2023 treated me pretty well.
Especially in Pony Club.
That’s what this post will be about, my 2023 year in the United States Pony Club, things I did and what I learned.
It was a year of struggling and growing with Elliot, challenges and achievements. It was also a year of clinics! I had started leasing him only October of 2022 so I was working with him over the winter, but our indoor arena is small and we ended up taking a big break from late November 2022 to January or February 2023. So we had a lot of time out of the saddle and not doing anything.
January 6th HB Prep: This was what we started the year off with! It was a good experience, our club was hosting and it was held at one of our Dune Rider Pony Club member’s barns. I was in a group of people preparing for their C1. I liked going through different topics and it was where I got introduced to some new stuff. We went over Distressed Horse Scenarios, Vet Care (where we talked about parasites), Anatomy, Conformation, Farrier and Poisonous Plants. Some were taught by our members and some were taught by members in our region.
March 11th Quiz Rally: This was my first Quiz Rally! We spent a while getting ready with Quiz prep meetings at our barn which was helpful. I started learning about fox hunting and I liked when we practiced answering classroom style questions, which also helped. I learned a lot getting ready for Quiz Rally and I did a ton on Kahoot and Quizlet, trying to memorize things.
We had a team of two people from our barn and another girl from 4-H that one of them knew. We had the name “Chester’s Angels” because the three of us that were in Pony Club, the only definite ones on the team when they came up with the name, have leased the over 30 year old pony at our barn at some point. I’d say I liked all the education and fun with that and I loved feeling united with those girls on our team. I think it got too far though. And there was drama between people which made it not very fun. But I also put too much emphasis on being unified with them and other people in our club and from our barn. We tried to make an inquiry against another team.
However, we ended up getting first place in our division! We won a fraction of a point over the next closest team- the reason it was a fraction was because a question I had answered in barn phase didn’t completely answer everything but it answered some of it so she gave me a part of the score. Also, if I’m remembering correctly, that final score was not counting any points they took off the other team because of our inquiry. I still didn’t feel super great about how it ended up because of a few things that happened. I hope next time there will be less drama. And I shouldn’t be so cliquey with my team.
March 25th Clinic: So, I had a lot of time out of the saddle and not doing much with Elliot. But we got back into work and started things out great with our first clinic, taught by one of our Pony Club members. It was nice to have a couple lessons before that and start getting him back into work and then having the clinic with her to jump into it! We worked on some new ideas and bending, basically, and getting his head down- which that part was new.
Elliot was very fuzzy! I also liked my outfit, I was especially excited to use my brand new saddle pad I got for my birthday that says “Dream Chaser”. Sadly, that was my only time using it so far because shortly after, I started using a dressage saddle and that’s an all purpose saddle pad. 🙁
Bonus Lessons: At the Mini Event in 2022 we won 2 lessons in the silent auction, one with an instructor and barn owner in our area and I’ve done a clinic with her once. The other one was with a Pony Club member at the time, and recently graduated from college. These lessons were both really nice to build on the foundation for the year, learn things new to me and get a really jam-packed lesson full of good things to work on and think about.
The one with the college aged student was focused on getting prepared and signed off for my tests in June. At that time I wasn’t sure whether I would be doing them or not. She encouraged me to go for it because I was ready enough, but even if you’re not 100% prepared you should give yourself the opportunity to fail, to not be perfectly ready. Because, she said, when you’re in college and the first time you really fail something is your test in college, it’s very scary (…I think she was talking from experience. 😉😏). You can never be perfectly ready,
and of course that doesn’t mean you should not prepare for things you commit to but I thought that was an interesting way to look at it.
My lesson with the other instructor was full of new things to think about and work on. Those were fun! And it was around that time that I was really trying to decide whether to go for my D2 Dressage and D3 Flat in June.
Midwest Horse Fair: We went to the Midwest Horse Fair in Madison, which was our fourth time ever going. This year I got a lot out of it! I’m starting to get more out of it each time as I’ve began doing more with horses. We were really looking forward to watching our Pony Club friend (the same one who I did my first clinic of the year with), because she was going to be riding in TWO different clinics! She was originally signed up for the eventing clinic with Gina Miles but last minute she got the opportunity to also ride with Steffen Peters who has represented the U.S. at five Olympic Games, four FEI World Equestrian Games, and two Pan American Games. We were so excited for her with this opportunity.
Of our time there my favorite instructors were Steffen Peters, Gina Miles, Julie Winkel, and I enjoyed watching a clinic from Sally Batton as well. Let’s just say, I took a ton of notes on our program/book and I had a lot of fun! Our Pony Club friend did awesome!! I know she was thrilled to have had those opportunities! We also had a lot of fun watching the trick riders/Roman riders, Piper Yule (who’s 13!) and Haley Proctor. That was sure eye-opening and really neat!
It’s kind of become my mom, my sister and I’s thing of going out to Noodles and Company on one of the nights which is something I look forward to!
