Hello everyone,
I am taking my HB rating the end of this month. I am hoping to get some advice on what I need to be studying, and on what to expect the day of.
I was unable to attend the prep sadly.
I have the flash cards and I’ve read the HB-A level book twice.
A couple questions-
Will there be wrapping and longeing or is the c3?
Will I be teaching my unmounted lesson?
In your option, what the most challenging part?
Any added tips would be be much appreciated
Thank you !
All of that is in the standards. Where are you taking the test?
The rating is to demonstrate your practical skills, since the written exam is already done. There must be publications from USPC outlining the things you will be asked to demonstrate.
You can and should reach out to an examiner in your area to get their input/perspective or even do a mock test if possible before your rating. The more prepared you are, the better!
There is no written exam. It is not just practical skills. There is a lot of knowledge they have to discuss.
The bandaging and longeing are with the C3.
Teaching an unmounted lesson is required.
My apologies. Back when I was testing in Canada, the levels and exams had a lot of similarities. For upper level testing, Canadian Pony Club required knowing the USPC A/B manual (wow, it was published 1996, I feel old!) . Back then documents etc. were available freely on the web. I see you now have to log in to see the standards for USPC, which is a shame.
From what you wrote, you need to study a lot more, and go beyond the Pony Club manuals. I prepped two kids for their HB about 10 years ago. For each, we got three ring binders with dividers for each of the sections in the standards. We printed out additional material for all of it. The studying of parasites and diseases was the hardest for them, but there was just so much studying and quizzing them on things. You need to be able to explain things, not just memorize facts. You should have someone else asking you things so that you’re on the spot to answer orally.
On the hands-on side, we went to a big barn with lots of horses and critiqued conformation and age by teeth on all of them. It’s harder to do in real life than in a diagram, and at the HB you will be assigned a random horse to critique, age by teeth, take vitals on, and point out anatomy. I had my farrier teach them both how to remove a shoe, and he had them each remove two of my horse’s shoes so they really learned by doing.
For the teaching portion, you should spend some time to make your lesson engaging to young kids. They almost certainly will have some kids from the local club there to be your students. Choose your topic and find a way to make it either hands-on, or add in a game (with candy prizes!) or some other way that will make it fun to learn for 8-10 year olds. I believe my son did the rules of good feeding. In his game, he had flash cards with the rules, as well as silly “rules” and the kids had to sort them into the correct or incorrect pile. The wrong ones were funny, like “Uncooked spaghetti can be used in place of hay”.
The record book - go way above and beyond. Most of the candidates at the HB we went to were given their record books back to try to fix before the end of the test, or they failed due to the record book and had to resubmit later. Your bandaging will be tested at the C-3.
We had to go to a different region for the test. My son and the other girl I prepped were two of the only three that passed on the spot (all three were from outside the host region). The other kids just weren’t prepared. Some of them passed enough sections to do a retest, or some just had to resubmit a record book, but some clearly didn’t appreciate the huge jump from the C-2 horse management to the HB.
Lastly, remember when to stop talking. Get the answer out and shut up before you ruin it. On the other hand, you can sometimes explain your way out of a bad answer. For instance, when my son was asked what a good source of vitamin C was, his impulsive response was “orange juice”. Everyone laughed as if it was a joke, and he had time for his brain to engage and actually give the right answer.
That’s what I thought…just making sure. Thank you
Great advice
I’d love to go around critiquing horses and do hands on stuff but I don’t know anyone that can help me sadly 
Anyone have a record book they can share with me? Or I can share parts of mine for critique?
I have the shoe pulling down
I have convinced my family to quiz me every night which has been helpful
You can contact the National office and submit any paperwork to be evaluated by an NE.
Didn’t you have to keep a record book for your C-2? The feedback you received on that should be a good starting point. Even though the H-B is a national rating, the same principles apply.
Yes I did
I’m just trying to be thorough
I found this study guide online that might help: https://middlecalifornia.ponyclub.org/ContentDocs/48338/UpperLevelHM/Study%20Guide%20HB.pdf
But I think the coaches and Pony Club leaders who have taught you up to this point are your best resources! Have other members of your club done national ratings?
I did my C-3 a very long time ago-- but for your record book, the examiner should be able to open it up and continue your horse’s feed, veterinary, farrier, and training programs with no interruption.
