Santa Cruz County Pony Club Hosts it’s 60th Reunion Celebration Saturday, July 16 at the Graham Hill Showgrounds, 1145 Graham Hill Road, from 2-7 p.m.
The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. started in 1954 to teach riding and the proper care of horses. It is based on The British Pony Club, which was created in 1929 as a junior branch of the Institute of the Horse. Since then, Pony Club has expanded to many countries around the world, with the main goal being to promote sportsmanship, stewardship and leadership through horsemanship.
What is in a name? Back in 1929, the term “pony” was used to describe the mount of a youth equestrian. With a name steeped in the tradition of educating the next generation of equestrians, the name Pony Club continues to focus on education and quality care of both horses and ponies.
Santa Cruz has always inspired visionaries. It does today and it certainly did in 1956. That is when a visionary team of local horse-people and youth leaders was inspired to found a chapter of the United States Pony Clubs here in Santa Cruz. USPC is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) equestrian education organization.
Of course, Santa Cruz was much smaller in 1956; the county was home to fewer than 75,000 people (compared to our 262, 400 now). That did not stop a committee of 12 forward thinkers from establishing the first USPC chapter west of Chicago. The original SCCPC membership invitation offered instruction in basic riding skills and horse management proficiencies, safe competitions based on one’s riding level, and a variety of special activities to broaden the member’s equestrian education.
Response was immediate, and the club that began with 9 members in 1956 soon had 23 members by 1957. These youngsters came from families in Aptos, Ben Lomond, Capitola, Corralitos, Felton, Santa Cruz, Soquel, and Watsonville. Over the intervening 60 years, approximately 1500 young women and men from across the county have learned riding and horse management skills through the USPC curriculum. That legacy endures today, as SCCPC provides the full non-profit USPC range of instruction and activities.
Now SCCPC invites all members and families, instructors and leaders, past and present, to join in a Sixtieth Reunion Celebration for the club on Saturday, July 16. The reunion will be held 2-7 p.m. at the Graham Hill Showgrounds, 1145 Graham Hill Road, the current site for Santa Cruz County Horsemen’s Association (the original sponsors of SCCPC) and Pony Club activities. The club will provide dinner at 5 p.m. followed by a brief program and onsite photo opportunities with horses and ponies. Participants who arrive 2 p.m. or later can reminisce and enjoy the annual SCCPC rally for D-level USPC members. The rally is an outgrowth of the SCCPC camp-outs held each summer on the Graham Hill Showgrounds since 1957.
Many Pony Club graduates from the Fifties through 2015 are still active locally, regionally and nationally as instructors, judges, organizers, competitors, and equestrian community leaders. A number of them are organizing the reunion as a special occasion to renew old friendships and make new acquaintances.
SCCPC will provide the dinner but donations for continuing education programs and activities for the club will be accepted. To help the committee plan for plenty to serve, please RSVP with your name and the number of guests who will attend by visiting the Facebook page SCCPC 60th Anniversary Party to post your RSVP, call (831) 623-4322 or email [email protected] for more information or to make reservations. Old photos and stories are also being collected by email.
In the last decade, Pony Club has strengthened programming to meet the needs of today’s equestrians. This has included, raising the age of graduation from 21 to 25 for traditional youth members, offering Pony Club through an established riding center, expanding certifications to include the disciplines of Dressage and Show Jumping, bringing in Western disciplines, offering adult Horsemasters membership opportunities and including land conservation in the Standards of Proficiency.
With approximately 600 clubs and centers, The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. develops character, leadership, confidence and a sense of community in youth through a program that teaches the care of horses and ponies, riding and mounted sports.
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For more information about SCCPC and its local activities visit the Facebook page Santa Cruz County Pony Club and add a post or send a message requesting information. You can also visit the National website of United States Pony Club (www.ponyclub.org) to find a club in your area.