April 19th Clinic: Next, Elliot and I had our first away from home clinic! It was at one of our Pony Club member’s barns (which is beautiful! The same one as the HB Prep before), and was our first time riding there. This was a Working Equitation Clinic! It was also our first time doing that! This was a day of firsts! 😂 We were trailering with two other girls from my barn which was fun.
It was a challenging one for us.
I think I was nervous because we were running a little late so we were rushed, I had a hard time going fast when we were getting ready and I did not get a warm up. So, I was all frazzled and stressed going into it not sure if I’d get a warm up (and not knowing whether he was warmed up enough to trot later was awkward and stressful). I was worried with how he would act and when he did start acting up I got even more nervous.
It was interesting to learn different obstacles! We started with one where you have to go through set up poles in a specific order. We were struggling with that one, and I kept getting more stressed and kinda resentful. Elliot was being a stinker. But we went on to the sheep pen which was a nice relaxing one because that was just an easy walk in a circle and then a trot. We did 3 barrels and we worked on the bull. That took some getting used to with that “big, scary pole”- according to Elliot. And then for me, learning how to bridge my reins and control him while holding this heavy pole. But by the end we made it and speared the ring!
We all agreed Elliot was the most improved of the day. My instructor loved the Working Equitation and we both thought it was cool how much it’s connected with dressage. I had not realized that! A lot, if not all- that might be the point- of the obstacles have to do with a skill you preform in dressage. My instructor loved the idea of using obstacles to teach a skill, she was motivated to add that into lessons and do more of that around our barn.
I would have liked to have a warm up, for sure. And my instructor said this but it would have been nice to have a little more going on when the clinician wasn’t with you, maybe learning, playing around or practicing an obstacle on your own or something like that. Other than the bull one, we were just kinda standing around if we weren’t the one being taught at the moment.
Overall it was a fun day!
April 22nd Show Jump Rally: The same member of our club from the first clinic and Midwest Horse Fair was hoping to get to USPC National Championships in the summer, but first she had to do a local qualifying rally. She offered that I could be her stable manager and go with her and her mom to champs, and the local show jump rally first. This was a big opportunity! I had only been a stable manager shadow once, and that was the only time I’ve been at a real rally.
But I ended up being stable manger at the qualifying rally! It went well! It was hard because it was a scramble team so I didn’t really know most of them. I got dropped off in the morning and then I was basically on my own and they were all pretty independent. I was standing around for a lot of it. There was a younger girl and it was her first rally so I helped her with more things, but I think I got too into that.
But our Pony Club member did great and she qualified! Sadly, central Championships, the one we were going to go to, was canceled. I think her and I are still qualified to go to the National event for this upcoming year.
I think it would be fun to do a local rally this year and be a stable manager for a team of our club members (which was the case for the most part in the first one I did) and I also hope to ride at one this year!
May 13th Clinic: Our next clinic was rough too! It was in the early stage of Elliot and I figuring each other out at new places. I was mainly nervous because it was my first time with Elliot (he had been there before once, at least) at the property we have a lot of our Pony Club events at. He got a bit crazy that day. I was not very confident with him.
We were working on officially getting signed off for my D2 Dressage and D3 Flat. We were especially working on circles and bending. We ran through the dressage test required which was one of our first times going through it- and it was a hot mess. 😅
Aaand then I fell off. It wasn’t him being crazy or anything… he was all frazzled and looking in the distance to where his friends were and then he turned sharp and- plop. I just came right off. I was fine, it was alright. It just shook me up. The clinic didn’t end the best but I was glad it was over. It was good to get that under our belts, have his first time back to that property and afterward I think I needed just a few more things signed off for my tests.
June 3rd Clinic: Our next clinic was better! It was sad because we had to say goodbye to one of the horses at our barn that morning, Teddy.
In the lesson we stayed in the jump arena the entire time because I was riding with an OTTB, since it’s closed in versus the dressage arena is more open, which helped us. We made a makeshift dressage ring using ground poles and we made progress working on some things! I especially got some new things to think about with corners, not letting him break into a canter, leaning back and getting my shoulders back and down. All good things! And I really liked that clinician, she came the year before but it was my first time with her! I think I got some more signed off too.
June 24th D2 Dressage and D3 Flat Testing and Clinic: I was nervous but it ended up going alright. Elliot was spazzy so there was that. We got a tiny little bucking thing on video which ia fun! 😂 He was very distracted the whole time and hard to control.
But I passed! The examiner was very laid back, it was either her first or one of her first times doing a test and she was shy too. I think I could have done better at memorizing answers to the oral questions. There were some things in the test that she skipped over though, saying, “I’m sure you know this”, I brought them up a couple times and she had me do one or so. One was something like “do a 20m circle in both directions at all gaits”, and she never saw my walk so I brought that up but she said if I could do it at a trot and canter, she was sure I could do it at a walk. It’s hard to know what the examiners want to do with the warm up too because it’s a part of some of the tests but she was big on being warmed up and ready before the test. I think I had it partly done when she came over, I was probably running late, so I should have been better at that that and getting more done. Another thing I remember from this which I need to do better at implementing is not letting the reins get twisted. I hadn’t noticed this much as a problem, at least, before her and our Jt. DC at the time, another mom from the barn, were talking about that.
