Popular amongst horse lovers, Pony Club is a great organisation that helps individuals with varying experience levels to share their love of equines.
If you’re interested in getting involved, then here is everything you need to know about it.
What is Pony Club?
Those interested in both ponies and horse riding – whether as a hobby or a career – will most likely already have heard of the Pony Club.
This international society comes in the shape of a voluntary youth organisation for young people interested in the pony and riding industry and aims to nurture and grow this love and passion.
How did it start?
The Pony Club originated in England in 1929 yet it wasn’t until 01January 1997 that it was granted independent charitable status.
Today, there are approximately 345 branches and 600 centres based in the UK alone and Pony Club is represented in no less than 27 countries with membership surpassing 110,000 on a global basis. This makes it the biggest young rider association in the world.
It therefore comes as little surprise that this particular organisation has become the go-to association for a huge number of likeminded equestrian competitors.
What does it do?
Pony Club has many objectives, one of which includes encouraging young people to ride. Another objective includes offering instruction to riders – especially when it comes to understanding, looking after and caring for horses.
The Pony Club’s ultimate goal is to foster sportsmanship, reliability and citizenship to create the highest possible ideals of self-control and character in both horses and riders.
What types of membership are there?
To date, the Pony Club has a total of 50,000 UK members with three types of membership to choose from. These are:
- Branch Membership: an annual subscription at your local Pony Club branch which covers a small region and provides access to rallies and activities run within that area. Prices start at £64 p.a. or £160 for families. Branch membership is available for individuals aged up to a maximum of 25 years
- Centre Membership: this is designed for those who don’t own their own horse and allows individuals to partake in Pony Club activities at their local riding school (the school must be partnered with Pony Club). Prices start at £26 p.a. and is available for individuals aged up to a maximum of 25 years.
- Overseas Membership: this membership is for individuals living outside the UK and will be similar to the options mentioned above. Prices will be dependent on the specific area in which people live and age restrictions will still apply.
All membership options provide access to great events and activities for horse lovers. These include:
- Rallies
- Camps
- Championships and qualifiers
- Dressage
- Polocrosse
- Mounted games
- Pony racing
- Tetrathlon
- Showjumping
- Endurance
Both Branch and Centre Membership also offer third party insurance.
Volunteering opportunities
Aside from an abundance of membership options, Pony Club also offers a number of volunteer prospects with as many as 20,000 conscientious volunteers working for them today.
Volunteering at Pony Club comes with its fair share of benefits, including:
- Improving your CV
- Learning new skills
- Watching various equine disciplines in action
- Making new friends
- Supporting the local community
Find out more about Pony Club and how you or your kids can get involved at http://www.pcuk.org/
