By PCA Programs & Events Manager, Michelle Newham
What a fantastic National Mounted Games Championships!
For the first time, the Pony Club Australia National Mounted Games Championships headed to the Northern Territory, with Darwin welcoming Junior and Senior teams from NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory.
It was fantastic to see teams from six states and territories come together for the Championships, particularly seeing South Australia back at Nationals and a number of new and younger riders experiencing the event for the first time. Seeing strong fields again was a great sign for the future of Mounted Games.
The Championships were hosted at the fantastic grounds of Noonamah Horse & Pony Club, which provided a wonderful setting for the event. The Senior Championship kicked off under lights on Friday night, creating a great atmosphere and something a little different for riders and spectators, followed by another exciting day of racing for our Junior teams on Saturday.
A huge part of the success of the event was the incredible support from the NT horse community. Around 35 horses were loaned for the Championships, an outstanding achievement for a territory hosting the event for the first time. The horses were fantastic and provided our riders with a true test of horsemanship and adaptability.
PCA is incredibly grateful to every owner who entrusted their horse to the event. Without the generosity of the people, Championships like this simply couldn’t happen.
NSW finished as National Champions in both the Junior and Senior competitions, but the weekend was about much more than the results. A message shared by the winning Senior team at the presentation dinner summed it up beautifully – the win is special, but it is the friendships, experiences and memories made through Pony Club that stay with you.
And there were certainly plenty of memories made in Darwin!
Away from the arena, the Junior teams experienced some of the best the Top End has to offer, including camel rides on the beach, a jumping crocodile cruise and swimming and exploring in the national parks.
The Senior teams also had time to explore Darwin and surrounds, making the trip a true National Championships experience both on and off the field.
A National event takes an enormous team effort. A heartfelt thank you to Pony Club NT, Noonamah Horse & Pony Club, our horse owners, generous sponsors, volunteers, officials, scorers, coaches, team managers, riders, families and supporters who all played their part in making the Championships such a success.
The competition, the horses, the atmosphere and the experiences away from the arena made Darwin 2026 something very special. Seeing teams from across Australia competing together again, along with new riders joining the Mounted Games community, was particularly exciting – and hopefully a sign of even bigger fields to come.
Congratulations and thank you to everyone who helped make the first National Mounted Games Championships held in the Northern Territory such a memorable event.
Darwin 2026 – what a Mounted Games Nationals!
