TWO Lochard Pony Club riders proved they are capable of matching it with the country's best after they both earned top-10 finishes at the Australian Pony Club National Championships.Zoe Bond and Rebecca Barling can claim they are the seventh and ninth best respective under 17 riders in Australia.The riders were the first representatives at the nationals from the small Princetown-based club, which only has about 30 members."To have two from the same club was very special," said Lochard Pony Club's Collette Piels, who is Zoe's mother."The girls had been working really hard to get to that stage. It was a higher standard and they definitely stepped up to it."(Their) results will inspire the other riders to have a go at these competitions." Zoe and Rebecca, who both attend Timboon P-12 school, recently returned from the titles which were held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre.When the riders arrived in Sydney, they trialled for the Victorian team. Zoe was selected while Rebecca wasn't, meaning the latter competed as an individual.The girls contested dressage, cross-country and showjumping."They really excelled," Piels said. "All the points were added up at the end of the competition. Becky got ninth overall and Zoe came seventh overall."Victoria came second. "If Becky had have been selected, Victoria probably would've finished first."Curdievale's Rebecca, 15, rode Boosty while Zoe, from Cooriemungle, rode At Risk. Zoe celebrated her 16th birthday while she was at the biennial nationals, which gave the girls more than riding experience."They met so many people and made so many friends," said Piels."Hopefully the girls make the senior eventing team and we can recruit more of the club's junior riders to try out for them."