Seventeen children and their ponies gathered from Goodooga, Lightning Ridge and properties around the Ridge.

The children who participated ranged in age from the youngest at five years, up to 13 years of age.

They were all willing students of capable horsewoman Debbie Tribe who, rather than letting her students "go like a bat out of hell", focuses on teaching the children to educate their ponies.

"We spend a lot of time teaching them to teach their horse," she said.

To achieve this, ponies and riders were put through their paces with exercises including flatwork, vaulting, jumping, horse work on foot, riding through the bush, and when it all gets too hot, a game of Red Rover with water bombs.

"The children have a whale of a time," president of the Pony Club Aubrey Tribe said.

The club has recently been able to make use of electric lighting to enable the children to ride in the cool of the evening.

"They rode until 10pm (on Saturday) and still wanted to keep going!" Mr Aubrey said.

The club will resume meetings toward the end of January 2004.