Pony Club is an international youth organization devoted to the educating youths about horses and riding. Pony Club organizations exist in over 30 countries worldwide.

Origins

Pony Club was formed in Great Britain in 1929 when the Institute of the Horse formed a youth branch of their organization, "The Pony Club." It was formed to encourage children to start riding, while providing them with opportunities in the field that they would not be able to reach on their own. The group grew rapidly, with 300 members in 1930, to over 10,000 in 1935. When the Institute of the Horse joined with National Horse Association of Great Britain to form The British Horse Society, Pony Club was incorporated into the new group.

The success of Pony Club in Britain sparked the formation of Pony Clubs in other nations, such that there are now over 100,000 Pony Club members worldwide. Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 has the largest pony club membership in the world with just under 55,000 financial members. Note they also ride horses.

Structure

Each national Pony Club organization has the ability to define its own structure. There is no strict international governing body; however, national Pony Club organizations often work together for international competitions and exchanges.

The core unit of any national Pony Club organization is the local club. Local clubs vary in size, but are generally confined to members within a relatively small geographic area. Multiple local clubs may conduct joint mounted and unmounted meetings, and usually compete together in regional competitions.

Ages of participants range from eight to twenty-five. Because of this vast age range, older Pony Clubbers are able to provide assistance to younger members, and younger members are able to be mentored.

The Pony Club's internal structure consists of many ability levels - from the Beginner: D1, D2, and D3, to the intermediate: C1, C2, and C3, followed by the Advanced: HB, B, HA, and A.

Further structuring is dependent upon the particular national organization, but most local clubs belong to regions, in which they compete to qualify for national and international competitions.

Manuals

Pony Club manuals are books which provide all the information needed to complete certificates. They have a range of useful information from buying a horse to looking after it and competing with it. It will teach both pony club members or not, the responsibility, hardships and positive outcomes of owning a horse.

See also

• New Zealand Pony Clubs Association
  New Zealand Pony Clubs Association
  AucklandBay of PlentyCanterburyFranklin/Thames ValleyGisborne/WairoaHawke's BayKing CountryManawatu/West CoastMarlborough/Nelson/West CoastNorthlandOtago/SouthlandTaranakiWaikatoWairarapa/WellingtonWaitemata/Rodney...
  
  
• Pony Club Australia
  Pony Club Australia
  Pony Club Australia is an association which teaches young people to ride horses through over 850 member clubs. Australia has the largest pony club membership in the world with just under 55,000 financial members. In Australia, there are over 850 clubs spread over the seven states and territories...
  
  
• The Pony Club
  The Pony Club
  The Pony Club is a voluntary organisation founded in England in 1929. It has now expanded internationally and Pony Club branches can be found worldwide...
  
  
• United States Pony Clubs
  United States Pony Clubs
  In America, Pony Club began in 1954. It is called the USPC or United States Pony Club. USPC headquarters are at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky...
  
  

External links

• Canada: Canadian Pony Club
• Republic of Ireland: Irish Pony Club
• Europe: Euro Pony Club
• China: Hong Kong Pony Club