should pony clubs be doing a lot more for older members?

LittleRooketRider

LittleRooketRider

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I think so (as an older member myself, 17) pleae read even if you are not a pc member etc, i'd still like your opinion.

when you are a young member there is a vast array of activities/rallies available: treaseyre hunt, have a go at polocrosse/pc games/etc etc etc. the list goes on( alongside the DR, SJ & XC)..i have become increasingly aware of this through voluntary work towards my coaching certificate.

as a senior meber all that is available to me are dressage/showjumping/xc and usually aimed at "teams" (ie. the clicky ones)i enjoy most of these rallies don't get me wrong but talking to friend we all seem to want something a bit different for a change...

perhaps pcs could organise 16+ rallies such as have a go at...polocrosse/pc games (beneficial for all sizes of horse regards to balance/transitions and generally building a bond)/ western riding (good for dressage position) etc.

obviously some would e more expensive to stage but otherwise why not? with enough interest it is perfectly affordable and fun

opinions please...cookies for anyone who reads all the way :)
 
Good idea, I really enjoyed my first few years at pony club but as I got older there seemed to be less happening, like you say unless it was for teams, I had a little scruffy pony so I was never considered good enough for anything and by the time I was 15 I'd had enough
 
You're 17, get off your backside and get organising! Arrange to meet the Committee having got some ideas together for what you and your peers want to do then set up a group to make sure it happens. If you need to get parents invovled then do so but a 17 you really should be able to make it happen yourselves - and of course it's a great CV polisher :)
 
I have never been a member of pony club at any age however i think your idea is great! Definitely run with it, who knows what you might be able to start! Good Luck!
 
Haha I agree with JA, they might just need someone to organise!

Sadly I was too old to join pony club by the time I got my horse, but I'd defo make the most of it!
 
I agree OP, even when I was 14/15 I felt too 'old' for PC activities- my rally group was the same age as me but for the holiday activities they were all about 5 years younger! Would have liked some more 'mature' activities rather than treasure hunts and picnic rides all the time (which are nice, but only really when you're 10 and surrounded by fellow 10 year olds).

Agree with JA though in the sense that as you're older now, you could easily organise something with the DC. :)
 
I think the problem with this is that the younger members generally have allrounder ponies, but as you move up the pony club, the members are increasingly becoming more specialised (eventing, dressage etc) and as a result their horses are bought for that purpose. No parent that has spent several k (and the rest) on a dressage horse is going to let that horse tear around playing horseball.
Sad but true.
 
AliceCrail said:
I think the problem with this is that the younger members generally have allrounder ponies, but as you move up the pony club, the members are increasingly becoming more specialised (eventing, dressage etc) and as a result their horses are bought for that purpose. No parent that has spent several k (and the rest) on a dressage horse is going to let that horse tear around playing horseball.
Sad but true.
Click to expand...

I took my dressage horse to play polo.....ok I was the oldest there by at least 3 years, my horse was the biggest by 3 hands, and we won every game going......

But we thoroughly enjoyed it and had great fun!!!! So even specialised horses can have some fun now and again (he did have boots and bandages on that day, as 5 days later we went to a championship!)
 
I think this is really sad, my best time as a pony club member was between 17 and 21, I made life long friends who I still enjoy meeting up with after 50years. We used to have a great time, rallies, long rides and bbqs, competitions etc. We did however put a lot of effort into helping run and organise events. There used to be a specific classes for older members in all sections.

What a pity if you are no longer able to enjoy being a member, good idea above offer ideas to the committee, form a junior action group and get things going.
 
My Pony Club suffers from this majorly - it seems a bit of a vicious cycle though, as there's nothing for older members to do so they leave so there's not enough older members to start things for the older members. However if you have enough people to fill such classes I'd go for it!
 
TandD I think you are a rare breed :D
Pony clubbers are specialising earlier and the result is there are fewer members willing, or with a horse suitable, to do the fun things. I appreciate this may be area specific too.
 
I think that this is a common problem, most of the Pony Club's in our area are losing their older member's at an alarming rate.

