I'm not cut out to be a PC mum :-(

If you have paid they should at least have the courtesy to give you the correct information. Thankfully my daughter no longer does pony club, but she did love it at the time but it is expensive. Also did not like being spoken to like a small naughty child when I was giving up my time to help at events, but thats pc for you!!
 
I dunno the answer but I picked up the humour and desperation/frustration in equal measures in your OP so I reckon you should keep a private diary and after a year (or when you reach the Limit), publish it as:

A Pony Club Mother's Tale

I reckon it would be a best seller and would take you into Liz Jones-type territory!
 
Ours is £15 for winer rallies as they are indoor. That is for 1 hour of instruction, and I think very good value, as the facilities are excellent, groups small, and my daughter much prefers it to, for example, a private lesson, as she is getting to know other children and of course there is the whole competitive element which I thinks encourages them! Our rally cost goes down in the summer as they move outside.

We do stay for the duration of the rally - in case anything goes wrong! (my daughter is only 7 so occasionally needs some assistance / support if her pony is being naughty). They are week nights, and it is a real rush for my partner and I to get her there, often involving a team effort of childminder, grannies etc. all helping get homework done, daughter changed etc. while I get pony ready and partner hitches up. We both have to leave work early to manage. When she is older she can move into a later group which will be great. But now even with the earlier group by the time she gets home it is after her bed-time.

Winer rallies are fortnightly, while summer are weekly (and even earlier!). I think we will only mnaage to get to every second summer rally, or my boss might not be too impressed!!!

Ours runs a weekend mini mini camp for the little ones, where the parents get to stay as well. I am looking forward to it, as never got to go to ponyclub when I was little, so it will be my first PC camp!(shame I can't take my horse!) All the mums seem really nice.

At first the instructions were all a bit vague - assuming you know who is who and where things are held, but I just asked and folk were happy to clarify. We have only been there 6 months but are already being asked by other new mums, so I think it is just typical that you have to speak to folk - and it helps you get to know everyone as well.
 
fornema said:
Which PC are you a member of as have been part of one of the cambridgeshire PCs which was incredibly cliquiey and just not worth going too :)
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Soham :) Looked at the others and some that were closer to home but they wouldnt have suited us and when ever I have competed at others it has just confirmed that. They are quite happy with me being an adult on a pony that can be a little opinionated at times and no push to be on a horse and lovley and welcoming to me as a newbie at 19.
 
Suechoccy said:
I dunno the answer but I picked up the humour and desperation/frustration in equal measures in your OP so I reckon you should keep a private diary and after a year (or when you reach the Limit), publish it as:

A Pony Club Mother's Tale

I reckon it would be a best seller and would take you into Liz Jones-type territory!
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Haha, Yes maybe i should. I have had a reply anyway suggesting i give her a call as i had so many questions! (I bet the poor woman is counting down the hours!)

In some replies people have got the impression im slating the PC- just want to point out im really really not. I just need things in black and white simpleton terms mainly due to the fact my daughter from the second she comes out of school to the second she go's to bed talks of nothing other than ponies, ponies ponies shows, 2'3,2'6, 2'9 (current most popular words!) and my brain is actually frazzled! Its my fault not theirs im sure!
 
I didn't read it as you slating pc at all, just a frustrated post as it seems the club haven't informed you well enough :D

I'm sure you will soon get to grips with it all! Good luck xx
 
I didn't think I was cut out to be a PC mum either, but I'm now on the committee of our small local branch.:o
We now have a 'new members introduction letter' for precisely the reasons you are having problems - everyone forgets what it is like to not know where, when, what to wear etc :confused: Please ask the DC or someone on the committee, I'm sure they will be more than happy to give you the info you need.
As for the cost of the rallies, all I can say is that ours are pretty pricey too, £15 for just flatwork or jumping and £25 if you do both. We are well aware that they are expensive, but basically it boils down to being a small club and having to pay for expensive facilities and instructors - even if we try to fund raise to cover costs because we are a small club we raise a relatively small amount if that makes sense! We normally end up running our rallies at a loss even with the high price tag if we don't get many members attending. I'm not trying to cry the poor tail for PC, just maybe explaining why they cost a lot - this may or may not be the reason your club is expensive! We used to get the use of some great facilities free every month which meant the rallies could be far more reasonably priced than they are now, but sadly all good things come to an end :(

Anyway, don't give up on it just yet, pick and choose what you do if pennies are tight, you will soon get to know people and which ones to steer clear of :D I also work and struggle when it comes to camp etc but if you make friends with other mums you can normally work it out so one or the other of you is around to take responsibility for the children :)
 
We have an information pack that goes out to all new members - an 8 page booklet that tells you everything you need to know. I just presumed all clubs do a version of this!
 
