The horse and rider: They’re a potent American symbol of individuality, from the lone cowboy heading into the sunset to the Cinderella entry streaking across the finish line to win the Kentucky Derby. So it seems incongruous to think of riding as a team sport, but that’s part of the philosophy of the United States Pony Clubs.
Based in Lexington, Ky., Pony Clubs is a national youth equestrian organization. With more than 11,000 members under 21, it’s dedicated to teaching youngsters to become better horsemen (or women) and, most important, to encouraging “attributes for a lifetime: confidence, unselfishness, responsibility, discipline, humaneness.” This is achieved through an educational system of ratings that assess a member’s horsemanship.
Because Pony Clubs are run almost entirely by volunteers, save a small national administrative staff in Lexington, family forms the backbone of the organization. All programs–such as weeklong camps, lessons, fundraisers and competitions–are put together by volunteers on the local and regional levels.
Young riders are put to the test at popular regional competitions called rallies, which focus on teamwork as well as horsemanship; there is no individual competition. Besides their riding skills, pony clubbers (as they call themselves) are judged on how well they care for the horses, adding an often-missed aspect to equestrian competition. Here is a diary of a recent rally at Indian Hills Equestrian Center in the Kane County village of Gilberts.
Day 1: When the barns open at 10 a.m., trailers start to stir up dust on the long gravel driveway. Doors open and slam shut and horses’ hoofs stomp out of the trailers. The barn aisles, calm just minutes earlier, become chaotic. There is a rush to unload everything before the barns close to parents at 11 (the kids do all the work themselves) and the competition begins.
This rally has drawn 19 teams from eastern Iowa, western Indiana and most of Illinois. Each has three or four members plus a stable manager who makes sure the stalls are always mucked, the water buckets are always filled, all the riders are on time and everything is super-clean.
As the kids settle their horses into their temporary homes, they have a lot to do. Stalls are inspected for potential hazards such as loose boards and protruding nails. Water buckets are filled and hung at the appropriate height. Bedding is spread in each stall. In the tack room, saddle and bridle racks are hung, and saddlery is arranged neatly.
Though there is no riding today, the competition has begun. Todays primary contest, to the bane of many, is the written test, which covers basic veterinary care, feeding regulations and barn safety.
After the scores are posted, the horses are fed and put away for the night. Parents can once again speak to their children, and team chaperones take the pony clubbers back to the hotel where there is pizza and pasta for everyone.
Day 2: The wake-up call is early, 5 a.m. The horses must be fed as soon as the barns open at 6; it’s unhealthful for them to exercise right after eating. While the horses munch quietly on hay and grain, each team helps its first rider get ready for formal inspection by a horse management judge. Everything must be immaculate, and the horse must show the positive effects of daily care: a shiny coat, healthy hoofs, clean skin. Saddles and bridles must be perfectly cleaned and oiled, and riders must have clean breeches and polished boots. While team members pitch in, the stable manager does the dirty work; no one wants to get messy right before inspection.
At 7:55 a.m., the first riders head to formal inspection. The judge will have about 10 minutes to go over every inch of horse, rider and tack and, in the view of the pony clubbers, try to find as many points to deduct as possible.
After inspection, each rider heads to the warm-up ring to prepare for his or her ride. Today’s competition is dressage, in which a horse and rider show the different gaits of each horse and the accuracy of the rider, earning points for every movement. Some horses do a little ad-libbing: An adorable pony becomes suddenly less cute as it gallops flat out across the arena, riderless. A few horses see “ghosts” near the judges stand or in a particular corner of the ring and refuse to go near them. But if Pony Club teaches anything, it teaches sportsmanship, and the luckless riders take it gracefully.
Back in the barns, the 90-degree heat is bearing down. But when each rider comes back from competition, the desire to collapse in a chair with a bottle of Gatorade cannot be indulged. In an exercise called turnback, the horses must be cooled out and presented to judges along with tack and the rider’s boots, which have to be cleaned again.
As riders and stable managers clean tack and repolish boots, music leaks quietly out of boom boxes in each tack room. Though the pony clubbers have been up since dawn, riding and performing continual physical labor, their laughter is still heard throughout the barn. Kids crawl in and out of stalls, giggle as they drag buckets of manure to the dumpster, and play practical jokes.
After the last turnback, the barns become livelier as pony clubbers gather for awards. As each placing is announced, parents and clubmates cheer loudly for their friends. Today, the big winner is a Peoria group called Heart of Illinois.
Now the process must go in reverse: Tack stalls are taken down, trucks are packed and hitched to the trailers, and horses’ legs are neatly wrapped for protection and support. As per pony club tradition, a water fight breaks out, and no one is spared judges, parents or pony clubbers–but after two days in the 90-degree heat, no one seems to mind the shower. Parents agree the aroma of the drive home may benefit from it.
After everything is loaded up, everyone says, “Until next time.” Some drives will be longer than others, but they’ll all be quiet. The pony clubbers are asleep by the time they reach the end of the stable driveway.
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The Chicago-area Pony Clubs are Bull Valley in McHenry County, Fox River Valley in Barrington, Kinnikinnick in Rockford, St. James in Naperville, and Wayne DuPage in St. Charles.
