But this Saturday, an Oberon youth will have the honour of representing New South Wales at something slightly more obscure, but no less demanding.

17-year-old Ben Luther will be competing as part of a five person team at the Pony Club National Championships in the Mounted Games event this Saturday at Toowoomba in Queensland..

Having represented the NSW Junior Team in 2005, this is Ben's first crack at the Senior squad, and he is hoping to make the most of it.

"It is pretty exciting," he said. "I just got into the sport through Pony Club, and have gone from there."

The sport itself is slightly obscure, however it requires no shortage of skill, and a fair degree of bravery as well.

The various disciplines involved in Mounted Games involve performing various acts while riding a horse – including the '5 Flag Race' as pictured.

According to Ben's mum Sue, the games themselves are not the only difficulty facing the competitors.

"They have to be good at riding different horses to their own," she explained.

"They are not allowed to take their own so that makes things even harder."

Given the ‘horseback acrobatics' style of the sport, and the potential for mishaps, it is these aspects in particular that drew Ben to the sport.

"The speed of it is one of the best aspects," he said.

"There is a big adrenalin rush, and it is just good fun, and you get to meet a lot of people."

Is he nervous about representing the entire state?

"I went to Western Australia in 2005 with the junior team, so I know generally what to expect, but I'm not all that experienced," he said.

"I am kind of proud to be taking part in a national event, and it is a bit of a highlight," he said.

"At the moment though I basically just can't wait to get up there."

The Review will keep you up to date with Ben's results in our next edition.