I’m honored to share that The Pony Island was recently featured in the Women Entrepreneur issue of Sidelines Magazine 🐴
The article touches on the journey from building Allpony, to selling it to United States Pony Clubs, and eventually starting over again with something completely new: The Pony Island.
For many people, selling a business might feel like the “finish line.” But for me, it ended up becoming the beginning of a very different chapter.
From Allpony to The Pony Island
Allpony grew from a simple desire to share horses with kids in a creative and approachable way. Over time, it became something much bigger than I ever expected, eventually reaching horse-loving families all over the world.
After the acquisition by USPC, I found myself asking an important question:
What would I build next?
I knew I still wanted to create horse-inspired learning experiences for kids. But I also wanted to go deeper.
I wanted to build something that:
- combined education and creativity
- encouraged thoughtful horsemanship
- worked for kids both at the barn and at home
- helped children feel confident around horses, even if they didn’t have daily access to them
That became the foundation for The Pony Island.
Building Something Different
The Pony Island is more than a website full of horse facts.
It’s designed as an interactive learning platform where kids can:
- take horse courses
- play educational games
- earn ponies and certificates
- explore printables and activities
- discover horse books
- build real horse knowledge step by step
One of the things I care about most is helping kids understand the why behind horsemanship—not just memorizing information.
That’s why many of the newest courses focus on:
- barn safety
- horse communication
- tying horses safely
- confidence around horses
- practical horse knowledge
These are the kinds of foundational skills that help kids grow into thoughtful, capable horse people.
The Six Pony Paths
One of the biggest ideas behind The Pony Island is that every child connects with horses differently.
Some kids ride every week.
Some dream about horses from home.
Some are homeschoolers.
Some are therapeutic riders.
Some are competitive riders.
That’s why The Pony Island includes six different Pony Paths to help guide each child’s learning journey.
The goal has always been to make horse learning feel welcoming, encouraging, and accessible.
Grateful for the Journey
Being featured in Sidelines Magazine gave me a chance to reflect on how much this journey has evolved over the years.
What started with illustrations and simple horse activities has grown into a much larger vision for helping kids learn, explore, and build confidence through horses.
I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who has supported The Pony Island so far—parents, instructors, horse-loving kids, and the entire equestrian community.
And I’m excited for what’s still ahead.
👉 Explore The Pony Island here: https://theponyisland.com
👉 Start with the free Visiting Horse Barns Safety & Etiquette course: https://theponyisland.com/learn/visiting-horse-barns/