2012 STATE TRIALS
REPORT TO P.C.A.T. MEETING
1ST APRIL, 2012
Preparations for State Trials commenced in May 2011 at which time West Tamar Pony & Riding Club made an expression of interest to host Trials 2012. The Northern Zone formed a committee at which all Clubs were represented. It was decided that WTPC would be responsible for designing and building a new cross country course at Gravelly Beach as well as undertaking the primary administration role in organizing Trials. The committee delegated roles to Launceston Pony and Riding Club (Dressage), Lilydale District P.C. (Showjumping), Tasmanian Pony & Riding PC (Official Dinner). Meetings were held monthly in conjunction with NZ meetings until January when meetings were held separately to finalise arrangements. Our Zone T.D. Jamie Buckby attended all meetings, whereas Course Designer Richard Ireland and Course Builder Sven Johnson attended as and when required by the committee. A positive aspect of having Zone Clubs involved with organizing Trials, is that helps to develop a volunteer base of persons who all gain experience and skills ,which will be utilized in future State events in the Zone.
Congratulations to Lex McIndoe for presenting the excellent 2011 Trials final report book, this document was invaluable to our committee as we constantly referred to it for guidance and the task lists were a great resource to help keep us on track.
The Trials committee was very appreciative of having Hunter Doughty as the State Technical Director. Hunter was a great source of advice and guidance and paid close attention to detail on all aspects of Trials organization. The NZ greatly appreciated P.C.A.T. assistance with obtaining Hunter as State T.D.
Jamie Buckby, Zone T.D. also gave many hours of service and timely advice. Prior to Trials Jamie organized two Cross Country fence judge training evenings which were well attended by NZ Club members, these evenings were a resounding success and enhanced the confidence and expertise of our fence judges.
The venue at ‘Edinburgh Park’ Gravelly Beach offered excellent facilities for the event and looked amazing when set up for dressage with the very professional looking white arenas, our thanks to Launceston Pony & Riding Club for the very efficient manner in which the dressage phase was conducted. Our sincere thanks to the dressage judges who kindly gave of their time to assist with judging.
Steve Clements and Rachael De Wit very kindly offered the use of their property ‘Aviemore’ for the Cross Country Phase. Richard Ireland and Sven Johnson produced a course that was well up to standard and which presented challenges, however feedback from riders indicated that it rode very well. Andy De Kaste played a pivotal role as the XC course controller. The ‘Aviemore’ XC course certainly offered spectators outstanding views of the Tamar Valley area. Thank you to the members of W.T.P.C. For the many hours of voluntary work on this new course which will now benefit our riders. An excellent shuttle bus service was provided for spectators visiting the XC course, buses were supplied by the tireless and cheerful drivers from Manions Bus service.
The Show jumping phase was very well organized by Lilydale Pony & Riding Club and the newly painted fences looked very smart and gave a real Championship feel to the final phase. Judy Kilby designed a lovely flowing course and was ably assisted by Carol Hobson as Show Jump judge; both of these ladies have a very long association with P.C.A.T. And their continued support is highly valued.
Well done to the W.T.P.C. and in particular Donna McCafferty for the fantastic canteen that produced such a great array of food all weekend, including at the top of the XC course which enabled spectators to remain up at the course all day with refreshments on hand.
The official dinner was organized by T.P.R.C. and was held in a relaxed, informal atmosphere at the Beaconsfield Community Centre. Approximately 230 riders and supporters attended and the lovely meal was provided by Donna and Stefan Robnik of Tamar Cove Motel. Hunter provided some light hearted entertainment and sound advice for riders and Jamie Buckby had the surprise honour of Life membership presented by the N.Z. in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Pony Club particularly in his role as T.D. for O.D.E.s and State Events. The presentation of riders in their Club teams was a highlight of the evening and each rider received a lovely participation certificate and goody bag which was well received. Thank you to Kellie Shepherd and Midlands P.C. for sourcing the great goody bags.
L.P.R.C. received many accolades for the fabulous spit roast which was certainly enjoyed by all who attended.
Once again the local Guide camp provided excellent accommodation for riders and their families, the various Tasmanian Guide camps have provided wonderful venues for several recent State Championships.
The P.A. and sound system for the weekend was very kindly supplied by W.T.P.C. member Phil Mcafferty. Lisa Lucas and David Pyke were a great team on the P.A., keeping everyone updated and providing an interesting commentary on riders all weekend.
