Regional Development Victoria
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Tiny Towns Tarwin Lower

Vision: Title: Tales from Tiny Towns; Tarwin Lower

Vision: Drone shot of Tarwin Lower township and of horse riding arena. Shot of young female rider mounting horse. Shot of man adjusting horse jump.

Mark Blackburn, Tarwin Lower Pony Club President

We start from a very early age, and they come along with their first pony and we teach them how to look after the pony. And then, just learn how to ride.  And then we go all the way through up to guys in the club that are pushing for the national team and for state competitions.

Vision: Shot of young female rider and horse entering arena, approaching jump and jumping over hurdle, winning ribbon and riding away.

Mark Blackburn, Tarwin Lower Pony Club President

We asked the Tiny Towns Fund for some assistance to help us build a large arena fence. The area that we've got it's got open exits for the football club. We had a few instances where kids would fall off and the horses would bolt. And you’d worry that the horses were going to go flying out onto the main road, or even worse, the kid will stay on the horse and they’d go onto the roads or in the surrounding area. So we needed a fence to make it all nice and safe for them.

Vision: Shot of fence post, shot of railing, drone shot of arena and football oval and clubrooms. Shots of three very young female riders aboard their ponies.

Mark Blackburn, Tarwin Lower Pony Club President

For riders, it's given them a nice secure area to ride in. And that gives them the confidence that they can actually ride their horse without worrying that it's going to bolt anywhere. That builds their confidence. The horses feel safer because they've got a confident rider on their back. And for the parents, they don't feel scared that their kids are going to get injured or fly off all over the rec reserve.

Vision: Shots of arena fencing, shots of riders in the arena, riders entering the arena, riders and horses going over low jumps.

Mark Blackburn, Tarwin Lower Pony Club President

And for the parents, they don't feel scared that their kids are going to get injured or fly off all over the rec reserve.

Mikayla, Tarwin Lower Pony Club Member

I think it's so great. It's really good for the younger kids as well to have the security of the fence being there and just giving us a lot more opportunities for events like today.

Long-term wise, I hope to go to the Brisbane ‘32 Olympics with my current horse, but, yeah, just taking him up the levels, hopefully to Grand Prix.

Vision: Shots of Mikayla preparing her saddle, patting her horse, riding her horse over jumps.

Mark Blackburn, Tarwin Lower Pony Club President

The Tiny Towns has made it so much nicer to be a parent here. It's made a whole lot of parents a lot less stressed with their kids riding horses around here... it’s really good.

Vision: Parents around the arena watching riders go past. Shot of young rider and horse going over jump. Shot of people applauding. Close up of horse’s face.

Vision: Title with graphics and text: Tales from Tiny Towns. Delivering for Rural and Regional Victoria, Victoria State Government.

The Tarwin Lower Pony Club now has a safer and more secure place for their members to ride their horses, train, host events and attract new members.

It’s thanks to a new fence that has been built around their riding arena that has replaced the previously unsafe and temporary bunting, and gives riders of all ages and abilities a greater sense of confidence.

Backed by our Tiny Towns Fund, the upgrades will help the growing club continue to move from strength to strength - expanding its programs and supporting equestrians from beginner to expert.

“For riders, it’s given them a nice secure area to ride in,” said Tarwin Lower Pony Club President, Mark Blackburn.

“It gives them the security of geographical location. That builds their confidence. The horses feel safer because they’ve got a confident rider on their back.”

The new fence also means parents are assured that their children will be riding safely within the arena without risk of being injured, should the horse be spooked.

This upgrade to the arena was particularly important given the club’s proximity to the nearest road and the risk that a spooked horse might leave the grounds and interfere with traffic.

The Tarwin Lower Pony Club has built a tight-knit community. The club teaches its members about all elements of equestrian sports, including how to care for horses.

Many of the members compete in equestrian events, which include combined training, dressage, cross country and showjumping. The new fencing creates a secure place for the club’s riders to both train for and host these events.

The new fencing also provides more opportunities for the club to grow and attract new members, while providing young people with the many benefits that accompany equestrian training – including physical and mental wellbeing and the development of confidence that can be applied to life outside the arena.

Investments into clubs like the Tarwin Lower Pony Club also help to create healthier, more connected communities while drawing more visitation through events, carnivals and training opportunities across sport codes.

The Tarwin Lower Pony Club upgrade is one of more than 300 projects to receive funding from the Tiny Towns Fund, which is working to make our smallest communities even better places to live, work, stay and play.