PrintThe organization’s leaders are planning for the future but not forgetting the past.
For an organization steeped in 55 years of tradition, it can be difficult to loosen the grasp on the past, but members and leaders of the U.S. Pony Clubs continue to demonstrate that they are willing to make room for innovation, while maintaining the group’s core belief system. Exemplifying that mindset were the yellow “Why Change?” stickers sported by attendees of the USPC’s Annual Meeting, held Jan. 21-25 in Greenville, S.C., and organized by the Carolina Region.
At last year’s meeting, then USPC President Art Kramer explained that 2008 would bring a break from the barrage of new programs introduced in the few years prior and that the focus would turn to greasing the wheels of the organization to help assimilate those new features. These new programs have met with ever increasing success, but in the interim, organizers haven’t snapped open their lounge chairs, cracked open a frosty beverage and taken a break.
“USPC as it’s currently structured is not sustainable, and that’s not easy for me to say,” explained Executive Director Peggy Entrekin at the Meeting of the Corporation on Saturday morning, alluding to the many societal, technological, land-use and economic issues at play.
Faced with a steady decline in traditional membership of approximately 2 percent annually since 2000 and 4.3 percent last year, the latter likely exacerbated by the current economic climate, USPC leaders had embarked on a five-year strategic plan initiative. They wanted to identify the organization’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in an effort to identify ways to reverse that trend and improve their programs.
Their research unearthed challenges to USPC’s current modus operandi in five categories: peer-to-peer contact, volunteerism, member contact with horses, communication and horse management. Since December, members, parents and leaders at the local, regional and national levels have all been repeatedly solicited for their input on these issues and others to help shape the future of Pony Club.
Visit www.ponyclub.org and check in “National Updates” from the “Publications” link to find three special edition messages chock full of questions awaiting feedback on all aspects of USPC. The first round of answers submitted has already been compiled and is posted under “What’s New” on their homepage.
While calling for this input, USPC has also formed “Bridge Group” committees of individuals from both within and outside of the organization to study the areas of: Culture, Product/Brand, Structure, Educational Model, Volunteers and Funding. With the World Equestrian Games slated to bring hordes of eager horse people and their kids literally to the front door of USPC headquarters at the Kentucky Horse Park next year, they want to put their best face forward and ensure they’re offering a program that’s suitable, appealing and beneficial to today’s youth while maintaining the group’s overall standards and ideals.
“USPC has a proud history of tradition. We don’t do growth for growth’s sake. We grow so that we can sustain what we have,” explained Pat Maykuth, Strategic Planning Project Manager, during the Meeting of the Corporation.
