My daughter recently attended the Pony Club Horse Management Camp in Port Orchard with the Warm Beach Horsemanship Pony Club. This was her first away from home event and only her second Pony Club event. She was quite nervous about being away from home and me not being able to join her until late in the evening after the first day’s events.

Thankfully, she was blessed by wonderful chaperones who encouraged and reassured her as well as went to classes with her that she was interested in like the Polo Wraps, Farrier, Conformation, Nutrition, and Bits and Bit Fit classes.

Each class taught her new techniques/information and reinforced things she is learning in her lessons at Pony Club, both mounted and unmounted. We both thought it was amazing to see a life size model of a horse head, showing how a bit affects a horse from head to tail.

The Horse Management Camp provided wonderful information, but Saturday evening in the cabin was the best moment for me, as a mom, and an encouraging moment for my daughter. Another chaperone suggested the girls play a game where each of the girls took turns having all the other people in the room say something uplifting about them. Hearing everyone say wonderful things about your child and each other is so moving and encouraging.

My daughter went to this amazing event with anxiety and left feeling encouraged about the path she is on and who she is as a creation of God. She decided that weekend to put her trust in God and pray for help with her anxiety. He helped her persevere through the nerves and lifted her up through the lives of each Pony Club member and chaperone she was surrounded by.

-Pony Club Parent