I Ride! - Pony Club Discipline News
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Tales of a Pony Club Professional Groom- Burghley
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 is a regular guest blogger, so if you have questions feel free to send them to us for her at Mandy@ponyclub.org. Big, Bad, Beautiful Burghley 2015 has been a big year for me in general but the biggest highlight has to be Burghley. How incredibly fortunate I was and…
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Young Riders Learn From An Olympian
Courtesy of Community News Editor, Elaine Allen-Emrich and the Englewood Sun, Pony Club has an interesting article about members from Sea Fox Pony Club in the Sunshine Region getting to ride with Olympic Dressage riders. Enjoy! At 13, Tatumn Edge (C-1 HM, D-3 Trad, C-1 Dr) has a goal to train with an Olympic coach in Germany. Last week, she inched closer to her dream while working with Olympian competitor Kathleen Wightman-Raine and her husband David, both accomplished dressage riders. Dressage riding is the systematic development of horse and rider, resulting in a balanced, harmonious team. Dressage helps the horse and rider communicate with each other and develop balance, strength,…
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Breaking the Mold
Thanks to the Director of Education and Development for the New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program, Sarah Coleman, USPC is reprinting with permission a great article about moldy tack care. Read along to learn some great tips and tricks for excellence in tack maintenance. It’s the dog days of summer in the Bluegrass, a time of year when it seems saddle pads and helmets never quite dry out between rides. In addition to being uncomfortable to ride in, wet, humid conditions can lead to a tack room full of moldy saddles, bridles and other leather goods. This furry invader isn’t just unsightly; because mold is a living organism, it can actually…
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Tales of a Pony Club Professional Groom-Headed Overseas
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 is a regular guest blogger, so if you have questions feel free to send them to us for her at Mandy@ponyclub.org. When Things Fall Apart… The past seven weeks of so have been a complete blur to me. I last left you all at Baltimore International Airport, where I…
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Horses and College Part 3: Intercollegiate Riding Teams
In our first two installments found here (part 1) and here (part 2) we discussed going to college and finding a degree for your horsey passion and taking your best (equine) friend with you. In this installment we will discuss joining an intercollegiate riding team. There are many different types of teams you can join and each has its own requirements. All of the disciplines have levels from Beginner to Advanced, but not all of them are considered a “sport” at a college or university. Some equine teams are only considered a “club”. There is a difference. If a college or university chooses to make a team a “sport” team…
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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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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…