joining pony club?

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dafthoss

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Thought you guys would be the best people to ask.
Shall I join pony club just got an email from them saying next years membership is first come first served so do I join :confused:
I'm a bit worried about not being good enough really :o bascially I have a geen pony thats not very brave anyway and at 19 I think others would have nicer horses that are out going well at competitions ect and I have non horsey parents so in my situation would you join? :confused:
thanks guys :)
 
depends on the branch.
Ours? (Not saying which so dont ask!) : No.
You'd be on a hiding to nothing as anyone over 13 on anything under 16.2 is only there to make up numbers.

Others may be different.
 
Yes, even if you 'only' get to 2 or 3 rallies in the next year, it ought to be worth it for the instruction for you & young pony - and then there also ought to be the SM sessions too. You could always attend other events on foot if you wanted, or pop along with youngster to show her/him the sights & sounds.

Is it a 'big' PC in your area?

Ask for info on the Chief Instructor they have, maybe have a casual chat with her/him?

Otherwise join a Riding Club as you'll also get benefits from them from instruction etc too :)

Good luck
 
If I was young again I'd join like a shot..the Pony Club should be about helping and encouraging regardless of how good you are or how much money you or your parents have to spend on a winning machine...in my experience as a pony club mum we get all sorts at our branch, its not all about looks, competing and whose best but about helping, learning and having fun. I would think that there will be some others in the older age bracket who have youngsters to bring on as well, so go for it! Good luck.
 
I think at 19 and with a green pony you may not ''fit in''
You may find yourself in a group with 12yos unless it is a PC where older members do ''bring on'' their own youngsters.

Investigate your local riding clubs to see if they run year round trainng--that will definitely be geared to the level you and your pony are working at. Riding Club rules have changed towards pony heights with adults now allowed to ride under 14hh
 
Yes! I love pony club (apart from the name...!)
I am one of the older members, there are quite a lot of us! The reason so many of us older riders (19+) stay is that our club is particularly successful and tend to do very well at area and championship level :) In our area, we are known as the "mafia" :p
For instance, at the area eventing this year, our branch had 4 full teams in the open!

Although the amount of rallies we do are less, usually because of work/uni etc. We do actually do quite a lot of teaching between us at the junior rallies :)
What you find though is that most of us older riders are on young horses that are out and about to be edumacated ;)

For instance, I was at a rally on tuesday night on my 4 year old, all riders in the rally were my age plus - out of 6 riders, 5 were on young horses (4 or 5) and one was on a horse just brought back into work :)

Join pony club - I have had so much fun in the last 10 years as a member! Wouldnt have missed it for the world!

Of course you get all the pony club mothers etc. but most people couldn't care less about them, so everyone gets on pretty well - we have 300 members in our club :o
 
ah ok thanks guys
skewbald_again - thanks will have to check :-S
The Xmas Furry - there are 4 in my area 2 are big so I am not thinking about going to them but it is the larger of the other 2 as the other is really small and a friend that went there found it boring as they never did anything she hadnt done before. I spoke to one of the instructors as she works in a tack shop and she said to join but Im still a bit unsure
Red Nosed Old Bat - thanks I know this is what it should be but having never been before and heard about the more competative ones being a bit hostile (not sure if thats the right word) this one I have heard lots of good about but mainly from members.
 
only me I'm so glad you love your PC so much - ours is big too, and has lots of older members - but a friends daughter (among others) left at 16 (despite mum still being very involved in helping etc) because she breeds and rides natives and honestly there was no place for her on a pony.

out of interest can you honestly say the OP would be welcome and fit in on a pony? The green part, I grant you wouldn't be a problem here, and if she is using the term 'pony' in a joshy way and it is actually 16.2hh, I reverse my original advice!
 
Cuffey- when I spoke to the lady she said that there was a group of older members on younger horses that she teaches so I might be in that group. oh and he is 14.2 so not teeny
only me - hopefuly this one will be nice aswell I think it is more the mothers I am worried about some of them have quite a reputaion
 
skewbald_again said:
out of interest can you honestly say the OP would be welcome and fit in on a pony? The green part, I grant you wouldn't be a problem here, and if she is using the term 'pony' in a joshy way and it is actually 16.2hh, I reverse my original advice!
Click to expand...

I am 100% sure she would be welcome, but I am not sure the OP would feel she "fitted" in as such - it really depends on the branch.

:)
 
I think you will love it :D My pony club is so friendly and teh intructors are brill. Its not as uptight as other pony clubs in teh area so is not suitable for other people but I love it and so do everyone else in it.

I'm 17 and ride a pony, some of my friends of the same age and older ride bigger horses but then there are some on smaller ones. When we have rallies aswell we are often put in groups with our friends (if we are at near enough the same level.) We have a few very good members who normally represent us at Area and gatcombe and hickstead but anyone else at the level has a chance of getting in :D

Why don't you get permission to go and watch one of the rallies and see if you'd enjoy it or not and the type of people at that pony club? :)

ETA: Were also in the process of getting an older senior camp for those 16 plus on different dates at a different place and it will be optional if you stay or not as most people stop going to senior camp by the time they're 16 :)
 
My two daughters did PC from 4- 17 years of age. It was great when they were smaller, we did all the rallies, novice show,dressage XC but when they got to about 14 it all became a bit too, 'you are too big for your pony' and we do not have animals that cost over £2000 and can jump 3'3''. We tried chaging branches but that was even worse.
We had for more succes with our local riding club, they cater for all levels and depending on the club can be not so geared to competitions. The one I am know most now has lots of novicy things, and welcomes everyone, and they do camp as well.
 
Im 18 riding a 14hh heavyweight cob and Im still in the pony club! Its great fun, I can still take part in the Novice height classes, rallies, and camp! It helps that my pony is a bit of a ledgend but Im very rarely made to feel as though I should have a 16.2hh+ competition horse! Tbh as always, the more effort you put in the more you will get out of being a member :)
 
koko - I aready know a few people there and get on well with them
honey pot - hopefully he will be capable of a decent height jumping its just sorting his head out at the moment and getting him confident
h and b - thats good to know I think there were a few people there on heavy cobs from what people have said so fingers crossed it might be ok
 
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