APPENDIX E Would You Like to Offer Any Other Comments?

APPENDIX E Would you like to offer any other comments?

AFFIRMATION OF THE VALUE OF PONY CLUB COMMENTS

Organizational

The United States Pony Club is a fantastic organization that, in my eyes, gives far more than it takes and strives to educate tomorrow's equine professionals in an accessible and attainable manner. Outstanding organization with lots of opportunities

We love PC and want it to continue to be the wonderful respected organization it is.

Pony club is a great program.

I think that Pony Club is a great thing that more people should get involved with

Pony club is awesome!

I love Pony Club (2)

I love USPC!

Pony Club Proud!!

I love pony club and what it stands for. Keep up the good work!

I think Pony Club has a great mission, system of education, and an incredible body of resources for education (both in print/video and in the network of recognized professionals) and that if serious, substantial changes were made to increase accessibility through Riding Centers and for adults to be included, then membership and participation may again increase.

The step-by-step curriculum and the group support make a wonderful educational model. I have encouraged 3 more people from my barn and area to join PC and they are loving learning in the well thought out structured way PC is set up. We also have super leaders in our region.

As a parent who grew up riding but not in pony club I love how it teaches caring for horses and not just riding to win ribbons.

In my day Pony Club was organized by the hunt and field master to encourage young riders to participate in the hunt. In my daughter's day pony club was run by folks who ran barns, gave riding lessons, etc. Today I see parents who know very little about horses bringing their children for an activity. Sometimes a club is lucky to have knowledgeable adults and sometimes the club is very short in horse experts. Thank goodness Pony Club has great instructional material!

Best equine education ever. Still believe in what it teaches and does.

It is the best educational equine organization in the USA. Keep up the good work - really

USPC needs to actively continue as premier HM resource.

USPC is a good organization that delivers sound information

I do also think that the quizzes on your website are super helpful for ratings. Please keep them up!

I personally feel it is an amazing program. Now more than ever we need to be producing horsemen not just riders and Pony Club is one of the last stalwart mechanisms to do so. It is a desperately needed more affordable option for those lower income families. Continue to counter the overall impression that equestrian sports are just for the wealthy.

We really have enjoyed joining PC and all of the opportunities it offers! We appreciate what the organization does to try to minimize the financial impacts, including not requiring fancy/new equipment or attire.

Pony Club is a great place for kids to learn and experience showmanship who otherwise would not have had a chance, I really appreciate that.

Thank you for carrying on the work of educating members about horses, horse care and the value of good sportsmanship

What I love about Pony club is any pony that has a sane mind can be used to educate the rider. Not breed or size specific- just good temperament. Horses are better than electronics and cause the rider to take responsibility of the 80 % of what is going on with the horse. It’s a beautiful way to learn life lessons and have FUN!! My child was competitive on a half-arab/half 1/4 horse. Where else is that going to happen?

We’re new to pony club and we love our club! Our club is very organized and we’ve great parents, members and coaches and an awesome DC!

Only 4 months into Pony Club and my daughter is all in as am I. We have met wonderful people already!

Thank you for your work for this important organization! Thank you for all you do for the members!

Best wishes for your continued efforts!

Personal/Family

Pony Club is the organization that I grew up in and helped shape me 30 years ago into the smart confident person I am today. My daughter is now a pony clubber and I'm hoping it will do the same for her. Although when I considered registering her, I got negative feed back and was discouraged by some very reliable well horse people. Which I found very sad My daughter is graduating medical school this weekend and she just put together a proposal for the associate dean of the medical school using the pony club standards as a framework. The dean didn’t change anything.😀😀

I have worked professionally in the horse industry for most of my life, I attribute my awareness and hyper-vigilant barn management to my foundation in Pony Club. The most valuable knowledge continues to be the safety practices learned in Pony Club. Thank you so much for the fantastic education you've given me!

I’ve been in PC since I was nine, ten years this fall. I have had such an amazing experience in the program and will likely stay involved in some capacity even once I graduate college. One of my best friends I met in PC and I am so grateful to have her in my life and it is all thanks to PC. I have gained leadership opportunities, been exposed to teaching which led me to become an education major in college. The school I attend directly referenced everything I have done in PC in my acceptance letter which was exciting, knowing that a structure with no connections to the horse world was able to see the amazing things PC did for me and what I gained from it. #weareponyclub

I was heavily involved in PC in the 1990s. I had read about it in a Breyer magazine and it had become a dream to join. Thankfully my riding instructor got us involved and kept us involved. The lessons I learned on safety, horse management and riding still stick with me today. It was the absolute best thing that I was ever involved in. I still benefit from what I learned in Pony Club. I always thought my children would follow in my footsteps, but they all play soccer! No interest in horses, sadly. When I teach riding lessons, I share my Pony Club knowledge with my students. There is no organization better than USPC. The teamwork, the friendships, the respect you learn for your horses and you peers - it is priceless. Hoping one day I can become a volunteer.

Pony Club has given me so many opportunities and I think that there are a lot of people that could benefit from pony club too if they knew about it.

I was a member of Monadnock Pony Club back in its' second year...yup I am old now. MPC years were some of the BEST of my entire life.

