Middle Tennessee Pony Club records, ca. 1953-2007 (bulk 1970-1986)
(Document/manuscript/pamphlet/archival material)

Two series: I. Middle Tennessee Pony Club; II. Other organizations and related materials;,Within each series, alphabetical by subject or format.

Materials housed in Special Collections Division of the Main Library, Nashville Public Library.

In library use only. Available by appointment.

Scope and content: Minutes, financial records, historical sketches, correspondence, rosters, programs, clippings, rule books and other materials documenting the activities and members of the Middle Tennessee Pony Club, from 1953 to 2007, with the majority of the material concentrating on the time from 1970 to 1986. Some items also relate to the U.S. Pony Club. In Series II, a small quantity of material relates to other equestrian organizations in the early 1980s, including the American Grandprix Association; the American Horse Shows Association; the British Horse Society - Pony Club; the Central Tennessee Dressage Association; and the United States Combined Training Association. Two Miller's catalogs from the mid-1980s provide a glimpse into the expense and equipment required for riding.

An early history of the MTPC by Margaret Lindsley Warden gives information about the reason and motivation for establishing the MTPC, and names of the early members and instructors. Additional historical information is included in the form of excerpts from annual reports of the organization, compiled for the club's 40th anniversary in 1993.

Cite as: Middle Tennessee Pony Club Records, Special Collections Division, Nashville Public Library

This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code). The Nashville Public Library does not have intellectual property rights to these materials.

Katherine "Kitty" Brogden;,Gift;,2008.,Acc. 2008.045.

Associated Material: The Margaret Lindsley Warden Papers in the Margaret Lindsley Warden Library for Equine Studies are housed at the Gore Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Related Material: The Gilbert M. Orr Scrapbooks; Margaret Lindsley Warden Papers; and Nashville Junior Riding Club Scrapbooks, held by the Special Collections Division of the Nashville Public Library contain related information on horse breeding, shows, and clubs in the Nashville area. The Margaret McGee Higgins Public Health Scrapbooks were compiled by Higgins, who is Kitty Brogden's mother, and are also held by the Special Collections Division of the Nashville Public Library.

Margaret Lindsley Warden, author of the weekly horse news column, "Horse Sense" in the Tennessean, was instrumental in the founding of the Middle Tennessee Pony Club (MTPC), an organization designed to teach young riders the proper handling and riding of horses. Ruth Kinnard, who was organizing a club for similar purposes at the same time, is credited with being a co-founder. The MTPC became associated with the United States Pony Club in 1953 and 1954, before either group was thoroughly organized. Though two other preexisting clubs affiliated with the USPC (after having originally been established under the aegis of the Pony Club of the British Horse Society), the Middle Tennessee club became the first new U.S. club to be chartered by the USPC. The MTPC covered a fifty mile radius from Nashville, and was divided into five chapters. The communities of Franklin, Brentwood, Donelson, Lebanon were included, among others. The strength of the MTPC prompted the founding and rapid growth of other Pony Clubs in Tennessee and the Southeast. By 1956, the MTPC already had 139 members and was the largest chapter of the USPC. Membership typically hovered between 100 and 150 through the years, though beginning in the 1980s, it began to drop. Throughout its existence, the majority of MTPC members were girls, composing approximately three-fourths of its membership. It is not clear the specific age groups involved in the MTPC, but references have been found to children as young as nine and as old as 18. The MTPC served as host for two National Rallies, one in 1959 in Brentwood; and another in 1969 at Percy Warner Park. Throughout its existence, members of the MTPC frequently hunted with the Hillsboro Hounds. To pay entry fees for Rallies and ship horses, the MTPC hosted two Rallies each year, as well as an annual Pony Club Horse Show. Starting in 1974, MTPC co-sponsored the Nashville Charity Horse Show with the Exchange Club of Nashville. Many Pony Club events have been held at Percy Warner Park in Nashville.

In English

Finding aid available in repository;,item level control.,https://assets.library.nashville.org/documents/finding-aids/Special_Collections_Division_Finding_Aid_MidTNPonyClub.pdf.

Materials acquired by Katherine "Kitty" Brogden as member and district commissioner of the Middle Tennessee Pony Club.

Process;,2014;,Jennifer Quier.

Catalog;,2014;,Linda Barnickel.

No further accruals are expected.