Welcome to Yampa Valley Pony Club. We are a United States Pony Club affiliated member located in the beautiful Yampa Valley of Northwest Colorado in and around Steamboat Springs. Our mission is to provide a program for youth that teaches riding, mounted sports, and the care of horses and ponies, thereby developing responsibility, moral judgement, leadership, and self-confidence.
Parent participation is a vital ingredient to a successful club. We are a parent run volunteer organization that couldn't exist without parent involvement.
We are a very active pony club. Our members participate in a wide variety of English and Western horse activities. These include both mounted and unmounted meetings, clinics and rallies. We endeavor to teach safe, effective riding and horse care while providing an inclusive opportunity for fun and friendship.
Our Pony Club's Western activities are scheduled for Mondays during the summer months and our English activities are scheduled for Wednesdays during the summer months. Summer riding events are typically scheduled for early evenings to help the horses and riders beat the heat and to accommodate busy work schedules. Both horses and riders suffer in direct hot sun. Horse management meetings are scheduled throughout the year, typically in the winter (non-riding) months. Special events such as rallies, clinics, overnights and trail rides might also be scheduled throughout the year. There is a year-end celebration at the end of the summer to celebrate our growth and accomplishments that have been made throughout the summer riding months. In the past our year end celebration has been an overnight camping trip (with horses of course) with trail rides and cross-country jumping.
There are yearly membership fees, both nationally and regionally, that are due upon enrollment. We ask for a minimum of a 3 lesson commitment to summer riding lessons. There is a $10.00 cancellation fee if you don’t show-up to a lesson that you have reserved without 24 hours’ notice (the instructors show up, even if you don’t). A parent volunteer will keep attendance at all riding events and bills will be given out twice per year. Our fundraising activities, mainly a concession stand at the summer Thursday night gymkhanas held at the Romick Rodeo Arena at Howelsen Hill, benefit YVPC costs and help keep lesson fees affordable. Additional fees will be assessed for other events such as rallies and certification ratings. There are also national and regional events which families might participate in at additional cost.
Above all we are a small, tight knit community of families that want to provide memorable, positive and safe experiences for our children. Welcome!
Let’s go ride!
Caroline Tynelius-Deering
Yampa Valley Pony Club, D.C.