GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PONY CLUB and the GUELPH PONY CLUB
Pony Club is an international organization for youth between the ages of 7 and 25. The underlying purpose is expressed in its motto - “Loyalty, Character, Sportsmanship”. The Pony Club has its roots in the traditional British Hunt. The Guelph Pony Club (GPC) is a chartered branch of the Canadian Pony Club (CPC), which means that in addition to operating within national standards, members who move can expect to find a similar organization in their new community that will welcome them. We belong to the Western Ontario Region (WOR), which currently has a total of 13 branches.
Pony Club encourages young people to ride, but also teaches the specifics of horsemanship i.e. the care and maintenance of horses and ponies from the ground up. There is a strong focus on education - both theoretical and practical, which is then encouraged to be demonstrated through participation in a wide variety of equine activities and competitions.
EDUCATION
Guelph Pony Club is active January through November. During January to April there are weekly or bi-weekly education meetings, mostly unmounted. At these “Horsemanship” meetings, the members learn about stable management, equine anatomy/physiology, farriery, tack/saddlery, feeds/feeding, care/grooming, training/equitation etc. through lectures, games, demonstrations and practice. There are usually two sets of meetings - one for junior or D-level members (E, D, D1) and one for the more senior D or C-level members (D2, C, C1, C2 ). Those who achieve B level and beyond usually pursue their education independently and through regionally organized clinics and activities. Although some meetings are combined and a member may attend any of the meetings, members must attend at least 60% of their own level's scheduled meetings. This requirement ensures that all members are knowledgeable and well-prepared to participate actively and safely in the rest of the Pony Club disciplines. Some meetings are held in various barns, using a hands-on approach, while others are held at people's homes, or at public meeting venues such as the University of Guelph's Ontario Veterinary College (OVC) Learning Centre.
In spring, the focus shifts to the conditioning of the mounts, particularly those which have been laid off for the winter. We also begin to fine-tune some of the practical riding skills. During the spring, there may be a number of mounted clinics or events where the members have a chance to both learn and participate in friendly competition. For example, in late March we encourage our members to participate in the Guelph Mini Meet, run by OMPA (Ontario Modern Pentathlon Association), which offers all the sports of a Tetrathlon event except the cross-country component. Another early event run by Old Orchard Farm is their “Combined Event” in late April or early May, offering what is usually the season's first Stadium Jumping and Dressage competition. The objective of these events is to get the mount and rider reoriented to horsemanship skills and to prepare for upcoming Pony Club competitions. There are practices held in spring and summer for all the mounted disciplines of Pony Club: Tetrathlon, PPG, Dressage, Show Jumping and D-Rally.
TESTING
All Pony Club members work in a graded level system, starting at Level E upon entry. There are four progressive levels – 1) D, D1, D2; 2) C,C1,C2; 3) B, B2; and 4) A. Nationwide standardized evaluations, which test both the member's knowledge and riding ability, are the means by which the member moves through the levels. Testing may be done twice a year in the fall and spring, and consists of two parts: a) a written test, on which a grade of 65% must be achieved in order for the member to attempt b) the practical test, which addresses stable management and riding skill. Members progress through the levels at their own pace. No one is too old to start, although a child must be 7 years old as of January 1 of the year in which she/he wishes to begin testing. To assist older and/or more experienced members who are new to Pony Club, there is a one-time opportunity to write several tests to the level the individual is capable of. The subsequent practical test is at the highest written test level the member achieves. The specific riding requirements for each level are described in detail in the download section of the CPC website.
Depending upon the level of the test, the horse and rider will be expected to execute specific movements at various gaits. Jumping obstacles is first encountered at the D1 level and as members move into higher levels, a cross-country jumping phase is included in the test. The reason for this in-depth testing is to promote a well-rounded rider who moves easily between the disciplines of Dressage, Stadium, Show Jumping and Cross Country Jumping. This philosophy of cross-discipline training is important, since the instruction and experience that young riders obtain outside the Pony Club usually concentrates on only one of these areas. The Pony Club gives young riders an opportunity to expand their own riding skills as well as the skills of their mounts, making for well-rounded and knowledgeable equestrians.
COMPETITIONS
Staring in late April/early May, in addition to participating in local activities, all of the Pony Club branches in Western Ontario Region have the opportunity to participate in six discipline-specific competitions, held around the region. They are:
Quiz: This the only un-mounted competition of the season and is open to all members, including E's (i.e. those who have not yet achieved a testing level). A broad range of equine knowledge is assessed in level-specific tests in fun and interesting ways. Studying for Quiz is an excellent complement when preparing for spring testing, and all D-Level written testing is done just before regional Quiz, as a warmer-up for the competition. Regional QUIZ in WOR (Western Ontario Region) is a whole-day event, combining quiz competition, games and team efforts, a lunch and ribbon presentations.
Tetrathlon: This competition consists of four sports - riding (stadium and cross-country), swimming, air-pistol target shooting, and cross-country running. Mini-Meets of the latter three activities are offered from late winter by a number of branches, with the final Regional competition, including riding, scheduled usually for the end of June or early July. Guelph Pony Club is very fortunate to have access to high quality shooting coaching, and interested members are also encouraged to participate in school or community swimming and running programmes.