I find it hard to fit in too, we are a normal hard working family with just the one pony and struggle to fit in the rallies as they are mainly after school or evenings and my husband who tows the trailer works nights!
However our rallies are cheap, mainly free or some at 5 pound:)
 
Bobbyboy- snap. My husband is the 4x4 driver! and its a work vehicle so i cant even borrow do a car swap on the days i need to. Mine isnt working nights but is a farmer so summer is 7 days a week and he literally comes home for a matter of hours to sleep!
Making transport hard work. Today Ive booked 2 unmounted rallies coming up so they are easy enough
I need a new car and my trailer test next i guess ;-)
 
im about to take the plunge and sign my daughter up to pony club- im sure she'll get loads from it and a great grounding in riding and enjoying her pony with like minded children.

however i must admit i find the whole prospect rather scarey- were not flash or rich,nor are we hugely knowledgeablewe keep one scruffy pony and muddle along best we can!!

out of interest does anyone on here attend oakly or northampton pony clubs?
 
Wow, £ 20 a rally, ours are £5 to £8 depending on where they are being held.

Competitions are greatly more, bit luckily we are not quite there yet :)

I do find some rallies clique ( the easiest way to explain a rally is to think of it as a lesson) be that flat work, jumping, dressage, polo cross, or mounted games.

Luckily daughter is not so keen on the ' incrowd' ones, so tend to go to the nicer rally :)

Ps we are farm from posh aswell, to be honest, most people arnt, it seems to be the 'I wan to be in the clicky group gang that put across that they are more well to do, than they actually are :D
 
Personaly I would sort the "catching pony" issue and "getting near it" out before worrrying about the rallys, if pony is that naughty would you be happy leaving child with it to go to work ? sorry if that sounds a bit harsh.
 
Neither am I...!!

I recently signed up my lad to our local PC and although everyone is really encouraging and friendly, their paperwork is a nightmare! We had a recent newsletter through and I only understood half of it, was unsure of whom to contact, and left throughly confused. Fortunately I have a friend in the same PC and she has kindly interpreted it all for me!

For what it is worth, once you go to your first rally it all starts to make sense and really worthwhile. My son has only been riding since Easter, but was jumping x poles at his first rally. We have also competed in a mini sj comp which was great fun. He is booked in for a couple of rallies and camp over the summer hols.

Our branch is anything but 'posh' and is mainly made up of farmers kids. The parents I have met so far have been very friendly and helpful, and am hoping both my son and I will make some nice horsey friends through it.

The only downside I can see that is that I have had no time to do anything with my horse so far this year!! All events I have entered have either been cancelled due to the weather, or have clashed with PC events. However my son and I did our first fun ride together on sunday and that made the sacrifices worth while!
 
rossiroo said:
Personaly I would sort the "catching pony" issue and "getting near it" out before worrrying about the rallys, if pony is that naughty would you be happy leaving child with it to go to work ? sorry if that sounds a bit harsh.
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Not harsh at all each to their own.
Yes i would be more than happy to leave my child with him. Lots of horses are difficult to catch but thats not to say they are unsafe. He's as near perfect temprement as any horse can be and obviously once they are at PC and im thinking of working he will already be caught!
 
The most difficult to catch horse I've ever met was an rda one, in its entire life it was only ever seen to go faster than a walk when someone wanted to catch it, so I wouldn't think a pony unsafe if it was a pain to catch.
 
littlelegs said:
The most difficult to catch horse I've ever met was an rda one, in its entire life it was only ever seen to go faster than a walk when someone wanted to catch it, so I wouldn't think a pony unsafe if it was a pain to catch.
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Thankyou! spring grass and all that! ;-)
 
i haven't read allthe replies fully. But if you dont know who 'sally' is or what the 'usual arrangements' are, then ring the secretary and ask.

Also, just cos you have joined thst branch it does notmean you cannot transfer to another branch if you wish to mid year. It shouldn't cost too much.

Our rallys are 2 hours and cost £3. Other training (sj, event, dressage, water etc) are usually around £5-£10.

I hope you get sorted out as your daughter will love it, and dont feel dominated by the cliques, keep yourself to yourself and you will soon realise which parents are the ones worth knowing.
 
Can you tell me, is it worth joining when you have no transport? I'm keen for my daughter to gain the experience, but we have no transport to get to any rallies or shows. I do think the practical side could benefit her when she's old enough but perhaps they're not keen on people joining who can't join in the riding rallies?
 
I'd imagine maybe not if you have absolutely no transport no.
I do have a trailer its just i cant tow so have to rely on my o/h who works long hours. That said we have a friend who's offered to help out and i thought i could maybe offer to take someone elses pony on the days we can drive then perhaps lift share the times my o/h is working.
 
Every good/happy branch is alike, every cliquey branch is cliquey in its own way (sorry Tolstoy).

