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Pony Club

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This article is about the international Pony Club. For organization in the UK, see The Pony Club.
Monash Pony Club, located in Melbourne, Australia

Pony Club is an international youth organization devoted to educating youth about horses and riding.[1] Pony Club organizations exist in over thirty countries worldwide.[2][3]: ix 

The object of Pony Club is: To encourage young people to ride and to learn to enjoy all kinds of sport connected with horses and riding. To provide instruction in riding and horsemastership, and to instill in members the proper care of their animals. To promote the highest ideals of sportsmanship, citizenship, and loyalty, thereby cultivating strength of character and self-discipline.

— From the Pony Club Council of Great Britain [3]: x 

Origins

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In 1929, Harry Faudel-Phillips founded the pony clubs in Britain as a youth group of the Institute of the Horse which was run by military men.[4] It was formed to encourage children to start riding, while providing them with opportunities in the field that they would not be able to reach on their own. The pony group grew rapidly, from 300 members in 1930, to over 10,000 in 1935.[5][6] In 1947, the Institute of the Horse and Pony Club joined with the National Horse Association of Great Britain to form the British Horse Society.[7]: 316 [6] On 1 January 1997, The Pony Club was granted independent charitable status, separating from the British Horse Society (with which it continues to collaborate[8]), and joined British Equestrian as a member body.[9][6]: 5 [10]: 323 

The success of The Pony Club in Britain sparked the formation of Pony Club organizations in other nations, such that in 2008 there were over 100,000 Pony Club members worldwide.[11]: 346  Australia has the largest pony club membership in the world with just under 55,000 financial members.[12] Note they also ride horses.

Structure

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Each national Pony Club organization has the ability to define its own structure. There is no strict international governing body; however, national Pony Club organizations often work together for international competitions and exchanges.

The core unit of any national Pony Club organization is the local club.[3]: viii  Local clubs vary in size, but are generally confined to members within a relatively small geographic area. Multiple local clubs may conduct joint mounted and unmounted meetings, and usually compete together in regional competitions.

Ages of participants range from eight to twenty-five. Because of this vast age range, older Pony Clubbers are able to provide assistance to younger members, and younger members are able to be mentored.

The Pony Club offers certification of a member's proficiency in skills and knowledge. The levels start with beginner levels D1, D2, and D3, progress through the intermediate levels C1, C2, and C3, and proceed to the advanced levels HB, B, HA, and A.[13][14]

Further structuring is dependent upon the particular national organization, but most local clubs belong to regions, in which they compete to qualify for national and international competitions.

Manuals

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Pony Club manuals are books which provide all the information needed to earn certificates and achievement badges. They have a range of useful information from buying a horse to looking after it and competing with it. They teach Pony Club members horsemanship, how to care for their horses and the responsibilities and positive outcomes of owning a horse.[15]

National clubs

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Pony Club International Alliance

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For many decades, pony clubs in each nation were not directly associated with the original English organization though they followed along the goals, structure and guidelines of the English organization. Starting in 2000, several national pony club organizations got together and formed the Pony Club International Alliance (PCIA), and in 2018 they agreed to work toward establishing a global identity. As of 2024, the PCAI nation members included UK Pony Club, US Pony Club, Canadian Pony Club, Pony Club South Africa, Pony Club Hong Kong, Pony Club Australia, and Pony Club New Zealand.[16][17]

United States Pony Clubs

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The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. (USPC) was incorporated in 1954 starting with just 12 local clubs, growing to several hundred local clubs across most of the US states by 1980.[3]: ix [18] The national office is at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.[16]

Local clubs hold rallies where members compete within teams. USPC holds a national championship competition each year for those who have qualified at regional rallies or recognized horse shows. Every second year, a week long festival of competition and education is held at the Kentucky Horse Park.[18][19][20][21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "What is Pony Club?". ponyclub.org. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
  2. ^ "What is Pony Club?". The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. Archived from the original on 8 September 2006. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Lewis, James K. (1980). The Pony Club Book. A.S. Barnes. ISBN 0498022579.
  4. ^ Armytage, Marcus (1 August 2019). "The Pony Club is more relevant now on its 90th anniversary than ever". The Telegraph.
  5. ^ "History of the Canadian Pony Club". canadianponyclub.org. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  6. ^ a b c "Strategy 2021-2025" (PDF). The Pony Club. 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  7. ^ Hedenborg, S.; White, M. H. (2012). "Changes and variations in patterns of gender relations in equestrian sports during the second half of the twentieth century". Sport in Society. 15 (3): 302–319. doi:10.1080/17430437.2012.653202.
  8. ^ "BHS & Pony Club collaborate to deliver greater access to equestrianism". British Horse Society. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  9. ^ "Member Bodies". British Equestrian. Retrieved 27 October 2024.
  10. ^ Crossman, Georgina Katrina (2010). The organisational landscape of the English horse industry: a contrast with Sweden and the Netherlands (Thesis). University of Exeter. ProQuest U575165.
  11. ^ Sly, Debby; Muir, Sarah; Draper, Judith (2017). The Complete Book of Horses. Lorenz Books. ISBN 9780754833697.
  12. ^ The Land Magazine, p.8, Rural Press, North Richmond, 18 September 2008
  13. ^ "Local-Level Certifications". US Pony Club. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  14. ^ "National-Level Certifications". US Pony Club. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  15. ^ The Manual of Horsemanship. The Pony Club. 2011. ISBN 9781907279133. OL 34456551M.
  16. ^ a b Lincoln, Judy (19 June 2024). "United States Pony Clubs to Host Meeting of the Pony Club International Alliance in July During 2024 USPC Festival". American Horse Publications. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  17. ^ "Pony Club International Alliance". The Pony Club. Retrieved 24 November 2024.
  18. ^ a b Price, Steven D.; Rentsch, Gail; Burn, Barbara; Spector, David A. (1998). The Whole Horse Catalog. New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 329. ISBN 0684839954. OL 377573M.
  19. ^ Rivers, Kimberly (13 October 2021). "Reins of Love - Local U.S. Pony Clubs keep the equestrian legacy alive". Ventura County Reporter.
  20. ^ McDonough, Brendan (6 August 2021). "Two local girls compete at National Pony Club Championship in Kentucky". Livingston County News.
  21. ^ "USPC Festival". USPC. Retrieved 24 November 2024.

Further reading

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