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Horses and College Part 2: Taking your horse to school
So, you’re off to college. You have chosen a school, picked a degree, found out who your roommate is, toured campus, picked classes, and packed all of your stuff. What next? A lot of horse people choose to take their horse to school with them. Just as many choose not to. There are many pros and cons to taking your horse to college with you. There are also some decisions to make before you load Fatty McButterpants or Nervous Nelly onto the trailer to travel with you on this new adventure. First, did you check to see if the college you are attending has school horses or offers riding classes…
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Horses and College Part 1
Fall is coming, the seasons are changing, our horses are getting hairy, and school is getting back in session…. Yes I said it. School is starting. For most school age children it means backpacks and buses, homework and tests, but for the older generation it is time to consider their first year of college. College is a great white castle in the sky for some and a dungeon for others. For people bitten by the horse bug it’s a chance to follow our hearts and never look back. Who knew you could go to college and get a degree to work with horses? Well, you can. Who knew you could…
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Foal Owners Beware: The Danger of Ascarids
The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. has partnered with Merck Animal Health to bring you a series of blogs based on current horse health. This first post was written by Dr. Bryant Craig, DVM, Merck Animal Health Equine Technical Services Veterinarian. While all intestinal parasites are concerning, one of the most lethal threatens horses during their first 18 months of life. The Suspect Ascarids, also known as roundworms, are migrating parasites that travel through the bloodstream to the horse’s liver and lungs during their juvenile stage before returning to the small intestine to develop into a mature parasite. Because of this migration, clinical signs of an ascarid infection can vary…
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Polocrosse Gains Another Fan
Polocrosse is the King-of-the-one-horse sports. Played similar to polo, but with a racquet where the ball is carried, rather than hit, its a high speed sport that is fun for young and old. Fifteen year old Baker White is a C-1 HM, D-3 Traditional, C-1 Flat member of Cassanova-Warrenton Pony Club in the Virginia Region. Read along as he shares how he was bitten by the Polocrosse bug! I have been a member of USPC for about eight years now, having joined when I was 7, taking my D-1 on our rotten little pony, Buttercup. I soon moved to a wonderful hunter pony named Charlie, and I progressed through my…
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So you think you want to be a professional groom? What next?
Pony Club member Alex Ambelang is back with more life lessons our members learn in Pony Club which help them in the real world. Alex is the head groom for Colleen Rutledge Eventing in Maryland. Follow along as she tells us how Pony Club has prepared her for this position as well as what she has learned since starting out. Alex will be a regular guest blogger, so if you have questions feel free to send them to us for her at Mandy@ponyclub.org. Once you have secured a job, there is a whole new set of unknowns. These are things no one tells you about until you’re in it. One…
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So you think you want to be a professional groom?
Pony Club member Alex Ambelang is back with more life lessons our members learn in Pony Club which help them in the real world. Alex is the head groom for Colleen Rutledge Eventing in Maryland. Follow along as she tells us how Pony Club has prepared her for this position as well as what she has learned since starting out. Alex will be a regular guest blogger, so if you have questions feel free to send them to us for her at Mandy@ponyclub.org. For those of you who have not yet been scared away from being a groom or working student because of this blog, I have more thoughts on…
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The Importance of Volunteers
Pony Club is an organization that is largely run by Volunteers. A volunteer by definition is someone who willingly gives their time to help with a task. These tasks can be for the betterment of an organization, to give back to the community, or even to help a friend. In Pony Club, most of the volunteers are parents and friends of the organization. In most horse show situations volunteers are made up of friends of the organizer, boarders and students of the host farm, and any person from the host organization willing to give back time. The time volunteers give to the organizers is gold. Most organizers are even so…
- "Say What?" Quiz, Dressage, Eventing, Play Games, Polocrosse, Show Jumping, Special Events, Tetrathlon, Western
Texting at Championships East 2015
With all the technology available in this day and age it’s easy to get a little overwhelmed with information but this is one service you’ll want to subscribe to during Championships East 2015. Hear all of the late breaking news for Championships East! Everything from last minute changes to competition schedules, find out when and where scores are posted, change of venues, and emergency weather notifications. Make sure to sign-up to for the topics that YOU want to keep up with! Have mom and dad sign up too so they’re in the loop as well. Simply text the appropriate discipline keywords (listed below) to 81010! Shortly after you will receive…
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Tales of a Pony Club Professional Groom- Work Work Work
Pony Club member Alex Ambelang is back with more life lessons our members learn in Pony Club which help them in the real world. Alex is the head groom for Colleen Rutledge Eventing in Maryland. Follow along as she tells us how Pony Club has prepared her for this position as well as what she has learned since starting out. Alex will be a regular guest blogger, so if you have questions feel free to send them to us for her at Mandy@ponyclub.org. The Typical Day I have have had two pretty different experiences having been based in Aiken, SC for my first three months working for Colleen and now…
- "Say What?" Quiz, Dressage, Eventing, I Ride! - Pony Club Discipline News, In The Spotlight, Play Games, Polocrosse, Show Jumping, Special Events, Tetrathlon, Western
Championships East is Almost Here!
Look out! From July 22nd to the 26th The Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA will be invaded by USPC Championships East. Disciplines include: Eventing, Tetrathlon, Show Jumping, Quiz, Games, Polocrosse, and Dressage (including Western Dressage). The entries are already opened, but don’t miss out, the closing date is MONDAY July 6th at NOON EST. Get your entries in today! Awesome CHMJ, Board Member, and Crazy Sock aficionado, Yvette Seger, did a fabulous webinar regarding Championships East. It can be viewed at this link! There is lots to see and do in Lexington, Virginia including; Natural Bridge, a ghost tour of Lexington, golf, many historic attrations, and the Zoo. For…
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