Thank you for everything you guys have done! pony club has helped me be a better person while showing my passion of horses!

I really love pony club and the opportunities it has provided for me. I’ve made so many great memories and so many new friends through pony club, especially on the IMGE trip to England last year.

I love Pony Club. Pony Club changed my life.

I am so grateful to be part of Pony club.

PC involvement provides an incredible foundation for life long enjoymentof horses

I loved my PC experience & am very proud of being a Graduate "A". Those were some of the best experiences of my life & the friends I made I still keep up with thru social media. That is the experience I hope is promoted.

Discovering pony club in the mid eighties was the best thing that ever happened or one of the best. Three of my four children were members and each participated in their own way. My one daughter, a graduate h-a is the dc of our local club and my granddaughter is a member. Over the years I have seen many positive changes so pony club is available to more horse loving kids

I greatly enjoyed my time in USPC and do value much of what I learned.

We believe in the value of pony club for our children! Pony Club was the most rewarding experience I could have wanted for my C2 (now on her collegiate Eventing team) daughter. It prepared her in so many ways for "life.”

Pony Club has changed my daughter's life for the better. It has made her into the confident young lady she is now.

Have been a mom of a PC member for 2 1/2 yrs. Think it's great, and hope that it will be able to continue in this area.

My daughter has truly benefitted from all PC has to offer.

In my experience, pony club provided the best education and training for my daughter.

I love being part of Pony Club! It really makes me feel like I'm finally part of a team and there are others like me. I’ve done champs and rally for mounted games for many years and every year has been wonderful.

I absolutely loved Pony Club when I was a part of it because I got to meet other kids who rode and enjoyed learning about horses

Pony club has been a HUGE blessing to my family and could continue to be one to others.

Pony Club was a fantastic program for my daughter and a very worthwhile experience for me as a DC.

I LOVE Pony Club. My daughter LOVES Pony Club!!!

I am getting more involved in pony club this year as a volunteer and I hope to keep doing it

I learned so much and was given so much as a member, I am glad to be able to give back as an adult/parent

Our time in River Bend Pony club were some of the best (and worst) of my memory with my kids.

STAY THE COURSE COMMENTS

Keep the riding standards high

Keep the pin tradition, colors, uniformity of procedure- it becomes a generationally shared experience.

ASPIRATIONAL COMMENTS

Pony club could be a good option, IF it offered low priced good training for kids. Yes, a social club is good, but quality training is better

A recent local horse magazine asked in an editorial, "Where are the children?" Horse ownership is not possible for many children and teens because of finances or residence. The Bloomberg, Springsteen and Jobs daughters of the world don't have those concerns but potentially talented and committed youngsters will never have the 5

opportunity to develop their skills because they live in an apt. or subdivision. Pony clubs should consider enlisting owners of 'starter' and semiretired competition horses to partner with potential members who are unable to own their own horse. We really need to get more kids into riding in general, but most families don't want to be tied down to taking care of an animal. I started an informal, unofficial pony club at my farm by invitation. I subsidized it the first couple of years but eventually each family paid a share of the cost of keeping the ponies. It got a lot of kids into riding who wouldn't have otherwise had the opportunity and was very successful.

Develop a program for kids without ponies who might become the future pony owners. Advertise PC to the unhorsed. Develop a marketing plans to bring non- horse parents the information they need to decide to that horse sports are a great choice for their children.

I would like pony club to try to find a way to encourage more people to join, such as making some rallies open to people who might be thinking about joining so that they could watch, see the teamwork, etc.

I'd like to see pony club get involved with things like IEA as well. I would love to see more PC info out at other types of competitions - to encourage involvement

I mean, I have a lot of thoughts. But the big thing is look at how we can get Hunter trainers to get back to supporting pony club. Even if it is for the lower levels. It is a huge base and George Morris always calls for wanting more horsemanship in the hunter world: well here we are.

Pony Club has a rich tradition. Focus on strengthening the core of Pony Club - the club - and reducing the burden on local leaders Spend less time renaming things every 5 minutes and more time getting big sponsors to prop up the org instead of depending on your members all the time

Though this is a little “out there”, make a goal of giving all the clubs their own barn/farm. At my pc, it is always difficult to find places to ride and have meetings.

More financial scholarships to entice people to volunteer and try Pony Club.

USPC is an Educational Organization. We need to find ways in addition to membership that allow people the opportunity to benefit from it's educational programs. Have more unmounted events like quiz or more junior division for younger/newer riders.

I would love to see additions to the certification pathways for equine careers (like the British Horse Society has) that focus on instruction and equestrian business management 6

Let’s get back to doing what we did so well for many years, share the leaders for up-coming generations. We may be smaller but we stick to what we do best. You’ll surely keep more volunteers that way.

I have been asking a question that seems hard to answer at the moment. Can one pony clubber compete more than one horse in a rally? Some are totally against this idea while others think it is a valid question. My daughter and I are lucky enough to have a few horses between us and I would like to work toward the idea of competing more than one in a rally and developing some sort of template for others to follow if they wish. In the disciplines that my daughter is interested in, she can compete many horses in the same competition. I would like her to stay with PC for more learning opportunities. But we still have the need of getting all of the horses out and showing.

