Starting a hunt-based Pony Club

[rhymeswithfizz]

We are so excited to get ours off the ground! We are having a kick-off trail ride and informational meeting this weekend.

Wondering if there are any other hunt-based Pony Clubs around? We are starting to think about activities and formats, and I’d love to hear how other clubs work.

Thanks!

[flashwhitelock]

pony club

[QUOTE=rhymeswithfizz;7038051]
We are so excited to get ours off the ground! We are having a kick-off trail ride and informational meeting this weekend.

Wondering if there are any other hunt-based Pony Clubs around? We are starting to think about activities and formats, and I’d love to hear how other clubs work.

Thanks![/QUOTE]
Glad to hear it. Try contacting Old Chatham Pony Club connected to the Old Chatham Hunt in New York. they might have some ideas for you.

[Hunter_s_Rest]

Blue Ridge Hunt PC, Old Dominion Hounds PC, Loudoun Hunt PC, Middleburg/Orange County Hunt PC, Casanova/Warrenton Hunt PC – all verrrrrrrrrrrrry active and most have great websites.
BRH and ODH are the closest related to their parent hunts, if you want to contact the DCs or MFHs.

[Equibrit]

http://www.deeprunhuntponyclub.org/
http://www.loudounhunt.ponyclub.org/
http://mpowersites.com/hartsrunpc/
http://bedfordhuntponyclub.com/
http://www.waynedupagehuntponyclub.org/
http://www.redlandhuntponyclub.org/home
http://old-dominion-hounds.com/wp/category/pony-club/

Just a few !

[Hinderella]

I have no information to add, but lots of encouragement! Good for you! I wish that such a club had been available to me as a kid, I’d be a better rider today

[eventerchick517]

Member of Wayne DuPage Hunt PC chiming in here!

[crosscreeksh]

Another, “GOOD FOR YOU”!!! “That” was what PC’s initial focus was when it started!! Get kids out of the ring and learn to RIDE!!! The fun is flatly addictive!! Good Luck!!

[lcw579]

EPA has quite a few pony clubs that are hunt based (Radnor, Cheshire, Pickering etc). I’m the DC of Radnor Hunt Pony Club. One of the best perks of membership in RHPC is hunting free of charge with Radnor Hunt. The Hunt also holds Fox Hunting 101 classes for the kids (and others new to foxhunting) during cubbing season so that the pony clubbers learn the proper ettiquette.

I see our kids developing a real love of foxhunting and I expect that many of them will continue with the hunt long after their pony club days are behind them.

[rhymeswithfizz]

Thank you, thank you!! This is just wonderful. I am going through the activity schedules on the club websites and hope to make friends soon I’d love to hear any “lessons learned” or other wisdom you would like to share?

[Wheel_Whip]

Hi Fizz! I am the DC of Old Chatham Pony Club. A majority of our members hunt(some even whip-in!). The only real problem is that we don’t participate in many regional rallies. My kids would rather hunt than compete. My website is a bit new and we are filling it in but feel free to contact me and we’ll share. One thing I will say is, when my kids do event, the judges always comment that you can tell the kids who hunt 'cause they have the best xc rides!

[Wellspotted]

Don’t really have any helpful feedback to offer but am really interested in this thread … back when I was a kid the Atlanta Pony Club did hunter-jumper shows. I had never heard of dressage back then and was surprised years later, reading English books involving Pony Club, and on moving to Alabama, that Pony Club was about eventing there.

I wish you all the best with your venture! Keep us posted!

[M_al]

rhymeswithfizz – do you have any information on your club? I would love to see if it would fit for my daughter!

[rhymeswithfizz]

M’al, sorry for my delay in replying, we are on a long overdue vacation
I should have a website up hopefully by next week with all the info. The goal of the club is to help young riders learn the riding, leadership, and horsemanship skills needed to be successful fox hunters. We have already gotten a great response from the hunt members to support the club (very excited!) and are starting a Horsemasters group as well. I expect that we will start out by having meetings that coincide with Junior day at the hunt and add fun activities from there. Stay tuned!!

[rhymeswithfizz]

Update - our website is now live!! www.arapahoehuntponyclub.com
I’m waiting on the Hunt schedule to be approved before we get all our initial meeting dates set, but we have a few events already.

We are ready to start recruiting new members - M’al, check it out and see if you would think it might be a good fit for your kiddo.

We started a facebook page too. Please help us spread the word! Many thanks for all your help!

[Foxtrot_s]

Bravo!

Langley Pony Club in B.C. was started by the Master of the Fraser Valley Hounds. But, over time, it went the way of most PC’s up here, and lost its roots. Now, you can’t get any kids to take the ‘risk’ and come out hunting.
Eventers don’t even know the benefits to their horse - the trainers have all the say.