February 28, 2025 (Lexington, KY) — As a leader in equestrian education, the United States Pony Clubs (USPC or Pony Club) dedicates itself to this mission year after year with the USPC Convention, an annual meeting that involves dozens of educational workshops for anyone interested in horses, along with leadership training, awards presentation, and hands-on learning activities. The 2025 USPC Convention, hosted by the Great Lakes Region, was held January 22–26, 2025, at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa near Traverse City, Mich.
“USPC’s Convention is the best way for Pony Club members and leaders to connect, share ideas, and learn more about horses and about Pony Club,” said USPC Executive Director Teresa Woods. “I love the enthusiasm that everyone has for this organization and its mission and seeing all the many initiatives getting underway for the year, such as the new USPC Member Achievement Program and the USPC-hosted virtual competitions. The leadership training at Convention is always a highlight as well, as we work to improve the Pony Club experience for all members.”
Erin Roland, USPC’s Activities and Events Director, added how special the event is for Pony Club. “It’s one event we have that truly brings Pony Club together,” said Roland. “Historically, Convention started as the Annual Meeting of Members, then grew to include national committee meetings, and again for leadership trainings, and again for educational workshops, until now we have an event with the most unique blend of leadership, networking, and education.
“There is no other Convention like it,” she continued. “And as such, it takes a village to plan and execute. A big thank you to all who were involved in making this a very memorable convention, including our sponsors, national liaisons, Local Organizing Committee, and our hosting region, the Great Lakes Region. It’s also the only event that takes planning and programming from every department the National Office has. It’s like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle I get to put together each year.”
Education and Leadership
Hundreds of horse enthusiasts and Pony Club members and leaders from 34 Pony Club regions attended the USPC Convention with the goal of learning and exchanging ideas on the topics that impact Pony Club members today. In addition to leadership training sessions, professional development with motivational speaker Jay McChord was once again a highlight, and the leadership training was sponsored by the Mattingley Leadership Training Fund with support from Western Specialty Insurors.
More than 50 workshops for adults and youth covered topics such as: lameness; equine anatomy; track systems for turnout; assessing equine conformation; horse personality; Horse Management within Pony Club; yoga on horseback; equine nutrition; rider fitness; programs within USPC; how horses strengthen communities; saddle fit; sports psychology; volunteering within Pony Club; veterinary emergencies; horse health and diseases; horse senses; positive reinforcement training; traveling with a horse and biosecurity; equine massage techniques; horse welfare and social license; equestrian college programs; wild horses and burros and their adoption; and equine disciplines, such as Hunter Seat Equitation, Dressage, Foxhunting, Mounted Games, Working Equitation, Vaulting, and much more.
The youngest members in attendance also learned about horses in the Pony Paddock, sponsored by the Arabian Horse Youth Association, holding their own lively horseless horse show and other educational fun.
The USPC Research Project Fair, presented by Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and supported by The Equestrian College Advisor; Kentucky Equine Research; and Michigan State University, Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine, allowed curious science-minded members to do research or a literary review on a horse topic of their choice, and then present that topic to judges in a science fair atmosphere. Participants of the fair were honored at a Saturday luncheon. This year’s Research Project Fair saw record entry numbers, with 51 participants.
The event also offered a variety of hands-on opportunities that are a staple of the USPC Convention, such as the Horse Management Room, staffed by Horse Management experts and sponsored by USPC member Candy Tavormina. Veterinary experts were also on hand for interactive education in the Anatomy Room, presented by Michigan State University, Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine with support from Riverside Animal Clinic and Saginaw Valley Equine Clinic.
Attendees also enjoyed shopping and education in the trade fair, and bidding on the silent auction fundraiser presented by the Great Lakes Region.
Developing the Next Generation
The USPC Convention hosts a leadership program for the National Youth Congress (NYC), which provides leadership training for outstanding upper-level members from across Pony Club’s 40 regions. At the conference, NYC members worked alongside USPC Academy of Achievement alumni, who are recognized for excellence in their chosen fields of expertise. This year’s Academy of Achievement honorees are Nicole Ligon Wimer and William Robertson. Read more about the 2025 National Youth Congress delegates and Academy of Achievement honorees here.
The USPC National Youth Board (NYB) also met during the convention. The NYB includes young adult members ages 18 to 23, who serve as liaisons between the youth membership of USPC and the Board of Governors. This year’s NYB introduced a National Youth Summit at convention, offering peer education and leadership principles, along with doing a service project that involved NYB members going to an assisted living facility, where they did stretching exercises and a craft project with residents. It’s just one way the National Youth Board has given back this year, as earlier in the fall, they ran a canned food drive for food pantries within participating regions.
