Local riders earn D-1 Certification from the United States Pony Clubs, Inc.

MINDEN, Nev. - Bayview Farms Pony Club Riding Center has announced the certification of Bailey Brown, Briezy Caron, Madelynn Hodgkins, and Taylor Undercoffler from Unrated to D-1 at a testing held on March 7, 2021 in Minden.

To earn the certification, Bailey (age 7), Madelynn (age 7), and Taylor (age 16) of South Lake Tahoe, and Briezy (age 10) of Carson City passed an examination that tested horsemanship skills and equine knowledge.

All four joined Pony Club in 2020, and this was their first certification, riding one of the Bayview Farms horses, ranging in age from 22 to 27. Pony Club has given these old show horses another chance to give the gift of teaching kids the basics, thereby adding more purpose and happiness to their retirement. With some of them needing stools to stand on to reach the top of their mounts for brushing, these young riders can groom and tack up the horses independently, ride in control at the walk and trot, as well as tell you about the parts of the horse, bridle, and saddle, and proper cooling out of their mount after exercising.

Each of the Pony Club certification levels is more difficult than the preceding one, and requires Pony Club members to learn more about horses and their care and to become increasingly accomplished riders and teachers to younger members. The top certification level is the A level and is reached by fewer than one in 300. It denotes throughout the international horse industry a highly competent and knowledgeable horseperson.

The leader of Bayview Farms Pony Club Riding Center is Kelly Lancellotti of South Lake Tahoe, Calif. The Center is located in Minden, NV and owned by Cori Rosa, a Hunter, Jumper, and Equitation trainer with 35 years of experience. The Riding Center opened in 2019 and has four other members certified at D-1. They are studying for their next certifications along with a C-2 member planning to take her first national level certification later this year. She also teaches most of the horse management topics.

Four of the members own their own horses and ponies.

Along with an emphasis on helping its members learn to ride and care for horses, Pony Club promotes teamwork, a sense of responsibility, safety, good moral judgment and self-confidence.

About Pony Club - The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. (Pony Club) was founded in 1954 as a nonprofit national youth organization to teach riding and horsemanship through a formal educational program. Many of the nation’s top equestrians, including several of our Olympic team members, business professionals, government leaders and career military officers, have roots in Pony Club. Youth members range in age from as young as 4 through age 25. Pony Club also offers educational opportunities to a growing number of adults through Horsemasters membership. There are approximately 10,000 Pony Club members in over 600 clubs and riding centers in 42 regions throughout the country www.ponyclub.org.

For more information about Bayview Farms Pony Club Riding Center, please contact Kelly at (530) 416-2735 or Cori at (775) 721-7318.