2014 The Year of Change and Challenges


2014 was the year of change and challenges for our Pony Club.  Our long time DC Daphne Anderson stepped down as her children’s passions and talents led them to actively pursue dance and wrestling.  We will miss the Anderson family immensely.

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Pony Club Spirit!

We had several  tremendous losses of our equine partners. Maren lost her pony, Bear, Lisa her very talented gelding Star and Isabelle’s second string mare Emma.  Maren’s replacement mount proved unsuitable with a bad penchant for bucking. She was left catching rides where she could. Through it all Maren remained bright, willing and cheerful  and  full of Pony Club spirit.  Lisa was able to persuade her dad to share his cow horse Bo who proved to be a very athletic and willing partner.  Who knew a ranch horse would look so good in an English saddle? Isabelle brought out her third choice horse Walter (first choice Gala was lame) and we were surprised by his abilities. One of our club members had the terrible misfortune of breaking her leg two days into summer. She missed the entire season. We are thrilled to report she now back and in saddle and doing fantastically!  In spite of many challenges we had a very productive and successful season.

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Testing Day for Certificates

Three of our riders tested for their certificates and passed. Tulla, a new member this year took her D-1, Sheridan her D-1 and D-2, and Isabelle, who spent months practicing and studying, took her C-2 Horse Management Certificate. She would like to report that it was tough and even though she practiced her shipping bandages the 150 recommended times she’d recommend practicing another 100  times!

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Applying a shipping bandage

One of our youngest members, Claire, started the season with little experience in the saddle.  She began in our lunge lesson program. She firmly stated that she only wanted to walk, before long she was trotting; however, Claire was certain that she’d never canter.The words barely left her lips before she’d was happily loping along.  The end of the season found Claire independently cantering her pony over cross-rails and having the time of her life. Good job Claire!

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Good Job Claire!

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Dressage test at C&M Farms, Pocatello,ID

Stony Yakovac, our instruction coordinator, adopted a new program emphasizing dressage.  Our members designed their own dressage tests incorporating the movements required to pass their next Certificate.  They also designed a Pas de Duex –a dressage test involving two riders– which was fun and challenging. Additionally, Stony drilled the members on their dressage tests for Rally. Dressage scores improved dramatically and both horse and rider benefited.

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D Rally in Bellevue, ID

Rallies were great fun again this year.Our club,save one member, did not make it to Quiz. Thank you Ivy Jean for being the lone representative at Quiz!  MegaRally conflicted with some of our rider’s schedules but those that attended had a great time!  Maren and Lil’ Red brought home blue ribbons for both Show Jumping and the jumping phase at Tetrathlon. Isabelle and Walter placed second in Show Jumping, first for the jumping phase at Tetrathlon, and third overall for Tet. Our kids had a blast at D-rally and camp.  It was well worth the learning experience and they placed third in horse management. One of our riders, Lisa, suffered an injury just days before rally and wasn’t able to ride but, in true Pony Club fashion, she participated as a stable manager for a scramble team.  We are already planning and looking ahead to the next rally season.

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Say Farewell to Bjorn Fjord

January-2013

It is with much sadness that the Anderson Family say farewell to Bjorn Fjord commonly known as Bear. Bear was foaled in 1991 and lived a long happy life with many children in his life.  These children came from all over the Intermountain Pony Club Region.  He made several trips back East to the National Pony Club Rallies.  Currently, Bear taught my daughter Maren how to ride.  She was able to take second at such a young age at the D-Eventing Rally this last fall in her division.  I will be forever grateful for this willingness to teach her to be confident and also to love to ride.  He will be extremely missed by several people within our region, but I think most by my daughter Maren who just lost a life long best friend.

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Pony Club Certificates

An important aspect of Pony Club is the certificates (formerly known as ratings) It is an opportunity for the member to test themselves against the Standards of Proficiency. It provides a consistent way to measure a riders knowledge and ability and is a strong motivator for the Pony Clubber to strive harder and study more to advance in their certificate level.

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Twice a year ratings are offered to our riders who wish to advance. This fall we had three of our members accept the challenge. Ivy Jean, who is in her first year, tested for her D-1 certificate. She was a well prepared and confident candidate who passed with flying colors. Ivy Jean had to demonstrate a large knowledge base in the basics of horse management. Some of the topics covered were feeding her pony, knowing how to cool him out, grooming and saddling. She also had to demonstrate her mounted skills such as mounting, walking, trotting, halting and riding over ground poles in jumping position. We are all proud of Ivy Jean for a job well done!

