British Horse Society vs Pony Club: Which Is Right for You?

Picture this: you’ve just had your first canter at a riding school tucked into the Cheshire countryside, and you’re hooked. Or perhaps your ten-year-old has been pestering you for months after a pony trek in the Brecon Beacons, and you’ve finally caved. Either way, you’re now standing at the gate of the wider equestrian world, and two names keep coming up in conversation with other riders, instructors, and parents at the yard: the British Horse Society and the Pony Club.

Both are respected, long-established organisations woven into the fabric of horse riding culture across England, Scotland, and Wales. But they serve different purposes, attract different members, and offer genuinely different experiences. This guide cuts through the noise and gives you a clear, honest picture of each — so you can make the right choice for your situation, your age, your budget, and your ambitions.

A Brief Background on Each Organisation

The British Horse Society (BHS)

Founded in 1947, the British Horse Society is the UK’s largest equine charity and the primary professional body for the equestrian world. Its headquarters sit at Abbey Park in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, and its reach extends across the entire country — from urban riding centres in East London to remote trekking centres on the edges of Dartmoor.

The BHS operates across three broad pillars: education and training, horse welfare, and access and safety. When you hear the phrase “BHS approved riding school,” that approval matters enormously. It means the centre has passed rigorous inspections covering horse welfare, instructor qualifications, safety standards, and the quality of facilities. For anyone looking for beginner horse riding lessons in England, Scotland, or Wales, choosing a BHS approved riding school is widely considered the safest and most reliable starting point.

The BHS also runs its own progressive examination system — from Stage 1 right through to Fellowship level — and awards professionally recognised qualifications through its coaching pathway. If you ever want to become a riding instructor yourself, the BHS pathway is the most direct and respected route.

The Pony Club

The Pony Club has a slightly older story. Established in 1929 as a branch of the Institute of the Horse, it was originally designed to encourage young people to ride and to promote a love of horses and ponies throughout Britain. Today it remains a youth-focused organisation, operating through a network of branches and centres across the UK, with over 40,000 members in Britain alone and a presence in more than 20 countries worldwide.

Each Pony Club branch is affiliated with a local hunt or geographical area — names like the Beaufort Branch, the Pytchley Branch in Northamptonshire, or the Grafton Branch in Buckinghamshire reflect the traditional hunting roots of the organisation. Pony Club centres, which operate slightly differently from branches and are usually based at riding schools, allow children who do not own their own pony to participate fully.

The Pony Club has its own award and testing system, running from the D test (the most basic level, often attempted around age six or seven) through to the prestigious A test, which is genuinely difficult and commands real respect in equestrian circles. It also organises competitions, camps, rallies, and social events that form the backbone of many a young rider’s formative years.

Who Are They Actually For?

Age and Eligibility

This is perhaps the most fundamental difference between the two organisations. The Pony Club has a firm age structure. Junior membership is open to those aged 25 and under, and full competitive membership cuts off at 21. Once you pass that threshold, you can become an associate or supporter, but the competitions and tests are no longer available to you in the same way. The Pony Club is, at its heart, a youth organisation — and it makes no apologies for that.

The BHS, by contrast, has no age ceiling and no real age floor either. Adults who have never sat on a horse in their lives can join as members, access their training resources, ride at BHS approved schools, and work their way through the coaching and riding qualifications. A 45-year-old taking up horse riding for the first time in Shropshire has just as much reason to engage with the BHS as a 16-year-old working towards their Stage 2 exam.

Horse Ownership: Do You Need a Pony?

Traditionally, the Pony Club assumed members would have access to their own pony. The branch model was built on that assumption — children turning up to rallies in a field with their own animals, learning to care for them, and competing on them. In rural areas, particularly in counties like Somerset, Herefordshire, and Northumberland, this model still operates very much as it always has.

However, the Pony Club Centre system has expanded specifically to address the reality that most families in modern Britain do not own horses. Centre members ride the school’s horses and ponies, take part in unmounted activities, and can work through the test structure just as branch members do. So horse ownership is no longer a strict requirement — but it does shape the flavour of your experience. Branch membership, where you bring your own pony, offers a much richer and more immersive experience than centre membership.

