England – Northern Ireland – Scotland – Wales
The Pony Club has been invited to run the Home International Competition at the Royal Windsor Horse Show from 11th – 14th May 2023. Branches and Centres are invited to nominate a Member(s) under 15 years old on 1st January 2023, who will be eligible to compete in the Mounted Games in 2023 to attend a Selection Trial. Members may be nominated by their Branch any number of times for the Selection Trial.
Members must have attained their 12th Birthday by 1st January 2023.
The nominee should be a good games player, team member and representative of their Branch or Centre and Country. They should be able to mix well and be of even temperament whilst having a high standard of stable management and riding.
All Members must have attained their ‘C’ test before the nomination deadline on 1st February 2023, a copy of the certificate is to be uploaded using the online form. This requirement is set to highlight the standard of riding required for selection. The Pony ridden at the Trial must be the one the member will ride at Windsor. Members must be free from any Transfer Rule.
Nominations
All Nominations must be submitted via the online form and require a payment of £35.00 contribution towards the running of the trials. Payments must be made using PayPal via the online form.
With the Nomination Form, we ask District Commissioners or Centre Proprietors for a Confidential Reference. The Reference is to be completed using the form on the downloads section of the website which can be found on the Royal Windsor Horse Show page.
In addition, please include a copy of the Branch/ Centre Programme or printout from the event website and clearly mark those rallies and events the nominated Member has attended. This must be uploaded using the online form or the nomination will NOT be considered.
Countries
The Home International will see four teams selected by The Pony Club to compete, these are: England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. In addition, a team from the Republic of Ireland is invited, members of which are selected independently by The Irish Pony Club.
ENGLAND
If a Branch/Centre in England has more than ONE Member in their last year of Mounted Games then TWO Members from that Branch/Centre (who are both in their final year) may be nominated for the Trial, but only ONE Member from the Branch/Centre can be selected to ride at Windsor.
A member may only represent England once, however any member who has previously represented England as a non-riding reserve can be re-nominated.
NORTHERN IRELAND/SCOTLAND/WALES
In the case of Branches/ Centres in Northern Ireland, Scotland & Wales up to TWO Branch/ Centre Members per Branch/ Centre can be nominated AND selected for the team.
Any member who has previously represented Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland can be re-nominated but may only represent their Country a maximum of TWO times.
Trial Instructions
The Trial will consist of some of the best riders in the country. Trials are long and physically demanding on both pony and rider so please ensure ponies are fit and riders well practised.
The Pony Club Mounted Games Height/Weight rules will apply at the selection Trials and Windsor. Selected Members and their ponies from each Country will be confidentially checked at their Trial and again at Windsor. The pony will need to have a valid Vaccination Certificate and Microchip.
Please instruct your members that there is to be NO identifying clothing, colours or Branch Logo on the pony OR rider. This includes rugs and jackets worn during warm up, tack and turnout inspection and selection breaks. Please wear a white jumper, plain black or white saddle cloth, plain browband, etc. This is so that there may be no influence on selectors. A number bib may be provided by The Pony Club to aid selectors.
There may be stabling available at some of the trial venues. Please instruct your members to make their own arrangements direct with the venue at their own cost.
Each selected riding Team Member will be asked to contribute an entry fee of £275 (Non-riding reserve member £190). There may be additional costs for matching team clothing, equipment, etc.
Although the Royal Windsor Horse Show runs from 11th – 14th May 2023 selected members may be required to arrive as early as the Monday or Tuesday to take part in practices and rehearsals. Please ensure that all the above information is conveyed to the nominee and their parents/guardian.
Other International Competitions
In addition to the Royal Windsor Horse Show, national teams may be invited to other international competitions throughout the year (including Ireland). It is normal for the members selected to ride at Royal Windsor Horse Show also to be invited to take part in these competitions. However, the Committee reserves the right in its absolute discretion to select other members to take part. In all cases, the pony used must be the one on which the rider was selected. If either the rider or the pony is unavailable for any reason, the next pony/rider combination from the trial will be invited. For this reason, combinations at the trials are selected down to 9th place.
Deadline
All Nominations are to be submitted via The Pony Club events page by 4pm Wednesday 1st February 2023
If you have any queries please contact mountedgames@pcuk.org.
Yours sincerely, Ian Mariner
Chairman, Mounted Games
| NATION | TRIAL DATE | VENUE ADRESS |
| England | Saturday 11th March 2023 | Dallas Burston Polo Club, Stoneythorpe Estate, Southam, Warwickshire CV47 2DL |
| Northern Ireland | Sunday 26th February 2023 | Silverwood Arena, 3 Belle Row, Lurgan, Northern Ireland BT67 9HJ |
| Scotland | Sunday 19th March 2023 | Morris Equestrian Centre, Meikle Mosside, Fenwick, Ayrshire KA3 6AY |
| Wales | Sunday 5th March 2023 | Dyffryn Farm, Berriew, Welshpool Powys SY21 8AE |
| LONG LIST OF TRIAL RACES |
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