"I’m a new pony club member, and I can’t tell you how much my riding has improved since starting the PPG Practices".
By Sommer Burrows
Hi, my name is Sommer Burrows. I am 11 years old, and last year I joined the Guelph Pony Club.
What does Pony Club mean to me?
Pony Club is time spent with your pony in situations that most riders may not get the experience to do. Playing games on your ponies - what now? Shooting a ball into a net while leaning off your horse with a hockey stick - who does that? Pony Club does.
I’m a new pony club member, and I can’t tell you how much my riding has improved since starting the PPG Practices. I have more confidence in my riding skills. I know more about my pony too. I have had the best time learning about the Prince Phillip Games, attending Cross Country events, being a groom at Rally, and even taking the lead at orienteering at Le Trec.
Every week from May until Regionals we meet at the Peace Farm and hold our PPG practices.
Let me take you through a typical PPG practice day, we meet at the barn around 4 pm, feed our ponies, and groom them. We load them in our trailers and make the 20-minute drive to the farm. Then we unload our ponies and tie them to the trailer. We tack up and are ready to ride by 6 pm. We typically ride for an hour and a half, taking turns learning the games and trying to master them.
It’s so pretty at the Peace’s Farm. Every June our Pony Club hosts a sleepover with the Ponies. It’s the best time. We practice on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We make smores and catch fireflies. Who gets to sleep outside in tents with horses just steps away? Lucky people, that’s who.
My next favorite event would be the cross-country lessons we take part in at Glen Arden Farm. They are incredible. There’s nothing quite like jumping Cross country in a wide-open field.
I also love jumping at Sharla Wood's beautiful farm. She always has the cutest jumps!
I also love our education nights. The volunteers that make up education are the most amazing people, from teaching us about horses' nutrition to taking us on field trips to an Equine Vet. We feel grateful that our lesson, Barn Horseworks, is such a huge support to Pony Club, not only lending us horses but also her time.
Yes, it’s lots of early mornings and late nights but there's nothing like seeing your hard work and determination pay off. And that doesn’t always mean you win, it might just mean your pony who was scared to do an activity or walk through water, this time just did it, no questions asked.
Pony Club is celebrating its 90th year this year. I love that this is a tradition that gets passed down from generation to generation. Pony Club is very popular in the UK. The Motto for Pony Club is loyalty, character and sportsmanship. Our Pony Club feels like one big family. We take care of each other and we learn from each other and we are lucky to have one another.