Rules and Safety
Although Pony Club Rules and Regulations may at first seem petty and designed to make life difficult, and riding more expensive than it is already, they are here to ensure the safety of the horse and rider. Boots or shoes without heels may allow a foot to slip through the stirrups and get stuck during a fall, which may result in the rider being dragged.  A long sleeved top for show jumping and cross country gives you extra protection.  The wearing of body protectors is highly encouraged, and are now compulsory in cross-country riding.  The riding helmet needs no explanation, and should comply to safety standards.

The pony’s tack will be checked at every rally and will be checked at one day events held at Pony Clubs.  At formal rallies points will be awarded on “Turnout” for care and maintenance of horse and saddlery, and riders attire. Dirty and neglected tack can be a hazard to the pony’s health and may be unsafe if any of the stitching is worn.  It is also essential that the tack is fitted correctly.  If you are at all unsure, ask your Coach or one of the senior riders to check it for you.

Rally Nights
Pony Club rallies are held most Thursday evenings. If the rally is mounted (riding), you need to be mounted and ready to ride at the appropriate time.  We assemble in front of the clubhouse and any important information and news will be given out then.  Parents - if your riders are young or do not always remember messages, make sure you hear the notices as well. Formal coaching will be given for 1 ½ hours to include a turnout and/or gear check, HM (Horsemastership) session, warm-up exercises, ridden lesson and/or some games activity.  Other activities, such as trekking together, and learning how to ride in a group can also be scheduled.
Unmounted rallies can involve learning about horsemastership and how to care for your pony.  For your Pony Club Certificates you need to know this as well as being able to ride.  In these instances, you can leave your pony in the paddock or at home, but do remember to wear your Pony Club uniform.
If for any rally you are late, go to your Coach and wait for him/her to tell you what to do.  If you need to leave early, make sure you excuse yourself so no-one will worry where you have gone and send out a search party!

What about Certificates then?
Your Coach or Rally Coordinator will tell you when you are ready to go for your certificates.  He/she will make sure you know all you need to, to pass the test.  The club organises these exams and you want to look best on the day.  Passing your “D” certificate will allow you to wear a little “D” on your pony club badge.  The certificate grades are D, D+, C, C+, B, A & H. For B and above the exam is divided into two parts – riding and theory - you may choose to do only one part at a time.

How do Parents fit in at Pony Club?
Pony Clubs are youth organisations though we like to think of pony club as a family club.  We are forever trying to raise funds to improve facilities and to be able to send teams away to external competitions. Events and ribbon days are one way the club makes money, but take a lot of preparation.  Arenas and rings need to be set up, jumps need to be put up and cross country courses flagged.  We need ring stewards, writers, time keepers, gear checkers, BBQ assistance and a variety of other roles.  Again, here is an opportunity to learn a lot about the pony club movement.  Many hands make light work and the more the merrier applies. Running a Pony Club is quite labour intensive.  The grounds need to be looked after, the jumps need to be painted and the toilets need to be cleaned from time to time.  Working bees are held to meet these needs.  Working bees are a good opportunity to get to know some of the other parents, have some fresh air and exercise, and you might learn a bit too.  Even if you think you have no skills, we will surely find something you can do.  Our club is only going to be as good as the effort we are prepared to put into it.  It is during working bees that we make life long friends and the kids have huge amounts of fun working together - children that are not involved in these working bees can feel left out so we encourage you all to join in.

The End of Season
.... will come too soon.  There is the Closing Rally, a Prize-giving for the year, and the AGM to look forward to.  Everyone should attend these.  We discuss the year that has been and the year to come, any grizzles are aired and we can celebrate our Season.  At the Prize-giving all the prizes and trophies are given out.  There are a lot of trophies to be won, and not just for those who have been successful at competitions.  Awards are given for those riders who have shown the Most Improvement, for those who have the highest score for Turnout and Attendance at Rallies etc.