The Pony Club is a voluntary organisation founded in England in 1929. It has now expanded internationally and Pony Club

Pony Club

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

 branches can be found worldwide. It is one of 16 organisations that form the British Equestrian Federation

British Equestrian Federation

The British Equestrian Federation is the national governing body of equestrian sport in Great Britain and represents the country at the International Federation for Equestrian Sports .-Purpose:...

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History

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.

Table showing growth over years

	1947	1952	1962
Membership (UK)	17,082	18,905	31,349
No. of Branches (UK)	167	201	255

Structure

The Pony Club is divided into nineteen areas each of which is subdivided into branches. Each branch is administered by a District Commissioner and a voluntary committee. They are in charge of organising activities for the branch.

Membership

There are two types of membership, branch membership and centre membership. Branch members must have their own pony or be able to borrow one to participate in activities. However centre membership is run by Riding Schools and the members use the ponies belonging to the Riding School.

Children may become members up until the end of the year in which they reach their twenty-first birthday. Although recently Associate Membership was introduced which is available until the age of twenty-five provided that the member was already a member at the same branch or centre before their twenty-first birthday. Now members can stay in until the 25th birthday. This may be a temporary change.

Tests

The Pony Club encourages its members to take several tests on Riding and Horsemanship. These start with younger members gaining Achievement Badges. They then move onto the D Standard Test, followed by the D+ Standard. These tests are fairly basic. Once more detailed knowledge has been studied, members may take their C Standard and C+ Standard. The tests must all be completed in progression, members cannot take the C Standard until the D Standard has been completed, however the D+ and C+ tests are optional. The Riding and Road Safety Test also must be completed which ensures that members have the necessary knowledge to ride a horse or pony on the road. The B Standard Test demonstrates a high level of riding and horsecare and the A Test is thought of highly by employers in the horse industry and the holder of an A Test certificate has proven to have an extremely high level of riding and horsemanship.

Disciplines

The Pony Club holds competitions in the following disciplines:
Dressage

Dressage

Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...

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Eventing

Eventing

Eventing is an equestrian event comprising dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding...

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Showjumping,
Mounted Games

Mounted Games

Mounted games is a branch of equestrian sport in which very fast games are played by people of all ages on ponies up to a height of 15 hands.They require a high degree of athletic ability, good riding skills, hand-to-eye coordination, determination, perseverance, and a competitive spirit, which...

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Polo

Polo

Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...

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Polocrosse

Polocrosse

Polocrosse it is a team sport that is played all over the world. It is a combination of polo and lacrosse. It is played outside, on a field , on horseback. Each rider uses a cane stick to which is attached a racquet head with a loose, thread net, in which the ball is carried. The ball is made of...

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Tetrathlon

Tetrathlon

A tetrathlon is a team competition organized by The Pony Club for its members. It is a variant of the modern pentathlon, without fencing. Thus it comprises the four disciplines of shooting, swimming, riding and running.Teams typically consist of four members from one pony club branch competing...

Pony Club camp

The highlight of The Pony Club calendar for many children is the annual Pony Club Camp, organised by the branch or centre. This allows for all members to spend additional time with their rides, often in a new setting doing a variety of activities, including cross country as well as the typical mounted games.