Assign a lifetime member number and for a small fee, mail a pinny in the welcome packet so all items can be labeled FOREVER. If the pinny is lost, the member could order a new on or print the number and buy a pinny bib/holder. Then they always know their number for the Virginia Region or even national. Perhaps VR is in front for nationals?

I am a newer member of Pony Club. I signed up last year in September. I love it so far. I just wish that there were more events here in New Hampshire. There are plenty of rallies and all of that, but not any really Pony Club events. I wish there were more in this state.

I would like to see regions who don't have complete teams help match riders up with scratch teams. It seems to be counterproductive to belonging to pony club if riders can't participate pro compete because their club is small and their DC doesn't actively help them be assigned to a scratch team.

NEEDED CHANGES COMMENTS

It is very important, as Pony Club embarks on its next 65 years, that the organization not get caught up in rules, unrealistic standards, or unreasonable expectations. Excellence is fine, but perfection is unrealistic and generally unattainable. Our examiners, our judges, and our leadership needs always to bear this in mind. It is preferable to have a happy child, full of confidence and basic safety knowledge that can engage his or her horse and those people around them, rather than constantly fretting over rules, standards and levels, etc. However, since entering the professional equine community it saddens me the reputation Pony Club has gained for skewing the idea of what is and what isn't advanced riding as well as well it's status as the butt of many jokes for the upper ratings/certifications seemingly being more about reaching a ridiculous standard of cleanliness rather than really evaluating riding ability.

One thing that is frustrating is that PC is rather cookie-cutter in it's approach to horsemanship. There is little room for the variability that comes with equines and their individual needs. I wish that members were better supported to self- advocate (and advocate on behalf of their pony), rather than being told by adults that they are wrong and must do it a different way (when it isn't a safety/health issue). I suspect there are some truly top horse people out there who wouldn't answer some questions with the correct "Pony Club answer" but wouldn't be wrong either.

Pony club needs to make it possible for kids to succeed be making expectation for ratings clear. We are not young riders and should not pretend we are

The different discipline tracks should start at the D level so candidates would not have to jump if they don't want to.

I think Pony Club needs to rethink its idea of specializing. If a horse/rider team isn’t good at an event then they can horse manage, volunteer, learn the various aspects of running a show (be a helper to the announcer, Secretary, etc) specializing soon is what is promoting buying that fancy horse instead of learning **how** to ride effectively. To rate up, we used to borrow horses or make them as projects. We were horseman. Now, Pony Clubbers I’ve met are always looking for their next best horse instead of looking to become a better rider.

Work to have better credential examiners at all levels to maintain standards.

The HM program is fantastic I would just like to see more consistency with the CHMJs. I know that is currently being worked on.

I work with teens and young adults in a state. institution. We have had mandatory training on assessment and policing of how we use language. Pony Club needs to unweight HM with volunteers at the national level and professionalize it. As a volunteer at three champs I saw or heard inappropriate comments and extremely uneven handling of HM. It just takes one kid or irate parent to do real damage to the organization. The kids in our group felt somewhat attacked negatively by the people doing HM at our rallies. The issue could have been corrected with more training or better communication, but the regional management pushed away those that were more open, leaving more negative people in charge. It was a real shame when my group - that had 15 or more members - no longer wanted to participate.

HM is very stressful though and has caused a lot of problems in the past, hope to see less issues in the future.

Pony club should require HM chiefs to undergo annual background check and annual sexual harassment training

I wish the HM at rallies were nicer. The head people always seem so unkind and don’t listen to us kids

I also wish examinations would be more streamlined. They are far too subjective to the examiner's opinion. Which has led to people in charge to arrange testing for their kids with easier going examiners and kids they don't like got harsher examiners, e.g. the 'old guard who thinks that they need to fail at least one candidate.' Thank you.

I also believe that HM should have standards across the board so that when our members go to champs they are clear on how to handle situations. The biggest problems I have seen is the Chief HM judges saying it is their preference even if there is a safety reason for making changes.

HM can be all over the place (not up to date in rule changes) at rallies and champs. Ticky tacky points at champs x 12 is demoralizing. Kids have legit reasons for what they do at upper levels (horse needs slightly looser throat latch in dressage to give more room for collection at third level and got dinged by hm judge)

Can Pony Club PLEASE try to take some of the subjectiveness out of HM judging for Rallies! Our club has experienced vindictive HM judging, competitors given points for things that aren’t in the rules but were characterized as “common sense” by an HM judge, and vastly different expectation levels for turn backs, tack stalls, etc. VERY discouraging for our kids!!

Our experience with Pony Club was very mixed and generally not enjoyable. I think that pony club needs to have fun more. The rallies we attended in the past were such negative experiences that my daughter will never go again and we have lost quite a few due to that. It’s important to follow rules especially for safety but legalism is a turn off to kids and adults.

Make your rule book more clear. Quite a few of your rules create conflict. Trust me, I saw a huge debate at a rally over your one of your rules after the rule book was not clear enough to specify that rule.

