Mackenzie Williams (GVPC) riding Bob-Dew at the 2009 USPC Championships in Lexington, VA

“As a member of the United States Pony Club, I stand for the best in sportsmanship as well as in horsemanship. I shall compete for the enjoyment of the game well played and take winning or losing in stride, remembering that without good manners and good temper, sport loses its cause for being. I shall endeavor to maintain the best tradition of the ancient and noble skill of horsemanship, always treating my horse with the consideration due a partner.” - The Pony Club Pledge

The mission of the United States Pony Clubs, Inc. is to provide a program for youth that teaches riding, mounted sports, and the care of horses and ponies, thereby developing responsibility, moral judgment, leadership, and self confidence. The core activity of USPC is exemplified in the sport of eventing and involves riding on the flat, over fences, and in the open. Many of the competitors here at the Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials can credit some measure of their success to the foundation they received in pony club. Clubs can accept children as young as 6 and up to the age of 25. Nationally the organization is divided into regions. The Western New York region, which is made up of 12 clubs and 2 riding centers, has a long and colorful history. The Genesee Valley Pony Club was a charter member of the United States Pony Clubs, Inc. when it was established in 1954. The co-founder of Mendon Pony Club, Rufus Wesson (father of Stuart property owner and supporter Ebets Judson) went on to become president of the national organization. He’s famously quoted as saying that “pony club strives to produce a happy child on a happy horse.” Peggy Entrekin, graduate A from the Mendon Pony Club, is presently the executive director of USPC. The WNY region has produced a number of Olympians and international eventers including John Williams, Michael Barisone, Bonnie Mosser and Diann Roffe. This proud tradition of excellence continues with the pony clubbers of today. For more information on pony club and how to become a member you may contact the regional supervisor Kim Rengert at kmrengert@yahoo.com or 585-319-9799.

This ad will appear in the Stuart Horse Trials program but in a different format.

GVPC's Ingrid Donnan to ride at Rolex in the Prince Philip Games!

Ingrid Donnan (second from left) and Margo Miller (far left) from the WNY region were part of the winning games team at Championships in 2009 and will be participating in the Prince Phillip Cup games demo at the Rolex 3-Day Event in Kentucky at the end of the month! The schedule is as follows:

Thursday, April 22

12 noon-Mounted Police Demonstration
12:45-Keeneland Pony Club Quadrille
1:00-K-9 Unit Demonstration
2:30-Practice Round for the Prince Philip Cup Games

Friday, April 23

8:30-Round 1 of the PPC Games
11:30-USEA Future Event Horse Evaluation
12:30-Celebrity Round of the PPC Games-watch as PC graduates team up with
the kids for a round of games
1:00-Round 2 of the PPC Games
3:00-Saddle Fitting Demonstration by Schleese Saddlery: Saddle fitting
solutions to the bio-mechanics of the moving horse
3:30-Cross-Country Walk for Pony Club members with former Rolex competitor
Eric Dierks, A, Fox River Valley Pony Club, North Central Prairie Region.
Course walk will follow the last dressage ride; meet at the Start
Box-approximate time 3:30PM

Saturday, April 24

9:00-Round 3 of PPC Games
11:30-Terrier Races
12:15-Driving Demonstration by Barb Sheerin
12:45-Reining Demonstration by Mike Harper
3:00-Saddle fitting demo by Schleese Saddlery: Saddle fitting solutions to
the bio-mechanics of the moving horse

Sunday, April 25

9:00-Stadium Course Walk* for Pony Club members with Richard Jeffery, course
designer. Meet at back gate of SJ arena be sure to wear your Pony Club pin
for course walk; tentative time is 9:00AM(on the lake side of arena)
tentative time 9:00 AM.

by Jessica Hainsworth, C-1, Genesee Valley Pony Club What a year, and what a journey I have had. I am Jessica Hainsworth, a C-1 in the Genesee Valley Pony Club. I love dressage, and have had a great partner in my 10-year-old paint mare named Monday's Child. We have been competing together for a few years and this year our goal was to compete at the USPC Championships in Virginia. I qualified, and had a great time there, but that was just the beginning of my journey. I found out that I had been selected to represent USPC at the Youth Dressage Festival in early summer, and what an experience it was! I want to thank Pony Club for sponsoring a team to go to the Youth Dressage Festival held at the HITS grounds in Saugerties, NY. It was one of the best experiences of my life! I met wonderful riders from all around the country. I had a great time being part of the USPC team, setting up our tack room, meeting everyone's family and hearing where they were from... it was all so much fun! I had an amazing time. My favorite memory was of riding with one of the roving trainers who like us, were young dressage riders too, but most are now top national level Young Riders. The work that I did with my roving trainer led me to a 4th place finish in my division overall. The experience of meeting great people like Laura Aiken, Lendon Gray, and so many more who have a real love of dressage and are so tremendously supportive of young riders and their dressage goals was so moving. Even though it was my first time there, I felt like family it was such a great, kind, supportive environment. Everyone was so nice throughout the entire week, from the judges to the other competitors; it was just one of the best experiences of my life. The end of the weekend was the special awards and special classes like dressage trail, Prix Caprilli, and lead line. It was a great way to end the weekend helping my little sister Faith, a D1 in Pony Club, get my horse ready for their lead line class. She was judged by Lendon Gray and was asked lots of questions about horse knowledge, which thanks to what she has learned in Pony Club, she knew them all from where the pommel was to that my horse was a piebald paint! She came in 2nd out of about 10 kids and it was so much fun to see her enjoy the weekend as much as I did.