United States Pony Clubs: Difference between revisions
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The ''United States Pony Club'' (''USPC'') was founded in 1954, based on the model of the [[The Pony Club|Pony Club of Great Britain]], founded in 1929.<ref name=About>{{cite web|title=Who We Are|url=http://www.ponyclub.org/?page=aboutus|website=US Pony Clubs|accessdate=15 October 2015}}</ref> The United States Pony Club (USPC) is headquartered in [[Lexington, Kentucky]].<ref name=Welcome>{{Cite web|title = Welcome to Pony Club!|url = http://www.ponyclub.org/?page=aboutus|website =US Pony Clubs|accessdate = 2015-10-15}}</ref> It teaches mainly [[English riding]] and [[horse management]]. |
The '''United States Pony Club''' ('''USPC''') was founded in 1954, based on the model of the [[The Pony Club|Pony Club of Great Britain]], founded in 1929.<ref name=About>{{cite web|title=Who We Are|url=http://www.ponyclub.org/?page=aboutus|website=US Pony Clubs|accessdate=15 October 2015}}</ref> The United States Pony Club (USPC) is headquartered in [[Lexington, Kentucky]].<ref name=Welcome>{{Cite web|title = Welcome to Pony Club!|url = http://www.ponyclub.org/?page=aboutus|website =US Pony Clubs|accessdate = 2015-10-15}}</ref> It teaches mainly [[English riding]] and [[horse management]]. |
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The word "Pony" in United States Pony Club does not refer to the type of horse allowed in the club, but to the ages of its members, who originally had to be younger than 21. In the 21st century, USPC raised the "graduation" age of members to 25 and they have added programs on [[western riding]] and issues such as [[Conservation (ethic)|land conservation]].<ref name=About/> |
The word "Pony" in United States Pony Club does not refer to the type of horse allowed in the club, but to the ages of its members, who originally had to be younger than 21. In the 21st century, USPC raised the "graduation" age of members to 25 and they have added programs on [[western riding]] and issues such as [[Conservation (ethic)|land conservation]].<ref name=About/> |
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Revision as of 19:09, 9 November 2015
 | This article may require copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, and particularly tone. (October 2015) |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2015) |
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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) was founded in 1954, based on the model of the Pony Club of Great Britain, founded in 1929.[1] The United States Pony Club (USPC) is headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky.[2] It 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 to the ages of its members, who originally had to be younger than 21. In the 21st century, USPC raised the "graduation" age of members to 25 and they have added programs on western riding and issues such as land conservation.[1]
Clubs and centers
The USPC has over 600 clubs/centers and over 10,000 members in the United States.[3] Many programs are offered including eventing, dressage, mounted games, horse management, Quiz (formerly known as Knowdown), polocrosse, show-jumping, tetrathlon polo, and fox hunting. Pony club includes unmounted meetings where children are taught about the health and care of their horses. Unmounted lessons include instruction 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 improvement.
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 their own adult horse riding club.
Certification
Like other pony clubs, the US Pony Club has a certification system. There are four levels, from D, beginner level, to A, the highest.[4][5][6]
Competitions
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Competitions are held annually for Dressage, Show jumping, Eventing, Mounted Games, Polocrosse, Tetrathalon, and Quiz. The competitions are known as rallies and they are team rather than individual competitions. Rallies that involve the care of horses (Quiz is referred to as a "horse-less rally") also involve a great deal of horse management: teams usually have a dedicated Stable Manager and are frequently inspected by the judges for how well the competitors take care of and present their horses, tack, and stable areas. Horse management scores are factored into the overall placing of the teams.
For the Quiz competition, pony club members' knowledge is tested in regard to horses and their care. There are five aspects of a quiz competition: classroom, barn, stations, mega-room, and the written test. In the classroom section quiz questions are asked for each particular members rating level with varying degrees of difficulty. Questions cover such areas as equine nutrition, conformation, competition rules, riding skills, veterinary knowledge, and equine first aid. For the barn section, members are taken into a barn (or mock barn) and asked to test the members' practical, hands-on knowledge (for example, identifying pieces of equipment and demonstrating their uses). The stations phase is limited only by the creativity of the organizer: questions can be written, games, hands-on, oral, etc. All questions in the stations phase are answered as a team and are meant to be of a more difficult nature than in the classroom phase. Mega-room consists of tables with horse-related items displayed on them where each item must be identified (matched on a given list) by the individuals (no teamwork) under a given time limit. The written test consists of 25 questions and is taken independently. The difficulty of the test varies as specified by the competitor's rating level.
Rallies are held at the regional level and the top competitors in each sport can then choose to participate in the Pony Club National Championships. National Championships are held every year, except for festival years, in various places (for the East coast it is usually held in Lexington, Virginia at the Virginia Horse Center). Every three years, Championships is held at the Kentucky Horse Park along with Festival. This event normally brings over 4,000 Pony Club members and has educational clinics in addition to the competitions.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Who We Are". US Pony Clubs. Retrieved 15 October 2015.
- ^ "Welcome to Pony Club!". US Pony Clubs. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
- ^ http://www.ponyclub.org/news/187022/2014-USPC-Festival-Recap.htm
- ^ "E-Newsletter Feb 06". USPC. Archived from the original on 2006-10-08. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
- ^ "Specialty Ratings: Chart". United States Pony Club. Retrieved 2006-08-28.
- ^ "Standards of Proficiency". The United States Pony Club. 16 March 2009.