New Hat Rule 2023
To view the new Hat Rule for 2023 please use the following link:
Body Protectors 2023
To view Body Protector Rules: Pony Club Body Protector Rule 2023
Tack and Dress
A Tack and Dress chart can be downloaded below:
Guide For Rallies
Turnout
We think it may be helpful to remind you of the correct turnout for you and your pony. This is in addition to the Tack and Dress Chart found above.
This can also be downloaded below:
MOUNTED RALLIES AND PRACTICES
Hats: must comply with Pony Club Standards for the current year
It is mandatory for all Members to wear a protective helmet manufactured to one of the minimum standards listed below. It must bear the CE mark and a quality symbol, either the BSI Kitemark, the SAI Global symbol or the official Snell label with number. The CE symbol on its own is not sufficient to ensure consistent standard of manufacture.
For cross-country riding (including Eventing, Tetrathlon, Horse Trials, Tests and training) over fences 0.80m high and above; jockey skull cap, with no fixed peak, must be worn. It is also strongly recommended that a jockey skull cap is worn for cross country riding even over lower fences.
- PAS 015 :2011 ONLY with the BSI Kitemark (PAS 015:1998 not accepted from 1 January 2023)
- VG1 with BSI Kitemark
- Snell E2011 with the official Snell label and number (Snell E2001 not accepted from 1 January 2023)
- ASTM-F1163 2004a onwards with the SEI mark
- AS/NZS 3838 or 2006 and must have SAI Global Mark
(black, dark blue or brown cover only)
YOUR HAT SHOULD BE TAGGED BY A BRANCH OFFICIAL : PLEASE ASK
The fit of the hat and the adjustment of the harness are as crucial as the quality. Members are advised to try several makes to find the best fit, the hat should not move on the head when the head is tipped forward. It is strongly recommended that second hand hats are not purchased.
Children under 9 years old
Medical advice is that children’s neck muscles do not develop adequately to support a fairly heavy helmet until the age of nine. Therefore it may be appropriate for children under nine years of age to wear a lightweight hat made to comply with above requirements.
Hats with long ventilation slits are not allowed for Members over nine years old.
- Medical Arm Bands are RECOMMENDED to be worn at all times and ONLY on the arm
- Hair: Must be tied back securely, in a safe manner to reduce the risk of hair being caught and to prevent scalp injuries. A hairnet is recommended.
- Jewellery: the wearing of any sort of jewellery when handling or riding a horse/pony is not recommended and if done at any Pony Club activity, is done at the risk of the member/their parent/guardian. However, to stop any risk of injury, necklaces and bracelets (other than medical bracelets) must be removed, as must larger and more pendulous pieces of jewellery (including those attached to piercings) which create a risk of injury to the body part through which they are secured. For the avoidance of doubt a wristwatch, wedding ring, stock pin worn horizontally and/or a tie clip are permitted. It is recommended that stock pins are removed for cross country.
- White shirt (As a minimum shoulders must be covered for all riding activities, except for Mounted Games where long sleeves are compulsory). Polo shirts are allowed to be worn at Camp.
- Pony Club Tie
- There is also a dark blue tie, which may be worn by Members who have attained their 18th birthday. Alternatively, a plain white or cream stock may be worn with a black or navy jacket, or a coloured stock may be worn with a tweed hacking jacket.
- Riding Jacket (black/navy/tweed), Petersfield Branch Sweatshirt/Petersfield, Waterproof Jacket
- Pony Club Badge (polished) Test Achievement Felt to be worn under badge
- Gloves
- Jodhpurs (light coloured)Jodhpur or long boots: black or brown – (the former are much the most comfortable) – well polished. Only standard riding or jodhpur boots with a fairly smooth, thin sole and a well-defined square cut heel may be worn. Plain black or brown half chaps may be worn with jodhpur boots of the same colour. Tassels and fringes are not allowed. No other footwear will be permitted, including wellington boots, “muckers” or trainers. Boots with interlocking treads are not permitted, nor are the boots or treads individually.
- Stirrups should be of the correct size to suit the rider’s boots. They must have 7mm (¼”) clearance on either side of the boot.Whip: schooling or normal whip for flat work – no whip longer than 30” for jumping
- Numnahs, saddle cloth, pads: Any solid colour is permitted. Branch logos are allowed when competing for the Branch; logos must not exceed 200 sq. cm. This does not preclude the wearing of clothing for horses or riders that have been presented by sponsors of the Championships in the current or previous years.
- Humane Girths: Humane girths are not permitted in any sport, whether during training or competition. A humane girth is described as having non-independent straps that will loosen if one of the straps was to break.
CROSS COUNTRY PRACTICE: Medical Arm Bands are recommended
Body Protectors: Body Protectors used for cross country and Pony Racing must meet BETA 2018 Level 3 standard (blue and black label) or BETA 2009 Level 3 Standard (purple label); this will not be recognised from January 2024. This includes rallies, training and competitions and will now be part of the tack check.
We will allow you to wear your cross country colours over this if you want to. As a minimum, shoulders must be covered. Pony Club Tie or stock (with pin removed).
It is surprising how nice a pony can look, even if just in from a muddy field, after a good grooming. We never mind if you cannot manage that if he/she is wet. Tack should always be newly cleaned, including girth and numnah. Remember to remove the stirrup treads from the stirrups and give these a good scrub too. Always check stitching when cleaning tack – run your nail under it to check it is firm. Get it mended at once if it is starting to ‘go’. This will save you many problems with tack inspection and, of course, will keep you riding safely.
All of you will be growing fast and should check that your feet have not become too wide for stirrups and that you are not too big for your saddle, which might mean you are sitting too near the back of it. Check the fit of your saddle – you should be able to get 3 fingers sideways in the gap between the pommel and the pony’s withers when you are sitting in the saddle. It may need re-stuffing if you cannot – get advice from your saddler if in doubt.
TIMING: Please remember you will always need to arrive half an hour early for your rally to allow time for parking, unloading, tacking up and getting yourself ready. You should be ready and mounted 5 minutes before your actual time to allow for tack checking by the rally organiser. This way the rally can start on time – late arrivals spoil it for everyone; including themselves.
If you are riding someone else’s pony, this does not mean you arrive and expect to hop straight on it. Think about offering to clean the tack the day before, arriving in time to catch and groom the pony – it is not just a riding lesson – more is expected of you by us and the owner of the pony when attending rallies etc.
COMPETITIONS: Check with the organiser what you should wear. Pony Club Dressage Rules do not allow you to use brass or coloured brow bands, bit guards, split reins, coloured reins, martingales, boots and bandages. These rules also say that you must wear a black, brown or dark blue silk if your hat has a cover, light coloured jodhpurs and gloves are compulsory. Horse Trial Rules say an effective body protector MUST be worn for the cross country part of competition. Jackets must be worn for show jumping.
DISMOUNTED RALLIES: There is no need to wear your riding clothes, but do turn up looking TIDY. PLEASE BRING ALONG YOUR RIDING HATS. Jeans, wellington boots, Pony Club sweatshirt, jersey and jacket are fine. Girls should tie their hair back unless it is short and leave jewellery at home. Remember, you may be tramping around a muddy yard, so sensible footwear is a must. It can be very cold on winter evenings, so you may need several jerseys and pairs of socks, plus gloves.
Remember to bring your Pony Club Manual, notebook and pen/pencil.
