Pony Club

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Monash Pony Club, located in Melbourne, Australia

Pony Club is an international youth organization devoted to the educating youths about horses and horseback riding. Pony Club organizations exist in over 30 countries worldwide. [1]

[edit] 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 in the new group. [2]

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.

[edit] Structure

Each national Pony Club organization has the ability to define its own structure, there is no 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 can range in size, but are generally confined to members within a relatively small geographic area. Local club members will have mounted and unmounted meetings together, and will compete together in regional competitions.

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.