Horse and Pony Care
Horse and Pony Care is an important part Pony Club and forms a part of most rallies throughout the year.
The Horse and Pony Care Junior and Senior teams have qualified for the Championships for the past 16 years and have held the position of National Junior and Senior Champions on several occasions. In 2019 the competiton was expanded to include a new Mini competition for members aged 10 yrs and under, including one member 8 yrs and under (all ages as at 1st Jan).
Teams for the Horse and Pony Care Competition comprise:
Minis – 3 members aged 10yrs and under, at least one of whom must be aged 8yrs and under. The standard is E, D and D+ tests
Juniors – 3 members aged 13yrs and under, at least one of whom must be aged 11yrs and under. The standard is D+, C and C+ tests
Seniors – 3 members aged 14yrs – 25 yrs, at least one of whom must be aged 16yrs and under. Only one member may be aged 21yrs – 25yrs. The standard is C+, B and AH tests
* Ages as at 1st January. Branches can send one team per age group, and a second team if space allows
The Competition is dismounted and entirely practical in nature. There are no ridden or written elements. Teams spend a fixed amount of time on 10 different subject areas (eg feeding, first aid, fitness, pasture management) answering questions (individually, or as a team), performing practical tasks and solving problems. In all, the Competition lasts about an hour and a half.
Team selection is made in January, and preparation takes place during the weeks running up to the Area Competition in the Easter holidays. These sessions are taken seriously, but we have a lot of fun as well. Do you enjoy looking after your pony? Are you interested in all things equine? If so, this could be the competition for you.
The Area 9 Competition takes place in the Easter holidays.
The Area 9 Competition for 2023 will take place on 15th April hosted by the Wyre Forest Pony Club. If you would be interested in being in a team please contact:
Emma Erskine Crum
07766 114169
Email: emmajec@hotmail.co.uk
A bit more about the Horse and Pony Care competition:
This competition is a great opportunity for those members who really enjoy looking after their horses and ponies and challenging their curiosity about all things equine.
The Competition is dismounted, and entirely practical in nature. It usually takes place at a venue with ten or so empty loose boxes, and each loose box is devoted to a separate subject – feeding, bandaging, colours and markings, tack care, etc. Each team spends about 8 or 10 minutes in each box, tackling questions or performing practical tasks on that particular subject. When time is up, a whistle blows, and all the teams move along to the next box until all the teams have been into all the boxes (which takes about an hour and a half).
The standard for the Minis is E and D tests, and the easier parts of the D+ test; for Juniors it is up to C test, and for the Seniors it is broadly C+/B/AH.
The winners qualify for the Championships in August, where the sponsors are the Blue Cross.
Above all, it is friendly and fun – ask anyone who has taken part before, and they will all tell you that they enjoyed themselves, and the examiners don’t bite!
Our Junior and Senior Horse and Pony Care teams have had another successful year, both winning at the Area 9 Competition and qualifying for the National Championships in August. Our Minis came third at the Area competition in April, collecting a huge rosette and an Easter egg each.
The unthinkable happened in 2019: the National Championships was abandonned due to the weather, but the Atherstone branch hosted a Horse and Pony Care Finals in October. Our Mini, Junior and Senior teams all took part, with the Junior and Seniors both finishing in the ribbons. We are all looking forward to 2022; come and join in!
