From: Stuff.co.nz (15jul10)

Excitement is at galloping levels for Kyle Calder, who rides in Hong Kong from this week.

He represents Waitemata-Rodney in the New Zealand Inter Pacific team for the competitive and cultural exchange of pony club members.

For Kyle, of Waiatarua, he says he's extra keen after last year's exchange was postponed because of the swine flu, and the team has been "chomping at the bit" to go.

The event runs until August 6 and Kyle is looking forward to meeting others from different countries as well as sight-seeing.

The aim of the Inter-Pacific is to encourage international friendship and competition between young riders united by the common bond of the pony club movement.

Gaining connections for future equestrian opportunities is also important. Kyle hopes to ride in the United States where he is already a citizen having been born in California.

Kyle says it's quite a big thing to represent your area but even more so for New Zealand.

"It's awesome," he says. "I didn't think I had a good shot of being selected." The tough selection process first involved fitting the application criteria.

Then it was competing in an event where participants rode unfamiliar horses. "You were judged on how quickly you adjusted to the horse and also had to do an interview," he says.

The next stage was much tougher, battling 25 riders from throughout the country.

Eventually Kyle made it to the last four for the team.

A member of the Henderson Valley branch of the West Auckland Pony Club, he says the trip is worth the effort despite juggling study in mechanical engineering at AUT.

He will also undergo knee reconstruction from an old rugby injury next month.

"It's quite fortunate my knee injury hasn't affected my horse riding." The sport runs in his family with Kyle and his sister Ashley third generation riders.

"She unfortunately had a fall and fractured her bone in the area event." Rowan, his horse-mad mum, first got him into it as a young boy when she bought him a grey pony called Sam for his birthday. Kyle laughs as he remembers how Sam didn't like him and used to butt him off. Eventually his mum gave Sam away to Kyle's cousin, also a rider.

But Kyle persisted in horse riding and even borrowed his sisters horse for events.

Although he's done a range of sports like water polo, hockey and running, he's enjoying the fun of horse riding like eventing and trials.