54 SIDELINES NOVEMBER 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
FEATURE
CALIFORNIA HOOFBEATS
A Passion for Ponies:
New Pony Club Takes Root in Orange County
I
n 2014, 20 new Pony Clubs launched coast to coast, from New
<RUN WR &DOLIRUQLD DQG IURP :DVKLQJWRQ WR *HRUJLD /H &KHYDO
Pony Club, the newest Southern California Region version of
the beloved group that has been educating young riders in the
United States since 1954, has sprouted in Lake Forest, California,
under the direction of Lauren Cirignano, Center Administrator.
Lauren trains at Serrano Creek Ranch, a barn she arrived at
DV D \HDU ROG ERDUGHU ZLWK KHU
KDQG KDOI $UDELDQ KDOI
Welsh pony named Misty. Currently, Lauren is a protégé of veteran
KXVEDQG DQG ZLIH WKUHH GD\ HYHQW WHDP %ULDQ DQG /LVD 6DER RI
6DER (YHQWLQJ LQ 2UDQJH &RXQW\
Lauren’s horse show background encompasses the Arabian,
)ULHVLDQ DQG 6DGGOHEUHG FLUFXLWV WR GUHVVDJH KXQWHU MXPSHUV DQG
HYHQWLQJ +RZHYHU WKUHH GD\ HYHQWLQJ LV /DXUHQ¶V GHHSHVW ORYH DQG
the discipline she’s focusing on with her gaggle of adolescent riders.
I had a chance to meet with this young equestrian mover and
shaker to pick her brain about kids, horses and the launch of a new
Pony Club.
What’s most exciting to you about Pony Club?
Watching kids learn and grow and teach each other and motivate
each other. It’s fun watching them in a group and seeing how
they feed off each other’s energy. There’s a friendly and healthy
competitiveness that pushes them to be more knowledgeable. When
I talk about conformation and anatomy, I can see the light bulbs start
going off and then they start to ask more questions. At some point
I can tell them, “Why don’t you research that?” So they research
and then come back and teach someone else in Pony Club. They’re
empowered to share what they’ve learned with their peers.
What made you decide to start a Pony Club?
Since I was little, I had always wanted to be in Pony Club.
I had heard about it and the companionship, camaraderie and
competitiveness. At the time, it wasn’t accessible to me where I lived
in Southern California; it was more of an East Coast thing.
I love the approach of Pony Club. I feel like horsemanship
has been lost in the equine industry and horsemanship is one of
the biggest aspects of the sport. The sport has gotten too much
into competing, winning and riding. I love not only the riding, but
horsemanship skills. Riding is important, but all the other pieces
VXFK DV KRUVH FDUH DUH MXVW DV LPSRUWDQW <RX¶UH FDULQJ IRU DQRWKHU
living creature, not just riding it.
How long did it take to go from the light bulb moment (“I
ZDQW WR VWDUW D 3RQ\ &OXE ´ WR \RXU DFWXDO ¿UVW PHHWLQJ
with your riders?
It took about nine months to go through the process. I had to show
that I take good quality care of my horses and tack and equipment.
When somebody from Pony Club comes to look at you and evaluate
where you operate, they want to see how well you keep all your
horses, area and other things. They watched me teach a lesson. I
had to make a lesson plan and a goal for my student and I had to
WHDFK D OHVVRQ ZLWK WKH HQG JRDO LQ PLQG $QG LW KDG WR PDNH VHQVH
to my student.
What sets Pony Club apart from other worthy youth
activities?
Horses in general, and equestrian sports, are more of a lifetime sport
than other sports. If you play volleyball or soccer, you can still enjoy
it when you’re older but most adults don’t continue to play. With
KRUVHV RQFH \RX¶UH DGGLFWHG WKDW¶V \RXU WKLQJ <RX FDQ GR LW
A passion for horsemanship and “caring for another living being” insp
LUHG /DXUHQ &LULJQDQR RI 2UDQJH &RXQW\ VHHQ KHUH VFKRROLQJ LQ &RSSHU
Meadows in Ramona, California, to launch Le Cheval Pony Club in 2014.
Photo by Sherry Seib,
m
By Susan Friedland-Smith
Sidelines
"California Hoofbeats" columnist Susan poses with Le
Cheval Pony Club founder Lauren Cirignano and her Morgan mare
Rio.
