Horse management. Many kids today don’t really understand these two words. George Morris bemoans the loss of it in his July 7 Between Rounds column titled “Where Did We Come From? Where Are We Going?” But what are good horse management skills, and how do we teach a child these skills when learning to ride may get sandwiched in between piano lessons, soccer practice and so much more?

One of the last bastions of horse management is undoubtedly the U.S. Pony Club. This organization places as much emphasis on the lessons of horsekeeping as it does on teaching children to ride.

This year I attended Pony Club Championships East (p. 7) as a horse management judge. As a former Pony Clubber, I know the drill, but I’m still impressed at the hard work and solid horsemanship that current Pony Clubbers practice.

Pony Clubbers take horse management seriously. It’s not just that they lose points when they don’t get all the dried sweat off of their horse after a workout, although that’s certainly a factor. But in large part the kids I met were truly invested in doing things the right way, the Pony Club way.

One A-rated competitor I met was an active eventer outside of Pony Club. She was preparing to move up to intermediate this fall. When I joked with her about the extra work involved in coming to a Pony Club rally over an event, she replied quite seriously: “I always clean my tack after every ride so there wasn’t much extra to do.” And later when I watched her administer medication (Pony Clubbers aren’t allowed to give drugs without supervision), she insisted that the rules were the same for everyone, no matter their age or experience. She had learned what Pony Club had to teach her and moved on, but she still valued those lessons.

Most teenagers and even younger children have cell phones today, whether it’s for safety reasons or to keep up with their social life. But no Pony Clubber at championships carried a cell phone into the barn. (Or, if they did, it was kept well hidden.) In Pony Club, outside assistance isn’t permitted except under certain circumstances, such as coaching in the jumping warm-ups.

Parents cannot even enter the barns while the competition is running, and there certainly aren’t grooms getting the horses ready for that all-important formal turn-out inspection. Instead, Pony Clubbers must rely on their teammates, their own hard work and their knowledge. A horse management judge will gladly step in to lend a hand with a safety issue, but for the most part kids learn to figure out the problems on their own and be creative.

Tears may fall after a bad round, but in Pony Club the kids can’t shirk their responsibility and hand off their horse to go have a temper tantrum. There’s an inspection after the ride to ensure that the horse and tack have been cared for, and even if the child decides that she doesn’t care about the points off, there’s still her teammates to consider.

Horse management can, of course, go too far at times in Pony Club. The rules are written and re-written, but there’s always something that’s a bit unclear and can make judging controversial. And that doesn’t include the politics, which as in most horse sports, are ever-present.

Regardless of the inevitable pitfalls of Pony Club, this organization continues to turn out well-educated horsemen. Young adults who, in addition to being able to ride well, can longe their own horses, wrap their horses without worrying about bandage bows, and provide their horses with knowledgeable care. George would approve.

Sara Lieser