pony club

[aladdinsane]

DD is 6 and has been riding for almost a year. Mainly she has had lessons and has just got to the stage where she can canter and go over very low jumps
Her riding school had a very low key, fun gymkhana which she loved
I wonder if she should start pony club, can anyone advise what age they usually start and benefits, or not of pony club
Thanks

Most children join out PC when they are about 4 or 5. We run a 2 day "mini" camp for children on the lead rein in the Summer and there are lots of rallies to suit their age group - especially at Easter and Christmas. The latter often includes fancy dress, Father Christmas and lots of gymkhana type team games.

Our PC also runs jumping classes through the Winter in an indoor school. Up to 6 children per ride every fortnight. Certainly your DD would fit right into this type of activity (one ride is just for Lead Reins) as they have usually grown out of doing this by the time they are 8 or 9.

I can't really speak for your PC but I would have thought that she'd really enjoy it and would make lots of friends. Membership is usually renewed in January/February for the year. You'd need to check with your Membership secretary to see about cost of joining for the rest of the year and how much she'd get out of it. You may want to wait until 2013 althought quite a few PCs have waiting list so best to at least enquire.

We love pony club in our house.Ours started at 7 and 8 although DD1 went to a pony club centre based at a riding school prior to that,from the age of 5.

DD2 is not a joiner and doesn't like speaking in front of people she didn't know-it took a good 6 months for her to even speak to her new teacher at school.She went to PC camp over the holidays and she was like a changed child-running off to eat lunch with her new friends,first to put her hand up to answer questions and she rode 5 different ponies over 3 days.It has done wonders for her confidence and riding skills and the instructors and other parents couldn't have been more helpful.Both girls say camp was better than going on holiday.

We find that day rallies are exceptionally good value,£7.50 for a whole day of tuition,including dressage,games,jumping and gridwork.Can't recommend it enough,check the photos on my profile of my girls doing cross country at camp.DD1 has the biggest grin on her face!

Agree with Mirage - 50quid to joing PC but then the rallies and lessons are usually very good value. Ours is particularly good at getting top jumping instructors (which we couldn't afford) and then doing a great deal because they are teaching 20 or 30 children through the course of the day at one location.

I went to PC as a kid and loved it, I still have my PC tie and badge with coloured felts - do they do those now? and I am well in my [coughs quickly] 40's!

Was thinking this exactly same thing for my dd too! Thanks

Ours is dreadful. The onus is on perfect ponies, having the right tack, they are obsessed with having the right size pony for their age, regardless of size of child. If they're overhorsed, put it in a Dutch gag. Or sell it and get another. If it doesn't jump high enough, get a new one. But then, it kind of reflects our area in general. Tonnes and tonnes of bay thoroughbreds, big lorries and showjumping/dressage wannabes.
We have taken in several local pony club reject ponies. Fabulous ponies once you remove the gadgets, gags, Pelhams, and teach them that they can enjoy life without charging about blindly!
We actually did give the PC the benefit of the doubt and joined dd up a while ago. We went once, it was dreadful. We never went back.

Saying that, a good friend worked at a branch centre, and it was lovely. I went to work for the summer camp several years running, ands DD joined in. It was fabulous fun. I suppose it's all dependent on the individual club.

Thanks for you replies
I am totally ignorant here
The, very small, riding school she goes to has pony club there every fortnight. It sound as though mostly they use the riding schools ponys. Does that mean there will be a main centre somewhere else

Hi my dd is 7 and really loves the pc :) ours is such a friendly one but i have been told by friends that not all are the same so maybe ask around for advice to see which one will suit you and your daughter the best as most areas have a few branches and centres in them x also the pc really does build confindence as the children see all different ages on all sorts of ponies having the same problems as them !!!!! also if the riding school runs one and she has friends there try it out as we also have done this and i think she had more fun there doing her badges with her friends then at the branch !! x have fun x

My DD is in her riding school's PC Centre. It's very different to the PC Branches. They are all on school ponies and the focus is more on the learning, skills, badges, etc, as well as games, rather than having the right gear and dressing 'just so' which some Branches can be like.

There is lots of info here about which is likely to be best suited for you, costs and links to searching for your nearest... www.pcuk.org/index.php/join/become_a_member

Yes there is a difference between PCs where you ride your own ponies and centre branches where children ride the riding school ones. If you have your own pony then follow EcoLady's link to see your nearest branch.

desperate to know which branch saggy is referring to

Not going to tell you...

If you don't own your own pony, have you considered Horse Rangers - they are fab and the children learn lots, ride, stable management, play with other kids their own age etc etc. There is a small charge, but nowhere near as much as going to a riding school. Google it to see if there is one near you.

saggy can i guess area then?? :D

You can try!

saggy I guess Area 9

Close, but no cigar!

I love our pony club, you do have the kids on expensive ponies with all the kit, but generally only those who can ride get on teams.

My only complaint is that for areas etc, you do have to be competing at a high level/ standard which is fine especially when you look at how many olympians were pony club, but not every 12 year old can go out and compete at 2ft 6.

Would be nice if they had a lower level competition standard as well.. a sort of expanded grass roots.

Eve, Our PC is quite a well off one but most of the ponies are old handy-me-down Ponies who know their jobs.

Only once the children hit the teenage years do they go out and buy specialist jumpers, dressage ponies or whatever.

I agree that area comps can be quite big jumps but hopefully Pony Clubs should organise enough local competitions and rallies to involve even the most novice riders.

Saggy - Essex and Suffolk?

cigar for Butkin!

Ha ha! Just had to check to make sure that we weren't in area 9.