Blacktown Pony Club was practising mounted games at its Schofield base for the next zone event at Glossodia.

The club and its home are reminders of when Blacktown and its environs really were the wild west.

It's one of Blacktown's oldest sporting clubs and has been going more than 50 years.

When it started, Blacktown had a big, old stone railway station; the puffing billies could still be seen, the rattlers went out to Richmond; the Robin Hood opposite the station was an old-style major watering hole and you didn't have to go far to reach the mulga.

The club is still out in the mulga at Schofields but is not populated by old-timers.

A new generation of young fry are riding high in the saddle and they're hot stuff. Blacktown had four champions at the recent Megalong zone-19 showjumping. Katie Lodge won the E grade under13s riding Matilda; Kaitlyn McWhirter won E grade under17s aboard Buck; Caitlin Chandler the C grade under13s and under17s on Lacey and Scott Walker the B grade associates on Bobby.

Blacktown saddles up for the lot showjumping, dressage, eventing, sporting, mounted games...if it's equestrian, they're there. They'll be there for the next state championships in Goulburn. They were there at Schofields on Sunday practising mounted games, one of the few equestrian teams sports.

Mounted games are a rough equivalent to a relay and results are judged on times.

To qualify for the state titles, a club must reach the time standard in five of the 10 events.

The pony riders were having the time of their young lives on Sunday and they get them young.

Club members range from 2 to 25 and the point of difference is that the horses are the focus.

It is through their relationship with their horses that club riders develop character and discipline.

Dare it be said: it may be fun but they're not horsin' around.