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How to Join Pony Club
If you are interested in obtaining more information about Pony Club, contact Linda Ferri by email or by phone, 939-7106. You may also wish to visit the United States Pony Club website and the Regional website both listed to the right.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the club provide?
Included with your dues is a parent handbook and your child's first book which is the basis of our curriculum.
Also, we typically offer 8-10 unmounted lessons in January, February, and March, finishing with our Regional Quiz rally.(These lessons may or may not include our C level clubbers.) These lessons are focused on the information provided from the books and other sources that match the standards for each level of Pony Club. (For more information on standards and ratings, check out the United States Pony Club link and go to forms and look into the D standards and ratings to find what the standards are for the initial level.)
Our mounted program typically begins in mid-April and continues through June. We take July off then ride August through September, weather permitting. We ride at the Idaho Horse Park on Monday evenings. The regular mounted rides are provided by the club, offering rides with children in groups with others of their similiar age and rating as much as possible, with rating taking priority. Children are to be on a suitable horse for their age and rating which may be their own, or a borrowed or leased horse. The instructors are those with pony club backgrounds, mostly graduates and current pony clubbers. We are constantly working at improving our teaching and communications, through instructor clinics and outside clinicians imput, with the focus on teaching the standards, and the basic balanced position. We recognize different disciplines teach and often require a unique riding seat. We cannot offer this focus at our club. On occasion we do allow a specific focus on an off-night, if a parent wants to put together something that they arrange with the approval of the board. However, our club focus continues to be on a basic balanced seat and teaching to the standards using the pony club curriculum. These rides are group rides and cannot provide all the supervision and lessons that a pony clubber might need. They are to meet the social needs and help set direction for the child's progress through the standards. We also try to encourage the children and instructors to dialogue on the standards and their development towards the next ratings. Our goal is to provide examples and opportunity for pony clubbers to give back to pony club. As our club has Cs coming up through the standards, they are also encouraged to participate in the instruction. They assist with safety checks or during a class as a C1 and begin teaching the youngest members as a C3 (if they have met the criteria to begin this process.) Our philosophy is to encourage them and provide a place for these beginning teachers to try out their wings with us as teachers, which is part of the pony club way.)
Pony Club provides other opportunities, but these others usually cost, though the club often gives assistance for some of the activities. There are special clinics offered by local professionals through the club. We host shows and rallies. Ratings are a part of the standardized process of pony club, and the club offers ratings so that the members can meet those qualifications and proceed on in their experience. The ratings have requirements and fees.
What is the cost?
At present the initial cost is $205.00 for a new member's enrollment. A returning member is $180.00. A second and third child receive a discount of $25 from their membership fee. More than half of these fees are used to pay National and Regional fees, which are used to cover insurance and administration costs at that level, as well as events for pony clubbers at the national and regional levels. (These fees do not cover the true costs and needs at the regional level and especially not for the national level pony club. They depend on corporate sponsors to provide the greater needs, as well as our personal support.)
Other costs for participation fees will arise, as you and your child decide what you will participate in.
Rallies are competitions that focus on pony club skills, including horse management. These have entry fees as well as costs to prepare you and your horse. Often there are traveling fees as well, since we are part of a large region and it requires travel to attend various activities.
Ratings also have a fee. The initial ratings are only $25 per rating. Clothing and equipment are additional costs (as well as the cost of the horse, of course.) The upper ratings that are regional and national become more costly.
Clinics and Camps are offered, sometimes locally and regionally, and they have their separate accompanying fees as well. Again, they will focus on particular needs as well as provide a place for the children to bond as a club.
Where do parents fit in?
Pony Club is a parent-run organization. Your first priority is to provide for your child, their means to participate, hauling them and their horse and seeing that they have the support needed to participate on their level. Next, the club itself cannot run without the volunteer hours of parents. All jobs are volunteer. The roles needed to run our club are spelled out in our parent handbook. Each child must have some representative volunteer in some capacity for them. It is the only way the club can continue. Parents are encouraged to look over the needs, get acquainted with the club format and then begin finding where they can best help the club.
NOTE: Parents are to volunteer to help the club, not to live out their dreams through their children. Parents will benefit from their involvement, but their personal benefit should not be the reason to have the child join.
Do we have to own our own pony? Does it have to be a pony?
Because we have the name pony club, people often wonder if only ponies are allowed. The name is British and implies that it is a youth organization. The horse size should be suitable to the child's size. Since pony club membership goes through the 21st year, horses of all sizes are used.
Also, you do not have to own your own horse, but you do have to have access to a horse for participation in mounted events. This is not the club's responsibility. Members that are older sometimes have ponies for lease or sale, and private persons offer lessons and use of their lesson horses at times. This is not under the control or orchestration of the club itself and the club is not liable for any such arrangements. However, it is an encouraged and common practice by many members, so that they can learn about horses before they make such a committment to ownership. Whether you own, lease or borrow, there will be costs involved.
What types of activities occur during the year and what does the schedule look like?
There are both unmounted and mounted meetings that are the core of the program. There are also ralies, clinics, games and additional activites. Click on the link to see a Sample Schedule.
After all this you are still interested? So what's next?
Membership runs January 1st-December 31st. Rates are not prorated until after September. Therefore it is best to get involved as soon in the year as possible. We encourage interested parties to attend a meeting if possible to get a feel for the spirit of our club and a view of what it's about. The calendar is a good way to see what is happening and when you might be able to come for a visit. The next step is to contact the DC if you have any further questions and contact the secretary to secure an application. Membership is usually secured within a week of turning in papers and payment. The paperwork must be complete and the payment in before the secretary can send the materials in to the National and Regional office. Following this you will receive a card showing you are a member and will be entitiled to participate in the club's activities.
Thank you for your interest in our club. Please do not hesitate to call with any questions you have. We want to be a club that welcomes any that are interested in joining us on the Pony Club journey. Pony Club is not for everyone, but we hope that together we can meet the needs for those involved. |
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