There are many different activities that take place in the pony club and all members are encouraged to participate as much as they can to improve their riding and knowledge of their pony or horse. It is also an opportunity to meet up with other members and have fun together
Rallies
Rallies are training sessions organised by our club. They can either be specific, where the training/lesson is aimed at one discipline such as flatwork/dressage, show jumping, cross country and mounted games, or general where riders will do a little bit of everything in their lesson. The rallies will generally be taken by instructors that are qualified and approved by the Irish Pony Club, or by instructors with great knowledge and experience in their field. The rallies generally cater for all levels and abilities and members will be put in groups in accordance with their age and level of ability. Rallies last approximately 1-2 hours.
NOTE: You need to take part in a minimum of three rallies to go to camp plus a tack cleaning session for the first two years of being a member.
Foot rallies
Foot rallies means that there is no need to bring your own pony/horse. These rallies can be either stable management training, learning about tack and tack cleaning or general horse management.
Fun-days and club competitions
We organise fun-days where members of the club get together, do some training in various disciplines, and compete in a fun way. There is normally a barbeque or something similar and a chance to meet other members and parents. For the last number of years we have had a dog show that has proven to be a great success. We also have annual Halloween show where all levels are catered for with show jumping starting at 40cm up to 1m. There is also a dress up competition which is the highlight for the children.
Club outings
The club organises various outings most years. We have been to Aidan O’Briens yard in Fethard, Michael Ryan’s eventing yard in Cork and racing at the Curragh to mention a few.
Pony Club Tests
In the Irish Pony Club there are a sequence of test for the members to take as they get older and their riding move to a higher level. The first test is the D, followed by D+, C, Road Safety, C+, B, H, B+ and finally A.
Within the clubs we do up till C+ and thereafter they are organised by each Area or the Irish Pony Club. Training to complete the tests is done at specific rallies and all tests consist of a riding part and a theory/stable management part.
