Mounted Games:
Mounted Games is a team sport that combines a love of ponies, friends and races. Teams of 5 riders and ponies take part in a variety of exciting races involving skill, handovers, turns, galloping and vaulting against other teams.
Mounted games teams practice regularly and attend friendly competitions throughout the year to hone their skills. The Pony Club year starts with the Area Competitions. Teams from Area 7 compete in a selection or races that changes each year. The top two teams in the junior (under 11) and senior (under 15) sections then qualify for the Zone competition.
Zones are unique to mounted games, the UK is divided in to 4 zones, North, South and 2 Central Zones. A new set of races are used and teams compete for the ultimate prize. The winners of the senior zone competitions earn the much coveted Golden Ticket to compete at The Horse of the Year Show. The top 6 junior teams and the teams coming 2nd to 7th in the senior competition all qualify for the Pony Club National Championships. There is also an Intermediate Championship competition for senior teams coming 8th, 9th and 10th. At Championships there are two more Golden Tickets available to the teams finishing 1st and 2nd in the senior competition.
The 6 teams that have achieved the Golden Ticket qualification go on to compete for the Prince Phillip Cup at that years Horse of the Year Show – the dream of every mounted games rider.
The Prince Philip Cup Mounted Games:
The Prince Philip Cup Competition provides The Pony Club with a team competition requiring courage, determination and all-round riding ability on the part of the team members, and careful and systematic training of their ponies. Its object is to encourage a higher standard of riding throughout The Pony Club and to stimulate among the future generation a greater interest in riding as a sport and as a recreation. The competition was designed for teams of ordinary children on ordinary ponies.
The following is taken from the rule book:
‘As a member of The Pony Club, I stand for the best in sportsmanship as well as in horsemanship. I shall compete for the enjoyment of the game well played and take winning or losing in my stride, remembering that without good manners and good temper, sport loses its cause for being. I shall at all times treat my horse with due consideration’
The NWPC Essential Guide to Mounted Games:
There is a lot of information that you need to know when competing in Mounted Games. To help newcomers to Mounted Games, we have put together this Essential Guide to Mounted Games within the North Warwickshire Branch, which explains how training is run, team selection, the qualifying competitions to get to the Prince Philip Cup final at the Horse of the Year Show and introduces the team trainers and managers.
We also strongly recommend that each parent buys a copy of the Mounted Games rule book from Amazon, which explains all the rules in Mounted Games including what tack is allowed and each of the games that are used at competitions.
FAQ’s
Q: When do NWPC train?
A: On Wednesday’s almost all year round. Under 11’s 6pm-7pm, Under 15’s 7pm – 8pm
Q: What do you wear at training?
A: Normal rally attire is worn – Navy NWPC T-shirt and sweatshirt, black or navy jodhpurs, black or navy hat silk for riders, most riders wear short jodhpur boots. Ponies should wear NWPC or plain navy numnahs, boots should be brown/black if worn. Ponies must NOT be plaited
Q: Can ponies wear any bits?
A: Ponies must be ridden in a snaffle bit.
Q: What is expected of a Member that wants to be in a team?
A: To be considered for a team a rider and their pony should attend training each week and attend friendly competitions organised as a team throughout the year.
Q: Can anybody take part?
A: Yes! We cater for all abilities from first timers to competitive Members who have been participating in Mounted Games for a long time. The only rules are riders must be under 15 years old for teams and ponies must be under 14.2HH
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