2024 USPC Festival Returns to the Kentucky Horse Park

May 29, 2024 (Lexington, KY) — The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. (USPC or Pony Club) is pleased to be hosting the 2024 USPC Festival this summer, to be held July 15–22 at the iconic Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. This year’s event will be even more special as USPC celebrates 70 years of excellence in equestrian education.

The USPC Festival will feature Championships competition, plus mounted clinics, and educational workshops. Pony Club will welcome over 2,000 members, their families, friends, volunteers, spectators, and Pony Club leadership from across the country to Kentucky to enjoy competition, learning, and fun activities.

“Festival is an incredible part of the Pony Club experience,” said USPC Executive Director Teresa Woods. “It’s the one event that brings members together from across the country to ride, compete, and learn. Festival is a celebration of the best that Pony Club has to offer, highlighting the teamwork, leadership, sportsmanship, and horsemanship that are the very heart of the organization.”

Championships Competition at Festival

USPC Festival Championships take place during the first part of the Festival week. Held every other year during Festival, USPC’s national championships are offered in eight disciplines: Dressage, Eventing, Mounted Games, Polocrosse, Quiz, Show Jumping, Tetrathlon, and Western Dressage.

“Championships is the culmination of training and hard work for members who competed at rallies and competitions throughout the year, and we are so proud of their hard work in achieving this goal,” said Erin Roland, USPC Activities & Events Director.

Pony Club competitions are held in a team format, with teams of five including a Stable Manager. Horses, ponies, and mounts of all sizes are part of Pony Club competition and activities. Competitors are judged not only on their performance in the saddle, but also are scored on Horse Management—how well they care for their horses and ponies during the competition. Members also work as a team in Quiz, a popular Pony Club discipline featuring a knowledge-based, question-and-answer competition.

In addition to Championships, the 2024 USPC Festival will offer open competitions in Pony Club’s two newest disciplines of Gymkhana and Trail, where non-members are also invited to register and compete. USPC will also be hosting an international Quiz exchange, July 10–20, with Pony Club members from Great Britain, Canada, the United States, and Australia participating.

Festival Education

The educational phase of Festival offers a hands-on learning experience with clinics, demonstrations, and workshops covering all aspects of riding and horse care. The clinics are taught by equine experts in various disciplines, including judges, trainers, coaches, professional riders and grooms, equine veterinarians, and more, including many Pony Club instructors and alumni. Anyone can participate in these educational opportunities and registration is available on site to audit clinics and unmounted workshops.

“Come join us for Festival Education and be inspired,” urged USPC Instruction Services Director Connie Jehlik. “This is a great chance to improve your riding skills, expand your knowledge, and discover new sports. We are excited to offer riding clinics in nine disciplines, including Trail for both English and western riders, as well as the popular groundwork and horsemanship clinic with the Kentucky Horse Park Mounted Police, sponsored by Absorbine. Cat Hill and Emma Ford of World Class Grooming will also be presenting 8 sessions on a variety of stable management and grooming topics, brought to you by Shapley’s. Festival has learning for every level, from the youngest D Camp participants to advanced riders jumping over 3 feet—we’d love to have you be part of it.”

Festival Fun

The event kicks off with opening ceremonies, as participants march into the Rolex Arena in a parade of USPC regions, followed by a competitor party with food and festivities. The celebration continues Thursday night with the Upper-Level Member Showcase, to be livestreamed by Horse & Country (H&C). The entertainment for the evening features Championships competitors who have earned a national-level certification demonstrating their talents in USPC disciplines.

Another must-see event is the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Sport Clinic, taking place Saturday afternoon, as experienced clinicians guide ex-racehorses through exercises and training to advance their competitive careers. On the last day of Festival, participants have the opportunity to join a local Kentucky hunt club in an early morning mock foxhunt over the terrain of the Kentucky Horse Park and experience the thrill of riding to hounds while also honoring USPC’s founding roots and early ties with the sport of Foxhunting.

“To hold Festival during Pony Club’s 70th anniversary year highlights what is so special about the organization,” concluded Woods. “While Pony Club members come to Festival for the competition and education, they leave with amazing memories and friendships to last a lifetime.”

Support for the 2024 USPC Festival

The 2024 USPC Festival is made possible thanks to support from the following generous sponsors: Absorbine; American Association of Equine Therapists & Technicians; Arabian Horse Youth Association; Dimples Horse Treats; Fire Rock Ranch (Ben and Laurie Duke Family); Gift Horse Baskets; Gore Trailers, Horse & Country; Kentucky Equine Research; Kentucky Performance Products; Kerrits, the official apparel sponsor of USPC; the Equine Veterinary Education Program at Lincoln Memorial University; Meade Tractor; Park Equine Hospital; the Retired Racehorse Project; Riding Warehouse; Santa Cruz Animal Health; Shapley’s Superior Equine Grooming Products, the official grooming products sponsor of USPC; Spy Coast Farm; StudFast; Candy Tavormina; The Horse, Your Guide to Equine Health Care; Triple Crown Nutrition, the official feed sponsor of USPC; United States Equestrian Federation; Western & English Sales Association; Western Specialty Insurors; Wintec, the official saddle sponsor of USPC; and Zoetis, the official equine health and wellness partner of USPC.

Add Your Name to the List: Sponsor opportunities are still available, with a recommended deadline of June 1 to maximize your exposure. Click here to learn more or contact development@ponyclub.org for assistance.

To learn more about the 2024 USPC Festival, visit the official event website at https://site.pheedloop.com/event/2024festival/home.

About The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. — The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. (USPC or Pony Club) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization that builds the foundation of teamwork and sportsmanship through riding, mounted sports, and care of horses and ponies, while developing and enhancing leadership, confidence, responsibility, and a sense of community in its youth and adult members. USPC is proud to offer instruction and competitive opportunities in 11 competitive disciplines through hundreds of clubs and centers across the United States. USPC’s educational standards continue to be instrumental in curriculum development for schools, universities, equestrian professionals, and organizations across the United States. Many of the nation’s top equestrians, including Olympic team members, as well as successful business professionals and leaders in a variety of fields, have roots in Pony Club. For more information, please visit www.ponyclub.org.