IT may not be the most heard of sport going around Queanbeyan at the moment, but for Carwoola's Jack Durr, it has brought him an Australian jacket for the first time and a trip to Europe.
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The 16-year old horse enthusiast will travel to Europe on Sunday en route to competing at the mounted games world championships in Normandy, France between August 17 and 24.
Durr said he was looking forward to seeing foreign competition for the first time in Europe.
"I've been riding for so long now, and it'll be great to see how we [Australian team] go against all the other countries," he said.
Mounted Games is a form of equestrian where ponies up to 15 hands in size are used in team, pairs, and individual events, and the sport has many forms in itself, including agility races, bottle shuttle, jousting, and four flag, amongst many others.
While at home Durr competes in each of team, pairs and individual forms, he will be showcasing his team skills in Normandy.
"My preparation has mostly involved training at home," said Durr.
"It's hard to prepare normally overseas as you use ponies provided by the association and only get a two minute warm-up before competition."
Durr started riding ponies at the Wamboin Pony Club at eight years of age, and instantly found his feet riding in mounted games.
He has competed at the national championships for the last seven years, taking the 2013 pairs championship, and the under 15s individual title in 2011.
He was selected in the Australian team of five riders to compete in France after impressing judges in January at the NSW state camp in Sydney.