PPG: These initials refer to the Prince Philip Games, reflecting the British origin of the Pony Club. Here the riders usually use smaller ponies, sometimes borrowed, to compete in a series of mounted relay races. Such games as Five Flags, Postman, Wizard's Castle, Stepping Stones, Sword Race, etc. test overall coordination of mount and rider as well as between the four team members. It is a colourful, exciting and fun-filled event: teams wear their branch colours (Guelph is Kelly Green and Navy Blue); there are games for all rider skill levels; and often there are scramble teams made up of members of two or more branches. With the focus on the game, young players soon learn to ride naturally and comfortably as they strive to be the first team to complete the relay.
Dressage: This discipline is viewed as the foundation of all other riding skills. Flatwork provides rider and mount with the basis of responsiveness, balance, coordination, suppleness and strength necessary to pursue riding over fences with confidence and safety. The Regional Dressage competition, usually held in conjunction with Show Jumping, offers a wide range of test divisions from which riders may choose, depending on the ability and degree of development of themselves and their mounts. There is also a Kur and Quadrille section – solo and group riding, respectively, set to music. The patterns must contain certain required elements but are the overall creations of the riders – fun to compose and beautiful to watch.
Show Jumping: Usually held at the same time as Dressage, Regional Show Jumping offers an extensive range of classes– from 2' fences through to the advanced division at 3”9”. Courses are set by qualified course designers and follow the standard jumper format utilizing colourful jumps, singly and in combinations, with increasingly more challenging routes to be negotiated by horse and rider. In 2003 a Medal (Equitation) class was added, which provides an additional challenge to our riders.
Rally: This is an “Eventing” discipline, which means that the three phases of Dressage, Stadium (Jumping) and Endurance (Cross-country jumping) are ridden on the same mount. There are two levels of Rally: “D Rally”, which is held on one day; and “A/B/C Rally”, which is held over 3 days. The latter includes a Stable Management component, where teams of riders and grooms are marked on their demonstrated ability to care for their mounts and equipment over the duration of competition.
Each branch in Western Ontario Region receives points for the number of participants it sends to the Regional competitions, as well as points for performance. At the end of the year the WOR High Point Trophy is awarded to the branch achieving the most points across all disciplines in that year. However, the real benefit of these Regional events is the team building that each club experiences as the members compete together. In addition to this, new and often lasting friendships are made throughout the entire Region. A third benefit is the opportunity for members who place well at the Regional level, to progress to Zone (Provincial), National, and International competitions in all the disciplines. For example, in 2004, we had two GPC riders attend Dressage and Show Jumping Zones in the Ottawa area, two more clubbers qualified for and attended the National Tetrathlon Competition in Nova Scotia, while one of our senior PPG riders qualified for and competed in the International PPG Competition in Kentucky, USA. However, regardless of the level of competition attained, each offers the members a variety of experiences that are well organized, safe and memorable.
PARTICIPATION
Members are expected to attend all education sessions for their level. A record is kept of attendance at these meetings, and in order to test up a level or compete regionally, 60% participation is required. Members may attend another level's education sessions and mounted meetings which may, at the discretion of the District Commissioner, count for attendance if there are extenuating circumstances, Emphasis on participation is critical to fostering the level of commitment that is necessary to achieve the expected standard of safe, competent horse mastership.
Members' parents are also asked to volunteer their time towards the organization and/or operation of the business of the branch and its activities. We attempt to keep annual fees low and participation costs to a minimum in order to encourage all members to take part. However, this necessitates a certain contribution of time and effort from the parents. Horse knowledge and skill are not prerequisites for parental involvement. We welcome all efforts in whatever direction the individual is most comfortable contributing.
Members may choose to participate in as many or as few mounted activities as their schedules allow. New members are encouraged to attend any events and practices of all the disciplines, even when not themselves participating, to get an idea of the fun involved, and to cheer their club mates on!
ORGANIZATION
Most months there is an Executive and Parents' meeting at which plans for the year are formed, news from Regional and National Pony Club is shared, and new ideas are entertained. The Guelph Pony Club's elected executive consists of a District Commissioner (DC), Assistant District Commissioner (ADC), Treasurer, Secretary, D-Education Chair, C-Education Chair, Testing Chair, and Discipline Chairs for each of Quiz, Tetrathlon, PPG, Dressage, Show Jumping, D-Rally and C-Rally. These positions are usually held for at least 2 years. Some people hold more than one position, and all parents are expected to help with the organization and delivery of one or more of the programmes – usually, those their children are most interested in. We also have one or more member representatives who relate to the youth of the branch and the rest of South Western Ontario. Guelph Pony Club holds its Annual General Meeting in early November in time to present its officers to the Annual General Meeting of Western Ontario Region a few weeks later.
We also have an Annual Awards Banquet, which is a casual affair that honours all the participants and winners of the 16 Guelph Pony Club Trophies. At this event members pre-register for the following year, and potential new members are invited to do the same, join the fun, and meet other members.
Currently the annual dues are $125 for the first member of a family and $65 for each subsequent child of that family. Of this amount, $55 is forwarded to the Canadian Pony Club National organization, $10 is kept by Western Ontario Region, the $25 for the first child is the family contribution to the WOR Travel Fund which subsidizes National and International travel for its members, and the balance of $35 constitutes the branch portion. In addition, it is now mandatory that all Pony Club members also belong to their Provincial Sport Organization (PSO), in our case, the Ontario Equestrian Federation (OEF). Information, including membership forms and the amount of the annual fee may be found on their website at www.horse.on.ca
The foregoing is a brief introduction to the world of Pony Club, particularly as it relates to the Guelph branch. Much more extensive information is available and constantly updated on the Canadian Pony Club website at www.canadianponyclub.org . Also link go to our Western Ontario Region website which you will find under the regional icon.
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