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USPC Handbook for ParentsCopyright © 1991, revised 1997,
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USPC is an educational organization which progressively develops the well-rounded horse person. |
| The well-rounded horse person is capable of riding safely and tactfully on the flat, over fences, and in the open. |
| Knowledgeable care of horses and ponies (horse management) is basic to the well-rounded horse person. |
| USPC is committed to the well-being of the horse. |
| Fair and friendly competitions develop teamwork and sportsmanship. |
| Fun and friendship are part of Pony Club. |
| USPC requires parental and volunteer involvement and support. |
| The USPC is committed to safety. |
| The local club is the core of USPC. |
Reading is essential to obtain the knowledge required to properly care for and teach our horses and ponies. Much of the pain inflicted upon our four-footed friends is inflicted through ignorance; it is our duty to attempt to remedy this situation through our education program. I believe that we are succeeding.
Riding safely and skillfully means that our members will have a Foundation of confidence and ability so as to be able to pursue a healthful sport throughout their lives. Pony Club offers a range of activities so that nearly every member, regardless of his or her mount's skills, will be able to participate and make a start at this foundation.
Responsibility is a natural result of having the complete care of a living creature and learning to care for it properly. Consequences of acts are faithfully reflected by either a nicker of recognition or by the pinning back of ears. The competitions offered develop sportsmanship and maturity. All of these characteristics, once established, carry over into other areas of life.
James K. Ligon, USPC President,
1978-80, 1987-1988
from USPC Annual Report 1979
Lest we forget in the emotional excitement of competition or in the trauma of "A" and "B" testing just what Pony Club is all about, let me remind you that it is not to make Olympic riders, though we will take great pride in any Pony Clubber who can reach that height; it is not to turn out highly polished riders mounted on expensive horses, though we all admire the picture when treated to it; it is not to turn every child into an "A" rider or even a "B". it is to provide EVERY child with a backyard horse or pony the opportunity to develop his or her skill in riding and horse care to the point where he or she is a proficient "C". It is to instill in them a love for horses and an ability to care for and enjoy horses for the rest of their lives and through this contribute to their development as well-rounded, self-disciplined, and responsible citizens. If we have done these things, we will have done our job.
Rufus Wesson, USPC President
1970-72
Our ideal should be to produce a thoroughly happy, comfortable horseman, riding across a natural country, with complete confidence and perfect balance on a pony equally happy and confident and free from pain or bewilderment.
The Pony Club Handbook, 1983
We care about people. We want them to develop good sportsmanship, self-discipline, a sense of responsibility, and a feeling of belonging. We want them to have an opportunity to learn to cope with success and failure. Pony Club offers all of this through equestrian involvement.
Marylou Anderson, USPC President, 1983-85
I think that USPC gives your whole family an opportunity to learn about horses and learn not only the many lessons that you will always remember, but also patience, understanding, and responsibility.
Lucia Podlipny, Pony Clubber
Letter to USPC News, 1994
Each individual Pony Club is run by a volunteer District Commissioner (DC) and other elected officers. Membership is open to any individual up to the age of twenty-one. Pony Club's objectives are the following:
| to provide instruction in riding and horsemanship -- with emphasis on safety procedures -- and to instill in members the knowledge that will enable them to properly care for and enjoy their horses. |
| to promote good sportsmanship and to help each individual Pony Clubber develop as a well-rounded, self-disciplined, and responsible citizen. |
| to support the ideal of a thoroughly happy, comfortable horseman, riding across a natural country, with complete confidence and perfect balance on a horse or pony equally happy and confident and free from pain or bewilderment. |
Pony Club is a volunteer organization. Local clubs are made up of and run by volunteers. If it weren't for a dedicated network of volunteers, there would be no Pony Club.
The purpose of this booklet is to familiarize parents with membership requirements, resources and personnel; with the various activities and opportunities for instruction available to Pony Clubbers; and with ways in which parents can serve their Pony Clubber's local club. Pony Club provides both the child and the parent with the opportunity to learn together.
Warning: Many Pony Clubber parents say that Pony Club can be habit-forming -- for parents. An outstanding writer observed in a national- magazine article he wrote about Pony Club in 1993 that "there is no other instructional system like the Pony Club way." Parents like it, often passionately, and often becoming lifelong active volunteers.
