The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. is pleased to announce the winners of the tenth annual Live Oak Hounds USPC Foxhunting Challenge. The Live Oak Challenge is designed to encourage Pony Club members who do not regularly hunt to try the sport, and to reward members who hunt on a regular basis to act as mentors to the less-experienced Pony Club members. $10,000 in awards will go to the top Pony Clubs who regularly take the greatest number of active Pony Club members out hunting. A total of 68 Pony Club members competed this year, and that counted for more than 705 days out in the hunt field. This award is made possible through the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. C. Martin Wood III, Joint Masters of the Live Oak Hounds in Monticello, Florida, and Past Presidents of the MFHA.
“It’s delightful that a vibrant new pony club, The Arapahoe Hunt Pony Club, has won the Live Oak Challenge Award this year–the club’s close and continuing collaboration with a historic hunt such as Arapahoe is clearly paying off and bodes well for the future of the sport in the region,” noted Nancy Ambrosiano, USPC Liaison to the MFHA and president of Caza Ladron Hunt.
Congratulations to the 2016 Challenge winners:
1st Place: The Arapahoe Hunt Pony Club in Colorado who hunted with Arapahoe Hunt.
2nd Place: Cedar Knob Pony Club in Tennessee who hunted with Cedar Knob Hounds, Longreen Foxhounds, Hillsboro Hounds and Marlborough Hunt.
3rd Place: Elkridge Harford Pony Club in Maryland who hunted with Elkridge-Harford Hunt.
4th Place: Spring Valley Hounds Pony Club in New Jersey who hunted with Spring Valley Hounds.
5th Place: Buffalo Creek Pony Club in Virginia who hunted with Red Oak Foxhounds.
6th Place: Blue Mountain Pony Club in Pennsylvania who hunted with the Rose Tree-Blue Mountain Hunt.
Also participating: Old Dominion Hounds Pony Club in Virginia who hunted with the Old Dominion Hounds.
USPC was founded in 1954 by a group of avid foxhunters. A knowledgeable rider on a happy pony (or horse) is the goal of Pony Club, and the hunt field is a great place to find many of these pairs. Pony Club offers several opportunities for members to explore Foxhunting as a group or individually through club or center activities, visit ponyclub.org for more information and to get involved.
The Masters of Foxhounds Association of America was formed in 1907 and is the governing body of organized fox, coyote, other acceptable legal quarry and drag hunting in the United States and Canada. The MFHA’s main activities are: the promotion of the sport; the publication of a Foxhound Stud Book; the recognition of organized Hunts which have met its standards; the recordation of countries and boundaries for organized hunting establishments; and the registration of Hunts as a preliminary step toward recognition.
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. There are approximately 9,000 Pony Club members in over 600 clubs and riding centers throughout the country. 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.
