Lexington, KY - January 1, 2004 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the site for the 2004 Annual Meeting and Convention of the United States Pony Clubs, Inc. From Thursday, January 15th through Sunday, January 18th, over 1,000 Pony Club leaders, volunteers and youth are expected to attend the meeting for a variety of informative and exciting seminars on equestrian topics. Noted professionals from across the country will conduct workshops on subjects relating to equine activities and sports.

This is not your average annual meeting! USPC is partying, honoring, and sharing the good old days: new perspectives, old friends and the ponies that got us there. Attend the giant Birthday Party on Friday evening specially planned for all ages! Dance with friends, and eat cake to celebrate. Breyer horses, decorated for the occasion, will be on every table, and ready to go to new homes with a Pony Club member.

Honor the “Legends of Pony Club” on Saturday evening. A gala banquet will be the jewel in the crown of the weekend. Legend Honorees are to be seated at tables throughout the room, making it possible for us to share their experiences more personally. A multi media presentation will highlight the legendary individuals who have led our children, ponies, and adults for 50 years. Christy Todd Whitman, graduate C, Somerset Hills Pony Club, former Governor of New Jersey and past Chair of the EPA, will speak. Dancing follows dinner. Old friends and new ideas, memories and future plans will mingle. Black tie or ‘Evening scarlet’ is the attire for the Saturday night banquet.

Once every 50 years, a jubilee sums up accomplishments, joys, sorrows and hopes. This one promises to be a great celebration for all ages. The usual Annual Meeting instructional programs are also taking place. DC and RS workshops and Pony Club Paddock presentations are an integral part of the planning. Anyone who attends an Annual Meeting comes away energized, full of new ideas, excited by the infusion of information and youth. Also available on site at the Annual Meeting will be the USPC Bookstore and an impressive trade fair of equestrian products.

The Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel will host the meeting. Media representatives are encouraged to attend. For information on the Annual Meeting, contact www.ponyclub.org (click on Annual Meeting) or call Wayne Quarles, USPC Activities Director, at 859/254-7669.

Pony Club is a misnomer; it is not a club for ponies. It is a non-profit organization that teaches horsemanship and the care of the horse to young people through the age of 21. Pony Club is a worldwide educational organization that originated in Great Britain in 1928. The United States Pony Clubs (referred to as Pony Club or USPC) was founded as a non-profit national youth horsemanship organization in February, 1954. Today, there are over 625 Pony Clubs nationwide – including clubs in Alaska and Hawaii – with over 12,000 members. Pony Club members range in age from as young as 5 to age 21.

The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. – 4041 Iron Works Parkway – Lexington, KY 40511