"Taking an inventory of our resources, one sees at the top of the list a large group of competent individuals who serve the Pony Clubs in many capacities, from District Commissioner and local committee member to national officer or member of a national board. Here lies our greatest asset – people; people dedicated to helping children to enjoy a way of life with horses and ponies, which has meant so much as a part of their own lives.”
Sherman P. Haight, Jr., M.F.H.
USPC President, 1961-1963
Started in 2001, the USPC Horsemasters Program for Adult Volunteers was developed to meet the needs of Pony Club parents and other adults to learn more about horses, to feel comfortable around the animals and secure in their knowledge about horsemanship and riding skills, thereby becoming more empowered volunteers to USPC at the local, regional and national levels. Horsemasters Groups may be formed in affiliation with a Pony Club, a Riding Center or a Region, and are open to anyone, who is not a current Participating Member, 18 years of age or older.
While the Horsemasters Program is based on the USPC Standards of Proficiency, members do not do the ratings of youth participating members. Their achievements are topic based, meaning that members can learn as much or as little as they want about a particular topic, such as grooming, bandaging, jumping, etc... This means that while mounted meetings will be offered, it is not necessary to ride in order to be a member.
Currently there are two levels of Horsemasters Expectations, the Bronze and Silver Awards, but higher levels may be offered in the future. The Bronze level is based on D-1 through D-3 standards for unmounted instruction and on D-1 and D-2 standards for mounted instruction. The Silver level is based on C-1 and C-2 standards for unmounted and D-3 through C-2 for mounted instruction.
Please remember, while the awards are divided into sections similar to the participating member ratings, the Horsemasters Expectations and Awards remain different.
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Unmounted Expectations |
Mounted Expectations |
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Turn Out/Tack
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Travel Safety
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Conditioning
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Teaching
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Nutrition
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Stable Management
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Conformation and Lameness
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Loading/Longeing
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Record Book
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Health Care and Veterinary Knowledge
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Foot and Shoeing/Bandaging |
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Riding on the Flat
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Riding Over Fences
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Riding in the Open |
Want to Join the Fun?
Check out our Find a Club/Center/Group page for the region you live in to see if there is a Horsemaster Group in your area. If you're interested in forming a new Horsemasters Group please check out the Horsemasters Liaison Guide. If you have any questions or would like additonal information please fill out the following information:
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