By Anna Cooper, third-generation co-owner of Bourne Vale Stables
If your child is curious about ponies and you are looking for something that builds confidence and teaches wider life skills, Pony Club can be a very good place to start.
The Pony Club is a national organisation that helps children and young people learn about riding, horse care and horsemanship. At a Pony Club Centre like Bourne Vale Stables, children take part using our horses and ponies, with support from our instructors, so they do not need to own their own pony.
It gives children the chance to spend more time around horses, learn how to care for them properly, and become part of a structured, friendly yard environment.
For families in Aldridge, Walsall, Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, Lichfield, Tamworth and the surrounding area, it is a practical way for children to learn more than they can in a weekly riding lesson alone.
Riding is a big part of Pony Club. For many children, that is what first draws them in. Over time, they start to learn there is much more to being good with horses. They learn how to care for ponies, how to work safely around them, how to listen, how to help, and how to keep going when something feels difficult.
Those are transferable life skills. Confidence, responsibility, resilience, teamwork, communication and respect all grow through time spent at the yard.
How Pony Club works at Bourne Vale
There are two ways into Pony Club. Branches are the traditional route for families who own or loan a pony. The Branch organises activities, training and camps, and members bring their own pony along.
Centres are for children who do not own a pony but who ride regularly at a Pony Club Linked Riding Centre. The Centre’s horses are used for Pony Club activities, so children can take part without the cost of pony ownership. Bourne Vale is a Pony Club Linked Riding Centre, which means most children join through us as Centre Members.
Pony Club membership is a separate annual fee paid directly to the Pony Club, not to Bourne Vale. It gives your child membership of the national organisation, insurance cover for Pony Club activities, and the ability to take part in the Pony Club sessions we run at the yard. Centre Membership currently costs £47 a year (or £3.92 a month). Children register and pay through the Pony Club membership portal at pcuk.org.
We have been part of the Pony Club programme as a Linked Riding Centre for more than twenty-five years.
What do children learn at Pony Club?
Children will improve their riding, and they also learn what goes into looking after ponies properly.
They begin to understand that ponies need care before and after they are ridden. They learn how to groom, how to help around the yard, how to look after tack, how to work safely, and how to think about the pony as an animal with needs of its own.
A child who understands pony care becomes more thoughtful around horses. They start to notice things. They ask better questions. They begin to understand why the small jobs on the yard are so important.
What do children actually do at Pony Club?
Pony Club activities vary through the year, especially during the school holidays.
At Bourne Vale, our members have taken part in Pony Club camps, achievement badge sessions, mounted games, quizzes, stable management activities, musical rides, competition days, first aid training, ridden displays and practical pony care sessions.
Some sessions are very hands-on. Members might be grooming, feeding, turning out, cleaning tack, learning about the pony’s feet, bathing and plaiting, or working towards an achievement badge.
Other sessions bring children together as a team. They might be preparing for a quiz, choreographing a musical drill ride, learning mounted games, or supporting each other through a competition day.
It is a busy mix of learning, riding and practical experience. That is what makes it valuable.
Transferable life skills
Pony Club teaches children a lot about ponies. It also teaches them a lot about themselves.
Confidence
Confidence is something that develops over time.
It builds through small moments. Tying up a pony. Asking a question. Riding in front of others. Remembering a dressage test. Trying again after something did not quite work.
For some children, confidence grows through riding. For others, it grows through the quieter parts of Pony Club, such as grooming, helping, learning, or realising they know more than they thought they did.
That quiet growth in confidence is one of the loveliest things to see.
Responsibility
Ponies depend on people for their welfare and wellbeing.
That is one of the most important lessons children learn at Pony Club. Before the fun, there is care. After riding, there is still work to do. Tack needs cleaning. Ponies need checking. Beds, water, feet, rugs, grooming and turnout all matter.
Children begin to see that looking after a pony properly comes down to doing small things well, again and again.
That is responsibility in a very practical form.
Teamwork
Horses have a way of bringing children together.
Pony Club members work in pairs, groups and teams. They help each other learn parts of the pony, revise for quizzes, prepare for badges, practise ridden displays and encourage each other on competition days.
Our members have taken part in team quizzes and a virtual musical ride, where they were placed third in the centres competition and sixth overall. Results like that are lovely, but the value sits in the preparation too. Listening, practising, working together and being part of a team all matter.
Communication
Good communication matters around horses.
Children learn to listen carefully, follow instructions and ask for help when they need it. They learn how to speak to instructors, how to support other members, and how to be clear and calm around ponies.
For older members, this can grow into leadership too. Our Young Equestrian Leaders Award members have helped younger children learn parts of the saddle and bridle. That is a lovely example of Pony Club members helping the next group come through.
Resilience
Some of the best Pony Club lessons happen when things do not go exactly to plan.
At a recent Pony Club Combined Training Competition, members completed a dressage test in the morning and a showjumping round in the afternoon. It gave them the chance to put into practice everything they had been working on in their lessons.