The United States Pony Clubs was founded as a nonprofit national youth horsemanship organization in February, 1954, with 18 formerly unaffiliated clubs and an estimated 800 members. The founders were enthusiastic fox hunters who recognized the need for an organization to provide sound instruction for interested youngsters, especially those who could not afford expensive lessons. The U.S. Pony Club was patterned after that in Great Britain but was and is independent from Pony Club there.
By the end of 1954 there were 22 clubs. The first annual directory, published in 1956, listed 38 clubs with 1,953 members. Membership was 5,000 in 1962. By 1966 membership was 6,800 in 150 clubs. The number of Pony Clubs exceeded 330 in 1977; it was more than 400 in 1985. At the end of 1991 there were 495 clubs with 10,700 members. By contrast, the 1995 Annual Directory gave the final 1994 figures as 589 clubs throughout 49 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands with a combined membership of 12,683. (In early 1995 the figures grew to 600 clubs and some 13,000 members.) Such growth is testimony to the increasing popularity of Pony Club and its unique system of teaching its members to ride and care for their mounts well and to become good, responsible people -- and have fun at the same time.
Each local Pony Club is run by a volunteer District Commissioner and other elected officers. Clubs involve entire families -- members and mothers and fathers and more. Pony Club is a monument to volunteerism, with some 3,000 dedicated and often passionate volunteers nationally.
Generally, Pony Club members are ages about 7 or 8 to age 21. There is no absolute minimum age, although a child must be old and mature enough to safely ride and participate in activities and competitions, and some clubs do set minimum membership ages. The maximum age is absolute: On December 31 following a Pony Clubber's 21st birthday, he or she becomes a graduate. Often those graduates become volunteers whose knowledge enables them to provide sound instruction for the next generation of Pony Clubbers, who in turn will become happy riders on happy horses and ponies.
The sponsors of each club propose for election by the USPC Board of Governors one person to serve as District Commissioner (DC) or two or more persons to serve as DC and joint-District Commissioner(s). This is generally done at the Annual Sponsors' Meeting but may be done at any properly called Meeting of Sponsors. Notice of any Sponsors' meeting must be mailed to all Sponsors of record at least seven days prior to the meeting. Parents should also be notified of all Sponsors' meetings. Other elected club officers are a Secretary and Treasurer. One or more instructors are also essential to the club's educational program. Club Sponsors act as a club's board of directors.
Parents often volunteer their time to fill in gaps, such as helping to build and set up jumps at a rally, operating a food concession, etc. In most cases, questions or problems should be taken to the local-club DC.
Local Pony Clubs fall under the jurisdiction of a region, which is run by a Regional Supervisor (RS), often with the assistance of a Vice RS. They act as liaison between local clubs and the national organization.
The national organization sets the directives for Pony Club. It consists of an Executive Committee, a Board of Governors, an Advisory Committee, and members of the USPC Activities and Instruction committees, all of whom are volunteers.
The National Office in Lexington, Ky., operated by a small paid staff, provides the administrative support necessary to carry on Pony Club business. Staffers generate mailings, process requests for publication purchases, handle membership and insurance requests, maintain mailing lists, provide support for the national testing program, which is explained in the section on Ratings, edit and produce USPC publications, and much more. The office, 4041 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, KY 40511-8462, phone (859) 254-7669, fax (859) 233-4652, should be contacted when the local-club DC or the RS cannot answer a question or supply needs.
Available through the Bookstore at the National Office are various resource materials parents and Pony Clubbers will find useful and interesting. The Bookstore catalog contains scores of titles, which include rule books for different competitions and manuals on instruction, horse care, and safety.
A listing of required and enrichment reading is included with the Bookstore catalog. Unless a local club has its own library for members to use, parents should contact the National Office for a Bookstore catalog and order form. Publications recommended for parents who are new to Pony Club include the following:
Parents should ask the local-club District Commissioner (club leader) which books would be most suitable for their child or contact the National Office. Two useful resources that DCs have are THE GUIDE FOR DISTRICT COMMISSIONERS and THE USPC HANDBOOK. Other resources that the National Office provides to clubs are insurance and membership forms, national testing applications, and public relations materials.
Please refer to the Standards of Proficiency for specific participation requirements and recommended study guides.
To supplement local instruction, clubs and/or regions often sponsor special clinics with well-known instructors. These clinics are offered at a nominal cost, or the fees are covered by the club through a fund-raiser.
