Horse riding on the third floor of a Chinese shopping centre is a far cry from the course Shannon Kelly is used to at Lilydale, but she knows it will be an eye-opening experience.
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Shannon, 13, is travelling to Wuxing District, China, with Pony Club Australia to show children how to ride horses.
Unlike the leafy surrounds of her Lilydale club, the Wuxing Pony Club is located indoors – in a high-rise shopping centre.
Shannon and her family have been fundraising and getting travel plans in order to leave on October 17, after they were notified she had won one of 10 places on the trip last week.
Mia Hankin from southern Tasmania and Brooke Foster from the North-West will join Shannon on the trip, her mother Katrina Kelly said.
“The team is from all over Australia, with three from Tasmania. Tassie has done really well,” Ms Kelly said.
“We have been madly fundraising to support her trip. We’ve approached businesses and so far everyone has come on board,” she said.
The group will be travelling with a coach and managers.
“Carol said the pony club is on the third floor of a shopping centre. The horses live in the shopping centre,” she said.
Shannon will be mentoring young Chinese children in basic horse riding technique, grooming and animal care, as well as riding in gymkhana and mounted games events.
She was selected for this trip because of her mix of horse riding experience, both at pony club and outside the organisation.
“Shannon started pony club about 10 years ago. She is lucky because the time was right for her to go, she has a passport and she does things outside pony club too,” Ms Kelly said.
“She’s quite a well-rounded young horsewoman.”
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Shannon will be away for 10 days with her group of 13- and 14-year-old Pony Club Australia representatives.
Another group of older pony club members are also heading to China in November.
“We couldn’t have done it without the pony club. They’ve been incredibly supportive,” Ms Kelly said.
This year Pony Club Australia has also sent teams to compete in Mounted Games in the UK, Tetrathlon in the USA, Showjumping in France, Gymkhana Games and Showjumping in China and Polocrosse in the UK.
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