Jessica Jahiel's HORSE-SENSE Newsletter Archives

Riding clubs

From: Andrea

Dear Jessica,

Some of the people at my barn and some other boarding barns in our area have been talking about starting a riding club. I guess I'm not real sure what that is, but I don't see what good it is to have a club, since we're all riding anyway? I would like to know what is your opinion of riding clubs and if they have a purpose or are just something snobby?

Thank you for your opinion and thank you very much for Horse Sense. Andrea

Hi Andrea! I like riding clubs, and I don't think they are snobby at all. Riding clubs can help local riders do things that they can't do on their own, and that even a barn owner can't do for the riders. Most of the riding clubs I know have regular meetings, dues, and a newsletter. They use club money for books and videos for the riding club collection (any member can borrow the books or tapes), and they also use club money to bring in people who can lecture or teach lessons or clinics -- I do a lot of both for various riding clubs! Riding clubs do a lot for the education of riders.

Why not go to a meeting, and find out what the plans are for this particular club? It will need officers and volunteers; if you're at all interested, why not join in the planning and have some input of your own? Perhaps there's a particular clinician YOU would like to have come to your area, or a particular book or tape YOU would like to have in a "club library." If you join and work for the club, your voice will be heard when those sorts of decisions are made. I say it's worth a try -- and after all, if you truly don't like it after six months or so, you can always stop going to meetings. ;-)

Jessica

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