Sandia Creek Ranch Offers More Than Just a Riding Center

For over 22 years - since 1988 -- the Sandia Creek Ranch has been providing a place where youngsters can go to learn how to ride a horse while developing life skills. This is not just a horse ranch, although they do raise and train their own horses, but a very special place. Yes, children take riding lessons through various programs, but they also participate in the care of the horses.

In participating in the care they are taught to handle the horse with responsibility, leadership and respect. As the child learns to handle the horse, the horse also teaches the child. Older children help the younger ones and in working together with camaraderie, rules, order and mutual respect for each other, what emerges is young adults who are able to handle themselves in this world with much greater degree of self confidence and refinement. For "Sandia Creek Ranch is more of a child development program than just a riding club and ranch", proclaims Crystal Wylie, owner of SCR.

In 1988 she and her husband Ron Wylie, architect, purchased and began the repair on the 30 acre 100 year old Sandia Creek Ranch in Fallbrook and through the years have developed the property extensively.

In 2007 their Sandia Creek Ranch became a the host for a recognized the U.S. Pony Club Riding Center. The U.S. Pony Club is a nationwide organization that works with Pony Clubs throughout the world and is one of the most popular and highly regarded equestrian instructional programs in the world. Sandia Creek Ranch Pony Club Riding Center (SCRPCRC) is part of the Southern California Region of Pony Clubs, and part of the US. Pony Club. Pony Club is represented throughout 30 countries. The U.S. has over 600 individual Clubs spread throughout 48 states and the Virgin Islands, with more than 12,00O members. Pony Club is derived from the British version where all horses are referred to "ponies". In America, the United States Pony Club began in 1954.

The USPC ideal is to teach children to be well rounded horse people with complete knowledge of riding on the flat, jumping, riding in the open and horse care. "The mission of the United States Pony Clubs is to provide a program for youth that teaches riding, mounted sports, and the care of horses and ponies, thereby developing responsibility, moral judgment, leadership and self-confidence," as quoted from the Pony Club Mission Statement. A child may join at any age, but is considered a graduate at age 25.

At SCR, beginning riders, usually between the ages 5 through 8, are started on Welsh Ponies. Then, as they grow, they are moved onto horses suited for the discipline they most enjoy -- Dressage, Cross-county, Stadium, Trail Riding, Fox Hunting, Games and Polocrosse. To have the added designation also as a "Pony Club Riding Center" creates more opportunities in that the children who do not own their own horse have the opportunity for leasing one (especially good for families with more than one child).

