Our story
Rooted in Tradition. Built for Youth.
For more than 25 years, NES Pony Club Inc has been connecting young people in the Northeast with the enduring power and grace of Shire draft horses.
How we began
A Founding Vision
NES Pony Club Inc was founded with a single conviction: that the relationship between a young person and a horse is one of the most formative experiences a childhood can hold. Our founders — lifelong horsemen and horsewomen with deep roots in the Northeast equestrian tradition — saw a need for a program that honored the working heritage of the Shire draft horse while making that heritage accessible to the next generation.
What began as a small gathering of families and horses on a Northeast farm has grown into a thriving nonprofit serving youth across the region. Through every season and every year, our mission has remained unchanged: give young people the opportunity to grow alongside these magnificent animals, and watch what happens.
Our philosophy
Youth Development Through the Horse
We believe horses are teachers. Not metaphorically — literally. The Shire draft horse, with its immense size and gentle temperament, demands something specific from the young people who work with it: presence, patience, and respect. These are not qualities you can fake in the paddock.
Responsibility
Caring for a 1,800-pound animal teaches young people that their actions have real consequences. Feeding schedules, grooming routines, and barn chores are not optional — and that lesson carries far beyond the stable.
Confidence
There is nothing quite like the moment a young person first guides a Shire horse through a pattern or completes a course. That earned confidence — built through practice, not praise — is something they carry for life.
Connection
In an age of screens and noise, the barn is quiet. The relationship between a youth and their horse is built in that quiet — through consistency, care, and time. It is one of the most grounding experiences we can offer a young person.
The Shire horse
Why Shires?
The Shire is one of the oldest and most storied draft breeds in the world — a horse that built farms, hauled timber, and shaped the landscape of the Northeast for centuries. Standing up to 18 hands and weighing over a ton, the Shire is an animal of extraordinary power. And yet, in temperament, they are among the gentlest horses alive.
This combination — immense physical presence, profound gentleness — makes the Shire uniquely suited to youth development work. Young people cannot bluff their way through a relationship with a Shire. The horse requires honesty, calm, and consistency. In return, it offers a bond unlike anything else in the equestrian world.
"The Shire does not care about your age, your background, or your confidence level. It cares only about how you show up."
What We Stand For
Heritage
We honor the working tradition of the Shire horse and the equestrian culture of the Northeast.
Youth
Every decision we make is guided by what is best for the young people in our programs.
Stewardship
We care for our horses, our land, and our community with the same dedication we ask of our youth.
Excellence
We hold ourselves to the highest standards of horsemanship, safety, and program quality.
Be Part of the Story
Whether you donate, volunteer, or simply spread the word — you help us give more young people the chance to discover what a Shire horse can teach them.