Throughout the year, clubs have the opportunity to participate in local, regional, and national rallies in Eventing, dressage, show jumping, Know-Down, games, and Tetrathlon. Demonstrations and scheduled activities in foxhunting, polo, Polocrosse, vaulting, distance riding, and driving are available in many regions. Know-Down is verbal quiz bowl that gives Pony Clubbers the opportunity to show their knowledge of things equine. Championship rallies attract club teams from all over the country.
The week-long USPC Festival is held every three years at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. Championships are held the first three days, followed by four days of clinics and workshops. Festival is open to all members of Pony Club families. Activities are planned for everyone, with parents encouraged to participate. Festival is great for a family vacation.
Camps are another popular activity that the members enjoy. These invariably combine instruction along with the fun activities.
The USPC also promotes both competitive and noncompetitive exchanges with Pony Clubs in the United States and other countries.
Attire: For mounted instruction meetings, USPC safety practices must be followed. The Pony Clubber is required to wear an ASTM/SEI certified riding helmet with harness chin strap securely in place. While riding, a conventional type of riding footwear with a heel, such as leather or rubber riding boots, jodhpur boots, or the equivalent, is required "Waffle" type soles are not allowed. When dismounted, acceptable footwear is a shoe that is securely fastened, entirely closed, covers the ankle and is thick-soled and in good condition. Canvas or cloth shoes of any kind are not allowed.
Specific activity rule books have dress requirements for USPC competitions.
Becoming a local club "sponsor". Sponsors are parents and other adults who have
expressed an interest in the welfare of the club. They are active in the club, attend all
sponsors' meetings, cast their votes for club officers, and aid the DC in planning,
organizing, and running club activities.
Giving a
helping hand where needed. For example:
Painting and setting up stadium jumps Providing food and beverages at meetings or competitions Providing transportation for a field trip Providing pony/horse transportation to a rally Helping with fund-raising projects Chaperoning a team Fence judging at a Eventing competition Dreaming up costumes for a mounted Halloween parade Helping as grounds person at your local meeting place Building cross-country fences Getting involved with a rally as a coach, chaperone, organizing secretary or fence judge Running unmounted meetings, or even mounted meetings; arranging for a speaker or instructor Acting as a rally "chairman" for a club activity
Learning
more about horse care and safe-riding practices as your Pony Clubber progresses through
the levels of increasing proficiency, similar to the support parents provide when helping
a child with regular school homework.
Planning
family vacations around Pony Club activities such as the USPC Festival, held every three
years at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, the annual Championships, which take place
during the summer, and the annual meeting, which is held each year in the winter.
Becoming
a DC or other officer of your local club.
Becoming
a Sustaining Member of USPC and contributing to the USPC Annual Fund Drive to help support
the continued development of the Pony Club program nationwide.
| Define in detail what is expected and to whom the volunteer is responsible. In other words, develop a good job description and establish the chain of command. |
| Select a volunteer whose past performance would indicate likely success. |
| Ask for a commitment based on mutual understanding of expected results. |
| Provide whatever orientation or training is needed to guarantee a good start. |
| Set a time limit for the task to be accomplished or the tenure in office. |
| Have a system by means of which the volunteer knows he or she will be replaced. Involve the volunteer in this process. |
| Assure the volunteer that, if needed, assistance is available for the asking. |
| Check frequently with a simple "how are things going?" |
| Provide appropriate recognition for a job well done. |
Any volunteer position should really be viewed as the middle of three levels - the person in the job, the one who has retired from it feeling good about what was accomplished, and one or more candidates in training. With this system in place, the position is always covered if the volunteer occupying it cannot continue. Either a candidate in training can be moved up or, if not quite ready, the former volunteer - not having "burned out" - can return for an interim period.
Volunteering should be fun - certainly not burdensome.
George Helwig
USPC Executive Director, 1974-1985
The United States Pony Clubs, Inc.
4041 Iron Works Parkway
Lexington, KY 40511-8483
Telephone (859) 254-PONY (7669)
Fax (859) 233-4652
Website http://www.ponyclub.org/
The following story gives you a better insight into what Pony Club is all about:
This was originally posted on the CHMJ Group in response to comments about judging.
From: "Michael J. Ragland, Sr." <michael_ragland@m...>
Date: Sun Jun 11, 2000 6:21 pm
Subject: Horse Management and Judges Written by Mike Ragland.
