United States Pony Clubs
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| Formation | 1954 |
|---|---|
| Type | Youth organization |
| Legal status | non-profit |
| Purpose | Education in horsemanship |
| Website | ponyclub |
The United States Pony Club (USPC) is an organization founded in 1954, based on the model of the Pony Club of Great Britain. Headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, the club teaches mainly English riding and horse management.
The word "Pony" in United States Pony Club does not refer to the type of horse allowed in the club, but instead to the fact that their members were required to be younger than 21 upon the establishment of the club. Beginning in 2001, USPC raised the "graduation" age of members to 25 and also added programs on western riding and issues such as land conservation.
The USPC has over 600 clubs or centers, and over 10,000 members in the United States. Many programs are offered, such as: eventing, dressage, mounted games, horse management, Quiz (formerly known as Knowdown), polocrosse, show-jumping, tetrathlon polo, and fox hunting. Also included are unmounted meetings where children are taught about the health and care of their horses, which includes instructions on feeding, shoeing, and veterinary care. More experienced Pony Club members help instruct and assist younger members. In fact, as a Pony Club member progresses through the certifications, teaching of fellow pony club members becomes a prerequisite for promotions.
Pony Club has added an adult organization, the Horsemasters Program, for adult volunteers. Horsemasters clubs serve as both a volunteer group to assist with Pony Club activities, as well as its own adult horse riding club.
The US Pony Club also has a certification system. There are four levels of certification from D to A, with A being the highest level.
Competitions are held annually for: dressage, show jumping, eventing, mounted games, polocrosse, tetrathlon, and Quiz. The competitions are often referred to as rallies and are team competitions. Rallies that involve the care of horses (Quiz is referred to as a "horseless rally") also involve a great deal of horse management: teams usually have a dedicated Stable Manager and are frequently inspected by the judges for the care and presentation of their horses, tack, and stable areas. Horse management scores are factored into the overall placing of the teams.
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