Please make corrections to the manuals BEFORE publishing

I see a lot of great riders drop out at 16 or so, the rules just become too much. It would be great to foster informal ways for older riders to stay a part of the organization, without feeling overwhelmed by the judging and certification focus. Many drop out due to demands of college, and some strong riders leave as their riding career demands more time. Perhaps more social events, to keep those older riders engaged, until they want to/can lean in again. There needs to be a way to keep old members a part of the membership and experience, not just drop them like s lead weight when the go off to college or 9

whatever. Many times i encouraged my daughter to contact them or join in a different capacity, and she refuses to this day.

I don’t know how to improve this but the loss of members when they go to college hurts the organization in my opinion. A great resource for younger riders is lost.

We need to work hard to make PC cool as they age, bc some trainers are working against this.... Thank you!

Our club is not in favor of the new restriction of college age kids working with younger members. Our members are like family. The younger/older interaction is a very important connection within a club especially when it's been a longer term membership. Certainly there should be restrictions in age if an older person suddenly wants to join and participate with younger members.

I was VERY dismayed to find out about the new divisions separating the 18+ kids from the younger kids for the purposes of rally teams. I think it is critical to the development of the younger kids to have direct contact with these older kids and critical to the older kids to have these leadership opportunities. I think we are going to see a significant decrease in the participation of the 18+ kids due to this change. My daughter's first two rallys at age 8 would have been a complete disaster without the older member taking her "under" her wing and helping her with everything from getting herself dressed to getting her pony tacked to figuring out where she needed to be and when. Both of these rallys she was on a team with a 18+ aged member. The younger "older" kids just do not have that kind of maturity or experience to be able to teach the very young members. I think it is a huge mistake to not allow the mixed age teams at rallys.

It's not clear that PC can be for life. I would love to see PC focus on teens/young adults more as these are the riders you are losing to Young Riders and big training barns.

The new age changes are ridiculous. My daughter looks up to the upper level members in our club and learns so much from them, to not be able to compete alongside of them is crazy. And I have a solid feeling that the older members would much rather be with the younger kids. It is an honor to learn from each other- no one wants a 30 year old on their team!!!

I think some things are challenging for the little kids. They don't understand scoring or when to sign forms. They need an adult for quiz rally, or a guardian angel.

I know many parents are concerned with the new age grouping in Games - this is not like other sports in which kids compete individually. There needs to be smaller age groupings - like in the rulebook to keep Games safe!

Please let people who run games make the decisions for the rules of games :)

Cost - though it is a great value, let’s face it, compared to joining 4-H it is considered very expensive. If we could have offered PC rallies and events locally to the members there would easily have been more members like 4-H Please keep fees reasonable for youth & adults!

I wish more families could participate, but cost makes that impossible.

I liked Pony Club but unless you have lots of money there’s not lots of things to do

My kiddos all ride (ages 6-12) and I have grown up around horses my whole life. I couldn’t afford to be in a pony club when I was younger. Nor can I afford for my kiddos to participate now. We decided to go the 4H route.

I think National Dues are too expensive for small clubs. We are down to two members and nationals wiped out our bank account between corporate sponsor fee and national dues. We will not be able to renew.

Make it cheaper and more accessible to kids and adults in smaller towns. Let individuals participate by themselves. It's too expensive for smaller towns.

The rules are so tight and things so expensive, it would be more inclusive to lessen the clothes requirement for all levels under C.

Reduce cost of events/ dues

Have you ever considered offering a multi-member discount for families that have more than one member? I know National needs money, but we have several families with two members and paying the membership fee is difficult - especially right before Christmas. Bad time of year for renewals to be due.

It feels like PC is struggling financially and NE's are feeling the pressure to pay for part of their travel or have terrible schedules, pay for materials, stay in uncomfortable accommodations, etc.

I know declining membership has become a concern for USPC, and just for another perspective on the matter: I would absolutely love to rejoin and participate in Pony Club again now that it is open to adults, but I simply can't afford to ride at all. I work a full time + 2nd part time job, and still can barely afford the cost of rent. Any barns that cost less than $1500/month are over an hour away from where I live and work, so unfortunately there's just no way to make consistent barn time happen right now. I think a lot of people are in a similar financial boat... it's not that people aren't interested in what Pony Club has to offer, it's that they can barely afford to ride at all. The ones who can are often 11

busy enough that they need a full-service facility and can't commit enough time to really benefit from the Pony Club experience. I'd love to see some resources (even just one of the online lectures) about ways to get more involved, make horses financially sustainable, link up with other horse people when you move to a new area due to work, etc that effect adults and parents.

We need to continue to bridge the gap between club/region/national level As a dedicated parent volunteer/officer at the club and regional level it could be absolutely awful dealing with parents. There has to be de-centralization of some paid staff to support the regions if pony club is going to survive in i's current form. The Girl Scouts may be a good model to study.

I understand the national leadership can't get involved in every local/regional squabble, but there needs to be local leader advocate nationally. If you have a problem with your RS, tough, and that's no way to keep local volunteers

We’d love to see a little more organization at the regional level

I’ve been disappointed when moving to a new region, where proper rallies and management are not present.

Some type of directional communication would be great for new clubs and new DC's. Sometimes within the region there seems to be a lack of cohesiveness and the joint goal of helping produce better more well rounded horseman.

