Thelwell should definitely take some of the blame. Ever since the cartoonist captured that unbreakable bond between little girls and their ponies, the Pony Club has been stuck in a time warp.
Jodhpurs. Tweedy ladies shouting at small children on scruffy, hairy mounts. Hours spent cleaning one’s tack with liberal doses of saddle soap.
Now, 87 years after it was founded, that great British institution is finally shaking up its image in an attempt to join the 21st century.
In a radical makeover it is changing its logo, relaxing its dress code and renaming the district commissioners who struck terror into the hearts of generations of children.
Pip Kirkby, the chief executive, said that the Pony Club needed to “move forward” to renew its appeal to current members and attract new recruits.
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Clare Walkeden, the commercial manager, said: “It is also about looking at our language, which is quite military in its roots — district commissioners, for instance, who I think had a little bit of a reputation of being a bit fearsome.” No decision has been taken on what their new title will be.
Ms Walkeden said that the revamp was about reaching children who feel that the Pony Club is not for them .
“They might feel it is too elite, too competitive, a bit over-awing,” she admitted. The traditional Pony Club rally dress code involves cream breeches, riding boots, a navy blue sweatshirt and tie and a plain hat.
Ms Walkeden said that different sweatshirts would be allowed, as wells as hats “with a bit of colour or maybe a bit of glitter”.