Congratulations to Second Form’s Charlie on being selected as a member of the Welsh Under 17 Mounted Games riding team on his pony, Flicker
Based on Gymkhana games, the equestrian discipline of Mounted Games was started by Prince Phillip in 1957 for ‘ordinary children on ordinary ponies’, designed to encourage teamwork and horsemanship. It has since developed into a highly competitive sport requiring athleticism and hand-eye coordination, as well as riding ability. Teams of five riders test their skills in a series of high-speed, head-to-head relay races. The sport has national teams over various age groups in over twenty countries worldwide. An experienced ‘games pony’ is a considerable benefit.
On a cold weekend in mid-April, Charlie made the trip to mid Wales for the national trials. Despite being the youngest rider present (aged only 13), he and his pony Flicker were selected for the five-man Under 17 team. Charlie will travel to County Cork in Ireland in early July to compete at the world team championships. This four-day competition will include teams from South Africa, New Zealand and Canada, as well as the home nations. At the end of July the team will compete again, this time in the European team championships in Germany, where they will be against the likes of France, Italy, Denmark and Sweden.
The Welsh team has never won a major event in the under 17 age group, but Charlie will be hoping they can set that record straight this year.