Old Dominion Pony of the Americas Club

The Club

The ODPOAC

The Old Dominion Pony of the Americas Club has been in existence since 1983. It typically offers eight POAC-sanctioned shows each year—four weekends of two shows each—with a focus on helping children and ponies grow and learn together. Children can begin riding as soon as their parents are willing to let them sit on a pony’s back and can enter leadline equitation, costume, and game classes at shows. Once they want to ride without a leader, they can enter 8-and-under classes. Other age divisions are 9-12 and 13-18. Youth can show in all classes. Adults can show in halter, driving, and open classes (at ODPOAC shows) and in junior pony futurity classic (JPFC) classes at other shows. JPFC classes are for POAs that are 4 or younger. JPFC hunter under saddle, western pleasure, trail, and reining are offered.
The POA motto says "Try hard, win humbly, lose gracefully..." This, perhaps more than anything else, sets POA exhibitors apart from others in the world of horse show competition. Boys and girls cheer for each other and support each other even when they are competing against each other. Our own local club motto is “Every child is a winner!” Our families want to see our children do their best, learn, grow, become more confident, help other kids in the club, respect others, and have fun with ponies. We often combine show weekends with pool parties, barbecues, trips to a local ice cream shop, or shaving cream battles. The exhibitors see their POA friends in Virginia and beyond as extended family.
The following is a list of the classes that the ODPOAC offers. The national POAC offers a few more timed events; ours may vary from year to year. There are also halter classes with many size/age/sex divisions.

TIMED EVENTS
Pole Bending
Cloverleaf Barrels
Flag Race
Handy Horse
Single Pole
Combination Dash
Texas Rollback
Scurry Race
Go-Go

NON-TIMED EVENTS
Western pleasure
Reining
Trail
Western Riding
Pleasure Driving
Costume
Hunter under Saddle
Open Jumping
Hunter Over Fences
Hunter Hack
Stock Seat Equitation
Leadline Equitation
Bareback Equitation
Showmanship at Halter
Huntseat Eq. Over Fences
Huntseat Equitation

Don’t have a POA yet? Several of our shows each year are Interbreed Competition (IBC) shows, so you can come with whatever kind of horse or pony you do have or invite your non-POA-owning friends to come along and compete! We look forward to meeting you.

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