If your child has joined the Pony Club — or is about to — you will soon hear talk of "tests", "badges" and letters like E, D and C. To a parent new to it all, it can sound like a mysterious ladder everyone else understands. It is actually a friendly, well-thought-out system for helping children learn to ride and care for a pony, step by step, at their own pace. Here is a plain-English guide to how the tests and levels work, and what sort of pony suits each stage.
What are the Pony Club tests?
The Pony Club runs a series of graded efficiency tests — friendly assessments that check a child's progress in two areas: riding and horse care (looking after the pony on the ground). Crucially, it is not just about riding: from the very start, children learn to groom, tack up, handle and care for a pony, because the Pony Club's whole philosophy is producing horsemen and horsewomen, not just passengers. Passing a test earns a certificate and a real sense of achievement, and gives children a clear next goal.
Alongside the formal tests sit achievement badges — fun, bite-sized awards for younger members covering everything from pony colours and points to road safety and grooming. These are often where the youngest children begin.
The order of the tests
The ridden tests run in a clear progression, getting more demanding at each stage:
- E Test — the starting point. Basic walk, trot and a little canter, plus simple pony care. Designed for beginners and confidence-building.
- D and D+ Tests — building on the basics: more established paces, riding a simple course, and more hands-on care knowledge.
- C and C+ Tests — a rider becoming genuinely capable: jumping, riding out, and a good working knowledge of stable management.
- B Test — an experienced, effective rider with broad horse-care knowledge.
- A Test — the pinnacle, and a very high standard indeed; relatively few members reach it, and those who do are seriously accomplished.
Most children spend their early years working happily through achievement badges and the E and D tests. There is no race — the ladder is there to give structure and goals, not pressure.
What pony suits each stage?
For the early tests, rallies and camp, the ideal pony is a calm, sensible, well-schooled allrounder that a child can ride confidently and help look after. Temperament matters far more than fancy breeding or looks — a genuine confidence-giver that is safe in company and honest to handle is worth its weight in gold. A native or native-cross pony that hacks, pops a small jump and behaves at a busy rally will carry a child happily through years of Pony Club.
As children work up through the C tests and into competing across the Pony Club disciplines — showing, jumping, dressage, mounted games — they may move to a more athletic pony. That is often the moment families think about a second pony. But for the great majority of the journey, one honest allrounder does the job. Read our parent's guide to Pony Club for the bigger picture on joining and what to expect.
Do you have to take the tests?
No — and this is worth stressing to anxious parents (and children). The tests are entirely optional milestones. Plenty of members simply enjoy rallies, camp, hacking and the social side without pushing hard through the grades. The best branches keep the whole thing fun and low-pressure, letting each child progress at a pace that suits them and their pony. Think of the tests as a helpful map of the journey, not a set of hurdles you must clear.
The bottom line
The Pony Club tests are a friendly, graded ladder — from the beginner E Test up to the demanding A Test — that helps children learn both to ride and to care for a pony, with fun achievement badges along the way for younger members. For most of that journey, a calm, sensible allrounder with a kind temperament is the perfect partner. Let your child progress at their own pace, keep it enjoyable, and the tests will look after themselves. Next, read our parent's guide to Pony Club and what to expect at camp, or browse Pony Club allrounders for sale.