and Te Atatu. There are events and competitions organised by the “District” for which our members are able to enter. A number of these result in selection of riders to represent the “District” and go forward to other events. Information on these activities will be given out at Pony Club, see your President or Head Instructor if you would like to enter and need guidance. 

The main contacts of District and the other branches are below.

Waitemata Rodney Counties Area                                                        

This is the greater “Area” to which West Auckland District belongs. The “Area” passes on information from the New Zealand Pony Clubs Association. Delegates from each of the 7 Districts attend monthly meetings to discuss issues of interest to the members and to take back information to their respective branches and so to the members.

The "Area" is responsible for organising selections for the Horse Trials Championship Team, The Dressage Championship Team, The Inca Cup Games Team and the Zone Games Teams to represent the “Area”.

The “Area" also runs Inter-club competitions such as Interclub Dressage, Teams Show-jumping and the Teams Training One Day Event.