The Pony Club is launching the next level of its online Pony Prep learning resource at Olympia next week (Thursday 18 December).
The new website www.PonyPrepPlus.org will have the same feel and interactive ability as www.PonyPrep.org but is designed for the C+, 14 years and over age group.
The site has three key areas — profile, skills and challenges.
The profile area is where members can express more about themselves by uploading images of activities, joining a virtual Pony Club group and displaying competition results and tests achieved.
The skills area users has bite size learning content from the Manual of Horsemanship, published by the Pony Club’s training committee.
This is backed up by images, videos and interactions to aid learning. There are videos on leg yield and riding in the correct position.
Horse management from preparing a horse for travelling, shoeing and keeping a pony at grass or in a stable is also covered.
“It’s all based around the C+ test and B test syllabus and will in future go up to A test,” said Jenny Cowen, the Pony Club’s training officer.
The website will enable children to “carry on learning during the winter even if they can’t go out and ride,” she added.
The challenges area enables users to show the skills they have learnt by taking part in virtual competitions. From early next year they will also be able to upload video content of horse care and riding skills for feedback.
“The new site will include information and interactions suitable for those at C+ Test level and above; including advanced training videos, interactive learning activities and the ability for users to upload their own content and enter competitions which can be marked by peers,” said a PC spokesman.
The new website follows on from www.PonyPrep.org launched in 2010 to help members working towards their D-C PC efficiency tests.
This now has over 200,000 users from all over the world and is used by both children and non-horsey parents.
