What does the Pony Club actually do?
The purpose of the Pony Club is to teach young people to ride, and also to give them a good grounding in horsemanship – the skills needed to care for and use a horse or pony properly. There is a strong emphasis on good manners and sportsmanship, and a high standard of behaviour and turnout is taught and expected. However it is by no means all serious: the intention is also to have fun. This is done in a range of organised settings: Rallies Where an instructor will teach a group some aspect of riding. Flatwork involves basic riding skills: seat, aids, paces, and generally riding properly. Show-Jumping teaches you how to jump artificial fences in a ring Cross-country teaches how to negotiate a mixture of natural and artifical obstacles out in the open. Unmounted means the pony stays at home, and you learn about something, eg stable-management. There are also just plain fun rallies, for example Easter Egg hunts, mounted Halloween. In the winter months rallies tend to take place at weekend
