The Mountain District Horse and Pony Club was formed in 1944 and was the first Pony Club to be formed in Victoria. The inspiration came from a Pony Club at Ingleburn in New South Wales.
The Pony Club at Ingleburn had been formed by Mrs. Marjory Hirst who wrote ' whilst home in England in 1938, I became very interested in the work of the Pony Clubs and decided to see what could be done on similar lines in this part of the world'.
The establishment of Mountain District Horse and Pony Club began one day in June 1944, when Miss Margaret Douglas was out driving in a horse and jinker from Croydon to Ferntree Gully, accompanying Miss Elsa Grace, who had employed Miss Douglas as a Land Army Girl on her farming property during the war years.
They had picked up the latest issue of the English magazine 'Riding', and while looking through it, they saw a letter from Mrs. Marjory Hirst of Ingleburn Pony Club in New South Wales.
Miss Douglas thought what a wonderful idea it would be to try to establish a similar Pony Club in Victoria, in an effort to give some helpful tuition and organised activity to all riders who had sprung up during the petrol rationed war years.
After considerable consultation with Mrs. Joyce Adams, who gave her a great deal of help and advice, Miss Douglas then wrote to Mrs. Hirst asking for more details on running a club.
Mrs. Hirst's letter in August 1944, told how the club was based on the English Pony Clubs, but how in Australia as many adults as children were interested, they used 'Horse and Pony Club' in the name.
Their aim was 'Education and Entertainment' with Horsemastership as important as 'Horsemanship' and that 'no matter how broken down the horse and how bad the saddlery or rider, we welcome then all.
It was upon this letter that MOUNTAIN DISTRICT HORSE AND PONY CLUB was formed, and the same structure, aims and ideals were adopted.