All the news From Hill Top Pony Club

 Did you know that Western Trail is one of the newest events accepted by USPC (The United States Pony Clubs, Inc.) as a rally?  Members who are eligible and meet the requirements of the discipline at a regional rally may go on to compete in the National Championships. Here is some information from the Western Trail Rulebook for Rallies "Western Trail in Pony Club uses similar obstacles and challenges that are seen in other shows that contain a trail class. Members compete on a team of 3 to 4 riders with a stable manager and generally complete 2 to 3 courses at a rally. One or two of the rounds are a traditional trail class round with a specific order of obstacles, each obstacle judged using a scale which evaluates the mount and rider team and how successful they were at negotiating the obstacle challenge. One round may be a speed round with a time limit. Each obstacle must be negotiated successfully and bonus points may be awarded for successfully completing more obstacles tha...

 2021 USPC Championships and Festival      Regional Spirit was big. Check out this Video to see a re-cap. Let's start planning our next trip to Festival and Championship!  It's coming in 2024.

 I am planning on more posts about the 2021 USPC Championships and Festival, but this first post is a brief overview our club participation in the 2021 Quiz division. Three members of Hill Top Pony Club qualified for the modified division of USPC Championship Quiz in 2020. We all hoped to participate in the big Championship and Festival extravaganza that only happens every three years in 2020 but to due to COVID outbreaks, the event was pushed back until 2021. This was both good and bad for our members. While it gave us time to study, it was also hard to imagine the event. Our members held on to hope and I am proud of what they accomplished! The only Rio Grande Region Club to compete in Quiz Hill Top Pony Club fielded the only Rio Grande Region team to compete in the Quiz championship. Our members competed in the modified D division for Juniors. This meant that their competition started at the D2 level but they were asked questions in more than one category up to the C1 level. Ther...

 This year has been particularly challenging for riders. We experienced not one but TWO snow/ice storms this winter.  And, the rains never seemed to stop in April and May. We had so much rain, we pushed our June summer camp back a week.  Sunny weather was on hand for us, though, when we finally held our June camp at Garey Park, a former 525-acre ranch that was donated to the City of Georgetown, TX. The park is a wonderful resource in our area with equestrian trails, arenas and trail obstacles and proved to be an excellent venue for our day camp and certification testing.  We welcomed six new D1 members into the HTPC stable of rated members and one of our established members started on her path of Western Dressage certification. That was a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time! It was only possible with the excellent organization by all of the HTPC volunteers. We have a village of engaged parents, family members and general volunteers and we are thankful for all...

      The  United States Pony Clubs, Inc., henceforth referred to as USPC, allows people of all ages to gain an in-depth understanding of all things related to horses. USPC uses a testing system to determine proficiency in both riding and horsemanship. This testing system may seem daunting at first, which is why we have provided a short break-down of everything.

 One thing that stands out for me with Pony Club is the propensity of checklists. I love checklists, they give me a chance to slow down mentally so I can be sure I have covered as many areas as possible and don't accidently overlook something important. The following Pre-Ride and Post-Ride Checklist is one of my new favorites: The latest edition of Pony Club News has an article by noted world-class groom, Emma Ford, on Pre-Ride and Post-Ride checklists.  For the complete article follow this link, PRE-RIDE & POST-RIDE CARE . This is my Pre-Ride Checklist: Know when your horse is fed. Are you showing up to ride when it might be eating or shortly there after? If so, use your time wisely to gather your gear together so your horse is not waiting on the cross-ties for you to be organized. I may use this time to stretch especially if I spent a lot of time in front of the computer. This is also the perfect time to practice my riding posture before I am on horseback and have even m...

 Brrrr January 10, 2021  This was a day of unusual weather. Here are some of the photos from our Pony Clubbers documenting the weather. Central TX snow also brings mud! Sign-in to your USPC account and checkout these links from the Pony Club IQ, sponsored by TheHORSE.com, on Winter weather care: Winter Water Access for Horses (D Level)  Cold Weather Horse Colic (C Level) Winter Horse Pasture and Paddock Management (C Level)