The Meeting of the Corporation
Many Pony Club awards were presented at the Saturday morning Meeting of the Corporation, including recognition of eight Pony Clubs celebrating milestone anniversaries. The following clubs were recognized for reaching their 50th anniversary:
- Chattanooga Pony Club, Midsouth Region
- Cornhusker Pony Club, Midwest Region
- French Creek Pony Club, Northwest Region
- Meadowlark Pony Club, Midwest Region
- Pleasant Valley Pony Club, formerly in the Western New England Region, moving to the White Mountain Region
- Woodbine Pony Club, South Region
The following clubs were recognized for reaching their 25th anniversary:
- Battenkill Pony Club, formerly in Western New England Region, moving to Central New England Region
- Chequamegon Pony Club, Northern Lakes Region
The USPC Brookfield Land Conservation Award was presented to Tennessee Valley II Pony Club. This award recognizes efforts to promote land conservation, with a $500 cash award for the winner.
The USPC Flash Teamwork Award, sponsored by USPC member Cathy Aranosian, went to Sonoma Coastal EquesTraining Center Pony Club Riding Center from the Sierra Pacific Region for their fundraising efforts to get their members to the 2024 USPC Festival Championships.
Saturday Night Banquet Highlights
The Saturday Night Banquet, sponsored by Via Nova Training, was a highlight as attendees celebrated significant Pony Club achievements before dancing the night away. The Great Lakes Region’s organizers Kerry McKinley and Wendy Willford kicked off the meeting before awards got underway, and then at the end of the presentations, the “Passing of the Whip” ceremony passed on the duties of host region from the Greak Lakes Region to the North Central Prairie Region for 2026 USPC Convention, which will be held next winter.
Four Pony Club members who earned A-level certifications received special recognition for their accomplishment in reaching USPC’s highest certification:
- Allison Icenogle, A Eventing, Top Hat and Tails Pony Club, Northern Lakes Region
- Erin Icenogle, A Eventing, Top Hat and Tails Pony Club, Northern Lakes Region
- Joan Leuck-Waak, A Dressage, Dune Riders Pony Club, Lake Shore Region
- Kelly Stalter, A Eventing, Hunter’s Run Pony Club, Tri-State Region
The USPC National Youth Congress delegates and Academy of Achievement inductees were recognized during the banquet, and the final awards of the night were presented to the recipients of the USPC Founders Award, honoring dedicated long-time volunteers Colonel Lorelei Wilson Coplen; Yvette R. Seger, PhD; and Ron VanDyke. Read all about their accomplishments with Pony Club and beyond here.
The evening presentation was capped off by the keynote speaker, David Silver. Silver, who is an H-A and B Eventing alum of USPC, is the founder and executive director of Detroit Horse Power, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that teaches Detroit’s youth valuable life lessons through riding and caring for horses. Silver, who started out as a teacher on the west side of Detroit, decided to step outside the classroom to make the character skill-building opportunities he had received through working with horses available to youth like his students. Now in its 10th year of operation, Detroit Horse Power has introduced hundreds of students from the city to partnering horse barns outside Detroit for summer camps that emphasize the joy and life lessons horses can teach us.
Thank You to Our Event Sponsors
Pony Club was pleased to partner with the following sponsors for the event: Ag Pro Trading; the American Association of Equine Practitioners; the Arabian Horse Youth Association; Coach Daniel Stewart and his Pressure Proof Coaching Academy; Dressage 4 Kids; the Equestrian College Advisor; the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation; Horse Spot; ID-My Horse; Kentucky Equine Research; Kerrits (the official apparel sponsor of USPC); the Mattingley Leadership Training Fund; Karen McDougal; the McKinley family; Metamora Hunt II Pony Club members, sponsors, and alumni; Michigan State University/Mary Anne McPhail Dressage Chair in Equine Sports Medicine; Midwest Dressage Association; Mounted Games Across America; Orlando Masonry & Construction, LLC; Orlando Masonry Development; Otterbein University; Lori Pickett; Pierport Pony Club; Riverside Animal Clinic; Saginaw Valley Equine Clinic; Shapley’s (the official grooming product sponsor of USPC); Candy Tavormina; Tipperary Equestrian; The Horse; Trafalgar Square Books; Traverse City Tourism; Triple Crown Nutrition (the official feed sponsor of USPC); USA Working Equitation; Via Nova Training; Western Dressage Association of American; Western Specialty Insurors; William Woods University; Wintec (the official saddle sponsor of USPC); and Zoetis (the official equine health and wellness partner of USPC).
The United States Pony Clubs invites all horse lovers to save the date for the 2026 USPC Convention to be held January 2026 in the North Central Prairie Region, which includes Illinois and eastern Iowa. More information will be made available soon on ponyclub.org.
About The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. — The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. (USPC or Pony Club) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit educational organization that builds the foundation of teamwork and sportsmanship through riding, mounted sports, and care of horses and ponies, while developing and enhancing leadership, confidence, responsibility, and a sense of community in its youth and adult members. USPC is proud to offer instruction and competitive opportunities in 11 competitive disciplines through hundreds of clubs and centers across the United States. USPC’s educational standards continue to be instrumental in curriculum development for schools, universities, equestrian professionals, and organizations across the United States. Many of the nation’s top equestrians, including Olympic team members, as well as successful business professionals and leaders in a variety of fields, have roots in Pony Club. For more information, please visit www.ponyclub.org.
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