I used a binder with tabbed sections. I made a chart for vaccines/deworming/shoeing with the 12 months as columns and the individual vaccines/ dewormers/farrier sections as rows and then wrote the dates and brand of the vaccine in the appropriate block (5/1 flu/rhino Calvenza) and made notes of when things were due for the rest of the year (12/1 deworm with Quest Plus) and, for the farrier which shoeings were resets vs new and any other changes. I used (still use) a calendar for my conditioning schedule and wrote a note for each day as well as writing farrier/vet appointments, feed changes, any medical notes etc. (7/1 mild hives-- medicated bath, gave 5 cc dex, temp 100.6 pulse 40 resp 12, 20 minutes flatwork in dressage tack, practiced shoulder in/travers, 10 minutes walk hack) and also included a projected schedule working toward our season goal event which was PC Nationals for polocrosse and a list of what tack I used for each activity. (Jumping in ring Pelham bridle w/French caveson, breastplate, open front boots, jump saddle w/Orthoride half pad)
I made notes on my horse’s physical condition (weight tape each month and note down stuff like old windpuffs/missing teeth etc.) For feeding I put in a label off a bag listing the ingredients/ manufacturer info and noted down exactly what amounts of everything my horse got and the reasoning for every supplement, any changes dated (4/1 switched from free choice alfalfa/timothy hay to free choice pasture in 5 acre field) etc.
Congrats on signing up to take the HB!
Like Sheasmom said, be sure to go over the standard with a fine tooth comb because everything on it is what you’ll be asked to do at the test.
Be sure to take advantage of the Candidate Feedback Program by sending in any written work or even videos of you going over the anatomy or you teaching your unmounted lesson plan for FREE review! It’s a great program.
I Amy copying and pasting this from a previous thread I had replied to about the test:
The HB is incredibly user friendly and has a nearly 100% pass rate. That is because of the way it is structured. First of all, plan to have all your written work (lesson plans, record book) evaluated by an NE prior to the certification- either ask one you know (or email it me if you’d like) or you can go use the National Certification Feedback Program on the USPC website.
When I am prepping candidates I always tell them to aim to knock the written work out of the park because its one of the things you have 100% control over (no guarantees that our brains will remember the life cycle of a roundworm when you’re being grilled at a test- haha!). The more eyes you can put on the written work prior to the test, the better. Work exactly off the standard and the supplemental documents that correspond to each item and you’ll have exactly the same checklist that we are using when we evaluate them. The other nice thing is that you’ll turn in your written work at the briefing and the examiners will go over it that evening and will give it back to you with notes about any minor corrections they need to see. You have until the end of the testing to make the needed changes. Secondly, at the HB, you’re allowed to “does not meet standards” on up to 5 blocks and still be eligible for a “retest” which means you would just have to retest those blocks. Often times the retests can be done virtually which makes them very simple to schedule.
What are the historically trickiest sections of the HB?
In regards to watching a test before taking it: That is a great idea because you’ll be more comfortable with it when its your turn to take it but its not a necessity and plenty of people aren’t able to do that. Ways to experience a national certification before you take it (even its a B or A test) are to offer to be a “barn friendly” at an HB or HA where you help hold horses for the candidates while they are testing- this gives you a front row seat to the test. Offer to jump crew at a riding test.
This is so helpful!
Thank you so much!
I think nutrition might be my weakest section.
Will they have feed and hay samples for us to identify?
In the HB book, there is no clear list of sources of protein, fats, and carbs. I know a few
And for poisonous plants…they gave us the list for my area . I’ve done the research but how do I know my source is accurate for symptoms ?
Yes, the organizer will provide samples of hays and concentrates (grains) and you get to choose the sample you wish to speak about. My advice is to pick something that you are familiar with (out of all the HB testings I have done, the only time someone DNMS in this section was when the candidate said “I don’t know what this is!” and picked it up and tried to talk about what she thought it might be- don’t do that!).
We are not looking for you to be able to identify what brand of feed may be represented, but rather, is the sample most likely a Senior feed (its an extruded pellet that looks easy to chew) or a regular pelleted grain vs a textured feed (aka sweet feed), or is the sample corn, oats, barley? If corn, is it cracked corn or whole? If oats, are they whole, rolled, or crimped? Same for barley. If the sample is alfalfa, is it an alfalfa pellet or cube? If beet pulp, is it pelleted BP or beet pulp sheds? If rice bran, is it powder or pellets? Basically, do you know your way around a feed room and have a rough understanding of what that feed provides. The HB cards list the specific prompts that you will have to answer for your samples.