I would like to share with you a very special happening. This weekend I was one of three Chief Horse Management Judges at the Capital Region's Show Jumping Rally at Rosemont Farm in Spotsylvania, Virginia. I was about to do a safety check.
The competitor approached my position with their mount in tow. Their Stable
Manager was walking with them. When I saw them coming, I knew that we would
have a special problem when the competitor presented himself for the safety
check. I called to the Stable Manager by her pinnie number and she immediately
came forward. I asked her "What is your job as a stable manager? Are you
to help your teammates? Do you make sure they arrive on time, with their horse,
with their helmet and with their pinnie? What do you do #45?" The question
was rhetorical. I got my intended result. While the stable manager pondered
the question - or pondered if I hard lost my mind, the competitor turned around
and ran back to the stables with mount in hand. The stable manager with mouth
open followed her charge back to the barn. A few minutes later # 44 presented
himself - wearing a properly tied pinnie. The safety check went without incident.
The competitor, stable manager and mount went on to their round. I forgot all
about the matter.
An hour later I was sitting on an upside down water pail - safer than some folding chairs for a person of my stature. I did not see #45 and #44 walk up behind me on the way back from the ride. #45 whispered into my ear "Thank You!" and then she pressed a tightly folded piece of paper into the palm of my hand. After they left I open the note and read it. Here is what it said.
"I would like to thank you for reminding me about my members pennie (sic). As you may know the "Name Withheld" haven't lived up to our name. Two of our riders have been eliminated from all their rounds. This is my first show jumping rally and only my second time as stable manager. When you asked me what a stable manager does, I thought about it. A stable manager aids, encourages, strengthens his or her charges, members, companions, friends. We must keep our voices ringing with power and our eyes lowered in humility. We must guide and be lead, teach and learn, protect and be protected. My position is no higher or lower than my team mates, but, I must think for four people and horses. When one member does wrong, I feel her sorrow, but just must bring her up; but am feeling I owe you a debt of thanks for reminding me. I will be a better stable manager in time. A humble apprentice - 'original signed, #45 "Name Withheld"'
I dare anyone to give a better definition of what we are about than this "Apprentice". She has defined more than a stable manager. She wrote on purple paper with a pencil (hard to read) the very heart and soul of Horse Management. I did not go through the process to be a Chief in order to check off endless required equipment lists or worry about what a plastic curry comb is or is not. I am not interested in giving points to those who do not care enough to even try. Horse Management judging is to "Keep our voices ringing with power" so those who do not know will learn what needs to be done and WHY.
Judging requires that we have "our eyes lowered in humility" lest
we honor the penalty points and lose the education. The Horse Management Judge's
creed should be "We must guide and be led, teach and learn, protect and
be protected. My position is no higher or lower than my team mates."
I think this "humble apprentice" has described the soul of Horse Management. NO - she has written the very soul of PONY CLUB. Never has anyone so eloquently given a reason to keep horse management in both instruction and in competition. Never has a stronger case been made for being involved with USPC.
This was a very exciting moment. It erased the memory of dirty bits and competitors walking around in spurs. It gave new meaning to the rally, to horse management and to USPC.
Your humble student - Mike Ragland, CHMJ from Maryland
The second posting regarding this:
Date: Tue Jun 13, 2000 4:32 PM
I have received several questions about the competitor without a pinnie and
what I did.
1. The competitor who was not wearing their pinnie did not present themselves
to me until they had their pinnie on. For some reason they ran back to get their
pinnie? I can't imagine why. Since they had the pinnie on at the time they presented
themselves for the safety check, I took off NO points.
2. Those who asked about unauthorized assistance. I have this to say. I said
NOTHING to the competitor without the pinnie - so I gave no unauthorized assistance
under ANY interpretation. Secondly, it is my belief that any advice given by
a Horse Management Judge is exempt from the unauthorized assistance rule. I
expect my assistants to teach competitors what needs to be done and in most
cases to warn them how to avoid penalties. That is their job. I certainly have
as much right to do this as my assistants. IN SHORT - help given by a HMJ before
they start the safety check, formal, turn back, etc. is not "UNauthorized"
and is EXPECTED. In any event I said nothing, nothing, nothing to the potentially
at fault competitor. I simply asked general questions of their stable manager.
3. Finally, I do not know the rating of either the stable manager nor the almost
offending competitor.
Mike