PWPC Team Competitions - Puckeridge Hunt Western

What are team competitions?

Pony club team competitions take place across a variety of disciplines (mainly dressage, showjumping and eventing) can be grouped into 3 categories: Area competitions, Invitation competitions and Friendly competitions.

Area

Area Competitions are where Pony Club members compete as teams and individuals to try to qualify for The Pony Club Championships or Regional Championships. Everyone competing – whether in a team or as an individual – are eligible to qualify for the championships so everyone competing counts regardless of whether you’re in the team or not. There is a competition held in each of the 19 Pony Club Areas (we are Area 8) and there are various levels to compete at based on ability and eligibility:

Level	Dressage	Showjumping	Eventing	Championships
Preliminary	PC70	70cms	70cms	Regionals
Grassroots	PC80	80cms	80cms	Regionals
Novice	Novice	90cms	90cms	Nationals
Intermediate	Intermediate	100cms	100cms	Nationals
Open + Chairman’s Cup	Open	110cms	110cms	Nationals

There are also area competitions in Polo, Mounted Games and Tetrathlon. If you are interested in more information in these disciplines please contact us.

Please check eligibility rules for each level in the rulebooks. For example, the PC70 Regional competitions are only open to members 13 and under on 1 January of the competition year. There is a PC70 PLUS ODE and SJ class open to older members.

For each discipline, you can only compete at one level on each horse e.g. you can’t be in both PC70 and PC80 Show jumping teams on the same horse. This is different to some invitation and friendly competitions.

If you are well placed in the qualifying competitions – places can be found in the rulebooks linked at the bottom – you then qualify for the championships noted in the table above. Regional championships are run with the qualified riders from a group of Areas (we Area 8 in the Eastern region along with Areas 6, 11 and 12) at Preliminary/PC70 and Grassroots/PC80 level. National Championships are run with the qualified riders from all Areas at Novice/PC90, Intermediate/PC100 and Open/PC110 levels.

Invitation Teams

These are very special events that do not necessarily have a championship and are always lots of fun. We as a club are invited to these which is an honour that not all clubs get.

Competition	Discipline	Levels	Notes
Calvert Cup	Eventing	80cm, 90cm & 100cm	Our very own competition! Typically held in June at Luffenhall but not running in 2024.
Gosling Cup	Eventing	85cm SJ, 80cm XC	Organising rotates through the Pony Clubs in our region. Includes team ride phases alongside the 3 phases of eventing.
Bloom Cup	Eventing	80cm, 90cm	Typically held in September.
Burghley	Show-jumping	105cm	Held on the Thursday of Burghley Horse Trials, jumped on grass.
Blenheim	Eventer Trial	90cm, 100cm	Held at Blenheim, normally in September. On grass.

Friendly competitions

These are often run ad-hoc throughout the year, and we welcome parents to organise teams for these amongst friends. These are typically show-jumping competitions, and are great fun particularly as a get together during the winter months. We will generally share these on our Facebook page for visibility, if you spot them first please feel free to let us know.

How are teams selected?

For Area and Invitation teams, your Committee will ask for expressions of interest about 6 weeks before the competition depending on schedules being published. They will then look at the members who have asked to be considered, and compile teams and individuals based on capability, previous performance and engagement in the club. Our main aim is to put teams together that have the best chance at doing well, whilst being safe and happy. We will run reserve lists for all oversubscribed competitions should a member be unlucky in the run up to the competition e.g. pony lameness. The Committee’s decision is final as relates to team structure, as we have to declare that we are confident that members are safe at the level they are competing at.

For Friendly competitions, we encourage parents to take a leading role. Get members together, put together teams and have a great day!

Do I have to pay for entries?

For all Area, Invitation and Friendly teams, members will need to pay the cost of entries and other fees (such as first aid). For Area and Invitation teams the Committee will make the entries on your behalf and ask you to pay us back (except for Calvert where members make their own entries), and for Friendly competitions members will make their own entries.

What happens on the day?

First and foremost, we have fun! Whether the result is what you wanted, or if it wasn’t the best day, these are brilliantly sociable events where we can all cheer each other on. Enjoy team course-walks with your team mates and celebrate taking part with a great picnic with your team friends after the competition.

Before the Area or Invitation competitions we will create a WhatsApp group to ensure you have all the information you need. This is also a great opportunity to coordinate any other activities – in 2023, our regional finalists enjoyed staying overnight and then went riding on a nearby beach for a proper weekend.

How do I prepare?

Everyone should attend rallies and training activities throughout the year to give us the best understanding of your level, ensure their horses are fit and well, and send their expressions of interest for competitions they wish to attend. Outside of that each horse, and each discipline, will be different in terms of its preparation. For guidance on how to prepare for specific competitions for your horse, speak to your coach.

Want more information?

Your Entries Manager for 2024 is Zoe Brown; please feel free to contact her on puckeridgewestern@pcuk.org or call her on 07845 734023.

Show Jumping rule book 2024 Eventing rule book 2024 Dressage rule book 2024 Register interest for PWPC teams, summer 2024