Greenville Foothills Pony Club will host the first Stick Horse Races at the Block House Steeplechase at FENCE on Saturday, April 23. Five races are to be held including:
• 4-year-olds and under
• 5- and 6-year-olds
• 7- and 8-year-olds
• 9- and 10-year-olds
• Adults in silly hats
Registration begins at 10 a.m. at the tower, with races beginning at 11 a.m. The entry fee per human per race is $5. There will be prizes for everyone, as well as special prizes for race winners in each division.
Stick horses will be available for purchase at the conclusion of the races for $10 each. All proceeds benefit the education program of Greenville Foothills Pony Club.
Greenville Foothills Pony Club (GFPC), comprised currently of 35 members from the South and North Carolina counties of Polk, Greenville, Spartanburg, Pickens, Anderson, Laurens and Oconee, is a chapter of the United States Pony Clubs. Members range in age from 10 to 24, with the following ratings represented: UR (2), D1 (2), D2 (7), D3 (3), C1 (8), C2 (6), HB (3), C3 (1), H (1), B (2).
GFPC holds monthly meetings and a summer camp that incorporate mounted and unmounted instruction. Members are active regionally (clinics, rallies – quiz, dressage, show jumping and eventing), nationally (USPC Championships, USPC Visiting Instructor Program) and internationally (USPC Exchange Program).
The mission of the United States Pony Clubs is to develop character, leadership, confidence and a sense of community in youth through a program that teaches the care of horses and ponies, riding and mounted sports.
This years’ local business sponsors who made the construction of the horses and the running of the races possible include: Heritage Restoration, Premier Equine Insurance, Love on a Leash Canine Salon, Little Mountain Farm Supply and Stone Soup Restaurant.
For more information, contact Carolyn Culbertson at chculbertson@earthlink.net or Stephanie Wood at stephaniewood1969@gmail.com.