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Abby, 15, from Tallygaroopna and Ashlee, also 15, from nearby Bunbartha are passionate about competing in horse trials.

This May will be one of their pinnacles when they compete for the North Eastern Zone in the Pony Club Association’s Horse Trials State Championships, which will be hosted by the Northern Zone at Deniliquin.

‘‘The jumps aren’t getting bigger but they are getting a lot more technical,’’ Abby said.

The two Shepparton Pony Club members have lots of time to prepare. But you can never have too much practice, or exposure to the experts — especially when the ultimate dream is to ride for Australia.

Which is why Ashlee and Abby will skip the beach to spend a week this month with Beijing Olympian Heath Ryan at his Heatherbrae property, near Newcastle, NSW.

And as ‘‘working pupils’’ they will expect to begin at the ground up — literally.

Mr Ryan, who more recently has specialised in dressage, has been the Australian Three-Day Event Champion three times and has a host of national and international performances and team coaching to his name.

Before that trip, the girls will spend two days this week at a clinic at Mansfield with equally decorated Olympic event riders Amanda Ross and Megan Jones.

They hope the visit to the Ryan stables will give them an understanding of what it’s like to be a working pupil, and is something they’ll be able to repeat in the future.

Both Abby and Ashlee plan to work with horses when they finish school — although as one of their mothers lamented ‘‘their parents are trying to get them to get a career that might earn some money’’.