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To add to the excitement of the 2008 Prince Philip Cup Games Competition held in conjunction with Rolex/Kentucky 3-Day Event, the USPC will again hold the “Celebrity Challenge Round” where well known Rolex “Celebrities” (competitors, course designers and announcers) are invited to join the five Pony Club teams for a round of games.

The Celebrity Challenge will be held at noon on Friday, April 25th, in the Walnut Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. “Celebrities” should be graduate Pony Club members, both from the United States and from other countries. Participation of the celebrities will depend upon the final Rolex competition schedule.

Mounted Games is a series of relay races on horseback, where the riders must perform different skills while riding at speed. An example is the Balloon Race, where balloons are placed on a board in the middle of a 180 foot arena. The riders race from one end with a pole and pop one balloon while riding past at a gallop, then hand the pole to a teammate at the other end who returns and pops a balloon along the way. The first team to have four riders successfully pop a balloon and cross the finish line wins. These riders also perform games that require them to dismount and pick an object off of the ground and then vault back on to the pony as it moves out – no stirrups, just jump and pull on! A picture beats a thousand words with this sport.

There are approximately 12,000 members of USPC in over 600 clubs and centers throughout the country. Along with an emphasis on helping members learn to ride and care for horses, Pony Club promotes teamwork, a sense of responsibility, safety, good moral judgment and self-confidence.