Frequently Asked Questions

What age can you become a Member?

The minimum age is mainly dependent on the experience of the parent. If you are new to all this, a good age for your child to have their own pony is around 8 to 10 years. It is the same with "Riders Without Horses". For the younger ones we recommend riding lessons. The next best idea is to lease a pony for a season to determine how interested your child is, and to see if you have enough time and money before purchasing your own pony.

What is the maximum age to be a Riding Member?

The maximum age at pony club is 25 years.

Can I be an Adult Non-Riding Member?

All Riding Members and Riders Without Horses Members must have at least one parent/caregiver as an Adult Non-Riding Member. This is for a variety of reasons including but not limited to the child's safety and welfare. Adults who own their own horse or who have a passion for horses but do not have a child at the pony club are still invited to join as Adult Non-Riding Members but their horses cannot graze on pony club grounds. This means our sports club is open to adults from our neighbourhood and surrounding suburbs who enjoy horses.

How much is a Pony?

This is a very individual cost that is very dependent on a number of conditions. As a very loose rule it can cost around $35-50 per week for upkeep of a good conditioned general pony. On top of that is the initial cost of purchasing the pony, pony club fees, vet bills, gear costs, competition transport and fees, etc. Horses and ponies vary in price dependent on their age, breed, experience, temperament and so on. As said before the best way to get a feel for it is to lease a pony before you purchase one.

Can my child get riding lessons?

We are a pony club and our Riders Without Horses programme is a very suitable avenue for your horse crazy child. Becoming a RWH Member will expose your enthusiastic young rider to lots of different aspects of horse management as well as riding. The RWH Rally Programme provides for time on and around suitable ponies. From time to time RWH Members may want individual coaching and this is possible subject to committee approval.

What is a Rally?

At pony club the priority is the Rally. A Rally is an intensive group-based workout under the direction of a NZPCA qualified coach, typically 4-6 riders and mounts for a minimum of 1.5 hours in duration. Rallies cover theory and/or hands-on horsemanship, e.g. after Turnout (rider and mount presentation) is marked, the riders and mounts proceed to the dressage arena for warmup, dressage instruction and then onto the jumping course followed by some cross country. Most rallies conclude with some theory. In some situations additional theory rallies (like tutorials) are held, e.g. in preparation for Certificate examinations. At Chelsea we are privileged to have amazing coaches - Mary Dawkins (Waitemata District's Head Coach) for our Senior squad and Kathryn Horwood (one of Mary's top protégés) for our Junior squad.

When do you hold your Rallies?

Our Spring to Autumn calendar offers 10-12 rallies (about 2 per month) between October and April/May, and these are typically held on a Saturday morning (starting 8:30am) or a Wednesday evening (starting 6:00pm) depending on Coach availability, working bees and competitions. We schedule our rallies to align well with several external events, e.g. ODEs, Dressage, Show Jumping, so our Riders and Teams are confident and competition-ready.

Can I leave my child at the club if there's a Rally on?

No you cannot leave your child or children (under 18 years of age) at the pony club, not even if they are attending a Rally. It is a pony club and there are certain hazards so it is important that parents/caregivers are always in attendance. When your child is not in a Rally, it is even more important that you as a parent/caregiver are on hand to supervise them. Safety is paramount.

If I become a Member do I need to help at Working Bees and other Fundraisers?

Chelsea relies exclusively on it's members to volunteer time and effort towards the successful upkeep of the grounds, equipment, clubhouse and everything relevant to the pony club. All members' families are asked to participate where possible in the monthly working bees, fund raisers like our Open Days, and other club activities including external events where we are asked to help out.