Meet a Pony Clubber

Boise Pony Club

Developing Youth in Leadership, Stewardship, Sportsmanship and Horsemanship

General Information

Meet a Pony Clubber

Hi, my name is Megan. I am 16 years old and I have been in Pony Club since I was 12 years old. When I first started Pony Club, I didn't know anything about horses except that I liked them, and I knew I needed to learn more about horses before I could own one. A year later after joining Pony Club, I got my first horse. His name was Joe. He was a 16HH appaloosa gelding. Yes, I know he sounds big, but he was perfect for me, very slow. I took all my lower level ratings on Joe, and, with the help of the instructors in Pony Club, learned a lot about how to take care of him. Later on it became clear that Joe did not enjoy jumping and that possibly it was even hurting his old legs, so we sold him to a nice home that wanted a safe beginner's horse. Next I bought Hannah, the horse I currently ride right now. When I bought her, she was about 5 years old and kind of green broke. She is a Paint/TB/QH, and 14.3HH.She has a black coat with 4 white stockings. When she was younger, she was starved and neglected, which I think explains why she's so small (I don't see any TB in her, do you?) However, she loves jumping and has a lot of potential. I am hoping she will take me all the way to the highest rating, an "A". Right now I am a C-1 and I will be rating up to my C-2 this spring.
         Some things I enjoy about Pony Club are that you are taught not only how to ride your horse, but how to care for it and all your equipment. It is really helpful to be taught about all the different types of saddles and bridles and other horse equipment out there, and that knowledge has definitely come in handy! Hannah is a completely different horse than Joe and needs different equipment. The instructors are all really nice, and I have learned a lot from each one of them. I also really like Pony Club's emphasis on safety. It may be a pain sometimes to remember to put your helmet on, but I don't think anyone has ever been seriously injured in our club. All the opportunities offered are amazing! This last summer, Hannah and I, along with my best friend and her horse, qualified to go to Lexington, Kentucky for Pony Club National Championships. It was so exciting to meet all those other Pony Clubbers and horse enthusiasts from all over the place! Pony Club hosts a lot of small schooling shows that are fun to go to and give you some showing experience. Another good thing about Pony Club is that you make lots of friends who enjoy the same thing as you do, riding horses!
         There are so many different disciplines in Pony Club that I enjoy, it would be hard to name off just one as my favorite. A few of my favorite include vaulting (gymnastics on horseback) mounted games, and eventing. All in all Pony Club has been a great experience and helped make me a better rider and more knowledgeable horse person.
        Some of my future goals include getting my "A" rating in Pony Club, going to college, becoming an equine vet or maybe an artist, getting married, and someday I might like to start my own stable. I think it would also be fun to be a horse racing jockey but I think I'm too tall! ( 5' 2") But still, I can't wait to see what the future holds!! In my spare time I enjoy taking a gymnastics class at school, doing yoga, and dirt biking with my brother.