Middle Of Nowhere Pony Club Is A Gem

Dear Editor,

The Middle of Nowhere Pony Club (MNPC) is truly a gift to our little Middle of Nowhere town!

You may find yourself asking, "What is Pony Club?" This is exactly what I found myself asking two years ago after hearing a Fall Round-Up Fundraiser ad for The Middle of Nowhere Pony Club. At that time, I was told by Emily Redfield (Riding Instructor and Board Member), that I needed to come on down to the Dinner/Auction at the Ridge Runners Saddle Club to get a better understanding of what this Club was all about. I am so glad my family and I did just that. When we got there, we were like family walking through the door. We were introduced to the District Commissioner Elizabeth Shipstead and several of the Board Members. All of the leaders were so kind and all of the kids involved in the club were dressed so nicely in their equine attire and were all so well mannered.

The young members of the club made every effort to encourage our daughter to become a member of the MNPC. We were all in love with the idea of her having horse riding lessons but thought we wouldn't meet the requirements because we didn't have a horse. I was assured that not having a horse of our own wouldn't be an issue as the leaders of the club graciously donate their horses, tack and gear for the lesson times. I thought to myself, "My goodness, that has to be incredibly expensive and we won't be able to afford it." Once again, I was wrong. The United States Pony Club, the organization the MNPC is under, was very clear and upfront with their Membership costs and these costs, we found to be extremely reasonable. So reasonable I imagined the Club would only meet once a month for the summer months and that would be all we'd get. Wrong again! This organization selflessly gathers twice a month at least 11 months out of the year! This was a no-brainer for my family, we were in!

Since joining the club and over the past two years, we have learned what Pony Club is all about. This program teaches our local youth riding, mounted sports, the care of horses and ponies alike while each rider develops responsibility, sportsmanship, moral judgment, leadership and self-confidence. In order to ride and respect a horse, you first need to understand how to care for a horse. We have learned the basics such as cleaning their stalls, brushing their hair, feeding them and praising them all the way up learning how to tack a horse, dress a horse, knowing each of their body parts, understanding how their muscles and bones work, read their expressions/ body language, care for them in a medical fashion, applying ointment to wounds or sores and wrapping bandages. We have even learned tricks of the trade like how to make our own reins for the horses, a special thanks to Farrier, Jess Korman. We have been through Trick Riding lessons, Western Dressage and Jumping! Guiding us through these new endeavors were our wonderful and knowledgeable Riding Instructors: Emily Redfield, Shaylin Barnett, Teonna Funk and Lorie Koessl.

There is so much to learn in this club and our Middle of Nowhere PC kids get to display their knowledge and horsemanship at special events year round such as quiz rallies, summer camps and certification courses. We have a total of nine youth members and nine adult members. There are seven people from across our area that serve on the Board and four of those are Riding Instructors. This past May, we had two adult Members certify into level D3 for Horse Management and Western Riding. We had 2 youth Members certify into level D2 for Horse Management and we also had six youth members certify into level D2 for Western Riding. Greg Nybakken hosted this certification at his covered arena and testing was completed by Karen Skoric, Big Sky Region, Regional Supervisor and Becca Barringer, our Big Sky Region Regional Instructional Coordinator.

Later in the summer, we sent one adult member and two youth members to our Regional Pony Club Summer Camp in Helena. The event was held at the Juniper Hills Stables, where they received lessons from three different renowned trainers and instructors. The long lasting takeaways in the area of Horse Management included: Bandaging, tack cleaning/ repair, saddle fitting and roping.

For some children, riding may be an avenue for high achievement or even a career. The leaders of our small chapter are making kids dreams come true, and I hope they know how fortunate we are to have them!

Thank you to all the volunteers, sponsors, and donors that keep our Pony Club alive! Please join us at our Fall Round-Up Fundraiser, Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Ridge Runners Saddle Club at 5 p.m., for fun games, a wonderful dinner, and auctions where proceeds help to continue to make these kids' dreams come true!

Sincerely,

Melissa George,

Pony Club Mom of D Level Rider, Remington George