The "pony club idea" originated in Great Britain in 1928 and still flourishes there and in a couple dozen other countries. The United States Pony Club, Inc. (referred to as USPC or Pony Club) was founded as a nonprofit youth horsemanship organization in February of 1954, with 18 local clubs, several of which had been associated with the British organization as early as the 1930's. The U.S. Pony Club was patterned after that in Great Britain but was and is independent from Pony Club there.

   Today there are some 12,000 members in over 600 Pony Clubs nationwide, including Alaska, Hawaii and the U.S Virgin Islands. Clubs are divided among 40 regions. Each club is led by a volunteer called the "District Commissioner". Clubs involve entire families, the members and their mothers and fathers and more. They are a monument to voluntarism, with about 3,000 dedicated and often passionate volunteers nationally. Parents who volunteer often continue to do so after their children "graduate" from Pony Club.

   Generally, Pony Club members are about age 6-8 to age 21. There is no absolute minimum age, although a youngster must be old enough to safely ride and participate in activities and competitions. The term "pony" comes from the British Pony Club and was originally used to refer to the size of the rider, not the size of the horse. There is a maximum age. The year a Pony Clubber turns 21, he or she must "graduate" as of December 31. Many former Pony Clubbers are volunteers or adult members or both (adult members pay a sponsorship fee). Local clubs charge Pony Clubbers membership fees of varying amounts (nearly all do fund raising to help keep fees low), and there is a national membership fee for Pony Clubbers. National fees include a $10 one time initiation fee, a $16 insurance premium, and $44 national dues. LGPC local club fees include a $5 regional fee, a $20 sponsors fee and $15 local club dues. The national organization raises funds through adult memberships, corporate sponsorships, gifts, and annual fund campaign to help keep national dues for members as low as possible and to supplement funds for members' instructional programs and volunteers' leadership training.

   Through the USPC formal instruction program, members learn more about horses and their care than do members of any other American horsemanship organization. Riding activities include combined training (dressage, stadium jumping, and cross country), mounted games, show jumping, dressage (as a single activity), vaulting (horseback gymnastics), polo, polocrosse (a combination of polo and lacrosse), fox hunting, and tetrathlon (riding, running, swimming and shooting). A favorite non-riding activity is Quiz (formerly called KnowDown), a verbal quiz bowl in which Pony Clubbers compete on their knowledge of things equine. Although USPC emphasizes instruction over competition, members do compete with one another at club, regional and national rallies. The term "rally" is used because Pony Club competitions are not merely competitive, they are also educational. Many Pony Clubbers do compete outside Pony Club as well. Most USPC competition is team competition, so Pony clubbers learn the importance of cooperation and friendship. At rallies, there is no help from parents. Youngsters help each other (with qualified adults nearby). An important part of rallies is horse care, which is judged and is highly competitive. What Pony Clubbers do is learn to ride and care for their mounts safely, well and responsibly - and have fun in doing so.

   One of America's outstanding writers wrote in a 1993 national magazine article that there is no other instructional system like the Pony Club way, that there are few teaching organizations of any kind as effective as Pony Club. Officials at colleges and universities with riding or equine programs and at the American Association of Equine Practitioners know that Pony Clubbers are good, often outstanding, learners and leaders, know much about horses, and are excellent riders. As of April, 1996, 11 schools and AAEP had established and funded scholarship programs for Pony Club members. Officials at other colleges may soon start programs. each school and the AAEP require outstanding academic attainment and generally have other requirements, such as minimum Pony Club rating.

   Pony Clubbers progress through a standard rating system (something like Boy and Girl scouts' ranks) that requires them to learn more and more about horses and their care and to become increasingly accomplished riders. The Pony Clubber who reaches the "A" rating, the ninth and highest reached by only a small percentage of all members, is a highly competent and knowledgeable young horsewoman or horseman. The many thousands of former Pony Clubbers are in all walks of life from accountants to zoologists, laboratory researchers to Pulitzer Prize winners. Many, no matter what rating they reached, continue to keep, ride, and enjoy horse. Among those who are professional horsemen and horsewomen, at least 32 have been members of U.S. Olympic teams (one more competes for a U.S Virgin Islands team) as equestrians. Others are nationally and internationally known equestrian teachers, trainers, and competitors.