This past year was a mess of new information and overwhelming for the volunteer leaders, parents, and members. We are trying to plan rallies and conduct certifications and there are so many questions. People at the top of the organization should think to ask those who use the information what they think before they make such drastic changes. The standards are also too complicated and confusing and difficult since about 2010.

I am disappointed in the rushed effort the organization seems to be creating the championships opportunity. We are undergoing a lot of changes, and of course change is hard. But I feel we would be more successful, if the tools used to incorporate the changes were ready and trialed at least a year in advance to rolling out these changes to our members and volunteer leaders. For example, championships registration is very different that how our region has handled it in the past. We want to walk our members through what to do, but the systems aren't ready and no one is really sure what steps need to be taken. Unfortunately, that puts our region in a tough spot, because we need to plan/budget for champs now.

Did I mention the constantly changing rules and standards and, and, and.....these are busy kids. They have school and other activities and yet we expect them to 12

keep abreast of constantly changing rules. I understand the parent organizations may be changing frequently but let’s not follow suit.

Make PC transparent.

National Office needs to work on ways to better serve and acknowledge the many hours volunteers put into the program. Often when contacting National Office I feel like I'm a nuisance. I think maybe the whole organization could use some training on how to make volunteers feel valued and appreciated. Experienced MANY positives ultimately the pressure for volunteers to commit so much time to meet the same standards as larger clubs with more resources made it impossible to sustain. Hard to ask people to get involve or join when they see same few people worked to the bone.

During the time I was actively volunteering for Pony Club, the individual clubs had additional requirements for Horsemasters in addition to the national requirements. The result was that I was asked to pay 2x as much, volunteer 4x as much, and had reduced opportunities for education, etc. as a participating member. I love volunteering, I love mentoring youth, I’ve been an educator for more than 10 years, and I left the club feeling like my time and resources were abused. I don’t have children participating in the club and I was volunteering more than many of the parents. That particular club no longer exists.

Volunteer demands are high, especially in this age of kids doing many structured activities. Not sure if there is a remedy for this.

Disappointed that HM staff are treated like they might cheat or give unauthorized assistance to competitors so you do not let them work in certain disciplines yet you continually allow the parents of competitors to be Secretaries and Organizers which gives them ample opportunity to cheat for their child. Every single champs in the east for the last 5 years has had this happen. The other competitors know it is happening yet they are powerless to stop it.

Your youth are your greatest resource - utilize us instead of shutting us out and down. The NYB and NYC are GREAT, but only if people actually listen to us instead of engaging with us and then moving on. Until you listen to your membership, you are not going to improve your numbers. Kids did not like Championships at Tryon. Period. USPC wants to increase numbers at Champs, make it where the kids want to go, and the parents can afford, Being held captive at a venue that charges (maybe not Pony Club, but the families) too much. Don't dumb down Champs with letting everyone go in two different divisions. Again, you took the "thrill" of Champs away, and made it a big Rally. Kids don't have to go Champs to "rally". They want it to be a "special" experience. Listen to your membership (kids).

We are not happy with Modified Champs. My daughter has been to champs the last 2 years- in quiz and as a SM. this year she qualified on her horse- finally- but doesn't want to go as she sees it as pointless since now it seems like it is just a really big rally

We hope the modified champs does not water down the perception of all champs

The new champs modified division is a huge distraction from the sense of accomplishment of qualifying for champs. I see the necessity because of the huge expensive venues. Rather see smaller venues and have champs truly be champs - something kids WORK for.

We’d like to see more training for volunteers in leadership positions. Find ways to strengthen middle America clubs with closer monitoring of DC’s and RS. They deviate from many PC ideals!!

There must be some way to inspire new adult leaders of local clubs to want to learn about PC. Or, in the alternative, there must use a way to require them to learn it. Too many of them simply run the local clubs at their own whim, and actively resist learning. It is especially difficult when they have graduate upper level members available and willing, but they have no idea why they should use them.

I am very frustrated right now with our leadership. I am a person who gets involved and volunteers, but our leadership is intent on doing things as they always have, without input or help from the group. Don’t know if we will be involved next year.

I am disappointed in leadership of the Region. Too many politics nd people who need to move on and let others take a lead. Not youth focused, just cancelled a rally after registrations were sent.

Make National Ratings accessible for all, regardless of your region.

I see many members leave at about the C2 level because the National level ratings are not readily accessible to attend. Also, many D level members end up leaving for 4H due to cost concerns. How can we mitigate these two issues?

Pony Club's reputation is that you have to have $$$ to be a member as horses/trailering are expensive. Kids who want to ride, but can't own or lease their own horse feel left out and it makes the PC seem "exclusive" instead of "inclusive".

I think that the reason pony club was not as well received was 4-H is always local to the county the members are in, so it doesn't require as much travel to participate in things. 14

More events for Sr members

The USPC website is difficult to navigate and not well connected to regions and local clubs/centers. But I'm saddened to see PC not keep up with the digital times. The emails and communications are lacking (I will happily help! I work in marketing!), and it feels unprofessional.

The games rulebook will not load, and I am judging this Sunday!!

It would be great if Pony Club offered more information in their handbooks about proper lunging and how to make shipping wraps. I understand that there are other books that cover this information, but I feel like that sort of defeats the purpose of the handbooks.

