After School Programme
Te Atatū Pony Club’s After School “Introduction to Equine Skills” Programme
Overview:
A fun after-school programme. Ideal for city kids ages 8 – 16 who love horses, but don’t have one and would like to learn the basics about handling and looking after a horse. Some participants may be attending a riding school somewhere else for regular lessons and want to improve their knowledge of horse care, for others they will be interested in horses, animals or farm life and may decide to go on to riding lessons after this programme.
Next scheduled course:
10-week course Wed October 16th – December 16th 2026
4:30pm – 5:30pm (some sessions may go slightly longer)
Enquire now by emailing introtapc@gmail.com
Also taking enquiries for repeat programme in Term 1 2027.
Activities and lessons cover:
We use course material and a curriculum provided by the NZ Pony Club Association.
- Safety around horses and ponies
- Grooming and pony care
- Catching, haltering and covering
- Feeding horses (feed types, pasture and weeds, treats)
- Sitting in the saddle
- Walking and halting
- Saddle and bridle cleaning and care
- Horse colours, markings and terms
- Horse hooves, lameness
Certificate is provided upon completion.
You can explore more details here https://www.nzpca.org/pony-club-programmes/introduction-to-equine-skills
This programme is not Riding Lessons:
While we make sure the participants get plenty of hands-on horse time each week by handling, grooming and looking after horses, please note that this is not a riding lessons programme. We aim to give all participants a short horse ride towards the end of the course, but the emphasis of the programme is horse care and management.
A few notes for parents and caregivers:
- On the first session you will be enrolled in the NZPCA database and will need to use a credit card to pay for the course.
- You will be asked to acknowledge that you accept there are inherent risks in working with horses. Although the horses we use are very good natured, they are still large animals (even the little ones!) and we are in a farm environment so accidents can happen. We will ask you to disclose any learning or communication characteristics your child has which our instructor should be made aware of, and we may ask you to stay with your child during the course if we feel these are significant.
- Please arrive a bit before 4.30 pm each session so that your child is settled and ready to start learning on time.
- Children under 10 need a parent / caregiver to remain on site.
- All you and your child need is comfortable outdoor clothes and closed-toe shoes. Gumboots are good as sometimes the grounds can become wet and muddy.
- Te Atatū Pony Club provides helmets (may be a cycle helmet for “grounds work”) and course materials.
- Please note, that there are no refunds if you miss a session. If Te Atatū Pony Club needs to cancel, a make-up session will be offered on another day.
- Parents and caregivers should note that the lessons cover the same material each term and so you and your child should not expect a new programme. If your child has completed several terms already, they may find the content repetitive and be better to try riding lessons. We are happy to provide you with a list of well-regarded riding schools.
Does Te Atatū Pony Club provide regular riding lessons for people without horses?
No, we don’t. If your child attends our Introduction to Equine Skills programme they will get plenty of contact with a pony, and will have some pony rides, sharing the pony with other children. They will groom and handle the pony but these are not riding lessons. The following link provides information on Riding Schools in Auckland and you are welcome to talk to our coach or volunteer coordinator about any we would recommend.