Are you taking the test in your own region? Samples can vary slightly geographically- hays especially. Be sure you can identify common hays in the area the testing will be held. For instance if you were testing in South Carolina, our common hays are coastal bermuda and fescue but it would probably be uncommon to encounter those in say, New York.
In the HB-A manual read the Nutrition chapter. Be sure you have a solid understanding of the classes of nutrients first which is where the chapter begins and will help you when it starts going into hay/grass types and then when it evaluates cereal grains (corn, oats, barley) and other foodstuffs. I just glanced at it and it does a good job spelling out what each foodstuff is high or low in (for instance cereal grains being high in starch, a moderate source of protein, and generally low in fat, etc) so the info is actually there when you start reading through it. There is also a chart on page 463 that has a rather detailed breakdown and analysis of various types of concentrates.
As a general rule, anytime you see alfalfa or soy in a horse feed/ration, that is providing the protein. Any oil or oilseed meal is nearly pure fat. Cereal grains provide carbohydrates (especially in the form of starches).
Read that chapter and see if it answers your questions.
The organizer or the PIP of your test should have sent you the list of 10-12 poisonous plants by now and it is now standardized across the US.
Here is a powerpoint that might actually be used at your test:
https://files.ponyclub.org/resources/137/TOXIC_PLANT_ILLUSTRATED_GUIDE
And here is the answer key:
https://files.ponyclub.org/resources/137/TOXIC_PLANT_ILLUSTRATED_GUIDE_ANSWER_KEY
Fun fact- as an examiner, I always have to study the poisonous plants before I test. I don’t necessarily walk around will all that info rattling around in my brain. 
I wish I had a good way of telling you how to prep for that section but unfortunately it is sheer memorization. Maybe make up little stories about them: A horse named Fern ate bracken fern and then lost her appetite, etc etc.
Be sure to look at the rubrics for each section so you know what we are looking for- we have them for most sections, but here is the one for Nutrition:
https://files.ponyclub.org/resources/143/NUTRITION
Here is the link to the Candidate Feedback Program for you to submit anything prior to your test:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf1LxljKmY6N09r4pIt4gQCkludOWtaqTt0ct6gQlKY3WJqfQ/viewform
Thank you so much!
Again so helpful.
My last question-
I was going through the cards and there are a bunch on boots. I cannot find in the manuals about how pony club would like to see them be fitted.
I know all the types and what they are used for, and how I personally would fit them. But may be different from USPC.
I’m in Central New England
As far as boot fitting goes, I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily Pony Club specific. Some general guidelines would be that they need to cover the appropriate or intended area without interfering with movement or circulation, but should be snug enough not to slip down, especially when wet. As a general rule, straps should fasten on the outside of the leg and pointing to the back.
For instance, a Woof brushing boot shouldn’t be so tall/long that it hangs halfway down the pastern or starts to push upwards into the back of the knee. An open front boot shouldn’t have its straps fastened so tightly that it puts too much pressure on the extensor tendon on the front of the leg. An ankle boots should definitely cover the fetlock joint, etc. I don’t think we as examiners get too carried away with that prompt on the card- it’s more that you can recognize when and where that boot would be appropriate (for instance no big thick fleece lined boots for XC that would hold water). Maybe know that different brands might fit a little differently based on their particular design.
Check out the pictures in the C manual on page 162 and just be comfortable describing what you see there in that diagram. Maybe even look in some tack catalogs or pictures of upper level sport horses and see what you notice about fit. Like I said, it’s not something we hyper focus on, it’s just a generic prompt that’s on each of the cards.
I actually just glanced at the C manual and there are some fit guidelines on pages 160-161 so see if that helps.
We love to hear about your particular experience too- don’t feel like we just want candidates to quote the PC manual. Hands on practical experience that you can discuss (so long at it aligns with PC safety guidelines haha!) goes a long way to proving that you’re an HB!
I will certainly report back
My family has been testing with the flash cards every night and I’ve been practicing my unmounted lesson on them.
Hope I can get more in barn practice this week
Thank you so much for the help!
You are very welcome! Sounds like a good plan!
Be sure you have your farrier show you how to pull a shoe if you haven’t already- better yet, have them make you do it!
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