No horse/pony may compete or attend a rally (or be present at the event as a companion) unless it has a full record of Vaccination against equine influenza. Prior to attending, you need to submit a copy of your equine passport cover page and all vaccination pages to woodlandhunthealthandsafety@gmail.com for verification. You then need to update this information when booster vaccinations are given. No horse/pony may attend within 7 days of receiving a vaccination.
Find full details on vaccination requirements here.
Hats must be tagged PRIOR to attending a rally or competitions with the PINK Pony Club hat tag. Tagging is an external verification on the internal safety label and indicates that the hat meets the accepted standards. It does not imply any check of the fit or condition of the hat. This is the responsibility of parents/guardians. Hats must be worn at all times with chin strap fastened and adjusted so as to prevent movement of the hat in the event of a fall.
Jockey Skull caps ONLY must be worn for cross country (Eventing and Hunter trials), Pony Racing and Mounted Games be it for tests, rallies, competition or training.
Hat covers for Show Jumping, Dressage, Mounted Games as well as for rallies and training should be black, dark blue, or brown only.
Body protectors should be BETA 2018 Level 3 standard and are compulsory for Cross Country, Arena Eventing and Pony Racing activities. For general use, the responsibility for choosing a body protector rests with the Member and their parents.
Air jackets must be worn with a body protector underneath and are not recommended in a confided group situation.
For mounted working rallies you should wear a Woodland polo shirt and sweatshirt which can be purchased from GGGEAR. Long sleeves are compulsory for Cross Country and Mounted Games.
Hair should be tied back securely in a safe manner, preferably in a hairnet including for short hair that comes below the hat line, in order to reduce the risk of it being caught and to prevent scalp injuries.
Jodhpurs should be beige or a plain dark colour (black, brown, dark green and navy blue are all acceptable).
You will need to wear gloves and long leather boots or short leather boots with matching half chaps or short boots with elasticated jodhpur clips. Boots should be in good repair and well-polished. We do not recommend the use of rubber riding boots as they are not as flexible as leather and you cannot ‘feel’ the horse’s side when giving the aids as well.
The wearing of any sort of jewellery is not recommended. Necklaces, bracelets must be removed as well as earrings other than studs (although Pony Club recommends these are also removed) as these create a risk of injury. Wedding rings, wrist watches, stock pins (remove for cross country) and tie clips are permitted.
Tack need not be new but must fit your pony and be in good, clean and safe condition. It needs to be plain brown or black without any ‘bling’. You need to regularly check all stitching, especially around the bit, and at the top of stirrup leathers and girth straps. 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. Tack should be cleaned before rallies, and it will be checked for safety at the beginning of sessions. We reserve the right to ask a member to leave the session of their tack is unsafe or deemed to be ill fitting.
Your stirrups should be of the correct size to suit the rider’s boot. They must have 7mm (1/4″) clearance either side of the boot. If you are not sure whether something fits properly, is safe, or is suitable please ask your instructor.
Numnahs or saddlecloths should be plain black, brown, white, cream, navy or our own Woodland saddlecloth.
Grass reins and balanced support reins are permitted at Pony Club rallies and competitions jumping up to 50cm or Walk and Trot tests but must be loosely fitted and not restrict the pony.
With horse welfare our top priority spurs may be worn only by members who have been signed off by one of our Coaches as having still hands and a seat that is sufficiently independent that they can maintain a quiet, stable, still leg position. Members will need to communicate to the Coach how and when spurs should and should not be used in conjunction with The Pony Guidelines on use of Spurs.
The Core Fixtures list is published quarterly and open to all members. Additional Team and Test Training fixtures are published on an ad hoc basis although might be by invitation only. Additional fixtures are sent via email or posted on our Facebook page.
Booking for rallies can be made via our EntryMaster booking page. All rallies must be paid for at the time of booking to secure the place. You need to create a profile on the booking system which links directly to your Pelham membership profile. Rally fees will only be refunded if you withdraw before the closing date and only once the event has taken place.
The Pony Club is a volunteer organisation and relies on parents and guardians to help, as well as to teach its young people by example. The central Pony Club website contains more information on the role of parents as well as Codes of Conduct for Members and Parents/Guardians.
We rely on parents to help before, during and after events. All parents are expected to help at least three times a year for shows, events, fund raising, etc. If a child attends Summer Camp then, again, parents are expected to help for this as well. Parents will be contacted by one of the organising committees to ask for help or they can volunteer. Parents should not worry if they are asked to do something that they have not done before e.g. fence judging – there will always be instruction or someone on hand to give guidance.
We want to ensure that our members stay safe when participating in Pony Club activities, including when using the internet and social networking sites. The Pony Club has issued policies relating to Best Practice when using social media sites, as well as other information and policies relating to safeguarding and Best Practice. As a branch of The Pony Club we adhere to these guidelines and policies.
This information can be found on the Safeguarding section of The Pony Club website.
We have a zero-tolerance policy with regard to bad behaviour, so please keep to our high standards.
Every event, rally and competition that the Woodland Hunt run and organise is Risk Assessed, prior to the event, to ascertain what the hazards and risks are how we can minimise these to ensure the safety of our members and visitors. Our Risk Assessment officer holds these documents. These are then shared with the instructors and other organisers.