You are correct. Pony Club has good points
but doesn't appeal to all kids. One of the things many like about
endurance is the 'lack of many rules'. Pony Club does have lots of
rules. Just a thought: I wonder if there is a group of horseless
youth out there that might benefit from being taken 'under the wing' of some
folks who have more horses than they can keep up with. However, I
the problem of liability rears it's ugly head. Any ideas???
Interestingly enough, I've just returned from U.S. Pony
Clubs Annual Meeting in Kansas City, MO. Pony Club has formalized
encouragement to members to "get out and ride in the open" and so had a
D.V.M. Pony Club Mom NATRC judge presenting a seminar about CTR. Pony
Club Rallies (events) and CTR events can be run concurrently very
economically. While CTR is not yet a "Championship" catagor, it could
be close, especially with Olympic level competition
with Endurance.
Pony Club is a ready-made body of (no minimum age)
to age 25 riders with infrastructure in place--U.S.P.C. and AERC etc.
could work together and both would benefit! Check out www.ponyclub.org
Sharlene (new D.C.
of Kaweah Pony Club, Mid Cal Region, and AERC
member)
