But owning a horse is more than dreamy rides through the surf and nuzzling noses looking for carrots. It's a lot of hard work, as Pony Club member Amelia Robertson will tell you.
This summer she was either caring for or riding her horse from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. There were only 20 days she didn't ride and only seven she didn't see her horse.
"This isn't like any other sport," said Cass Crandall, who started the Alaska region Pony Club several years ago. "You can't just put (the horse) away for nine months."
Crandall, an experienced rider, said the Pony Club was started after parents tracked her down and asked her to start teaching lessons. Searching for a program that provided more instruction on caring for your horse as well as riding, she discovered the international organization.
On Sunday, the club will hold an open house at the Fritz Creek Riding Arena from 2 to 4 p.m. Though the club is not active during the winter due to the weather, sign-up time is November, organizer Nancy Hines said. The open house will give parents a little time to think about what the club offers before the deadline.
The club focuses on riding but isn't necessarily geared toward showing horses in competitions. Instead, club members learn skills and graduate from one level to the next, eventually reaching a level that is recognized internationally as a professional-level teacher and rider, Crandall said.
The youngest age a child can join Pony Club is around 8 or 9, Hines said, depending on the child's development level. The club extends up through high school.
Currently, Homer's club has about 12 members. The club holds summer camps and invites guest presenters from the Lower 48 who help members with their graduation to higher levels. The club also meets once a year with other club members in Alaska.
Club members like Robertson said they learn a lot about responsibility and teamwork from the club in addition to their knowledge of jumping and riding in the ring. Older club members work with the younger members under adult supervision.
Club members pay a yearly fee of $200 in addition to the cost of camps, Hines said.
For more information on Pony Club, call 235-5354.
Carey James can be reached at carey.james@homer-news.com.
Ask many little girls what they want most in the world and they will gladly tell you a pony.
The club teaches riding, mounted sports and care of horses and ponies. Members study the anatomy of a horse and veterinary care and are tested on their knowledge. Though many of the club members have their own horses, some "beg, borrow or steal" their ride from members of the community with horses that need to be ridden.
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