Pacific Ponies brings new pony club to Vashon
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Vashon now has a new Pony Club — and the kids are already winning.
Pacific Ponies, a newly licensed Pony Club Riding Center, became an official affiliate of the United States Pony Clubs in January. Earlier this month, the fledgling club headed off-island to compete in its first competition, the Northwest Region Quiz Rally, a team event testing horse management knowledge, and came home with ribbons.
The club’s Junior D riders, ages 12 to 18, took third in a large, competitive division. Two Novice D members — both 11 and under — split up to fill out teams with riders from other clubs across Washington state, finishing sixth and seventh. A third Pacific Ponies member volunteered as a reader for the region’s youngest competitors not yet reading on their own.
The results were especially sweet, said Center Administrator Katie Vaughan, because many of her riders spent the winter studying horse care while the center’s ponies took a seasonal break from riding — no small commitment for horse-obsessed kids.
“They happily learned about horse management all winter long,” Vaughan said. “It’s been a joy to see them grow.”
Vaughan, a former competitive eventer who moved to Vashon with her family in 2022, built the program out of a lesson operation she’d been running on the island. The riding center model she chose means families don’t need to own or lease a horse to participate — members can use the center’s mounts for meetings and competitions. Riders are accepted as young as 6 with no minimum skill level.
“Pony Club was such an influential and positive part of my childhood and early adulthood. I am grateful for this opportunity to share it with my children and provide more access and options for our community,” Vaughan said.
For more information, contact Vaughan at 646-479-1108.