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Two more of our girls tested for their Certificates. Amee went for her D-3 and her sister Lisa for her C-1. As these girls are moving up in the Standards their testing was quite lengthy and it took the greater part of the day. Not to mention, the girls put in a great deal of time in advance to study their Pony Club Manuals . As a D-3 Amee had to show an expanding knowledge base in many areas such as conditioning, nutrition, conformation, lameness as well as showing how to apply a polo wrap and keep a detailed record book for her horse. Lisa’s testing reached further into the horse management by building upon her D-3 knowledge in greater detail as well as being able to apply stable wraps and continuing with her record book. The girls both had very successful rides demonstrating more advanced skills such as riding without stirrups, emergency dismounts on a moving horse, rein backs and much more. Amee had to jump the majority of her jumps set at 2’3″ for stadium and cross country while Lisa jumped 2’9″. Lisa was presented with an additional challenge as her horse had been seriously ill prior to the testing and she had to make a last minute change to a borrowed mount. Once again our girls diligent work paid out and they passed their tests.

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A big thank you needs to go out for the support from the parents and other team members who volunteered their time and efforts to cheer on and provide food and drinks for the girls who were being examined. And a special thanks to Chris Yost for opening up his home and barn to finish the testing after the riding portions were completed.

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My Daughters First Pony Club Rally

IMG_20130804_142647My daughter Ivy Jean just completed her first pony club camp and rally. The camp and rally were held in Bellevue Idaho in an absolutely beautiful setting of mountains, farms and jumps. Ivy Jean is a very young pony clubber at 7 years old, but she was determined to ride and is a very advanced reader and was allowed to join as an active member. I did not grow up in pony club and so am learning along with my daughter. Ivy Jean and I read the books and prepared apparel and tack, her dad/ coach helped her with her riding and bathing her horse at the Horse Menage Construction. We were all very excited and nervous for her first rally and did not really know what to expect.

We arrived late in the day and were nervous where our daughters horse and feed were to be kept, where we were to camp, and the schedule for the next day. Our stress was immediately relieved when our DC Daphne Anderson and her family quickly escorted us to where everything and everyone went. Within 30 minutes the horse was tucked in, fed and we were having a delicious meal that had been prepared by another pony club mom, Shauna Store.

IMG_20130804_122127The next day was camp we were up early and I walked a nervous Ivy Jean to the stable to help feed and water her horse. Ivy Jeans fellow club members kept saying I didn’t need to help but I didn’t feel comfortable with my daughter caring for her own horse. Once the horse was cared for and the pony clubbers asked me to leave as camp was going to start. I had a list for oldest team member Emily Anderson of them of my daughters needs, “ make sure she drinks enough water, make sure an adult bridles her horse, make sure she applies sun screen, make sure she gets a nap if she needs one” , I am sure there were others I just don’t remember them all. Emily was very kind smiled and just nodded.

The camp was wonderful with guest instructors giving lessons in dressage, cross country jumping and stadium jumping. Between riding lessons there were lectures on horse management and a leather craft. I tried to follow my daughter around but I was asked not to help her and let her team help her.

IMG_20130804_142445At the end of the day she had a GREAT time, was working with her teammates as a cohesive unit and was able to care for her horse with help from her teammates.

Over the next two days during the rally I saw my daughter grow in her ability to handle her own horse, her schedule and herself. She has gained confidence with her horse and riding ability. She had gained a level of independence I had never seen before. I was proud of my daughters growth and credit it to the pony club members and organization. I found that volunteering helped keep me busy and I only received one reprimand by the coach for telling her to put her heels down at warm­up.

I would like to thank all the members of the Portneuf Valley Pony Club, the moms who soothed my nerves and offered advice, Shauna Store for the delicious food, Daphne Anderson for being our DC and scoring the rally, my husband for coaching the team,and a special thanks to Emily Anderson, Truman Anderson,and Isabelle Hutchinson her teammates.

Thank you
Teresa Yakovac

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Intermountain Megarally Results

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The Portneuf Valley Pony Club participated in three different rallies a couple of weeks ago. Our club did an amazing job working together as a team and cheering everyone on.

The first rally was the Dressage Rally. As a team they took 4th overall with great rides. It was difficult to learn two different Dressage tests and ride in the awful heat, but they did an amazing job.

The next rally was the Show Jumping Rally which meant each rider had to memorize three different courses. As a team they took 6th overall with many great rides. They also tied for 1st in the horse management portion of the competition which means they definitely know how to take great care of their horses and be safe around them.  They are to be commended for this achievement.

