Welcome to the Meynell Show Jumping info page!
Contact information
Terene Stevens currently has accountability for Showjumping within the Meynell Pony Club.
If you have any questions or need further information please contact Terene in the first instance.
07771 381373
terenestevens@hotmail.com
For younger riders competing at 70cm and below, Rachel Hemphill is also available to offer support. Both Terene and Rachel are Meynell PC committee members and able to advise on rules, competitions and help with teams when required.
General
Pony Club showjumping is generally classified in heights, starting with Under 10’s (which tends to range from 35cm, including lead reins, up to 60cm, then 70cm, 80cm, 90cm, 1m and 1.10m upwards. We must always ensure that we comply with the pony club rules for showjumping which can be viewed on the pony club website.
Members should be correctly turned out and always remember that they are representing the Meynell pony club. When attending competitions park as directed and be considerate of other ponies and riders (events can be busy!) and always thank the organisers whether you have had a fabulous day or a horrendous one!
For detailed information on competition rules please refer to the Pony Club Showjumping Showjumping Rulebook 2023 which can be found here – https://pcuk.org/officials/rulebooks/
Training
We welcome all riders to train and compete for the Meynell pony club. Showjumping rallies take place regularly and attendance at these is encouraged for members who hope to be selected to compete on behalf of the Meynell, particularly ahead of the Area competition, see below.
In addition we will sometimes offer separate team training for those selected for PC showjumping competitions at major events, this will be for the selected teams only, see below for further information.
Dress
It is important to be smartly turned out at competitions when you are representing the Meynell so please follow the dress code but equally don’t feel you have to rush out and buy something if you don’t have it.
A tweed jacket is preferred, but black or blue are an acceptable alternative provided they are a traditional jacket with collar. This should be worn with a white shirt and pony club tie but blue, cream or yellow shirts are acceptable if you don’t have white, as are pony club stocks. Please wear light coloured jodhpurs, dark gloves and either jodhpur boots and chaps or long boots. It goes without saying that boots and tack should be clean!
Don’t forget your pony club pin badge, this should be worn on your left lapel, together with the applicable felt if you have been awarded one.
Please plait for pony club showjumping competitions, however do not worry about this if something happens and you run out of time, ultimately it is your riding and sportsmanship that matters at events, but we prefer to maintain standards where we can.
Finally please use a white numnah, ideally a Meynell PC one (these can be purchased via the link on our website if required), however if youdon’t have white then cream or any colour is fine just no bright numnahs and definitely no patterns please.
Inter-branch team competitions
We try to participate in team inter-branch competitions which primarily take place March – October, schedules for these are circulated via the Meynell PC email when available and are great experience for members. If you are interested in taking part in these competitions then do so yourself directly in accordance with the schedule (team name Meynell). If you do enter then please let the relevant showjumping PC committee member (above) know the heights you have entered and we will put you into teams where we can, or you can organise yourselves into teams it’s up to you, just let us know at least a week before the competition so that we can confirm to our equivalents at the relevant pony club.
Pony Club showjumping Area competition, Regional and National Championships
A highlight of the showjumping calendar is the Area 6 Inter-branch competition which is held in July, classes are as follows:
70cm – this is the highest level of competition at this height and the winners become Area 6 Champion (s)
Grass roots (80cm) – members can qualify for the Regional championships which is held in August, winners become Regional Champion (s)
Novice (90cm), Intermediate (1m) and Open (1.10m) – members can qualify for the national annual Pony Club Championships, winners become National Champion (s)
Any member can compete in the Area competition providing they have a current membership and meet the PC criteria for that height, however Teams will be selected by the Meynell PC, see below for selection criteria (there are no trials for Area competitions but performance will be a factor).
Please note that there are specific PC criteria for Area show jumping qualifying classes. Please ensure you do not rule your rider/pony out of a level (novice/intermediate/open) by not doing enough rallies or by jumping outside of the class you wish to be considered for. Full details are available on the Pony Club website.
We encourage all of our show-jumping members to enter the Area Competition, the dates and venues are published on both the Meynell PC and the Area 6 websites early each year, please add these to your diaries and also make a note of the Regional and National Championship dates as it would be disappointing to qualify for these events but not be able to go on and represent the Meynell at the higher level of competition.
It is an honour to represent the Meynell PC at the Regional and / or National Championships and in recognition of this achievement we will pay the entry fees for members going on to compete at these levels.
Spring Festival
In addition to the summer championships there is also a winter championship, known as Spring Festival, again these dates are published on the Meynell PC and Area 6 websites and we encourage members to enter the Area competition, not just showjumping but also Arena Eventing. Success at Area level will allow entry into the prestigious Annual Spring Festival Championship which is a large competition and always fun!
Team showjumping events
In addition to the Championships already mentioned, there are also fun Pony Club Team Jumping Competitions held at some on the major events held throughout the equestrian calendar. Thoresby festival of eventing, Peterborough festival of hunting and Chatsworth, Rockingham, Burghley, Blenheim and Osberton Horse Trials are all examples where we have competed in the past or hope to compete soon.
These are fun competitions but also fabulous experience for our members as they offer free entry to these large events combined with the prestige of competing at such special equestrian venues. There is also often an bursary to be awarded to the winning pony club which is an added bonus.
Selection
Team entries are strictly limited so places have to be offered based on merit. Selection is never down to one person, decisions are made by a combination of relevant committee members and Meynell instructors, subject to DC approval.
Selection is open to all and takes the form of a trial for interested members (usually but not always – if members are competing regularly and successfully or have joined a previous successful team they may not be asked to attend a trial) with the final decision being based on performance in the trial along with an assessment of recent competitive performance. If you are keen to represent the Meynell on a team then regularly attending rallies and competing at pc competitions matters – plus if you’ve been competing successfully outside of pony club please make sure we know about it! Some of these events take the form of a relay and this can be a particularly pressurised environment so maturity and experiences are also important factors we consider when making these difficult decisions.
Whilst we want to encourage as many members as possible to take part we also want to try to win for the Meynell (!) so will be looking for consistent riders and ponies capable of producing a fast clear round on the day.
Having said this, please do come along to trials where they take place and if you don’t make the team at the time please keep coming as we do want to encourage our members to take part and to offer these special experiences to as many as we can so teams are never a foregone conclusion and often availability for different events varies so never assume that particular members will be on a team.
Finally, please understand that we do our very best to get these decisions right but we know you may not always agree with us! This is unfortunate but I hope you will understand that we ask our members to accept our decisions with good grace and recognise it has been made in the best interest of our members and our pony club. All team decisions, once made, are final and not open for debate.