My region relies on National PC guidance for branding. I would like to see National do outreach and make suggestions so that our West Coast PC can grow. PC is a wonderful organization, but as a local club officer I find myself wishing that National gave the Regions better marketing and recruitment direction. Thanks for listening! Go Pony Club! Pony Club has a branding problem. PC offers a lot to members, but it seems to me living on the West Coast that they are not known to local communities so members must be individually recruited.

I think that thinking about PC placement in children's magazines, by offering a PC writing contest or offering a community "get to know PC day" would do a lot for the membership and the health of the larger PC organization.

We need to do a better job of educating and involving parents I ran a USPC Riding Center for 3 years. Tough to get parents involved.

I have been a Vice RS and RS. Both positions were essentially 2nd jobs. They involved a lot of work and could be overwhelming. From what I have seen since remaining on the Digests, doesn't indicate that things have improved. It is quite overwhelming to do a good job as a DC or RS and frankly, we no longer have parents in my area that have the time or want to put forth the effort in not just administering the current club but don't want to work towards helping the club grow and stay healthy. Their outlook is that pony club (particularly a club with money) provides them with a lesson program at a much reduced cost.

I think the PC magazine is under-utilized. In fact, my daughter complained to me once that it was for adults, not kids. It works be nice to have more articles focused on teaching and not just reporting out Pony club involves its membership in the magazine. I have kept multiple magazines I have been in. However, the articles often don’t hold relevance. 15

USPC members want to learn. The magazine doesn't always seem like it is directed to the membership as much as club leaders.

I do not see a lot of news about the west coast regions at the national level. The magazine seems to only be about the championship, which in my short time has been on the east coast. The Instagram and Facebook pages are also all about the east coast. For up and coming youths, talking only about championships seems pretty esoteric.

The new USPC Mounted Games divisions are not safe. The new Champs divisions are not applicable to Games. The changes are not only breaking up teams, but they are putting small children in the same division with larger more aggressive children. This is not a safe environment. Games are not the same as the other disciplines. You have numerous ponies in the arena competing at one time. Return to the original divisions.

Our pony club has gone to a model where they only allowed new members to join once a year which is unfortunate because when riders in my writing program get interested in pony club they are eager to join and take advantage of the benefits of membership that they must wait four months to join. The reasoning for this is that it’s too much work to register members throughout the year so they all have to join within a six week period in the fall. My own pony club experiences growing up as well as my children’s experiences were not like this and it is perceived by many as being unfriendly to new members.

CHALLENGES FOR PONY CLUB COMMENTS

Pony club has so many things to offer and I hope we can find the right mix of things to take it into the future. However, i don't believe we should try to be everything to everybody. We need to decide on the core principles and stick to them with creativity as we move forward. Also, continue to emphasize other things than the certifications. This is a great organization that seems to be having an identity crisis every five years

I think the ideas and values behind Pony Club are great but the whole system needs an overhaul

Pony Club has tried to be too much by offering so many disciplines. Too wide a focus and not enough depth. Without more money or volunteers it can’t offer the same thing to anyone interested in horses.

The current structure of Pony Club worked well for decades. But the 1950's model of Pony Club does not work well for today's world. Pony Club has not evolved its model or organizational structure or how it delivers education to meet the current times.

I love pony club and I devote hundreds of hours a year as a volunteer. BUT USPC needs to focus on what it does best, and invest in that part of the program. They need to cut administrative costs and focus on member education or numbers will continue to fall. I have a lot of suggestions. Too many to include here.

The regulations and requirements became such a burden made it more work than fun. My daughter is 15 and has been in PC since she was 5. She got burned out on rallies pretty early on because they were so stressful. She’s now riding in the upper levels of Eventing. She loves the Young Riders program. They are very different programs but I wish she had the same passion for PC. Maybe we got her started too early in PC, not sure. She really only stays in PC for the social aspect.

Please remember the focus of USPC and why it was started Pony club is great, but we need to continue to focus on kids and learning. Our young and older kids. We did D camp at festival two years ago and it was great. We need to offer these types of programs along with the middle and upper level kids to hook them at an early age. All of the current forms skip any kids under 10. Don’t miss the boat with these kids.

Pony club spends a lot of effort marketing on the fact that it can create the next Olympians. However, what is more impressive are the numbers of members who go on to be lawyers, doctors and leaders in their community. This is likely more important to parents than the rare chance of becoming an Olympian. The transferable skills that PC teaches should really be communicated more clearly. We need to do a better job of helping the members view themselves as developing responsibility and organizational skills that most children/teens do not have.

I realize the many new rating options are an attempt to draw more members, but they have diluted the meaning of the letters severely. No more can I assume a certain skill set if I'm hiring grooms for eventing.

I would like to see PC Eventing try the same program as the college teams are doing.

I think our horse sports/ industry across the board are in trouble. As groups we are very small. As an entire community we have more mass and power.

Many of our pony clubbers are student athletes. They put school first and like to do other school sports such as lacrosse, track, hockey, or wrestling. As our champs gets pushed earlier in the summer our rally’s must get pushed earlier. Our kids can’t do all of the rally’s they want and keep up with their academics and school sports. As a result our kids are doing less rally’s. Next year we may not have Games or Tetrathlon rally because not enough sign up. Please consider that your clients are student athletes. They would like to dedicate their entire summer to riding because that’s when they have 17

the time. Please make champs later so that they can prepare for and do as many rally’s as they can in a summer.

