Diana Deal's account of her daughter Rebecca's first polo rally:

It was with some trepidation that I rang up about the polo rally. My daughter was very keen to go, but I was nervous of the cost and the upper crust image.

But my daughter, Rebecca, was very keen and I thought it can’t be any more expensive than eventing. Also I had read somewhere that a state school team had beaten all the public schools at some match or other, so obviously the image was changing.

Diana Wethered, the polo contact for the Avon Vale, could not have been more encouraging or friendly. She seemed so pleased that Rebecca, aged 15, was coming along – she was even delighted to hear that her birthday is in June so, in Pony Club terms, she will remain 15 for some time! Goodness, I thought, in a team already!

We found the venue, Druids Lodge, somewhere near Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain. It is an amazing place, built as racing stables in 1904 and still retaining an air of that era. The ground floor is taken over by stabling for 120 ponies while an old feed mill upstairs has been converted to form a club house overlooking the training ground.

We helped ourselves to tea and coffee and, from the comfort of an armchair, watched a couple of riders chuck a ball around.

Only one other Avon Vale member had turned up, Kerry on her own pony or "fluffy" (an all-round pony that has not had its mane hogged) which subsequently took to polo like a duck to water. We had left our pony at home as it seemed easier to hire one of the Lodge’s team, especially as the Pony Club very kindly paid the £20 hiring fee.

But to talk of ponies is to jump ahead. Giles, the instructor, got the group of six to practise their swings and hit the ball without the distraction of a pony.

Then we all retired up to the club room where Giles demonstrated tactics using a green felt board and toy animals.

Only then did the children get on their ponies and try to hit the ball while cantering (okay, perhaps trotting or walking).

It was all great fun and Rebecca can’t wait for the next pony club polo rally at Christmas. She hasn’t quite made that team yet, but she is keen to try.

And, as a final note, for once in the Pony Club there appeared to be almost as many fathers and sons as mothers and daughters.