Pony club ... good or bad?

Definately good, though you do sometimes get put with a rubbish instructor... (oh, the stories I could tell!) And some of the children are complete snobs, which put a very shy friend of mine off, they were so rude to her (and she is, for her age, one of the most talented riders I've ever seen) that she discontinued her membership, which is a real shame, as I think pony club would have opened up a lot of doors for her.

So yes, good in general, we definately need it, it's so educational, and although there are some bad things, I think to just ignore the rude children and instructors, and get what good you can out of it.
 
I was in the Oakley North from 1987 to 1997 and it was the best thing I did as a child. My pony club was very active, and I ended up being on the commitee for a bit at the end. We maybe weren't as competitive as Oakley West who had (still have) a very successful Prince Philip team, but I think we did more and there was more variety in our club. Camp was held at Huntingdon racecourse and I can't think of any better place to have camp - We had the best fun, learnt alot, we had a very matronly DC in charge of us, who everyone was slighlty scared of, but we respected her a lot, and we got into a bit of mischief too ;)

I think the people who don't enjoy it, are perhaps the ones who don't put as much effort in, and hardly go to anything. The more involved you get, the more enjoyment you get out of it, and closer bonds are formed with the other people in the club.
 
studentvet said:
Then I would look at other branches. They arent all bad, and some people are just more suited to one branch than another. It may well be worth looking further afield as it would be worth travelling for the fab times that you can have.
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I would agree totally. My parents joined me and my sister to H branch (no names) and the juniors was good compared to the 'seniors'. We only had scruffy hand-me down ponies and tack. They were great ponies, but they cost us nothing and the instructors weren't great with us as there were kids there on the "10k been there done that born in an outline type"...

when I got my welsh cob (who age 11 hadn't ever jumped) we decided to move to C branch, more of my school friends went there too. The instructor I had that first camp was awesome. She took the time to help me get him going and to build our confidence, without neglecting the rest of the group. Everyone was so much friendlier.

go see, find one that suits even if it's a bit further away, you and your daughter will get far more out of it!
 
in our case, very good!, my daughter has been in our local pony club for almost four years now, and just loves it, however when she started, she was only just off lead rein and at times, very very nervous, her pony was scared of everything and she spent a lot of time falling or getting off! , but really enjoyed being at pony club, was determined and stuck with it, anyhow all the instructors, other kids and even other parents ( with the exception of a few clicky...snobby ones, which, as others have said, you get everywhere!) have been so supportive and encouraging, she is now a very confident 11 year old who loves to do a bit of everything, mounted games, dressage and also jumping. she loves and understands how to look after her pony, the same lovely but very scaredy cat pony ( who was incidentally a rescue pony, so, not an expensive ,pony club hand me down, been there seen it done it type!) has also learned HUGE amounts and now loves to go off to pony camp and various rallies ( in fact will load himself in to the trailer!) so i guess it does depend on the branch. they also give everyone the opportunity to compete if they wish to do so and often have an A and B team, so that, even those less experienced members can have a go at team competitions, without feeling you are letting others down if you dont get the "highest score" etc. I do hope you find a good one for your daughter! it really can be loads of fun --for both of you!

*****sorry for the long post, I feel like an advert for our PC branch!! LOL******
 
re the remeniscences... we used to play how many people can you fit in a porterloo until one girl got her thumb trapped in the hinge and nearly had it sliced off! (the answer is 11 teenage girls). We used to regularly pick up the secretary and dump her in a water trough on the last day. We used to talk til 2am despite having been told 101 times to shut up and go to sleep. Even now it feels like we spent more time cleaning tack than anything else, but I can do a pretty good job even if i say so myself!! I remember Val (my first insructor) teaching me to plait a tail, and to stich in a mane. The only male instructor I've ever had was ex-army and threw a tantrum over our standards and taught us how to do boots properly!

I remember thinking I did a pretty good job mucking out until I looked at the stable next door!! I was last in the stable management cup that year, and 3rd the next! I always had the naughtiest pony who would escape/remove his headcollar/empty his water bucket everywhere/bite the instructor/naff off with me etc etc... but when we did grid work bareback and I refused to trot as I couldn't sit to it, my instructor fell off him trying!

brilliant memories. thank you OP for reminding me to think about them!
 
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