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Establishing A Pony Club Riding Center
Purpose: To offer the Pony Club program through facilities with a riding lesson program.
Reason: To make Pony Club membership available to youth who would traditionally have not been able to participate in Pony Club due to not owing or having consistent access to a horse or pony.
At the January 2005 USPC Board of Governors meeting, the Board approved beginning a test phase for the creation of USPC Riding Centers. Currently a five-year pilot period exists to allow analysis of the potential value of the Riding Center Program while enabling changes or adjustments as necessary. The USPC Riding Center Program is modeled after the British Pony Club Center Program, which has had phenomenal success. They currently have over 400 Centers and have over 10,000 Center members.
The purpose of the Riding Center Program is to make available Pony Club membership to youth who would not traditionally been able to participate in Pony Club due to not owing or having consistent access to a mount. Many of our Clubs have addressed this issue on a local basis. The Riding Center Program will address it on a national basis.
The Riding Center Program is designed to work with facilities that currently have a riding lesson program in place. The facility must be able to offer the core disciplines of Pony Club and be able to handle the administrative work involved in running a Pony Club Riding Center. The full Pony Club program and all Pony Club opportunities will be offered to those members participating through a Riding Center.
During the trial period a very limited number of facilities will be granted Riding Center status. Those facilities interested in becoming a recognized Riding Center may contact the National Office at aileen@ponyclub.org for more information. Due to restrictions, not all facilities will be able to proceed immediately in the process of becoming a USPC Riding Center. | 
