Pony Club at Thomas School
A national program in horse management and horsemanship, taught right here on Long Island.
At Thomas School, our Pony Club program teaches the full spectrum of horse care, from stable management and nutrition to advanced riding technique. Through a balanced curriculum of mounted and unmounted instruction, members build the discipline, leadership, and hands-on expertise required to excel.
As a United States Pony Clubs (USPC)-recognized Riding Center, we provide the horses for our members, so you can focus on mastering the skills that matter most.
It’s teamwork and horsemanship in equal measure.
Learning Together
Learning happens on the ground, as well as in the saddle.
Pony Club blends mounted instruction with unmounted instruction, providing the deep horse-management training that most riders never get elsewhere. Feeding, hoof care, veterinary basics, tacking up: the kind of knowledge that used to just come with growing up around horses.
More experienced members teach and assist newer ones under adult supervision, so mentorship is built into the program itself. It’s teamwork with real stakes attached, and it shows at competitions, where riders are judged on how well they care for their horse and equipment—not just how well they ride.
By the time riders are ready to get on, they’ve already done real work, and know exactly why it matters.
Thomas School is one of four riding centers in the Metropolitan Region Pony Club.
A Clear Progression
From D level to A level, every member attains the skills and knowledge essential for success.
Members progress at their own pace through the Pony Club Standards of Proficiency, which guide their development along every stage of their journey toward certification.
D Level (Beginner)
Learn the fundamentals of safety and horse care—including how to feed a horse water, hay, and grain—alongside foundational riding skills.
C Level (Intermediate)
Build on those fundamentals with a deeper working knowledge of horse management and more independent riding ability.
B Level (Advanced)
Take on more responsibility and technical skill, in both horsemanship and in the saddle.
A Level (Most Advanced)
Reach the highest tier of certification. At this level, riders can identify types of grain and explain their nutritional value—the kind of depth that’s respected well beyond Pony Club itself.
Members interested in learning more about the horse-care side than riding can continue through every level above without ever getting back in the saddle after their first certification. Those following the riding path can attain a variety of related certifications including dressage, eventing, show jumping, and more.
Pony Club members also have opportunities to get further involved through volunteer leadership positions, as well as additional programs, such as international exchanges, regional and national clinics, youth boards, and college scholarships.
Built to Work Alongside Your Lessons
Most members do both—Pony Club and regular lessons.
Most Pony Club members are also taking regular riding lessons; the program is designed to run alongside that instruction.
Lessons build the actual riding skills, while Pony Club builds everything around it—horse management, teamwork, discipline, responsibility, and leadership.
From here, riders often go on to schooling shows or the IEA team, using Pony Club as the foundation that makes that next step feel less like a leap. But there’s no requirement to go further than that. Plenty of riders simply stay right here, going deeper into horsemanship at their own pace, with no pressure to chase a competition track they're not interested in.
Join the Team
No horse, no problem. We’ve got that covered.
As a USPC-recognized Riding Center, we provide the horse. All your rider needs to bring is the willingness to learn. From their first unmounted meeting to their first competition, they’ll have experienced instructors and veteran members showing them the way—the same mentorship that makes this program what it is.