pony club

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ellis9905

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ive been looking at the pony club website- think it would be a great oppertunity for my 8yr old to learn and try different aspects and discplines to what i can teach her at home.

now really numpty question- in the simplist of terms, how does it work??

we pay our membership then what?? do the children attend weekly?? do we need to transport there pony to the "club" weekly?

thanks :)
 
PC rallies are usually held on a monthly basis, with PC shows and events being held most weekends. Depending on the PC, the venue will either be the same place each month, or will change, and you will need to find your own way there. There is also PC camp in the summer :)
 
You join the club and then you will get newsletters telling you what's on, and you decide what you want to go to.

There will be group lessons (called rallies), xc training, jumping training, stable management, quizzes etc and socials. It depends on the club really.

Generally the more you go to the more people you will meet and the more you'll get out of it.

I am a pony club instructor and I think it's great for the kids, particularly if you get a good club.

Ring up the DC (District Commisioner, aka The Boss) and have a chat. You will most likely find them very welcoming.

Which area are you in if u don't mind my asking?
 
hi, i help out at our pony club

we meet fortnightly. you will have to travel :)

we have lessons, go to comps and camp. kids do work for badges etc too

we actually going to an AI centre at end of month :)

its great to learn, have fun and make friends i would recommend it to anyone! i am just upset that i cant take part cos at 40 i am too old! imagine that, wrong lol :)
 
Hi,

My 9yr old son has recently joined our local PC branch. From what I can understand they all run basically on the same lines with 'rallies' ie group lessons, camps, team competitions for the more experienced riders and an exam system.

Our rallies seem to occur mainly in the school hols, with other lessons and events also available in term time, but harder to get to/organise around other term time child related activities! There is also a yearly camp - ours is split into junior and senior and run in the summer hols. Our PC also has a 'junior' comittee which organises competitions specifically to encourage the younger members.

We have attended one rally so far, took part in a mini sj comp last week, and he is booked into summer camp.

Yes you will need to transport child and pony to various venues, and have to adhere to strict dress and turnout codes.

The best thing to do is to contact your PC and find out more, such as when and where they meet and how often. They will also be able to advise you how to join and who to contact.

Have fun!
 
If you go on the PC site, you can put in your postcode and the nearest branches will come up, you can then go on individual branch sites and find what each offer so you can choose to join one that does rallies nearest you.

They vary as to how they run offering a range of activities some are more active than others so choose carefully before you join.
 
Ours runs about 3 times a month from easter to october for rallies. Essentially you book in to the rally and turn up and have a group lesson in what ever that rally is (ours does flat work then jumping of some kind at each but they are all diffrent). You can put your self down for teams and badges and tests if you want but dont have to.

I will say to do a bit of research on the branch you join as some are friendlier than others. Other than that she will have a great time.
 
Pony Club is the best thing you could ever get her in to. It is fantastic! It provides so many opportunities and also teaches everyone so much!

If you are in any doubt, ring which branch you think you should be in and talk to them :) xx
 
All branches run differently (I'm a branch secretary). We run 6 rallies a year at no extra cost other than branch fee at beginning of the year (we're a small club), other clubs run many more rallies which you book in & pay extra for.

I would contact a few different branches close to you & ask if you can go & watch a rally & see what you think will suit you & your daughter. xx
 
Another pc instructor here too. Best thing you could do for a horsey child is sign them up! You pay an annual membership, which also covers you for third party insurance for her and the horse too.

Different branches do different things, depending on the facilities they have in their area. Ours do outdoor ridden rallies once a month from May-October, and indoor lecture type rallies once a month the rest of the year. They pay £4 per rally on top of the joining fee. There are five shows a year that get the kids points towards trophies too, and two camps in the summer holiday (regular and senior camp). On top of these standard things, there are also ad-hoc things added in, like specific lessons for different disciplines, or farm rides, and there is a 3 day rally in the holidays too.

You may not need transport depending on how local things are to you - lots hack to our rallies and shows..

Pony club was the highlight of my days when I was a child, and my stepson loves it now. She will enjoy it, make friends and learn...

Oh - and as a pc mum, you will make a lot of friends too.
 
Depends what branch you join :)

We have 2 rallies a week, with at least 2 rides (usually 6&7pm) but there can be more. One rally is a junior and the other senior on different nights :)
These run all year round with a break for instructors in oct and march (afaicr!). We travel to them, in winter they are held at instructors yard an rest of year held at pc grounds.
There is also games practice and team training that occurs during the week!

There can be up to 3/4 groups during each ride (in separate arenas) in the spring/summer! We are a massive club though :)

Ring the branches dc for more info on how they work - im still in pc and am 21 :)
 
sorry to hijack the thread but do you think 4 years is too early to join the PC? he has only been riding about a month but is really keen
 
katymay said:
sorry to hijack the thread but do you think 4 years is too early to join the PC? he has only been riding about a month but is really keen
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It depends on the branch whether they'll take children as young as 4. Ours does, because the DC's child is young and she is very keen on the tiny ones. It also depends how much effort you want to put in. Mine didn't start until they were 6, when at least I knew that having got the pony and child ready and taken them to a rally he would at least stay on board for the whole thing and not want to get off after 5 minutes! :D
 
katymay said:
sorry to hijack the thread but do you think 4 years is too early to join the PC? he has only been riding about a month but is really keen
Click to expand...

We have the little ones at ours and they all seem to have a good time. Ours are kept in an enclosed space until they are confident off the lead rein but it depends on what facilities each branch has. They might do seperate rallies for the little ones at your local one but ours are all done together but in seperate rides.

At four though you will be doing lots of running with them.
 
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