Local horselovers find like-minded colleagues at The Kawartha Pony club. It is one of 150 branches of the Canadian Association which boasts a membership of about 3,500 and is supported by almost 1,000 volunteers. Managed by volunteers, this association is dedicated to teaching equestrian skills to youth aged 6 to 25 years and to adults through their advanced Horse Masters program. Along with riding skills, members in this national not-for-profit organization learn the practical side of as horse and pony care to gain a full appreciation for their mounts. The organization fosters positive horse experience through education as well as competition.
Activities for club members range from actual riding (lessons, clinics, competitions) to exposure to equestrian theory and stable management techniques based on curriculum developed at the national level. While local clubs set their own agenda within this framework based on their access to resources, all provide a well-rounded knowledge and skill base for their members.
The local club has been active for at least 40 years, and while membership had been on the decline for many years, things are turning around. The club now has 10 active members and are gaining local interest.
The group usually meets once a month, rotating the location amongst the members’ homes. They also participate as a group in horse clinics and competitions during the warmer months, where they develop specific skills and gain experience in different settings. Members do not have to own a horse to join, but many of them do. At events like clinics where horses are required, animals can be shared by members or rented from the clinic host.
The Kawartha Pony Club is fundraising for their next big clinic called Working Rally, which will take place at Saddlewood Equestrian Centre in Bethany. This popular weekend-long event brings together members and their mounts at Saddlewood each spring. Riders have lessons in the flat, jumping, and the hunter ring or cross country schooling area, and spend time developing their stable management and hands-on horse care skills.
Like any youth organization, the club functions well thanks to the dedicated volunteers that work to deliver interesting and informative experiences for their members. Members on the club’s executive board, including Phyllis Pecile, Kim Sprague and Cheryl Payne provide administrative leadership as well as hands on help, making sure members and their horses arrive at events and working behind the scenes in organizing fundraising events to support the club.
Their next fundraising event is a spaghetti dinner beginning at 5pm on Saturday, March 9th at the Lions’ Den at the corner of Larmer Line and County Rd. 10. Come and support this local club as they prepare for their next season. Tickets are $15 per adult and $7 per child. For more information, contact melissa.blakely@hotmail.com or visit www.canadianponyclub.org. KG
