Education
Organizations at all levels offer great opportunities to learn. Your local club may have guest speakers at monthly meetings, or an international association may offer a week long clinic with Olympic level coaches. Youth clubs like Pony Club and 4-H provide young people with fun and educational opportunities. Many larger associations offer books and pamphlets. Some promotional information may be free to individuals and smaller clubs. Members of larger clubs can enjoy newsletters and magazines that offer helpful articles and columns.Services
Associations such as the American Quarter Horse Association establish breed standards and keep pedigree records. Breed organizations provide owners and breeders with services such as registration, stallion listings and ownership transfers. Some associations offer benefits such as insurance or advertising. Often these services are discounted for members. Some associations offer accreditation to trainers and instructors and a directory so members can find qualified experts.Information
Clubs and organizations on all levels from local to international can keep you informed about laws and issues that may affect you as a horse owner. If riding trails or other land use issues arise, clubs can provide a voice so that horse owners’ needs and rights are respected. In 2004 in Ontario Canada, the Ontario Equestrian Federation helped land owners who faced zoning changes that would cause their property taxes to increase by up to 1500%. The OEF, rallied members to launch a letter writing campaign to politicians and provided up-to-date information to all members and advice to those already affected. Consequently the zoning change was repealed.Another local group formed when horses were excluded from multi-use trails. The group worked together to prove that equestrians were willing to help with trail building, funding and maintenance. Through their efforts horses are now welcome on these trails.