In the Tetrathlon Rally, they competed their hearts out. They each had to run, swim, shoot, and ride. Each member excelled in different phases of the competition. We were really proud of them overall for their team work and ability to push through long hot days in the sun.

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Certificate Readiness

Certificate Readiness Preparation Checklist

So you are ready for your certificate. I know that you have all downloaded the test sheets and read them by now.  If you have not, it would be better to do that late than never. Remember, that the examiners are not your parents or your instructor and they did not see you ride last year, last month, or even last week. They can only evaluate what they see tomorrow. Relax, have fun, be confident. Here are a few more specific tips:

Preparation for The Day Before:

  1. If you are going to bathe your horse, do it today.  Even if you aren’t showing up until tomorrow afternoon, if you bathe tomorrow, the best case scenario is that your horse will look like a dandelion puff.  Worse is that your horse would not be dry.
  2.  Take it *very* easy on the “product”.  By that I am referring to de-tangler, show-sheen, hoof polish, glitter, paint, oil, and any of the other things you might consider putting on your horse.  None of you are going for a certificate that would benefit from “product”.  Clean is good.  Make-up isn’t.
  3. Plan on showing up at least 30 minutes early and make plans that allow you to be several hours later than expected.
  4. Pack all the stuff you plan to take (tack, brushes, books, etc.) tonight.
  5. Remember the extra stuff you may not have been thinking about:  USPC pin, polo wraps/tape/pins/etc. (for D3′s), jumping boots if you have them.
  6. Take a hole punch.  Take an extra bridle.  Take an extra halter.  Take extra stirrup leathers if you have them.
  7. If your horse has been longed and you have the equipment, take it.  If your horse is really bad, that could be used as part of the solution, but only if you have the equipment with you.
  8. Run your saddle pad through the washing machine and dryer if it is even sort of dirty.
  9. Fill out your stall card tonight.  Bring it.  Remember to take TPR on your horse (temperature, pulse, respiration) at rest.  Make sure the numbers are inside the normal range.  Take a picture of your horse and put it on the stall card.
  10. Make sure every page of your record book is complete and the summary is filled out.  Put the record book in a folder or binder all by itself.  It is best if you have a picture of the horse with the record book.  MAKE SURE YOUR NAME IS ON THE RECORD BOOK.
  11. Bring a complete change of clothes that you *could* ride in that is safe even if nothing else about it is ideal.  You never know what will happen.
  12. Bring a copy of thank-you letters if that is a requirement for your test (D3 I think)

For the Day of the Certificate:

  1. Be on time. (AKA 5 minutes early to turn-out, your ride time, and the knowledge session)
  2. Relax.  If you are nervous and tense, nothing will go as well as it could.  It will be ok.  The worst case is that you re-take the whole test in the fall.  You won’t be the first, nor the last.  I failed a lot of certificates on the way up.  It is *not* a big deal.
  3. Smile and act like everything that happens is something you expected.
  4. Work together with other candidates when answering questions.  First person takes the *single* hardest answer they are *sure* of.  Then the next person and so on.  When everyone else has given all the answers they can, and you know more, ask the examiners if you can give more answers.  If they say yes, give good answers as long as they are smiling and nodding.
  5. Don’t say “I don’t know, but…” or “I guess….”.  If you are unsure, but you think you know an answer, give the answers you know first and then if you have to, say “I think I remember reading/hearing that …..”.
  6. Depending on the certificate you are going for and the question being asked, if you are not getting the answer the examiner obviously wants to hear, try to get some guidance for what they are looking for.  As an example, if you are working on conformation faults and they keep asking for more but you have named all you can think of, ask if there is a specific part of the body that they would like to hear another conformation fault on.  Be creative and respectful and you can get examiners to give you surprising amounts of hints.
  7. The examiner is right.  Do not argue.  If you disagree, you can ask for clarification.  You can even ask them to explain how their statement and what you read in the manual can both be true (that is a nice way of saying the examiner is wrong).  If you do that last one, be ready to bring the manual and prove that you are right.  Do not say “But my instructor says to …”.  The examiner is right.  If they ask you to do something you cannot or will not do, you will probably not pass that part of the test but do not argue with the examiner.
  8. Do exactly what the examiners ask you to do.  You can do a little extra but DO NOT
    • Leave the circle where the group has been asked to ride.
    • Trot/Canter if you have not been given permission to.
    • Jump extra jumps.
    • Mount without permission.
    • Stop to chat with other candidates or parents in the audience
  9. If the examiner asks you to jump a jump that does not have a groundline or is incorrectly set.  Ask the examiner if they really want you to jump that jump and clearly explain why it bothers you.  Chances are very good that you either misunderstood and would have done it incorrectly or they will change the jump to make you happier.
  10. If your horse does not pick up the correct lead, crow-hops, bucks, or breaks out of a gait, you have not failed.  If your horse refuses that is not a problem.  You have not failed.  If your fall off, you still have not failed.  It is what you do *after* falling off or refusing that determines if you pass or not.  That can even be an opportunity to gain an “exceeds the standard” if you handle the situation well.
  11. Even when you are not officially being tested, still follow Pony Club rules.  Take your tack off after riding when you tie your horse up.  Make sure your horse is properly tied in a safe place.  Brush/sponge your horse after riding.  Keep yourself neat and clean.  Make sure you have appropriate footwear on when you are around the horses.  Unless the examiners specifically tell you differently, keep the appropriate footwear on at all times (unmounted knowledge, riding, grooming, loading and unloading your horse).  Save the flip-flops for the car ride home.
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s02e02: Parts of the Horse (Instructor’s Cut)

