Pony and horse lovers from across the country and around the world converged on Lincolnshire at the four-day United States Pony Clubs Convention that ended Sunday.

According to the group’s website, the club is the largest equine educational organization in North America.

The organization first held its annual meeting in 1975 in Philadelphia, according to Sarah Evers Conrad, its marketing and communications director.

“It was there and in New York City for a while, but of late, it’s been hosted by one of our 40 regions, so it bounces around the country,” Evers said. “This year, it is being hosted by our North Central Prairie Region and region volunteers help us organize the event through a local organizing committee.

“Lincolnshire and the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort met all of our specifications for what is needed to host the various components of the event,” she said.

Evers said the convention offers many activities, special events, educational opportunities and awards.

Aurelia Bonilla, 8, a third-grader from Menominee Falls, Wisconsin, with her pony Izzy in the Pony Paddock room on Jan. 31, 2026 at the 2025 USPC (United States Pony Clubs, Inc.) Convention at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)

“I consider it one of the best events for horse lovers due to the wide range of topics and the number of presentations we have,” she said.

The convention was open to all horse lovers, and there was no requirement for attendees to be Pony Club members.

First-time convention attendees, Elliot and Tori Slowiczek of Avondal,e viewed science posters about horse education.

“Just trying to educate,” Tori Slowiczek said. “Just trying to learn everything we can. We’re relatively new to the horse world.”

It’s lunchtime and many participants are ready to listen to speakers and award presentations on Jan. 31, 2026 at the 2025 USPC (United States Pony Clubs, Inc.) Convention at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)

“You can’t go into it thinking you know anything; you’ve got to be an open book,” Elliot Slowiczek said. “That’s kind of what we’re here for.”

Approximately 500 people were expected to attend the convention.

“We also love that it’s a family-friendly area since so many families come with young kids,” Evers said.

The supervised Pony Paddock for youths was busy on the third floor of the resort. Children watched educational videos of horsemanship and did crafts.

The ball from the polo activity is seen as players, from left, receive instruction from (unseen) Jennifer Carpenter, USPC center administrator from Round Hill, Virginia, participants Lydia Boucher, 9, a third-grader from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, and Aurelia Bonilla, 8, a third-grader from Menominee Falls, Wisconsin, in the Pony Paddock room on Jan. 31, 2026 at the 2025 USPC (United States Pony Clubs, Inc.) Convention at the Lincolnshire Marriott Resort. (Karie Angell Luc/Lake County News-Sun)

Lydia Boucher, 9, a third-grader from Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, sat with her plush pony Misty, next to Aurelia Bonilla, 8, a third-grader from Menominee Falls, Wisconsin, who held her stuffed pony Izzy.

A popular Saturday morning activity right before lunch was a polo cross horse game, a hybrid of polo and lacrosse.

“You could learn about so many different disciplines,” said Aurelia’s mother Ashley, who owns a horse. “They obviously were just playing polo, and that’s not something we have that’s offered at our barn necessarily.

“It just kind of opens their eyes to different disciplines and learning about their horse and taking care of their horse,” she said.

Kimarie Boucher, the owner of two horses, said her two daughters, “have so much fun and they continue to learn” at the convention.

Mia Lullo, 17, of Naperville, part of the St. James Pony Club of Oswego, helped out in the Pony Paddock.

“I just hope kids learn how fun horses can be, and I’ve enjoyed my time at Pony Club learning not only how to ride a horse, but how to take care of a horse and learning how to really build that connection,” she said.

What else do kids get out of the Pony Paddock?

“I think that they get exposure to all of the amazing sports that we have in our organization,” Pony Paddock organizer Sedate Kohler of Madison, Wisconsin, said. “There are many options for kids, so we just want them seeing all of the different things we can do with horses, and just growing the strong riders.

“Grow the game,” Kohler said.

Like a horse might do its jump over fencing, Payton Adamson, 10, of Alberta, Canada, and a member of the Canadian Pony Club, made a leap over pool noodles in the fence shape of what one might find in the horse ring. Pool noodles were also craft items made into toy riding ponies.

“They should definitely do it again,” Payton said about hosting Pony Paddock at the convention.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/02/02/lincolnshire-pony-convention/