Competitions rarely go perfectly. That is part of the learning.
What impressed us most was how the children responded when something was difficult. They showed determination, resilience and a willingness to keep going.
That is one of the reasons Pony Club matters. Children learn that progress does not mean getting everything right first time. It means trying, listening, improving and carrying on.
Respect for ponies
Perhaps the most important lesson is respect.
Children learn that ponies have personalities, preferences, good days and harder days. They need care, patience and understanding.
The more time children spend around ponies, the more they begin to notice those things. They learn to be quieter when needed, clearer when needed, and kinder always.
That respect is at the heart of good horsemanship.
Pony Club at Bourne Vale Stables
Bourne Vale Stables has been part of Pony Club life for a long time.
We have been a Pony Club Centre for more than twenty-five years, giving children who do not own their own pony the chance to take part in Pony Club activities, tests and events.
In 2024, Bourne Vale was honoured to receive a commemorative plaque from HRH The Princess Royal, recognising twenty-five years as a Pony Club Centre. That meant a lot to us.
Pony Club has always been an important part of the yard. Over the years, we have watched children grow in confidence, improve their riding, learn how to care for ponies and become part of the Bourne Vale community.
Some past members have gone on to own horses, compete successfully, volunteer, or even join the team helping to bring on the next generation of Pony Club members.
That is a special thing to see.
Is Pony Club right for my child?
Pony Club is a good fit for children who enjoy being around ponies and want to learn more than they can in a weekly riding lesson alone.
It suits children who are curious, practical, enthusiastic, or keen to spend more time at the yard. They do not need to be the most confident rider. They do need to be willing to listen, learn and get involved.
For families whose children are not yet riding regularly, our Tiny Tots sessions (ages three to five) and Children’s Lessons (from age six) are the natural starting points. We have also written separately about the best age for a child to start riding, if that is the question on your mind.
How can my child get involved?
We run Pony Club activities mainly during the school holidays, including camps, fun days, competition days, achievement badge mornings, progressive training days and team events.
To book, or to ask which activity would suit your child, call the office on 0121 353 7174 or contact us through the website. The office is open 9.30am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday.
Bourne Vale Stables is in Aldridge, near Walsall, within easy reach of Birmingham, Sutton Coldfield, Lichfield, Tamworth and the surrounding West Midlands.
We will ask a few simple questions and help guide you to the right activity for your child.
For many children, Pony Club becomes much more than something they do in the holidays. It becomes part of how they grow up around horses and one of their happiest memories.
They learn to ride, to care, to listen, to work together, to keep going and to respect the ponies who make it all possible.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pony Club?
The Pony Club is a national organisation that helps children and young people learn about riding, horse care and horsemanship. Through a Pony Club Centre like Bourne Vale Stables, children can take part without owning their own pony.
Does my child need their own pony to join Pony Club?
No. At Bourne Vale, children take part in Pony Club activities using our horses and ponies. They do not need to own or loan their own pony.
What age can my child join Pony Club at Bourne Vale?
Pony Club activities at Bourne Vale are open to children who are riding regularly with us. The best way to find out what would suit your child is to call the office and we will guide you to the right starting point.
What do children learn at Pony Club?
Children learn to ride, to care for ponies (grooming, tack, stable management, feeding), to work safely around horses, and to take part in activities like quizzes, camps, mounted games, achievement badges, musical rides and competition days.
What activities does Bourne Vale run as a Pony Club Centre?
Pony Club camps, achievement badge sessions, mounted games, quizzes, stable management activities, musical rides, competition days, first aid training, ridden displays and practical pony care sessions. Most run during the school holidays.
Is there a Pony Club qualification my child can work towards?
Yes. Children can work towards Pony Club Achievement Badges and progress through the Pony Club tests as their skill develops. Our instructors guide members towards the tests that fit their stage.
Does my child need to be an experienced rider to join?
No. Children do not need to be the most confident rider. They do need to be willing to listen, learn and get involved.
Where does Pony Club fit alongside my child’s regular lessons?
Pony Club activities complement regular weekly lessons rather than replace them. Most members ride with us in Pony Pathway or Young Riders and join Pony Club for the wider experience.
Are Pony Club activities only in the school holidays?
Most of our Pony Club activities run during the school holidays, when children have more time at the yard. Some activities and competitions run at weekends too.
How much does Pony Club membership cost?
Pony Club membership is paid directly to the Pony Club, separate from your riding lessons at Bourne Vale. Centre Membership currently costs £47 a year (or £3.92 a month) and is the standard option for children who ride at a Pony Club Linked Riding Centre like us.
How does my child join Pony Club through Bourne Vale?
The child needs to be riding regularly at a Pony Club Linked Riding Centre, which Bourne Vale is. Centre Membership itself is registered and paid for directly with the Pony Club, through their membership portal at pcuk.org. Once your child is a member, they can take part in the Pony Club activities we run at the yard. If you would like a hand with the process or are not sure which option is right, call the office on 0121 353 7174 and we will talk you through it.