The BHS makes no assumptions about horse ownership whatsoever. Many BHS members ride entirely at commercial riding schools and livery yards. The BHS qualification pathway is designed to be followed whether you own horses or not.

What Does Membership Actually Give You?

BHS Membership Benefits

BHS membership comes in several tiers — Gold, Silver, and Bronze — with costs ranging from around £59 to £109 per year as of recent pricing (though always check the BHS website for current figures). The core benefits include:

Third party liability insurance — an essential for anyone who handles or rides horses, since even a quiet horse can cause significant injury or property damage
Access to the BHS network of approved riding schools and instructors across the UK
Discounts on BHS training events, qualifications, and books
The BHS Accident Line, which provides legal advice in the event of a riding accident
Support for BHS campaigns on horse welfare, bridleway access, and road safety
Access to the BHS Horse Identifier database, which helps with the identification of stolen horses

For adult riders — particularly those who hack on public roads, ride in areas with heavy traffic, or handle other people’s horses — the third party liability cover alone often justifies the membership fee. The BHS Dead Slow campaign, which encourages drivers to pass horses at no more than 15mph, is widely promoted on roads across England and Wales, and BHS members actively support and benefit from this advocacy work.

Pony Club Membership Benefits

Pony Club membership fees vary by branch or centre but typically range from around £40 to £80 per year, with additional costs for rallies, camps, and competitions. What you get for that fee includes:

Access to rallies — group training sessions, usually held at weekends, where members ride and receive instruction
Annual camp, which for many Pony Club members is the highlight of the equestrian year. A week of intensive riding, stable management, and social activity, often on a farm or at an equestrian centre
Access to Pony Club competitions including show jumping, cross-country, dressage, tetrathlon, mounted games, and polo
Pony Club tests and achievement badges, which provide a structured pathway of progress
Insurance cover during organised Pony Club activities
A strong social network and community, particularly important in rural areas where equestrian activities form a central part of social life

Ask anyone who grew up in a Pony Club branch in the 1980s or 1990s — in the Cotswolds, in the Scottish Borders, across rural Yorkshire — and they’ll tell you that the social dimension was as important as the riding. Lifelong friendships are forged at Pony Club camps. That is not something that can be replicated by a qualification certificate.

The Examination and Qualification Systems Compared

BHS Stages and Coaching Awards

The BHS runs two parallel pathways: the Stage qualifications (which assess riding and horse knowledge) and the Coaching awards (which qualify you to teach). The Stage pathway runs as follows:

Stage 1: Foundation level, covering basic horse care and introductory riding skills
Stage 2: Intermediate care and riding, including lunge work and stable management
Stage 3: The point at which riding competence becomes genuinely demanding, and the qualification starts opening professional doors
Stage 4: Advanced level, suitable for those working seriously in the equestrian industry
Fellowship of the BHS (FBHS): The highest honour the BHS can bestow, held by relatively few people in the UK

These qualifications are recognised by employers at riding schools, trekking centres, equestrian colleges, and yards across the UK. If you want to work with horses professionally — whether at an equestrian centre in Wales, a riding school in the Scottish Highlands, or a racing yard in Newmarket — BHS qualifications carry real currency.

Pony Club Tests

The Pony Club test structure is designed primarily for personal development rather than professional qualification. Tests run from D through to A:

D and D+: Beginner level, covering basic pony care and simple riding skills. Children as young as six can attempt these.
C and C+: Intermediate level, introducing more sophisticated stable management and riding technique
B: A significant step up, requiring competent riding across disciplines and thorough horse knowledge. Many members take years to reach this level.
H: The Horse Owner’s Certificate, which focuses specifically on the responsibilities of owning a horse and is taken alongside other tests
A: The highest Pony Club award. Passing the A test marks you out as a highly capable young rider and horseperson, and it is respected throughout the equestrian world

While Pony Club tests are not professional qualifications in the way BHS stages are, they are not without value in the equestrian world. A young person who has passed their Pony Club B or A test has demonstrated a level of all-round competence that any riding school or yard will take seriously.

Moving Forward

Once you have the fundamentals in place, the possibilities open up considerably. The UK offers fantastic opportunities for anyone interested in this hobby, and with the right foundation you will be well placed to make the most of them.