|
|
Misty Mountain Pony Club |
To provide answers the questions of prospective members, read below for information on our club:
You can also look at this New Member Guide published by United States Pony Club. You might have additional questions. If so, please email our New Member Coordinator.
Meetings: Misty Mountain holds both mounted and unmounted meetings between September and June. We tend to take the summer off as many of our members are active in eventing as well as other activities. If you want to sit in on one of our meetings, you are welcome to stop by. Please contact the New Member Coordinator for meeting details and directions.
Mounted meetings: We usually meet on Sundays at the High Valley community arena, a private facility located at May Valley Road and SE 127th Street. Some meetings may be held at other locations (Redmond, Yelm, Carnation, etc.) so having access to a horse trailer to bring your horse to mounted meetings is sometimes needed. Mounted meetings are scheduled based on instructor availability. The club has one to two mounted meetings each month.
Unmounted Meetings: We meet the first Monday of every month between September and June. Occasionally we shift the meeting date to accommodate holidays. We meet at either the High Valley Community club house or at the Sunset Way Fire Station in Issaquah WA. Meeting start at 6:30 or 7:00 pm and end close to 8:00 pm. We cover various horse management topics and try to have 2-3 speakers throughout the year.
Sponsor Meetings: Each member or family of members has a sponsor (AKA a parent) role in our club. Sponsors meet as needed throughout the year at the Starbucks at 1460 NE Gilman Blvd, Issaquah.
Trailering Your Horse: As a member of our club, you can compete in rallies and mounted lessons. These opportunities might require you to trailer your horse up to 1 1/2 hours one way. Having access to a horse trailer and a suitable tow vehicle will come in handy. Occasionally carpool arrangements with another pony clubber can be made. However an agreement should be worked out ahead of time in case of injury to horse or damage to trailer .
Member: Our club requires members to be at least 7 years of age or in the second grade that the time they join. At present the maximum age for Pony Club is 21, although there is currently discussion at the national level of extending the maximum age to 25.
Horse: The National organization sets 5 years of age as the minimum age for your horse to participate in pony club activities. As long as your horse is suitable for the given activity, there is no maximum age limit. See "suitability of mount" for more information on when a horse may not be allowed to participate in pony club activities.
Dues (Club, Region, National): See below for a detailed list of dues collected by our club. Dues total approximately $400 for the year. You may opt to participate in other activities (rallies, camps, clinics, rating preps, and mounted meetings with cross-country schooling fees) for which you would also have to pay fees.
|
|
Level |
$ |
How Often |
When Due |
|
|
National |
75 | per year |
Paid in full in September for next year or prorated when member joins in mid year. |
|
|
Regional |
45 | per year |
Paid in full in September for next year or prorated when member joins in mid year. |
|
|
Club Member |
20 |
per month |
Paid for the months September – June. Collected quarterly. |
|
|
Club Sponsor |
5 |
per month |
Paid for the months September – June. Collected quarterly. |
|
|
Mounted meeting fee |
10 |
per meeting |
Paid in advance if required. |
US Pony Club Expectations: The mission of United States Pony Club is to educate riders to safely take care of their ponies. Just like school, each member moves up through a series of ratings or grades. Everyone starts at the level of "unrated" and passes ratings to move up through the levels (D1, D2, D3, C1, C2, C3, B, HA, and A.)
The rating system tests for both the horsemanship and riding ability and Pony Club has standards that spell out what is required at each rating level. If you ultimately pass the HA/A rating, you will have received excellent vocational training that qualifies you to work with and train horses and riders.
Activities: Aside from participating in club activities, Pony Club offers a variety of activities at the regional and national levels.
Northwest Region: The Northwest Region sponsors rallies (competitions) in dressage, eventing, show jumping, games, etc. There are also workshops, seminars, and camps that you can attend.
National: United States Pony Club offers international exchanges, youth congresses, conventions, championship rallies and every three years, a grand gathering of all competitors and pony clubbers called Festival.
Commitment to Our Club: Our club expects members to be "in good standing." This means that each member and their parent or guardian do the following:
Are current on all dues (member, sponsor, regional, and national)
Attends mounted meetings and misses 3 or less unmounted meetings in one year (September - June)
Participates in at least one mounted lesson each year (September - June)
Participates in or buys out of fund raising activities
Consistently exhibits courteous, respectful, and sportsman-like behavior.
Actively participates in sponsor duties (by helping on club committees, attending sponsor meetings, assisting in mounted meeting set up or breakdown, etc.)
A Suitable Horse: Whether you own or lease a horse, the horse must be at least 5 years old to participate in pony club activities and it must be suitable for the activities you want to participate in. The safety of both rider and horse are of the top priority at any pony club activity. If a horse is deemed inappropriate for the rider and/or the activity, the club's District Commissioner (DC) will not allow the rider to continue to participate in the specific activity. If you are unsure about your horse, a pony club instructor can help you assess its suitability.
Club Demographics: Currently our club's membership spans the ages of 7-19 and across the full spectrum of rating levels.
. The club also includes members that are unrated in the pony club rating system as well as having graduates at the D, C, B, and A levels. In short, we have a variety of age groups scattered across the various rating levels. There is bound to be someone you can relate to!
| Competitions | ||||
|
|
Site Index |
|
| Questions? Email MMPC Web Master | Copyright 2007 : Misty Mountain Pony Club |