We had a good clinic with the examiner later. I was kinda hanging out with a girl from our barn that day, she was doing her C1 HM and I was her barn friendly, and we had our clinic together.
In the lesson we started working on C1 Flat and D3 Dressage. We were working on getting his head down and bending, she gave me a technique and image to think about for that, I forget part of it though. 😅 A few times his head went down nice and she said if we could do that, we’d pass our C1 for sure. We also did a lot of cantering, doing the same kind of stuff as well as working on keeping him going and not breaking.
August 5th Dune Rider Riders Pony Club Hunter Jumper and Dressage Show: This was our only show we did this year. It was alright, considering that. It was stressful getting ready and I was nervous. From what I’ve heard, Elliot did something the year before but other than that he hadn’t been shown for about 12 years. Our warm up was challenging- he would break into a canter and not listen and stuff. But I was being too nice on him. And I needed more confidence.
Our dressage tests were not great. We went off course twice, which was on me. I should have memorized them fully.
But we won first place in our equitation ground poles class! I literally did not think about my position or the “equitation” part the entire time. We just went slow- I was trying to keep him calm and not do anything crazy like in our test before. That was a good treat for the day! But I loved the show overall- I really stuck with some friends from the barn and our club. I loved all the organization of it too! We also did not even get to give the horses a bath that morning. 😅
August 12th Clinic: This clinic was a sign off for my D3 Dressage test coming up in September. It was pretty uneventful and good. I enjoyed the examiner’s no nonsense vibe. We had a few mishaps which was fine. I think I had started blaming Elliot on it, like “Oh yeah, he has this problem. It’s not me, I’m just like an innocent bystander, I have no control, I’m good, he just does this.” Like they should feel sorry for me. Some of the instructors or examiners don’t look at it like that though- they kinda ignore it or don’t make as big of a deal out of it as I make it, or are kinda surprised about it maybe?
She pointed out some of my errors in the dressage test. Earlier she watched my warm up while she ate her lunch. It was in the jump arena which was hard to do what my warmup routine was. I wish I would have done more- not just trotting around the side. But even if I was in the normal dressage arena, I don’t always stick to my routine and do as much as I should.
But I got signed off for my D3 dressage!
September 9th D3 Dressage Testing: This went good! I liked the examiner. We had a few mishaps but she could tell I could get through them easily, that I was expecting them. We don’t have any pictures from this for some reason. It was at the end of the season, it was kinda just thrown together. I don’t have a lot of memories about it. One thing I don’t feel great about is that there were a couple things she didn’t end up asking that I’m not sure I could have answered if she had so I kind of felt like I cheated or something.
November 4th Regional Council Meeting: For 2024 I was decided to be a Dune Riders representative on our Region’s Youth Board. I might have gone to this meeting otherwise, it was hosted by our club and pretty close to us, but getting ready to be on the Youth Board was a good reason to go too. They had an actual Youth Board meeting the night before that I couldn’t go to. But they ended up having youth sessions while the grown up concil meeting was happening, which I don’t think I knew.
The theme was “The Year of The Rally”. It was pretty good! The teens who are leaders of Youth Board do a good job. It was still awkward though and especially hard for people just going to check out Pony Club. It’s funny because it was kind of geared for people who’ve never been to a rally- which was tricky because almost all current members have been to one vs. the few non members there- but at the same time it was a very hard environment for the new kids. Just being with all these people they don’t know, then with kids leading kids, and a lot of people know some other people and are in their own little groups. Our main area was in a big board room and then we broke into small groups going to different topics. But we started watching “Walk. Ride. Rodeo” which was fun and we played a hilarious game where we passed a ping pong ball down the table using spoons in our mouths! It was a good experience to be a part of.
Now for my questions on the whole year:
What’s something you liked about it (and why)? I enjoyed all of our clinics. It was fun to get out, be united with other members, organize and manage everything and learn new things from someone new!
What’s something you disliked about it (and why)? I wish I would have been more prepared for my dressage tests in the show- I should have had them completely memorized. I also wish I would have been more prepared for other things in the Pony Club tests and allowed more time and/or gone faster at the beginning of clinics and shows. I’m rushed a lot which adds a lot of extra stress.
What was your biggest takeaway or lesson? One of them would be realizing my need to not be as “nice” of a rider. Even now, I let him get away with too many things and don’t get after him about everything. I get into the habit of constantly squeezing and bumping my leg along his side to go faster or bend, and he tones it out and I just tone myself out too.
What is something you’re curious to learn more about as a result of this experience? I’m excited to keep learning more HM. I got a good taste of new stuff this year! I’d also like to keep progressing in executing dressage skills.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about this year in Pony Club! I’m looking forward to the year ahead!
Lucy