Vaccination Rule 2022:

The Pony Club Equine Influenza VACCINATION RULE 2022

 The Pony Club Equine Influenza Rule is aligned with the FEI policy alongside other member bodies of British Equestrian (BEF) including British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping.

Events that are held at some venues may be subject to additional rules. e.g. any horse / pony entering a licensed racecourse property must comply with the vaccination requirements as set by the British Horseracing Authority. Similar restrictions apply in the cases of Polo venues.

 To protect the health of other competing horses and the biosecurity of the venue, the following rules will apply to all Pony Club Competitions:

1. Passports A valid passport and vaccination record:

• must accompany the horse / pony to all events
• must be available for inspection by the event officials
• must be produced on request at any other time during the event

2. No horse / pony may compete (or be present at the event as a companion) unless it has a Record of Vaccination against equine influenza completed by the veterinary surgeon who gave the vaccination, signed and stamped line by line, which complies with the Minimum Vaccination Requirements set out in the Equine Influenza Vaccination Schedule below:
3. Equine Influenza Vaccination Schedule:

• An initial primary course of two vaccinations must be given: the second vaccination must be administered within 21-92 days of the first vaccination.
• Horses may attend events 7 days after receiving the second vaccination of the primary course. (for clarity: no horse or pony may compete on the same day as a relevant injection is given or on any of the 6 days following such an injection)
• The first booster must be administered within 7 calendar months following the date of the administration of the second vaccination of the primary course.
• Booster vaccinations must be administered at a maximum of 12 months intervals however horses competing at Area level and above, including Grassroots Regional Championships and the final of the Spring Festival competitions, must have received a booster within the 6 months +21 days (but not within the 7 days) before arrival at the competition

NEW RULES 2022 REGARDING WHIPS PLEASE READ CAREFULLY:-

Whips

General wording in all rulebooks:

Use of the whip: At all times, the whip must only be used

▶ For a good reason, as an aid to encourage the horse forward.

▶ At an appropriate time, namely when the horse is reluctant to go forward under normal aids of seat and legs.

▶ In the right place, namely down the shoulder or behind the leg but never overarm.

▶ No more than twice for any one incident.

 Excessive use of the whip anywhere on the showground will result in disqualification:

▶ Use of the whip to vent a competitor’s anger is always excessive.

▶ Use of a whip which causes injury eg. Broken skin or a weal, is always excessive.

▶ Use after elimination or retirement is always excessive.

▶ Use on a horse’s head, neck etc. is always excessive.

▶ Using the whip from the ground after a rider fall or dismount is always excessive.

▶ If the rider’s arm comes above the shoulder when using the whip, this is always excessive

Dressage:

3. WHIPS
4. a) May be carried during the test. This includes Area Competitions and the Championships.
5. b) May be of any length.
6. c) May not be picked up if dropped during a test.
7. d) May be carried in either hand but must be in the rein hand when saluting.
8. e) If misused, in the opinion of the Judge, the rider will be eliminated. (See also Rule 10).
9. f) Whips are not allowed in the Dressage phase of an Eventing competition at PC100 and PC110
10. Showjumping:
    1. Whips: Riders may not hit their horse/ pony before the start of the course and may be eliminated for doing so at the Judge’s discretion. A whip, if carried, must be held in the hand by the handle with the handle at the top. The whip must be “padded” and comply with the current British Showjumping rule (BS Members Handbook, full wording is available to view online at www.britishshowjumping.co.uk).

    The key points of that rule are as follows:

    ▶ The maximum length of the “Whip” is 70cm and must be no less than 45cm.

    ▶ The “Contact area”, is considered to be 2/5’s (two fifths) of the overall length of the “Whip” and must be covered with a “Pad”.

    ▶ There must be no “binding” within 17 centimetres of the end of the “Pad”.

    ▶ The “Pad” must be smooth, with no protrusion or raised surface, and be made of shock absorbing material throughout its circumference such that it gives a compression factor of at least 6mm.

    ▶ There is to be no wording, advertising or personalisation of any kind on the “Pad”. Before buying any whip, please check with the retailer that it is BS compliant.

    Tetrathlon:

    1. Whips – A whip, if carried, must be held in the hand by the handle with the handle at the top. The whip must be “padded”. The maximum length of the “Whip” is 70cm and must be no less than 45cm.

    ▶ The “Contact area”, is considered to be 2/5’s (two fifths) of the overall length of the “Whip” and must be covered with a “Pad”.

    ▶ There must be no “binding” within 17 centimetres of the end of the “Pad”.

    ▶ The “Pad” must be smooth, with no protrusion or raised surface, and be made of shock absorbing material throughout its circumference such that it gives a compression factor of at least 6mm.

    ▶ There is to be no wording, advertising or personalisation of any kind on the “Pad”

Endurace:

Whips: No rider may carry, use or permit to be used a whip greater than 75cm.

Eventing:
. Dressage only ▶ Whips – A whip of any length may be carried at PC70, PC80, PC90, but no whips are allowed at PC100, PC100+ and PC110.

 Mounted Games:
Whips and spurs are not allowed

Polo:
h) Whips – Restricted to 48 inches in length, including the tag. Broken whips are not allowed.

Polocrosse:

1. n) Whips – must not be longer than 1.1m (44”) including a flap not less than 50mm (2”) long and 25mm (1”) wide at the end.

Pony Racing:

NB: please note that whips and spurs are not permitted in Pony Racing.

Refund Policy

Please take note of entry close dates. Late entries can not be guaranteed a place and can not be guaranteed until full payment has been received.

Entry cheques will be banked following close of entries. A full refund will be given for withdrawals before the closing date.

If an event is cancelled then full refunds will be given but if an event goes ahead then the entries will only be refunded as detailed above.

Hat Rule

It is mandatory for all Members to wear a protective helmet at all times when mounted with a chinstrap fastened and adjusted so as to prevent movement of the hat in the event of a fall. This rule defines the quality of manufacture that is required. The individual sports also have additional requirements with regard to colour and type. It is strongly recommended that second hand hats are not purchased 

https://pcuk.org/media/3t2nxfnb/hat-rule-2020.pdf

Back Protectors Rule

Body Protectors used for Cross Country and Pony Racing must meet BETA 2009 Level 3 standard (purple label) or BETA 2018 Level 3 standard (blue and black label)

Body Protector Rule 2020

Cross Country Dress

Back Protectors, Long Sleeves & Riding Hats suitable for Cross Country (No fixed peaks) must be worn for all Cross Country. Long hair must be tied up neatly.

We have noticed that members have been tying ponies/horses to horse boxes and trailers and leaving them unattended.

This is not an acceptable practice and we would ask all members to refrain from doing this.

Polite Notice

We would ask all members to ensure that they clear up any pony/horse droppings that may occur when attending rallies and events at all our different venues.