Clueless about pony club

[Evntr4Life]

So I have an "out there question"

I've been riding forever and was raised in a "pony club" type enviornment but was never actually in pony club.

After I finish college I want to go be a working student and eventually try to make horses into my career.

So, here's my question. If you've never been in pony club can you sign up and immediately try and get your B or A rating? Or do you have to go through D1, D2, D3, C1, ect.

Sounds crazy I know but I think if I studied up a bit I could do it. I don't know, maybe that's way out there but thought I'd ask.:confused:

[Eventer13]

You have to go through all of them. Some clubs will allow you to test in at D3/C1 or so, but you can't just go to B or A.

[Evntr4Life]

ohhh mannnnnnnnnn.

scratch that then. i'll be dead before i get to A.

thanx tho.

[trubandloki]

How often are you allowed to test?

[PracticalCat]

You have to start at the D1/D2 which is the only rating you can combine, but there is no longer any waiting period between ratings so you can do them all pretty qucikly now.

Actually, it looks like you can do D1-D3 on the first rating now.

[Little Valkyrie]

Well, you have until you're 25 now, so you get a few years after college. Also, there is no time limit between upper level ratings, you could feasibly do 4 or 5 ratings in one summer/year if you were so inclined. I would talk to your local club and see if you can work something out.

(PC I think we posted at the same time ;) )

[carolinagirl191]

I joined pony club at 19 and got my B in just before I turned 21. My DC petitioned that I be given an additional year to try for HA and A since I was late to the organization. We were turned down. I was recently at a cocktail party telling my story, and a gentleman seemed amused. We compared notes and HE was the board member who ademently denied my petition. It's funny now, but I told him there was a kid inside me who still wanted that year!
Go for it. There is a lot to be gained and the perspective of a late teen early 20something can be more helpful/useful than you might think. I had my own rig and knew how to drive it - mom's loved me. I was able to teach, mentor, manage the younger kids.
I thoroughly enjoyed the education, again, there were a lot of opportunities for clinics, lessons, etc and all for a reduced pony club rate.
LOL - I felt like a ringer on the "know-down" team when we went to Festival, but if memory serves, Colorado kicked our behinds.
Anyway, I think (and I may be completely wrong and will be corrected here) but I THINK the age is beyond 21 now.
Go for it.

[slickteam12brs]

Well you have to be under 25 yrs. to be in pony club.
If you are considered to be C3/B worthy when you join you can probably get all the other ratings done in a few weekends. It depends on how your region/club operates, but I have seen kids go from D1 to C2 in the same test because it was planned ahead to basically test them to the C2 level in riding and cover all the HM of the previous ratings.
The C3/B/HA/A Ratings are all national and you have to apply about 2/3 months ahead to get into a test. But you can apply for 2 at once (if there is a B being held on Sunday, the day after the C3, you can take it provided you pass the C3).
If you really are an 'A' rider, I think you biggest problem would be the HA. Most members spend 8+ months studying for that test because it calls for in depth veterinary knowledge. You can't be an A w/o your HA.
It would be hard to achieve an A w/ this method, but If you have at least a year and are already riding at that level, a B isn't hard to imagine at all.

[IFG]

Speaking as a DC, I was told that I can rate a kid D1-D3 in one rating, but she needs to know everything for the early ratings as well as the D3 material. If you join by 21, you can stay in until 25. My understanding is that you cannot join after 21.

You could easily spend most of a spring,summer, fall rating, and get to be a B.

Good luck!

[IFG]

To add to what others have said, the knowledge is the issue. I have been riding and doing PC with my kids for years, and I learned some new material this last week-end when my daughter did her H-B.

[ohhthatgirl]

You'll also need time to put together a record book. I know for the H-B it has to be at least 12 months of records, but it can be with multiple horses. Here are the H-B & H/H-A standard of proficiencies (http://www.ponyclub.org/pdfs/H-B-H-AStandards2009.pdf) just so you know the level of knowledge that demanded. Heres the site (http://www.testing.ponyclub.org/index.htm) for the national ratings.

[AKB]

Make sure that you join a club that is receptive to older members. We closed our club last year after our members aged out, but had a great group of college students and recent college grads. We did a lot of lessons, lots of knowledge sessions (particularly related to veterinary knowledge/dissections), and had a great time. One of our members went from a C to an A in about 1 1/2 years.

Some clubs are geared only towards younger members. Our problem was that we were so geared towards older members that we could never get organized to offer activities for younger kids. Therefore, there was no one to take over when our kids aged out.