International PC Mounted Games Visit to Scotland 2002
described by Sue and Lynn Veitch

This year it was the UK's turn to host the annual International Games Event and Katy Pitcairn of Kirkintilloch PC, training the GB team, requested that teams from Australia, Canada and U.S.A stayed in her home territory, during the first week of their fortnight visit, to experience Scottish hospitality.

So, from the 6th-11th May, the teams of 5 boys and girls and 2 chaperones were accommodated in the Scottish Equi-complex at Lanark and were taken on daily tourist excursions.

The highlight at Lanark was a friendly games competition on Saturday 11th with ponies provided by Lanark & Upperward, West Perth and East Stirling Clubs.
There was a slight problem matching riders to ponies with some of the boys well over 6 foot tall!

From Saturday evening until Tuesday morning the young people and adults were allocated to live in Pony Club homes to experience family life in the host country.

We were assigned the American and Canadian trainers from whom we learnt much about the Games movement in N.America where it is gaining in popularity, the children riding horses, since ponies are hard to find!

Their main problem appears to be getting a team together for practice due to the vast distances involved - imagine if Muirkirk was in a different Time Zone to Stewarton!

The 2 ladies avidly watched and made notes on our Games videos and got lots of ideas for novelty races from the Wembley 2000 tape!

Interestingly, in Australia, the Games set up is similar to Britain, with Area and Zone qualifiers - they even compete for their very own cup, gifted by Prince Philip!

After showing our visitors around a rather typically wet and windy Ayrshire and Arran, we said a sad farewell to these delightful guests as they boarded a coach to Ascot Racecourse. From this base, staying in the jockey quarters, they toured sights of London and rode in their International Competition on ponies borrowed from the Windsor pageant, 'All the Queen's Horses'. The British team, including Rebecca Jackson from West Perth, emerged as winners followed by USA, Canada and Australia.

The teams had a memorable visit to the Royal Windsor Horse Show, in its special Golden Jubilee year, where, after previously making close friends North of the Border, they were happily able to witness a Scottish Home International win !!

- Congratulations to Danny Wilson and his team!!

The overseas guests flew home on 13th May after a successful 2 weeks - a marathon of organisation for Katy and crew but a cultural exchange of benefit to all involved.