Pony Club anyone?

I'm thinking about joining.. Do you guys have a pony club around your arena? Have you ever done pony club? I wanted to do it just to get out with Tango a little more often.. but I'm undecided at the moment..

I have considered it, but it is just to much money, HA!

I am going to stick to 4-H and those somewhat local eventing shows. ;]

well where do you live???
I love pony club but not all are the same the one up the road from me isn't like mine. They all compete and have xpensive horses. My club has backyard ponies you could by for $500 sooo it depends!

In Australia pony club isn't really expensive at all. We don't have 4-H, I've always wondered what it is exactly.

Anyway I was under the impression that Pony Club was a more British thing, and something that we sort of "inherited" through them. Where are you from? There is no location on your posts.

My experience with Pony Club is pretty good. I started going when I got my first horse when I was about 11. Luckily the grounds were nearby so I didn't have to float out there.

Its kind of fun, its not just focussed on the riding, but other forms of horse safety and horse care as well. There are generally levels for competition (like A,B,C,D,E) and you get graded and then can compete in jumping and eventing with in that level. Its pretty small, down here C was about 75cm, D 60ish, A was a bit over a metre for heights, and Novice dressage tests. Its a good base. The also have horsemanship certificates that we used to do at camp, which are ranked similarly to the grades, where you have to do a written test and a ridden test etc. The really high levels can interesting, like breaking in your own horse and going on a 40 or 80km ride.

At the same time there is a rule that professionals cannot teach at PC rally days, so the teaching can be very so-so, and you see kids tearing at their horses mouthes, overusing the crop etc. Its fun while you are a kid, but once I was about 16 I was way over it all. When I get back into horses I plan to see if I can do some instructing or just helping out at the rally days, because overall its pretty fun to be in the horse scene, and they always need help with the kids.

Give it a go if you can, generally all you need is your own horse and safe tack and gear.

As Saskia, said there's no location but PC in Australia is generally pretty good. Where I live its about a $70 fee a year, and you atted rally day etc. The instructors are really good because they have ridden for ages. There are extra fees if you do Jamboree, or the comps and camps but most of the time its worth it.
They teach all aspects of horsemanship and its quite good. You experience a lot!
However, some little kid riders can get annoying. IE. Run up your butt, get too close, kick their horses so much they bolt.
But if you can deal with that, than its a great experience and well worth the money.
P.S 4-H should be in Australia, I think it would be great, it'd cater for the more western riders and people who dont have a horse.

I do PC in Australia - I'm in a very small club, and am one of the intructors, as well as the oldest rider. The bigger, 'fancier' clubs tend to have a lot of politics - You generally don't realise until you have been going for a while. Our club is small so we are like a family - All help each other, swap horses, decide what we want to do, etc.

It gives you a lot fo opportunities - Progressing through the grades, and also certificates that can verify your knowledge. I have my D, D*, C and C* certificate and am working on my K - the one mentioned above, I have done the 40km ride and am currently breaking a horse in. It's really nice to have a formal acknowledment of your knowledge/acheivements with horses.

So really - It depends on the club you join. They are all different, and have different focusses (disciplines). It is run by volunteers, so be prepared to help out - There is nothing worse than riders who join and then don't help or have parents who help!

i used to do pc ! it was fun

Just wanted to clear things up by this statement. In the U.S 4H has a lot of english events. They have dressage, hunters (depending on the state, the jumps can get BIG), saddle seat, some states have jumpers (I think). I think 4H is for every style rider. I have heard the saying, "4H is the poor kids Pony Club." I have always loved that saying, I think it is very funny. In my state, just to join PC its like $300, then all of the ratings and such are like $50-$100 (sometimes more). I would love to join PC, but as my little saying goes...
But yes, 4H does do lots of western too. (:

Yeah Australia is about $50-$100 plus more for comps or camps.

If you are in America Pony Club probably falls under a different insurance category so the fee is a fair bit higher. $300 is not bad, checkout what kind of instructors your local club has. You could be getting a sort of equivalent of two lessons a rally day if its a good club. When you think of it like that its not that bad.

I did pony club as a kiddy on my little welshie for about a year. Did a couple of ODE's and attented most rally's but really didn't like it too much. It was very bitchey and the instructors only had the time of day for the riders who had good, 'expensive' horses and were focussed soley on eventing or showjumping. Dressage was just a laugh! So I dropped pony club and spent my money on a good coach and competions instead. Best move I could have made.

However, this is a pretty one off thing, there alot of excellent clubs around with good instructors, just don't rely on what they say to be the be all and end of riding as most PC instructors are volounteers with no qualifications