Pony Club Love
-
Organizing A Horse Show: Is it Worth it?
This is the second part of the series on Organizing a Horse Show. Follow along as we share some information on the hard-working brave people take on to make your horse show experience a success. Leaning on Friends One thing many organizers learn is to utilize the help they already have. Many have facilities they are trying to grow and support, students and clients they teach and ride for, and friends who help them when called on. These people are the foundation for extra officials, volunteers, and competitors whom the organizer can turn to for help. In turn these people might reach out to other friends and family members, making…
-
Organizing a Horse Show: Have you got what it takes?
Have you ever considered organizing a horse show? Do you know what all goes on behind the scenes in planning as well as implementation? Do you ask yourself, is it worth it? It’s a tough job and only the toughest continue to put on shows each year. This is a small primer on what it takes to put together a show. Hopefully this will help those who have a desire or have never stepped up to this daunting task understand all that goes into making horse shows a success. (Editor’s note- this doesn’t include costs) The Beginning First, you need to find a venue to host your show. Once that…
-
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…
-
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…
-
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…
-
Join the Plus 1 Challenge! Radnor Hunt Pony Club has!
The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. is hosting a Plus 1 Challenge for the 2015/2016 years. The Plus 1 Challenge was created to encourage members to stay in Pony Club and to improve recruitment of new members. Making growth a priority will benefit everyone in your club or center and increase a base of parents and volunteers willing to share in the duties needed to run a successful club or center. Membership for 2015 is tallied from September 1st, 2014 through August 31, 2015. The region with the largest increase in membership during 2015 will receive a $1,500 grant towards a Horse Management Clinic/Activity of their choice. The top 10…
-
Join the Plus 1 Challenge! Cypress Springs Pony Club has!
The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. is hosting a Plus 1 Challenge for the 2015/2016 years. The Plus 1 Challenge was created to encourage members to stay in Pony Club and to improve recruitment of new members. Making growth a priority will benefit everyone in your club or center and increase a base of parents and volunteers willing to share in the duties needed to run a successful club or center. Membership for 2015 is tallied from September 1st, 2014 through August 31, 2015. The region with the largest increase in membership during 2015 will receive a $1,500 grant towards a Horse Management Clinic/Activity of their choice. The top 10…
-
Join the Plus 1 Challenge! Cedar Ridge Pony Club has!
The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. is hosting a Plus 1 Challenge for the 2015/2016 years. The Plus 1 Challenge was created to encourage members to stay in Pony Club and to improve recruitment of new members. Making growth a priority will benefit everyone in your club or center and increase a base of parents and volunteers willing to share in the duties needed to run a successful club or center. Membership for 2015 is tallied from September 1st, 2014 through August 31, 2015. The region with the largest increase in membership during 2015 will receive a $1,500 grant towards a Horse Management Clinic/Activity of their choice. The top 10…
-
Involving Members in Your Programming
Is your club, center or region having difficulty engaging members as they get older and/or progress through the certification levels? Would you like some ideas on how to engage them? A survey was conducted recently by the United States Pony Club Membership Committee. The Survey was sent to all Pony Club members 14 years of age and/or C-2 and up. Members were asked in what ways their club, center and/or region utilized them as volunteers, mentors, instructors or otherwise. This survey was an attempt to ascertain the best practices currently used throughout USPC to engage older/upper level members as leaders. Below are the main responses shared by survey respondents. At…
-
Understanding Pony Club Lingo
Being a new member in Pony Club can be really confusing, what with the onslaught of new information and ways of doing things around your horses and ponies. When you add all the new terms and acronyms on top, it can be a bit overwhelming. But have no fear, we’ve come up with this handy guide to help you demystify all that lingo! ACA = Assistant Center Administrator An ACA aids the CA in the management of the Center. Your Center can have more than one ACA. AHMJ = Assistant Horse Management Judge These people assist the CHMJ in judging at rallies. CA = Center Administrator Your CA is the…