About Heart Of Illinois
The United States Pony Clubs, Inc., develops character, leadership, confidence and a sense of community in youth through a program that teaches the care of horses and ponies, riding and mounted sports.
Heart of Illinois Pony Club welcomes all riders of any age interested in learning about proper horse and pony care and management. We strive to provide a program that has been proven to build responsible horsemanship skills, and with that we try to foster all the other wonderful attributes an individual can learn and grow in both their personal life and career, including leadership and teamwork.
Our club has members from all around the area. Some individuals have horses at home, others board at private or public facilities. Currently, there are several local barns in our area that have a riding program that supports our club, and most have lesson horses that may meet the minimum requirements of any certifications an individual may wish to take as he or she progresses within the program. However, we are always interested in meeting riders from other barns, backgrounds and areas, and welcome them to review our program and join our club.
Our group meets in various areas in the Peoria, Illinois and surrounding area depending on the schedule. Some meetings are mounted, where we host a clinician with which members may ride, and others are unmounted. Pony Club emphasizes team-oriented, competitions called rallies. There are mounted rallies in various horse sports, and Quiz, which is a knowledge demonstration that follows the Standards of Proficiency where members compete on teams to answer questions appropriate to their certification level. Quiz happens in the spring in our Region (the North Central Prairie Region) and since riding is mostly limited due to weather in this area we use this time to prepare and most of the mounted meetings occur as the weather improves.
USPC Pony Clubs and Riding Centers are assigned to one of 41 geographical regions, which are administered by a volunteer Regional Supervisor (RS) and other appointed and elected officers. Regions offer additional activities and opportunities for members and support for the club and center leaders under their administration.
Heart Of Illinois Pony Club is part of the North Central Prairie Region.
Visit the region's website for the contact information for the Regional Officers.
Visit the Pony Club website to learn more about the Pony Club educational program, national events, activities and opportunities for members.