The Arizona POA Club welcomes
you to the world of POAs. This athletic horse has the speed for games as well as the patience for rail events, including costume,
pleasure classes, rail, reining, jumping and lead line to name a few. POAs can accommodate adults in addition to youth, making
this horse the ideal family mount. Uniquely family oriented, youth compete in all English, western and gymkhana events
while the adults compete in western and English pleasure, trail, halter, driving and reining.Parents are also paired with
6 year old and younger in leadline classes. The POA has a solid past with over 50 years as a registered breed with a very
exciting future.
The founders of this youth oriented
breed registry set out to develop a quality mount for children. From the first POA foaled in 1954 from an Appaloosa/Shetland
cross to the foaled 50,000th POA in 2008, these colorful sweet-tempered mounts have been stealing the hearts of kids
and adults alike. Through careful out crossing with Appaloosa, AQHA and Arabian bloodlines, POA breeders through
the past 5 decades have developed a pony that stands between 46 and 56 inches, with the beauty and refinement of the
Arabian, the color of the Appaloosa and the versatility of the American Quarter Horse. A quiet disposition, quality conformation
and color are still the most important traits considered in the POA breeding programs of today, which extend all across the
US and even in Europe .
Kids and POAs develop special bonds. This closeness seems
to come from being similar in size. Youngsters can comfortably handle the everyday tasks associated with riding, like picking
out hooves or brushing the mane and tail. They can "reach the pedals" so to speak. It is not uncommon to find youth competing
successfully on ponies as young as 3 years old that they have trained themselves, or even on stallions-such is the nature
of this breeds easy going disposition.
Our 19 & over training program provides and avenue
for adults to compete using registered POAs four years and younger, culminating in the International Futurity each fall where
these junior ponies can win financial rewards and often find their first youth owner. This program helps ensure a steady supply
of well-trained ponies safe enough for even the youngest of riders. For the adult owner that can't bear to sell that
pony they've trained, the National Board has recently added 19 & over pointed classes for adults riding any aged POA.
Since the halter, lunge-line and pleasure driving decisions also have classes for adults, POA shows offer something for
the whole family.
These gentle child-size equines can give a boy or girl confidence
and responsibility which will serve in later life. The POA motto is "Try hard, win humbly, lose gracefully,
and protest with dignity." This perhaps more than anything else, sets POA exhibitors apart from others in the world
of horse show compitition. Boys and girls cheer for each other even though they are competing against each other. Deep
friendships are made that last entire lifetimes for both parents and children from coast to coast. POAs are perfect for trail
and endurance riding, ranch work and hunting. Their gentle disposition, durability and intelligence of the breed serves well.
From the original national
POA club there are state clubs, state shows, regional shows and sales, a world class international show and sale and classic
championship shows. Besides the usual high point standings, the breed has Register of Merit Awards for halter, performance
and gaming, A POA earning all three receives the highest of all awards, Supreme Champion. Breeders whose POAs receive
a number of these outstanding awards can earn Bronze, Silver, Golden and Diamond Premier breeder Awards.
The Arizona POAC sponsors approximately 10 local
shows per year. Not all members show as there are some families who use these POAs in lesson programs, endurance riding, trail
riding, jumping events and gymkhana events. We also have a Junior Club headed up by youth board members, where kids work on
community service and fund-raising projects, clinics and of course, get togethers for fun on and off the ponies.
