Pony racing is an amazing opportunity for children to ride on licenced Racecourses across the UK including Ascot and Cheltenham. Much like the activities you see when watching racing on the television, the riders weigh-out, parade in the paddock, head down to the start and weigh-in after the race.
Members wishing to take part must be aged between 9 to 17 years. There are various races on the card, with different conditions, for ponies up to 148cm and aged between 5 and 20 years.
We hold regular racing rallies, using professional jockey coach Leanne White, focusing on rider fitness, equicisor (mechanical horse) sessions, cantering in an enclosed space to learn how to bridge the reins and ride in the racing position and finally on the gallops. We welcome all members to attend these rallies, whether they are keen on having a go at pony racing or not! You will learn useful skills for riding cross country as well.
We advise members who want to go on and race to attend a PC/PRA Training Day which are an amazing opportunity to learn more about pony racing. These days not only provide riding tuition on your pony for race riding but also provide an insight into balance and control in a forward seat with the simple use of wobble boards, space hoppers and stepping stones, alongside the use of an equicisor. In addition, the training programme includes advice on rider and pony fitness and nutrition, tack guidance and race day procedures and etiquette.
If you have any questions at all, please do get in touch with our Pony Racing Coordinator. We hope to see you at a racing rally soon.
UN- OFFICIAL ELSA W feedback – otherwise known as “what we have
learnt”
1. There are three ways to race your pony. Pony Club Pony Racing which holds about 6
race meetings a year – and is what Elsa and Poppy have taken part in. There is also
Pony Racing Authority Pony Racing and PRA point to pointing which is organised by a
separate organisation.
2. You do not need to know a lot about racing to take part in a pony race. We are not a
racing family – none of us had ever even been to a race before Wincanton!
3. Your normal pony will be brilliant and great fun to race on to start with. You don’t
need a new one as long as yours is safe and kind and you are a good enough rider to
stay on whilst they are going their very fastest.
4. Races are grouped by the ponies’ height – 118cm, 128 cm, 138cm, 148cm – the taller
the ponies the longer the races are. Elsa is 10 and Poppy is 128 cm. Big child – small
pony makes for more comfortable parental viewing that small child – big pony.
5. Borrow as much equipment as you can for the first couple of times – there is no
need to have everything new and shiny (but there are some compulsory bits and
pieces so do look that up). Elsa wore a friend’s school cross country colours to start
with.
6. Don’t win your first race – this is very important – a big red rosette may make your
heart sing at the time but will, from there on, cause you enormous amounts of angst
as you will no longer qualify for the novice races and instead be catapulted into the
open class for your ponies height – (see note 7 and 8)
7. Often, entrants in the Novice races are wide-of-girth, hairy ponies who will return to
their paddock at the end of the day to eat grass.
8. Often, entrants in the Open races are Ferrari’s – basically mini racehorses who are
kept exclusively for racing.
9. We prefer Grass tracks – Cheltenham, Ascot, Wincanton etc. to All Weather Tracks –
Wolverhampton, Lingfield etc. as does Poppy who is small and very hairy and used to
running on grass.
10. Buy a Wobble Board to practice standing on at home – they are great for building
stamina in the jockey’s ankles and thighs
11. Some of the races are quite big – 10 ponies – and others are quite small – 3 ponies
12. Sometimes you will race on a straight track; other times you will race round a bend
13. You do not want to win the Best Turned Out (apparently!)