Each year, hundreds of thousands of research dollars go toward investigating ways to keep money-earning, highly competitive athletic horses physically sound and at their peak performance. One researcher in Australia has chosen a different type of equine hero as her focus–the Pony Club horse.

Petra Buckley, PhD, is a lecturer in the School of Agriculture at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga, Australia. Buckley is the principal investigator in a three-part study funded by the Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation (RIRDC), and she plans to examine the health and performance of Pony Club horses, which have remained unstudied despite their significant contribution to the Australian equine industry. There are more than 900 active Pony Clubs in Australia, with more than 60,000 riding members. Estimates of horse numbers involved exceed 80,000.

The completed first part of the study explored the perceptions of horse health and performance among Pony Club members. Buckley aimed to gain an understanding of issues relating to horse health and performance that are important to the Pony Club community.

“Interviews with Pony Club members have been completed and have provided valuable insights into health and performance issues,” said Buckley. These issues include nutrition, dental care, foot care, deworming, colic, laminitis, sore backs, horse behavior, and skin disease