NEGATIVE COMMENTS ABOUT PONY CLUB

Very soured on the national organization and it's quite unfortunate. Total lack of leadership in my perspective

We were a part of the Highlander pony club and saw serious corruption from the leadership team and team and left because of it

One of my riding students joined a local Pony Club last year. It was a whole different experience from what my daughter had many years ago. My daughter had a wonderful leader who was very "hands on education" about horses. My daughter learned so much from her weekly meetings in her home (without horses present). The local club that my student went to had none of that. It was only riding. We were all disappointed in the leadership of this club so she did not rejoin this year.

I'm so turned off by the Clubs we have within an hour's drive in any direction, I'd like to investigate the possibility of starting our own chapter. But after bad, disorganized, chaotic interaction with Pony Club, I'm really wondering if it's really worth it? I don't feel it's the same "great experience" it was decades ago. It's disappointing.

Be more careful about leadership - leaders must understand kids

I've reached out to the national office on a number of occasions and rarely gotten more than a very minimal response.

I have concerns that the higher you go in the ratings, the more political it becomes. It also seems like rules don't apply to all and for those of us that are rule-followers that is frustrating. There are at times politics involved.

Two serious complaints. 1. Battenkill NY club approves C riders who are NOT qualified based on FAMILY of Coach. Disgusted we quit. 2. New members forced to begin at lowest levels and unable to test up based on experience. Extremely discouraging for new member enrolment. My 11 year old was light years beyond the coach’s kids. INSULTING and no options. So unless you start Pony club as a child beginner there is NO REASON to join.

PC states it’s all about the children and safety., emotionally, physically etc.., yet PC refused to support her and supported a leader who was verbally abusive to

her in front of the whole club. Saying, “you’re a ******* adult now.” “This is ********” all the while my daughter was teaching the lesson at a tack shop, that the leader was late to-her own mtg. So we no longer are involved with PC and that’s the story I tell.

Dressage is not pony club's strong suit 4 tests in 3 days for dressage championships is way too hard for some horses and asking a lot for upper level horses. There should be less tests, especially for upper level test for horses. For instance, I would have shown my Prix St Georges this year, but it is impossible to do 4 of those in 3 days, especially for an older schoolmaster. And they do not offer just the PSG, which is crazy. You shouldn't have to ride I1 and I2 and a PSG. you should be able to pick one level and test to show USPC Championships.

I’m a pony club dad. I’ve bought horses, fed horses and hauled horses and riders thousands and thousands of miles. I’ve built jumps, games equipment, and riding facilities. I’ve put up with my wife donating countless hours to meetings. All thankless. In fact, I was once greeted so rudely at nationals that I swore if I ever caught that guy again he would either apologize or I would whip his ass. Couldn’t do it on the spot because I had a truck load of girls and ponies. I could go on for pages but here we are still working Pony Club events and getting treated like you know what. We believe in Pony Club even though it is populated with power hungry jerks.

Pony club was a serious endeavor in Massachusetts when I was growing up. Now in Kentucky it is a joke. There should be an excellent nationwide standard. My kids missed out on the experience because the local chapter was so terrible. And as an FEI rider and trainer myself, I no longer recommend the experience to other parents.

Some of your protocols, ie leg wraps are very outdated

HORSEMASTERS THREATEN THE FUTURE OF PONY CLUB

We enjoyed our time at Pony Club but after Horsemasters was initiated we decided to leave the organization. We were active members but when pony club starts putting adults before children, it’s time to move on. Please, please rethink having adult members in Pony Club.

PLEASE CONSIDER GOING BACK TO THE AMAZING YOUTH ONLY ORGANIZATION USPC USED TO BE. OUR YOUTH NEED IT!!! USPC IS LOSING ITS REPUTATION. OUR YOUTH MEMBERS WANT TO STAY AS YOUTH ONLY.

You will lose a lot of membership if you go through with allowing adults to be pony clubbers. Adding adults to the program takes away the uniqueness of it

being only youth and it will just be like every other organization that allows any age. I myself am 20 and feel like I am aging out and it’s my time to volunteer and give back, not continue for my entire life

We are not fans of the “no age limit” in pony club.

Our entire club has been disappointed in the decision to change from a youth organization to an all ages one. PC has lost its focus - no other youth organization has taken such a misguided step, especially without input from its actual members. We'll continue to stay in as long as it's convenient, but it's no longer in our hearts. Very disappointed.

I have concerns as a parent about the potential for mixed teams at rallys where masters could be on the same team as kids. If this is a possibility, it should not be. For ‘safe sport’ reasons, and also that kids need to be with kids, and many children would be intimidated by an adult on their team, and would defer to them and be less likely to learn the independence that pony club is so proud of. Youth pony club members should NEVER be competing in an environment where they are interacting with adult participants. (i.e., adult members at rallys). This is an unsafe environment for minors. Adult members should not be in the organization in the same capacity.

I'm very disappointed that adults can compete on rally teams with junior members. It was what made pony club special.

