Andrea Forrester Smith- St. Croix Pony Club in 1980
I got involved at the West End Pony Club in 1980 at age 8. Since about the age of 6 I begged my parents for a horse all of my own and then one day Flash became part of our family. We quickly learned however that we needed help and he needed a pasture to run around in. We met a wonderful lady, Bettye Skeoch at a St. Croix Horse Show and she graciously agreed to accept Flash as the Pasture's newest member. He was my best friend and I wanted so much to learn all that I could to become a better rider and take care of Flash.  This was the beginning of a lifetime of wonderful memories.

Bettye taught me so much about taking care of horses and I found my true passion in life at that age Pony Club taught me responsibility, caring, teamwork and instilled in me the confidence to accomplish just about anything that I set my mind out to do. I also met and became friends with very special people through Pony Club. Eileen, Keisha, Kim, Catherine, Kelly & Katie are still very close friends of mine and together we have a LOT of memories!

Being involved in Pony Club was my home away from home. There was always something to do and it sure did keep us kids and our parents busy every weekend and also after school. There was no place that I would rather be growing up than out at the Pony Club pasture with Flash.

There are so many wonderful memories it's difficult to write about just one but I'll share one of my favorites. I fondly recall that after grooming and a 1 hour group riding lesson on Saturdays we often took our horses to the beach. Where else in the world is there a Pony Club that takes their horses and Clubbers to the beach for swim and a picnic?  I realize now being "all grown up" that this was perhaps the BEST Pony Club in the world. My horse Flash would always first roll in the sand that makes all sorts of noises that he was enjoying himself. We would applaud the horses if they rolled and got all the way over to the other side. Then we'd guide them into the water and take them for swim. The BEST part of course was when they'd turn around to head for shore and I'd hold on to his tail and let him pull me back to shore with him. These horses just loved to sit and soak in the water. Some of them wouldn't want to move so we'd just swim around then while they had a good soak in the cool water Then after everyone had cooled off and had some lunch, we'd hop back on bareback and our bathing suits (and hardhat shoes of course!) and head back to the pasture.  I sure do miss the Pony Club days and now that my daugther Sasha is almost 2 and I can't wait to get her involved in a Pony Club in Charlotte, North Carolina where we live. Pony Club is the best!

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Jessica - 1995- Current

Jessica grew up on St. Croix, joining Pony Club in 1995 when she was six years old. Since then she has ridden many great mounts and competed in shows and at Nationals in the states. Last year she graduated from Country Day School and is now doing undergraduate studies at American University in Washington D.C. There she studies Public Communications and Marketing hoping that one day soon she will figure out her calling. She is not currently riding during the first semester of her perplexing freshman year but will definitely be back
in the saddle at some point.

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Samantha - Current

Hi St. Croix PC Family,
This is a picture of me at a horse show in Parkland,
FL. I'm on a pony named Peanut. We did the "Short
Stirrup" event. I got (3) 4th place ribbons and (1)
5th place ribbon!!!! There's another show next
weekend. I'll be jumping crossrails on Swinger. I hope
to get more ribbons. Wish me luck! I miss everyone.
Hugs & Kisses, Sammy Galindo

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Jennifer Anderson- 1991-1996

Pin pointing a year when I started Pony Club is difficult because I felt like a Pony Clubber years before I actually was one. I rode in horse shows by the Cruzan Rum factory in the late 80s, and started attending Pony Club regularly in 1991. Feels like most of my life!

Jelly Bean, the best horse ever, was an integral part of my youth. If there are horse soul mates, she was it. ......Even though she purposely went lame before 99% of horse shows. I luckily still have dreams at least once a week where I'm riding her through endless pastures. I have countless memories of Pony Club, as it was in my life every Saturday (and

more) for much of my adolescence! Besides my wonderful horse, I will always appreciate the lifelong friendships made as we chased cattle through Williams, or plodded along on lazy trail rides.

Since going off to college in 1996 I have had to leave my horse riding days behind. My life has since been filled with a lot of school and a lot of traveling. I majored in Studio Art in Minnesota, went on to Chicago to get my Masters in Art Education, and currently am getting my Art Teaching certification.

My travels have included most of Asia and Europe, and any leftover money I have goes towards a new trip!

Horse riding has been replaced by plane riding!

Looking to the future, however, I hope to have another horse one day. Listening for a familiar neigh, or sitting under a tree sharing mangoes with my four legged friend are memories I don't want to stash away so easily! So, maybe in a few years I can update this saying I've gotten a new horse. In the meantime I have my two cats: Bamboo and Hugo.

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Kimberly Cates Meraz

Hi, my name is Kimberly Cates Meraz, I started riding when I was 8, but it wasn’t until I was 10 that I finally convinced my mom to let me take riding lessons with Jill Hurd. It was through Jill that we met Bettye Skeoch and became involved with Pony Club. My mom would never let me own my own horse, so it was through Bettye and Stephanie Mosley that I always had a mount. There was Ginger, Puppy, Tremendo, Crazy Lady, and more. Our Pony Club was like a family, and my favorite place to be, we spent week nights, weekends, holidays, and summers together. I have the fondest memories of hanging out with some of my closest friends Andrea, Alice, Jenny, Eileen, and Simmy and I keep in touch with several of them to this day. I can’t say enough wonderful things about Bettye, she was an amazing teacher, she shared so much knowledge of horses and riding with us. I often think I need to return to St. Croix to raise my family, so they can have the same experiences I grew up with.

Now I am married and have 3 kids of my own. Juliana started riding when she was 4 when we bought her first pony, Stick. We joined Bayou City Pony Club, she’s now 7 and she received her D1 when she was just 5 yrs old. Juliana had two ponies of her own, Dandy and Ty. She’s reluctant to share them with her brother Nathan (4 yrs) and her youngest brother Gabriel (18 months), but they’re both already showing a strong interest in riding. I continue to stay involved with Pony Club as the Jt. DC of Bayou City Pony Club, its all about giving back and sharing the joy of horses.

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