My daughter certainly felt that she's outgrown it by the time she was 15. I also think that the 'clique y ness' that you mention, & the petty rules put a lot of teenager's, & their parents off. It's a shame as it could have such a lot to offer.
 
It depends on which branch you are with, ours has equal amounts for young and old. But we have a lot of older members so demand is high.
 
I only joined the pony club when I was 11. Went to my last camp when I was 17. Tbh I didn't do much with them the whole way through, they were a very rich and very competitive branch and I was neither!

I also found a lot of the things that were for the older riders excluded me as I had lost my confidence on my pony, so I didn't want to be jumping 2'9" or whatever that my age said I had to do.

I always considered pony club to be for younger riders (over 16s were rare at camp in my btanch). If I had wanted to carry on with that kind of thing past the age of 18 I would have looked at a riding club instead.

You might as well give it a shot- after all I've said, I would have been rreally happy of my branch had offered some more lighthearted activities for older riders.
 
My daughters were PC members from 4-15 years, very different characters but had the same problems with PC. It was lovely when they were little but after ten years of the same rallies it all got a bit stale. Then there is obsession with competing and wanting them to jump higher and higher, so you either had to buy an expensive horse that will jump 3'6'' or not go to camp. We stayed to hunt as much as possible, which is fun, cheap and no pressure, even tried changing branch's but a lot of the kids had expensive horses and attitude to match.
Pony club was based on very regimented idea, which does not go down well with teenagers, and they tend not to be treated as equals when they get older which they are desperate to be treated as. I find there are different sorts of RC, shaped by their members, with adults that only want to jump 90cm, or get their old faithful round a XC and that's OK. If you want to join a competitive club there's one of those as well and you can do the teams, but there is always the brake that the adults tend to have jobs, homes and a life and are not PC mums obsessing why there child has been put in the wrong ride yet again. I think PC is OK until about 12 and then they out grow the regimentation.
 
My daughter was in pc from 4-25 and did many teams and gained her A test. She loved it and now organises and teaches for them.
You need to ask your DC if you can have a junior committee and organise things yourself that you would like to do. Its your pony club not a business. Who do you want to organise these things get your parent involved and have fun.
 
I completely agree! 17 also, a few of us have mentioned this to our area head, and she said if their was enough interest she'd take it further, but that's the problem! There are fewer and fewer older members, the bulk of pony clubs seem to 8-13yr olds and considering you can be in pony club until the age of 21 you'd think they'd be a little more geared up towards the needs of their seniors, to try and keep members for longer ??

AliceCrail said:
I think the problem with this is that the younger members generally have allrounder ponies, but as you move up the pony club, the members are increasingly becoming more specialised (eventing, dressage etc) and as a result their horses are bought for that purpose. No parent that has spent several k (and the rest) on a dressage horse is going to let that horse tear around playing horseball.
Sad but true.
Click to expand...

I don't think that's the problem? Certainly in my experience, people, particularly older members, are going to pony club to have fun and do things like horseball and polo cross, regardless of what there horse was bought for or how much it cost, most horses will have ago at anything and older riders tend to be more independent and have a more understanding attitude in that doesn't matter how good they are at it, but they've had a go and had a bit of fun doing it!
If anything it's the younger children's 'horsey' mums that don't want their kids taking part in such 'silly' things, and we often get "Daddy doesn't want me to do these silly games! Can't I have a proper lesson instead? He hasn't payed all this money just for me to mess around!" -From 9/10yr olds!
The problem, in my opinion, is that there's simply no opportunities for older members, so as a result there's less and less members staying on until that older age!
Glad it's not just me!! :) ...sorry it's so long... X
 
Perhaps it is an area thing. The ones I have come across have the usual mix of competitive and non-competitive, pushy parents, non-horsey parents etc.
But from about 15, the majority are preferring to spend their weekends and holidays at BE, or BYRDS, or BS. They stay at PC just for the teams, and often feel that the rallies and pc events are a bit beneath them. This includes the parents.
The last pc rally I attended (as an 'owner' - someone was using my mare) the conversation between parents was of how much the horses cost, how they were not going to do the sj part as it would undo all the work the new trainer had put in, how many rallies the child had to do before team selection.
This is not a well off branch either, as I say, pretty mixed. They are just families desperately trying to do the best for their children and horses.

