THE Pony Club movement is dear to the heart of Irish Horse World correspondent Margie McLoone, a one-time proud member of the Ward Union branch who covers as many Irish Pony Club national activities she can – and also those in Area 17.

However, after a busy season she obviously needs a bit of a break as, writing her report on the IPC’s annual festival in Mullingar, she managed to mix-up two members of the McQuade family despite the vast difference in age between the Meath Pony Club pair.

Riding the family’s Connemara gelding Twilight Oscar, it was 11-year-old Milly (Amelia) who won a section of the under-12 combined training challenge, not her sister Emily, who was 16 in July.

“I’m blaming my fingers for taking matters into their own hands (!) while I typed,” says Margie. “I was just so used to seeing Emily on the pony that the change didn’t register with me.”

Since the festival, Milly and Twilight Oscar won a section of the under-12 class at the IPC/Connolly’s Red Mills eventing qualifier hosted by the Shillelagh Branch at Coolboy, Tinahely.

Milly is not only a very competent rider but she also plays football for Trim GAA under-12s. Indoors, she is just as talented as, playing piano, she is on Grade 5 with the Royal Irish Academy of Music, and is at Grade 4 with the Anne Maher School of Ballet.

Now looking forward to competing in juniors, Emily had a wonderful time in ponies with Twilight Oscar, a 14-year-old gelding by Silver Heaven on whom she recorded wins at EI90, EI100 and pony two-star level under Eventing Ireland Rules. On their final outing together, the pair contested the CCI* for ponies at the Tattersalls International Horse Trials.