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COLUMBIA — Members of the Hinkson Valley Pony Club typically weigh 100 to 130 pounds. Their horses weigh about 10 times that much, between 1,000 and 1,200 pounds. That is a lot of horse for anyone to handle.
Recently, 9-year-old Kate Pani was thrown from her 13.1-hand, 700-pound pony while warming up at the Midwest Region Mega Rally. She dusted herself off and got back on her mount, all within 60 seconds. Kate went on to ride a clean round in the 2’6” show jumping division.
Go to hinksonvalleyponyclub.org or call District Commissioner Lora Blair at 573-355-0678.
- Rosie Purvis jumps her horse, Tucker, on the first day of Mega Rally. She has been riding since she was 8. This past year, Rosie purchased Tucker, or Snortalofagus as she sometimes calls him, from William Woods University in Fulton. Before that, she had leased him from the university. Rosie spends about four to six hours a day with her horse.
- Rosie Purvis, 16, practices placing a bandage on her horse Tucker, a "17-hand bay monster," during a rating assessment at Fox Run in April. Rosie recently received her C-3 and H-B ratings. Eventually she aspires to obtain an A rating. Rosie equates an A rating in Pony Club with being an Eagle Scout: "If you say that you have an A in Pony Club on your resume, it is impressive to people, because it shows that you are very dedicated to what you do and that you know a lot and in the horse world it is understood by everybody that you are quite capable of taking care of a barn."
Before joining Pony Club in 2006, Rosie said her horse management skills were less than refined. For example, she knew roughly how often she would need to have the shoes on her horse replaced; however, she never kept a running log of how much she paid the farrier or what type of work he did. She now keeps a record book with all of the expenses for both her horse, Tucker, and any necessary purchases of riding tack and equipment. - With the clock ticking, Brittany Penrod, Kate Pani, Rachel Quick and Peyton Brown rush to assemble a bridle in the last seconds of a timed exercise during the barn phase of this year's Midwest Region Quiz Rally held in March in Kansas City. Pony Club places a strong emphasis not only on horsemanship skills but also on horse management, safety and care. Members can receive ratings separately for horsemanship skills and knowledge skills. One of Hinkson Valley's teams The Motorcycle Mustangs (pictured) placed third in their division and seventh overall at this year's Quiz Rally. The Motorcycle Mustangs also won the much-rivaled T-shirt competition this year for their black rhinestone-studded handmade creations.
- Members of Hinkson Valley's Jump 4 Dressage team rest before the start of competition on the first day of this year's Mega Rally. Although riding is typically thought of as an individual sport, Pony Club encourages teamwork through team competitions and awards in annual events such as Quiz Rally, Mega Rally and Games Rally. Jump 4 Dressage placed first in its section for show jumping.
- Stable Manager Nichole Sandner and Brittany Penrod of the Team Red Bull Gives you Wings wash down Smokey at this year's Mega Rally. Rally participants are required to present themselves and their horses prior to the beginning of competition for a formal assessment not only of their horse's grooming and upkeep but also of the rider's attire.
- First-year Pony Club member Emily Pugh, 15, reviews the results of her first rating assessment at Fox Run in May. Although this is Emily's first year in Pony Club, this is not her first year riding. She has been receiving instruction from Gretchen Pani for about five years and previously rode with a different instructor. In July, Emily rated up to the level of D-3.
These kids are tough. Members of Hinkson Valley Pony Club, and similar clubs across the country, do this every day — not excluding weekends.
Competitive horse riding is unlike any other sport, said Lora Blair, the club's district commissioner.
"With football or baseball you can put your bat or ball in your closet and not think about it for a week, but you can't do that with horses," Blair said. "They have to be taken care of each and every day."
The Hinkson Valley Pony Club was founded more than 30 years ago and provides mid-Missouri members with opportunities to pursue various equestrian activities and expand their knowledge of horse management skills.
The club hosts mounted meetings every few weeks and holds training sessions in activities such as vaulting, during which a rider performs gymnastic skills on horseback. Club meetings and events are coordinated by parents and rely heavily on both the time and knowledge of a committed corps of volunteers.
Regional team-based competitions are held yearly at the Midwest Region Quiz Rally, Mega Rally and Games Rally traditionally held in the spring, summer and fall respectively. From these competitions, members have the opportunity to advance to national events.
The Hinkson Valley Pony Club has 22 members and is one of about 600 such clubs across the United States that, as a whole, include more than 11,000 members up to 25 years old.
Ratings are one of the defining characteristics of Pony Club. New members join as unrated. Ratings progress from the lower locally awarded ratings of D-1, D-2, D-3, C-1 and C-2 to nationally awarded ratings of C-3, H-B, B, H/H-A and A. Ratings are a general way of assessing the level of competency and knowledge of club members. The H-B, H and H-A ratings focus more on knowledge-based skills such as horse management, safety and teaching while the other ratings are more concerned with mounted skills.
Blair said the most important values the club teaches its members are teamwork and responsibility.
"That horse never leaves — he is going to be there with you from the time that you buy him until his death," she said. "You are always going to have a horse, a live being, that you are going to have to take care of every single day."
Comments
Wonderful article about a fantastic group of kids and their families! Proud to be part of the USPC. Thanks so much Ryan