Op, if you want extra things for older members, push for it. They may just assume they won't have the uptake. It is the ones who make the most noise who get noticed!
 
Why not team up with up with other branches in your area and organise activities for the older ones. We are doing that and there is going to be a Senior Camp for over 16's only at Somerford Park next year. Enquiry if you have any Area training days and ask your DC to put you forward for them. There are also other benefits, have you checked what discounts you can get for being a pony club member. Have you thought about helping with the younger ones at rallies and go down the teaching line even if only part time. Do your pony club tests etc if you get you B test and what to do your BHS exams you can go in a stage 3. Use the main PC website and see what there is on offer to you. As someone previous stated set up a Junior committee and also find out who your members rep is in your branch and give them your ideas to take to the committee for you
 
AliceCrail said:
TandD I think you are a rare breed :D
Pony clubbers are specialising earlier and the result is there are fewer members willing, or with a horse suitable, to do the fun things. I appreciate this may be area specific too.
Click to expand...

Oh but it was so much fun!!!!!!!!! And why shouldn't i do it when it's offered? The polo instructor was quite taken with my boy and tried to convince me to let him play polo :S
I think the problem is people take it to seriously. I didn't join my current PC till I was 14 and there for have no friends really with it.....but I don't care as it's not the be all and end, but it has given me some fantastic oppertunites I.e. Championships and helped me learn lots! But it's a bit of fun and there to be used to my benefit
 
jemima*askin said:
You're 17, get off your backside and get organising! Arrange to meet the Committee having got some ideas together for what you and your peers want to do then set up a group to make sure it happens. If you need to get parents invovled then do so but a 17 you really should be able to make it happen yourselves - and of course it's a great CV polisher :)
Click to expand...

that was the plan i just thought i would check i'm not the only one :)
 
The biggest problem with ANY voluntarily organised club is you need volunteers to organise things, so I agree with Jemima, you need to get together with your peers and organise your own activities.
I think it depends on the branch and how they organise themselves. My daughter's branch is only a smallish branch and hellishly competitive in many disciplines but incredibly down to earth, such that even the parents (who pony clubbed about 30 years ago) are quite happy to have a go at Veterans mounted games. A huge number of activities are open to all, so whilst there is plenty of team, level or discipline specific training, there is plenty of 'other stuff' stuff to do that's open to all, from mounted games, fitness training on the gallops, polocrosse, organised hacks, quiz training, first aid training, hunting etc as well as NON team training for eg XC where there are plenty of members who are nervous about XC and need the opportunity to go somewhere with an instructor. However it all depends on having a willing volunteer(s) to organise the venue & ensure H&S checks complete, book the instructor, organise first aider. If you can get a committee organised with some parental help to assist, then I'm sure your DC will be very happy to support. I'm quite sure it helps retention of older members - our branch has approx. 50% minis, but has almost as many aged 16+ (because there's lots going on) but there are only a few aged 13-15 (which has always been a low in numbers age group, when my daughter was still in minis there wasn't a lot of 'mini' activity as there weren't many members) - so it is this middle age group that misses out in our branch.
 
I'm 22, and I'll be honest I'm the oldest member of our branch by about 2 years, and other than myself and the lad I arrange to go to rallies with, the next youngest ones are all under 18, with about 6 members 15-18 and all the rest very young... I feel like PC, or mine anyway, is an environment for kids to learn, and older members to bring on their young horses. The older members who have bought pro horses are out doing affiliated stuff and only come back for Interbranch etc, whereas the ones at the rallies are the ones who have young horses/green horses and want to bring them on.

Therefore playing games, doing polo etc isn't really appealing for us... older member lessons, clinics, etc would be very popular for us, but the 'playing' probably wouldn't. I know for a fact I would be on the floor if I tried to do games/polo/horseball with my horse, and it's probably the same for a lot of the rest.

I am considering joining our branch committee though, as PC is something I do feel strongly about, and I the parents/volunteers who run it aren't mind readers, and it's important for some of the older members to represent what the riders want out of their club.
 
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