The $146,899 federal government grant will allow the club to develop a closed, multi-discipline sand area. Improvements will also be made to the club house and canteen area.

Club president Leanne White said she was “absolutely over the moon”.

“One of our mums put her hand up when we asked who had experience in grant funding. She did three or four last year and we weren’t successful,” she said.

Ms White said the club started to get disheartened, but when they heard they were successful for the Community Sport Infrastructure Program grant –and the amount it was worth – they were blown away.

ALSO MAKING NEWS:

The Rawsonville Pony Club is planning on starting the work as soon as the money is received. Ms White said it would be fantastic for the club’s 43 members to have a premier facility.

“The committee is already discussing possibilities for hosting larger-scale events in the future, with upgraded grounds making it a more viable venue,” she said.

It will not only benefit the club by allowing them to hold high-quality show jumping and penning events, but other organisations have already expressed an interest in using the upgraded facility, Ms White said.

She said with the ground so dry in the past they had been reluctant to hold equestrian events like show jumping.

Federal Member for Parkes Mark Coulton said as a former pony-clubber himself he knew just how much the upgraded facilities would be appreciated.

“Rawsonville Pony Club is an excellent example of a strong local sporting club, with a hardworking committee behind it,” Mr Coulton said.

Ms White said she was very grateful for the hard work of Manda Zatta who had filled out all the grant applications and the rest of the excellent Rawsonville Pony Club Committee.