Code of Conduct for Parents and Guardians
The Rally is the mainstay of pony club training. They are organised instructional rides, demonstrations and on foot meetings, taught by accredited instructors and which are available for all pony club members. They cover pony club disciplines eg dressage, games, showjumping and eventing and will also include horse management. There are specialised meetings for tetrathlon training too.
We aim to hold blocks of 3-4 rallies every month from Sept to May at a range of venues around our area. They are traditionally held on Friday evenings but we may add other evenings/weekends depending on demand. We also organise rallies at more distant venues offering specific facilities such as cross country fences.
Rallies are open to all pony club members including those on lead rein, though some rallies may be organised specifically for younger riders, or have an ability stipulation, for example, for cross country. We try to group riders by ability, age, pony ability and experience, not everyone may agree with our selections, but we do our best!
Correct Dress – What to wear is based on being firstly safe and secondly sensible. New clothing is not expected, but what is worn must be clean, neat and tidy. Only a watch to be worn at rallies.
Members should wear the Seskinore Harriers Pony Club sweatshirt or Seskinore XC skin. If the weather is warm then sweatshirts may be taken off at the discretion of the instructor however for XC a long sleeved shirt must be worn.
Gloves – black, brown, beige/cream. Gloves are used to protect your hands and give you grip on the reins.
Half chaps/gaiters may be worn but must match your boot colour, Jodhpur boots with jodhpur clips (or elastic underneath) or long riding boots. Only standard riding or jodhpur boots with a fairly smooth, thin sole and a well defined square cut heel may be worn. No other footwear will be permitted, including wellington boots, “muckers” or trainers. Boots with interlocking treads are not permitted. When the boot is in the stirrup there must be 7mm (1/4”) clearance on either side of the boot.
Long hair should be tied back and safely secured in a hairnet. No long plaits down the back.
Jewellery is not allowed for safety reasons, other than a wristwatch, a wedding ring, a stock pin worn horizontally or a tie clip.
Riding hat/silks can be blue, black or brown (if you use a hat silk it must also be plain) and of current safety standard. For the current safety standards please refer to the Pony Club website. Hats must be worn at all times when mounted, with the strap fastened (and should be worn at prize giving too). All hats must be tagged.
Body Protectors: The Pony Club does not make the use of body protectors compulsory, except for cross-country riding and Pony Racing whether it be training or competing. When worn, body protectors must fit correctly, be comfortable and must not restrict movement.
Gloves are not usually used for Pony Club games as you also need to hold the games equipment.
Members should wear white shirt, pony club tie and a jacket, which should be tweed, navy or black with the Pony Club badge on the left lapel, positioned (for safety) 4cms below the collar bone.