A child can "lease" or "1/2 lease" a horse, where the horse is shared with another child. The horse then is available for each child to ride 3 days a week. We also take in rescue horses that we train and make available for purchase. Elizabeth Collier, who is currently testing for her C2 Rating, the last level before going on to the National Testings, gave her support for the horse leasing program by saying, "It's the best way you could ever experience 'owning a horse' without really owning one! You learn more than just how to ride because you have such great people to work with and learn from like Crystal [Wylie] and Tauni [Wylie Beckmann] and Kiersti [Wylie]." Nadia Feldon, who recently did Tetrathlon in San Francisco was also enthusiastic about the leasing program. "It's a great opportunity for those who don't have a horse to be able to ride," she said. Marisa Kennedy, whose daughter Daphne is a student the SCR, gives full accolades to the lease program. "We didn't have the financial or knowledge base to own a horse, so we helped our daughter Daphne lease a horse. To be able to lease a horse opened up the whole Pony Club world and all its opportunities. Our family is incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity. It is unique, especially in our area." Another advantage of being part of the SCRPCRC is that members have been invited to participate in the Sante Fe Hunt club. The Sante Fe Hunt is a Masters of Fox Hounds Association (MFHA) recognized Hunt with their current office in Temecula, but their hounds are kenneled in the Anza Valley. They are a diverse group of riders with members from all over southern California. They hold hunts about 2 times a week from December to March each year. Often their hunts are in Garner Valley, just east of Anza. "Pony Clubs have been fostered by the Hunt clubs since 1950's. Most Pony Clubs were started by Hunt club people as a way to get kids into the outdoors. Awards can even be distributed to Pony Clubs who get their kids out to Hunts," commented Terrel Paine, MFH. According to Crystal Wylie, the Pony Club was originally designed to teach children to care for their mount and learn to ride out in the open so they can follow the hounds on the Hunt. (In this area it is the coyote scent they follow.) Kiersti Wylie has been instrumental in getting SCRPCRC members introduced to hunting. All these things make up more than just a riding club for the SCR. It becomes more like an extended community for the children. They come for their hour lesson, but often are there for several hours caring for the horses, developing relationships with them and the other riders. Children must know how to properly groom, tack-up and care for the ponies. They also have un-mounted Clinics in Shoeing & Farrier Care, Tack & Equipment Usage, Stable Management & Safety, Health & Basic Veterinary Knowledge, Bandaging, Equine Nutrition, Trailering, Lunging, Saddle Fitting, Carting & Driving, Halter & Showmanship. Written exams are taken, with many levels to pass. "The whole program is based on teaching our kids to ride so that they can go anywhere. If they travel to other countries, they are prepared," said owner Crystal Wylie. "They start with a lesson program and progress to competently leasing or purchasing a suitable mount. That hour lesson is only the mounted portion. It takes additional time to get the horse out and groomed, tack them up, then warm up prior to riding, and put the horse away after the lesson, making sure the horse is taken care of. It is as similar to owning a horse as possible. So the student is here 2 or 3 hours -- 'Sandia Creek Time' we call it. They have time to enjoy the horses, each other and to play together. We currently have 25 kids in Pony Club and other adult and child students." Many of the students work in the apprentice program where they are properly instructed to take on certain chores at the Ranch. They must commit to and keep records, then they turn in Task Cards in exchange for extra ride time or privileges. And for $150 a month more they can "1/2 lease" a horse and ride 3 days a week. "The best way is to take one lesson a week and also lease a horse. "We match the student to the horse on their level. The horse also becomes a teacher to the kids. Older kids are role models. I make sure to hold the standards, and they pass it on down to the younger kids," said Wylie. "When they ride 3 days a week they get to practice what they learned in their lesson. We have the advantage here to get them on the trails as well as riding in a Dressage Court and Jumping Ring." Crystal Wylie is a hardworking, spirited, warm-hearted woman with an obvious deep passion for her commitment in helping the children. Crystal started riding when she was 13. Her father bought her the "cheapest wildest horse he could find. He was the stable runaway," continued Wylie. "When your horse is wild, you learn fast or fall off!" "We teach the children that their horse is their partner and that they are trying to develop a partnership with the horse so they both create a rhythm and communication between each other that allows you to do what you want the horse to do," continued Wylie. Marisa Kennedy had even more praise when she added "Crystal [Wylie] is a extraordinary woman. She has so much knowledge and she is an absolute passion to share with the children. She does an incredible job with her program." In her college years Wylie worked as a riding counselor at Onondarka in Newhall. She was educated to be a teacher. But later after owning and renting apartments to college students, she found she didn't like the direction the young people were going today and had a deep desire to help. Her husband felt the same commitment and in 1988 they bought the Ranch. With Ron Wylie's creativity as an architect and his imagination, it easily turned into a kids paradise. He adapted the old buildings and sculpted the landscape into the beautiful peaceful site it is today. He still fixes, repairs, grades, makes the jumps with good imagination and gives general support. Today they have three indoor/outdoor barns, corrals with shelters, group paddocks, a 20 x 40 meter Dressage Ring, and Outdoor Stadium Jumping Ring, a Lighted Schooling Ring, 30+ acres of hilly galloping tracks, Cross County Schooling, 5 grass Turn-out Pastures, and several Shady Trails to enjoy. Mark Ryan Guerin, now 18, has been riding since he was 13, and is grateful for the opportunities provided at SCRPCRC. "You are doing something with your life, you're not just wasting you day in front of the TV screen getting bigger!" Daughter Kiersti Wylie, age 18, is a key part of SCR with her contribution in helping with the ranch, horses and other children, but also with her own personal riding accomplishments. In November 2009, Kiersti was one of three out of 300 applicants selected to participate in the International Fox Hunting Exchange in Ireland, based on riding, horse management skills and community services.

In Ireland she was able to Fox Hunt with 8 different Hunts, do behind the scene tours, go to the top stud farms, and practice at the Ireland Racing School on the mechanical training horses. This March 2011 Kiersti will be the U.S. Ambassador to host the Exchange here in the U.S. for the International Fox Hunting Exchange.

She is also selected to represent the U.S. in the Nation's Cup Show Jumping in New Zealand which will take place the end May 2011. She is proud to have just passed her "HA" exam, the highest level horse management exam in Pony Club. The only other exam is "A" - a riding skills exam which she hopes to complete this summer. The Wylie's goal is to instill in all the students the same attitude of being "good ambassadors" so that they are able to participate in the International Competitions and Exchanges. "These Exchanges are such a cultural treasure," commented Crystal Wylie. "In the Exchanges, kids get to live in the family's homes and tour the country. They have to be good riders, but also good ambassadors for the U.S." One of their students, Kristina Huff, 17, recently went to the International Quiz Exchange in Canada. The Wylies also have two grown children: Tauni Wylie Beckman, who grew up in Pony Club and now an I.C.P. Certified Instructor for Eventing and is the Center Administrator for SCRPCRC. Their son, Bret Wylie, an Engineer AMGEN, rides for pleasure now. Adding more fun, the SCR also offers camps. They are 3 days with a 2 night sleep-over. They horseback ride 2 times a day, work with horse management, play group games, swim, cook "someores" and tell horse stories. There is a 100 year old ranch house with a sleeping area on the back porch. Soon they will be starting Polocrosse. They have a "Graduate A" Pony Club specialist, who competed recently in Australia, coming from Maryland to teach the sport. Polocrosse is like Lacrosse, except it is on horseback. And one more thing that makes the Sandia Creek Ranch and the Pony Club Riding Center special: Its 30 acres are not a flat open space, but a tightly woven intricate nestling of many hills, dense oak trees, green pastures, streams and out-buildings where both discipline and freedom of spirit merge with the rhythm of the children and horses and all blend together for a dynamic and close experience with nature and the nurturing beauty of the Earth and outdoors. Marisa Kennedy, mother of Daphne, iterates its specialness quite well when she says, "It is a little girl fairy land out there. The children learn lots of skills they can carry on to every aspect." Rachel Collier, student rider, added, "Sandia Creek Ranch is so much fun because we are like one big family." For further information go to http://www.sandiacreek.com. Or contact Crystal Wylie at SCR (760) 728-9696.