I have been involved with 6 different PC branches as a member, parent, instructor and committee member, and they are all only as good as the committee that runs them.

Most don't mean to be cliquey, but when the same people have run it for decades they need to be reminded that not everyone has been a member for years. A new member's pack should be mandatory - "Rally 1030am at Whitegate Farm" is still quite normal for many branches!

The cost of a rally does depend on what is on offer - if the club has to hire facilities, it will cost more. Some have the use of a few fields which brings the cost down. Some big branches fundraise all year and have the support of the local hunt, so everything is subsidised, to the point where some rallies are free.

It takes ages to get to know a branch, but one good way is to get involved in one of the disciplines - either games or tetrathlon are good for making friends both for the children and the parents. If you just go along to the occasional rally, unless you are bold enough to introduce yourself, people will just chat with their friends and not put themselves out to come over - most people are too wrapped up in their own child/pony/stress to notice someone new and alone. It's not personal, just human nature. I think every branch should appoint a friendly mother to be on hand to introduce new members - that would help hugely!

Look through the newsletter to see if there are any mounted games practices (usually through the winter) or tetrathlon training sessions. Because these can only be done in teams usually the people that do it are more welcoming than the average members and you make friends.

So much depends on the branch but as has been said, you can swap but only for a good reason (i.e. moving house, branch doesn't do a particular discipline that you want to do etc).

Otherwise you have to wait until 1st Jan and join a different branch. It might be worth going on line to have a look at what neighbouring branches are offering. It doesn't always go down well when you swap, and if you have made contact with one friendly person, there is hope!

Keep at it, and post on here for advice - lots of pc mums lurking, ready with advice and help, and even a shoulder to cry on when it goes a bit pear-shaped occasionally :) Just remember ALL the committee members are volunteers, and most don't even get expenses for organising things. If they don't communicate very well it might be they are hugely busy themselves.
 
cattysmith said:
Can you tell me, is it worth joining when you have no transport? I'm keen for my daughter to gain the experience, but we have no transport to get to any rallies or shows. I do think the practical side could benefit her when she's old enough but perhaps they're not keen on people joining who can't join in the riding rallies?
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Again it hugely depends on the branch. If you have a few in your area, ring them all, either the secretary or the DC should be helpful. They should not discriminate, but equally they may feel you won't get enough out of their branch if they don't do much for those without transport, and they should be honest enough to tell you that.

Our branch has unmounted rallies occasionally, some social events, and evening sessions for the quiz and horse care competitions, which are all unmounted. Also we have shooting sessions for the tetrathlon, and one of our members no longer rides but enjoys coming to most of the above.

The Tetrathlon is my personal fav of all the pc disciplines - child has to run, swim, shoot and ride, but in age groups and it is all pro rata with shorter distances for little ones, with ball in the bucket instead of shooting for the youngest, and triathlons (no riding) for those with no pony or when it's winter. Branches organise training sessions for the shooting, and supply the air guns, the rest is up to you to sort, and if you get bitten by the bug you will join your child to a swim club, but normally to start with an average swimming ability (i.e. not drowning!) is enough.

Those branches that offer the tet are usually passionate about it, and it is the best way to meet other parents - tets can take all day or even all weekend with lots of hanging about waiting for each bit to finish, but you make great friends and it is something you can't do anywhere else except the PC. Try at least one - you only need a car!
 
I can honestly say that I never really enjoyed taking my daughter pony club, I found it a little bit cliquey, and far too much preasure put on the children.
I saw lots of stressed mums and even more stressed out children.
Dont get me wrong we did have some good times.
As a working mum with other children to take care of and a busy household and my own horses, it didnt fit in.
 
My daughter joined PC a few years ago and our first (and only) outing was Junior Camp. Fortunately for us she went with a friend so I did have another adult to puzzle over the list of items needed etc. Of course when we got there we found lots of the regulars had ignored half the rules and our purchase of many items (deemed essential on the list) was unnecessary........!

My daughter did enjoy camp, I found it utterly exhausting. She was at lead rein stage and I had not totally appreciated how much running around I was going to have to do. Ended up taking a friends teenage daughter to help the last day as I was completely knackered.

We don't have transport and despite meeting a lot of other mothers etc during the duration of the camp didn't get any offers to share transport for future events and to be fair most of the events after Junior Camp were not suited to a child still on the lead rein.

We didn't bother to join again the next year.

I do sympathise with the position you are in. I felt majorly under pressure trying to find all the "essential" kit at a reasonable price. And I also felt a bit like I should know what was going on when we were at Camp despite never having attended anything like it before.

Whatever you decide good luck!!
 
I know exactly what you mean, communication is not always the strong point. We are doing games and the trainers are always so surprised if we don't know where a particular venue is, etc. You are born knowing these things apparently! We have been members for three years and it has taken that long to feel sort of comfortable and accepted!
 
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