Reports

A Journey of Five Disciplines

Reintroducing Tetrathlon and Pentathlon to Alberta South Pony Clubs with Joshua Riker-Fox

Article by Kathryn Palmer, March 2023

         Before Riker-Fox competed in the Olympics and in several International Modern Pentathlon Association (UIPM) World Cup Finals, he was a member of Delacour Pony Club. He learned to ride and take care of his horses through Pony Club like many members do throughout Alberta and Canada. Through pony club he participated in all disciplines ranging from stable management, PPG, and show jumping to swimming in the canal at the end of hot summer camps. Here he developed a passion for Pentathlon through pony club’s Tetrathlon.

The Pony Club sport of Tetrathlon consists of four of the five disciplines in Modern Pentathlon: running, swimming, shooting, and riding (there is no fencing in Tetrathlon). Since 1969, Tetrathlon has been one of pony club’s many disciplines scaling from a club level to international levels. The sport challenges members to use practical horsemanship skills alongside general athletic abilities and sportsmanship. Reaching the international level was a great aspiration for Riker-Fox along with many who participate in the sport, motivating them to continue to perfect their skills and abilities to compete on the national and international stages.

When Riker-Fox describes his participation in International Tetrathlon in Britain and Ireland in the early 2000’s, he remembers the experience fondly. He says it was a great opportunity to meet and compete with pony club members from all across the globe and see their pony club pride. Athletes primarily come from Canada, United States, Ireland, and Great Britain; but other nations that are part of the Pony Club International Alliance can put a team forward for competition. “The connection in terms of sport was…spot on,” he remembers, “seeing the intensity for which they had for [pony club] was really quite a special moment.”

Participation in Tetrathlon led Riker-Fox on a path to competing in the Olympics, but the Olympics are not the only place where Riker-Fox felt pony club’s influence on his life. Ideas of ethics, teamwork, and community affect his daily life. These are important skills taught to pony club members outside of the riding arena. Competing on the international stage as a member of pony club as well as an Olympian highlights not only the role of community engagement in sport, but also how it provides a sense of unity used throughout life. Tetrathlon is only one of the many ways pony club members can show not only their skill in the saddle, but also their sportsmanship and character in other sectors of athletics and life.