Allowing adults to be members and compete with the youth will, and is, causing a lot of concern.

The current solution to protecting youth from adults who are rallying is not ideal and threatens to alienate many current members. Youth leading other youth is foundational to USPC. Disallowing an 18yo from rallying with younger members cheats all involved. Adults SHOULD NOT be rallying with kids...there are many other venues for them and USPC has tried to capture this audience purely as a money grab in order to keep a huge budget going. Scale back and go back to USPC roots and mission...focus on youth through age 25.

Hate the idea of adults at champs. Think that is totally ridiculous. Like me wanting to join girls scouts. They have plenty of venues to compete in. They don't belong in the barns with our kids. Our kids DONT want adults in the barn - that's one of the coolest things they love about PC events - no parents hanging around barn. Please reconsider this. Have a separate champs for 21+ if you must but PLEASE get them out of our kids events!!!!!

Please consider how we can "weed" out so much additional stuff we are doing...things like Modified Champs are great but participation of HMX has not been positive now that less focus is placed on HMX as volunteers and they now see themselves as equal 20

members with bigger pocketbooks and more demanding voices. It has been an issue at several of our rallies and it takes away from PC's original focus. Go the route of BHS and make it a separate entity. I am not totally in support of allowing adults to join Pony Club through Horsemasters. Although it seemed that Horsemasters was once billed as a way to get more adult support, it looks like adults are now overtaking some clubs. I would like to see Pony Club remain for youth. Adults can form other organizations for their continuing activities and education.

HORSEMASTERS AND RIDING CENTERS MAY BE THE FUTURE OF PONY CLUB

I think Pony Club has done a wonderful thing in including adults and creating centers. I believe the national office needs to have more of a focus on educating instructors, barn owners and riders as to what Pony Club is and how to get involved.

A national campaign in magazines, on equine social media pages, with equine influencers on social media, etc. is needed.

Right now it is not COOL to be part of Pony Club because the marketing to the youth is not happening. Youth get their information through social media right now, and NOT facebook (that's for parents).

Find some young riders who have huge following on social media and ask them to be influencers. Every time they mention USPC they get paid - this would have more impact than magazine ads in terms of getting youth members.

Magazines ads will help find horsemasters and maybe riding centers which is where that focus should be.

There are riding schools all over the country. I don’t have the perfect answer, but making changes to be more inclusive through Riding Centers and Horsemasters could make a significant difference in engagement. I don’t know numbers, but anecdotally I am familiar with a sustained interest by adult amateurs over decades and that the Horsemasters program has not filled the gap in that demand for systematic, high-quality education, and social engagement.

Pony Club was founded at a time and for a child audience that is very different from the current under-25 population. Focusing on developing and advancing Riding Centers as a foundational source of membership and participation may help increase membership by accessing a motivated population who do not have the resources to own, lease, or maintain a horse privately.

I volunteered for multiple club’s in Virginia and in Manchester, England when I was in high school, college, and graduate school. I was never allowed to join any club as a participating member due either to lack of horse ownership or age. I’m happy to describe those details if you would like to contact me for further info. In Manchester, the Riding Center had a very well developed program with a regular schedule for mounted and unmounted lessons, expectations for participation, and the result was a group of members with higher participation than individuals who privately owned and maintained horses in separate clubs rather than the Riding Center. I’m not sure what the numbers were like throughout the rest of the UK. Finally, achievement oriented adult amateurs who want to keep learning at the highest educational standards are looking for community while they pursue their hobbies. Many are interested in riding for the love of the sport and horse, not necessarily because they’re keen to compete regularly.

Making changes to the Horsemasters program such as following the same rating progressions and/or allowing the creation of a club for over-25’s regardless of under-25’s membership/participation might help draw in members, particularly Millennials. Membership in traditional social organizations such as faith-based or country clubs have been in sharp decline while special interest group memberships have increased. Successful country clubs have created alternative memberships for the millennial age range to increase appeal and affordability.

I am DC of a small Pony Club. We have seven active members, five of whom are adults. Our membership and ability to grow has been impacted by other Pony Clubs in our same geographic area competing for members, especially youth

I would like to thank Pony Club for having the Horsemasters program (which is now obsolete.) Well, done on making Pony Club inclusive for all ages. There was a great need for this!

I love the new senior group vs horsemasters! GREAT combination! I love Pony Club!!

Modify HB requirements for horsemaster members to not have to teach as part of the HB. A lot of us have experience in other areas that should be enough to bypass this. At least this should be considered case by case. Some adults have been in horses for years and have no desire to teach.

As the competition format of PC, I think rallies work great for youth but would like to see some different kinds of opportunities for adults.

OTHER COMMENTS

I dislike that western is now allowed

Western riding is not balanced seat/ good communication between horse and rider.

I was instructor for YRs worked closely with DC and was a DC for years. I’m saddened to see it go this way. [THE REFERENCE FOR “GO THIS WAY” IS NOT APPARENT]

I fear the direction it has taken will cause the organization to dissolve. [DOES NOT DESCRIBE THE DIRECTION THAT IS OF CONCERN]

Just recognizing individuals besides just TET and HM.

How could the average horse person volunteer occasionally?