Parts of the Horse

Knowing the parts of the horse (anatomy) is important for anyone who rides, owns, or cares for a horse.  The ability to identify where an injury is located and tell the veterinarian over the phone can save time, fear, and money.  Riding lessons often include phrases such as “Reach forward and touch the poll, then back to touch the dock”.  Without knowing where the poll and dock are, the rider cannot perform the exercise.

As a more experienced horseman, the knowledge of the parts of the horse is involved in discussions about purchasing an animal or determining the reason a horse is lame.  At this level, the horseman is expected to be comfortable discussing horse anatomy and the soundness issues related to different ways that anatomy is put together.

Still  more experienced horsemen who breed horses, own or manage barns, assist veterinarians, or seek to become farriers need to know more about the anatomy of the horse.  These people need to understand how ligaments, tendons, and muscles connect to the bones and how those parts are affected by different conformation.  That knowledge depends on first knowing the names and locations of the parts.

USPC defines a set and standards for each level of achievement.  The specific sections related to parts of the horse for D1-C2 are included below.

USPC Standards Of Proficiency

  • D1:  Name any 10 parts of the mount (such as mane, tail, leg, eye, etc.)
  • D2:   Name and locate any 15 parts of the mount
  • D3:  Identify at least 20 parts of the mount, to include hock, gaskin, withers, croup, fetlock, pastern
  • C1:   Name three to four types of teeth found in a horses mouth
  • C2:  Identify and/or describe parts of the horse’s mouth to include bars, lips, incisors, molars, wolf teeth and canines
Parts of the Horse

Parts of the Horse

 

The parts of the mouth of the horse are a little more difficult to diagram.  The following diagram provides a very basic illustration but is not complete:

Parts of the equine mouth

Parts of the Equine Mouth

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s02e01: Riding With Double Reins

Double Reins

Double reins are used with specific bits and/or bridles.  Bits typically requiring double reins are:  kimberwick, pelham, elevator, and gag.  The double bridle requires double reins, one for the snaffle (bridoon), and one for the curb.

Riding with double reins is typically more difficult than riding with single reins and is typically reserved for more experienced riders.  Each rein represents a different set of pressure points in the mouth of the horse and typically one set is more severe than the other.

Holding double reins depends on the horse, the instructor, the bit, and the rider.  Could there be more variables?  USPC suggests in the Volume 3 Manual of Horsemanship, that the snaffle rein be held under the pinky of each hand and the curb rein be held between the pinky and third finger.

There are good arguments, however, for holding the snaffle rein where it is without a curb rein, between the pinky and third and holding the curb rein either between the middle and third or under the pinky.  The difference is how much leverage needs to be applied to the horse which depends on the horse and the skill of the rider.  More leverage is available to the rein held under the pinky.

Old military experts held the reins in other configurations as well including holding all four reins in one hand to allow the other hand to hold a sword which requires good control of the position of the hand holding all the reins.  Another configuration is to hold both curb reins in one hand with one snaffle rein in the normal position between the third and pinky with the other hand holding the other snaffle rein.  This configuration is used but it is not readily apparent what the advantage is.

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Fencing

February’s unmounted lesson focused on fencing covering some aspects of safe fencing and dangerous fencing. More detailed information is available under Fencing in the Curriculum for 2011.

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Straight from the Horse’s Mouth, The Farrier (Mike Frazier)

Mike Frazier, serving South Eastern Idaho and South Western Wyoming spoke to PVPC Thursday, October 15.

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