Joining pony club- whats the point

Harlequin32

Harlequin32

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Feb 20, 2008
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I am thinking of joining my daughter up to the local pony club just wondered what will she actually get out of it? (have no idea was never a member)
We have no transport and the pony is only rideable in the winter months (say September-June approx)
Is it worth it? she loads beautifully but we just dont have a trailer- I can borrow one occasionally but maybe not often enough to make it worth while?
 
I'm thinking of joining the pony club next year and also don't know if there is much point in joining i.e. what will I get out of it also... like you have asked.

Anyone? :)
 
I was in the pony club. My pony didn't load well, I couldn't get to many rallies as my mum worked full time and they didn't pick anyone for teams or such other than those who were in the 'click'.
I didn't think it was worth it, a local riding club would probably be more beneficial.
 
Ok serious pony clubbers here:D. My daughter joined when she was 7 and is now 11 and has a fab, fab time. Is costs £50.00 a year to join and for that you have very good value 3rd party insurance included so probably worth the join fee just for that.

Our local pony club hold rallies, events and of course the highlight of the year Pony Club Camp. Groups from tinies on lead rein up to serious 18+ year olds who event etc.

I cant think of another place where you could get so much variety of things to do and good advice when you need it and make such great lifelong friends.

Daughter is now very confident and started off a very, very, nervous rider, she loves the eventing and Triathlon best but there really is something for everyone.

If you join and attend a couple of things you will probably be able to arrange a lift with someone else, this is what happens at ours anyway.

Would really recommend to anyone. Have fun
 
Thanks Cloang what pc are you members of? (as your in Glos)
Is it mainly summer based though? and does it matter what standard the rider/pony is at?
I thought it was much more expensive than £50 :eek:
 
absoloutely worth it. You don't know til you go, I have yet to see any example in my pony club of children not getting on teams at all (under previous 'rulership' yes sometimes the daughter of the ass. dc would get one where she shouldn't, but everyone else still got on)
All kids have a great time, the politics can occur at parent level but I find generally those who complain about not being on teams etc. there is a good reason for them not being on it!
Pick one that has a good range of activities and your daughter will have a blast!
 
You do pay extra for the rallies, I think it's about £10 a rally and you have to do 3 rallies in order to do pony club camp.
They get loads out of it, definatly worth it.
Why can your po only be ridden in winter?
 
Thanks- will look into it now- i met a lady who is something to do with the local pony club last year and she gave me her number so i may call her for a chat.

Sadly pony can only be ridden in winter due to respiratory problems.
 
pony club is fab - BUT we had no transport - my daughter could only hack to the occasional local thing - so we never really got involved enought to be offered lifts anywhere - so didnt renew after first yr
 
my pony club is TERRIBLE..competitions? more like 'give the RI's daughter first place every time so she doesn't cry and go off in a mard' grr i hate, hate my PC it was a load of rubbish, but I do know there are some fantastic ones out there :)
Also mine was over priced £35 to spend 4 hours doing their stable chores and 30mins riding...no thanks, I can fill hay nets for free any night of the week.
 
Cost of rallies (just training sessions, usually in a smallish group) varies from branch to branch, then from discipline to discipline - at mine the mounted games rallies are about a fiver, a general (flatwork and jumping) rally is about £8, and crosscountry rallies and individual dressage training sessions are £10 - a lot cheaper than going private :)
You have to do three rallies to be able to compete at area level (and be good enough to be put on the team!) but the championships are always in the summer, so probably not suitable for your daughter's pony, but possibly something for the future? Camp is usually in the summer too, maybe she could borrow a pony for that? That's what I did for this year 's camp (and for several rallies :p)

The first two years I was a member, I wasn't able to take full advantage of it due to various reasons, so I quit and didn't renew until the end of last year, because we had a new DC - this year I've been on two showjumping teams and was picked for the area dressage - and I'm not one of 'the clique'... Previously they hadn't done a lot, and it was always the same people on teams etc. but new DC was organising a lot of new stuff, and I thought 'why not?'
You could always ring up your local branche's DC and have a chat to see if it is worth you joining :)
 
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Hi there, my daughter has been a pony club member for three years. She really enjoys it (she is 10), it is a shame not to be able to make it to pony club though as they have a fantastic time. Leah also joined the mounted games team where she got to know lots of the children and has had great fun. Our pony club also has regular cross country training sessions for all ages.

I think it would be very hard not having regular transport though to make it to the rallies, although they run through the winter months you may not find it worthwhile if you are limited.

I think membership was £50 or £60 a year and most of the rallies are free! ours are all day too (the only problem being is that I work and have to take time off and a lot of the other Mum's do not). At half term though we have a rally on a Sunday so if the weather is ok it would work well for us.
 
PC is £50 annual subs and then branch to branch varies on rally costs - ours are free but the pc "next door" is I think £6 a rally

We have members that dont' have transport and we try and get any spaces on trailers used to get them there - where possible

we have dismounted rallys as well so those w/o transport can get along

I'd go and watch a few local PC in action and see what you think!
 
Pony Club is great for gettiing out and meeting other horsey kids, you also get to know about fun rides and competitions and even though the instruction may not be first class in some clubs, there's usually more than one club in driving distance, so don't feel obliged to keep going to one if you and your daughter hate it(I tried three before choosing one) Some clubs let you have a few 'trial' meetings before they start asking for money, but check with the president or one of the officials.
 
Sorry for late reply. Definitely £50.00 a year, join now tho and you will be a member for the rest of this year and all of next year ! Bargain!

We belong to the Berkeley Hunt Pony Club but there are a few for Glos and South Glos. Pm me if you want more details.

A rally is a fun day that usually includes jumping, flat work, games sometimes XC and a bit of dismounted. Can also do your Pony club badges if you are keen. Usually costs between £5.00 - £10.00 but you do get a lot out of it, they can be half or full day rallies. Usually groups of 4 with very good instructors.

Our pony club holds things all year round but obviously a bit more in the summer. If you were struggling for a pony in the summer we can usually find a spare for the odd rally.

Have a think and if you want more info, send me a pm.

Also have a good look on the pony club website. You can access all the branch websites from the main site. Glos is Area 9 (think its OXON on the map).
 
I think that pony club can be ruined for some children by overly competitve parents. If their child doesn't get on the team they focus on this and make a huge fuss.

A well run pony club can really enhance a childs enjoyment of riding. If you pick a good one there is a range of activities running all through the year. I am sure that you could borrow a pony from somewhere for the summer months. My local pony club runs events all through the year, but it is true that the camp is always in the summer.

I would give it ago. At the end of the day £50 for registration is not a huge amount of money if you decide that it is not for you.
 
My daughter is a member of pony club, we mainly joined as her pony gets excited/stressed in group situations.

Our pony club allows a free taster rally before joining.
 
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