Thanks are also in order for Jessica Pyke, Trials Committee member who spent many hours collating the Trials Programme, as well as designing the logo and co-ordinating the purchase of the lovely polo tops and head warmers which proved to be very popular with riders. Jessica is happy to send the template of the programme to the NW Zone if they wish to use it for the next Trials programme to expedite set up time and costs.
Scoring for Trials was carried out seamlessly and efficiently by the highly organized duo of Rosanne Roles and Narelle Whatley whose efforts ensured that scores were quickly displayed at all times, including up on the XC course which added to the rider’s anticipation by having current scores available.
Sue Cameron of Suebi’s embroidery, Deloraine, provided outstanding customer service in providing the merchandise for Trials and Sue was very popular with her embroidery services and additional clothing at the venue. Sue also donated a lovely embroidered woolen rug as well as sourcing additional sponsors for rug presentations. Sue has been approached to assist with Trials 2013.
Various media including all TV stations, radios, newspapers etc were contacted prior to Trials with only Win TV providing coverage of the final Show Jumping Phase. Results were forwarded to the Examiner Newspaper, however these have not been printed to date.
The Trials committee was very grateful for the sponsorship provided by local businesses and members of Parliament as mentioned in the accompanying sponsors list. In the current economic climate the support of these generous sponsors is greatly appreciated.
Veterinary services were kindly provided by the Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic who provided Flinders Island Vet, Vic Epstein who was on course for XC, the generous support of SVS in providing services at a very reasonable cost gave our committee peace of mind knowing that we had a very experienced equine vet available to us.
Huge thanks to Wolfie Rechberger of Tasmanian Ambulance Service for providing the required paramedic services for the weekend. St Johns First aid was also available for the Dressage Phase.
Roger Stapleton of Fetlock Photographs put in some long hours to provide our riders with lovely mementos of their Trials experience, with photos being available on the website promptly after the weekend.
Special mention must be made of Marisa Hall and Deb Johnson of W.T.P.C. for their drive and enthusiasm throughout the whole Trials journey, which culminated in such a successful event. Marisa and Deb ensured that Trials ran smoothly and retained their composure and sense of humour right through to the end, congratulations to them both for their wonderful efforts.
The financial report as prepared by Ann Graves is attached. Ann Graves is an extremely efficient Treasurer and kept us informed on all matters financial from day one as well as making sure we attended to everything on the task list. Ann’s considerable expertise was invaluable.
The Trials Presentation Ceremony was the culmination of a very successful weekend, the beautifully presented rider presentation area gave a lovely finishing touch and no doubt the winners’ woolen rugs will be cherished by the riders whose efforts earned them top placings. A highlight of the Presentation Ceremony was the lovely rendition of Advance Australia Fair, sung by rider Flynn Miller and accompanied by Ella Johnson on the Flute. Judy Pitt congratulated everyone involved in Trials and commented particularly on the lovely Pony Club family atmosphere which shone through. Of course none of this would be possible without the commitment and dedication of our riders who strive to achieve their very best and for their love of horses and riding. These riders clearly demonstrated the ethos of the aims and objectives of the Pony Club movement and we are very proud of their achievements and personal best triumphs.
Lastly, well done to the Trials organising committee, the value of volunteers in Pony Club is so often overlooked and under valued, however this committee can be proud of their achievement in bringing Trials to fruition, but also gaining great satisfaction in knowing that they have provided such a wonderful opportunity for the youth of Tasmania to enjoy their chosen sport of horse riding which demands such a level of commitment, dedication and courage rarely seen in any comparable sport.
On behalf of the Committee, we extend our best wishes to the 2013 N.W. Zone Trials Committee for a successful event which we look forward to with anticipation.
Phyliss Pyke
Chair, 2012 State Trials Organising Committee.
Suggestions for State Trials 2013
Just a couple of suggestions that arose during Trials 2012:-
Hunter Doughty – Hunter recommended that we have rider numbers that were consecutive i.e. 1-120 as he felt the present use of three sets of numbers causes some confusion, for instance having three of number 10 over the three grades. Hunter felt this was confusing when dealing with any issues from XC judges etc over which number 10 was being referred to . Hunter suggested that we either have a full set of numbers or consider using the photocopied sheets which are held in the rider’s own personal back number holder as this is the method commonly used in mainland events, apparently when printing off the number, the computer can also generate information specific to that rider for instance dressage time, XC time etc.
Hunter reminded riders to be aware of riding etiquette at all times, including not releasing the reins whilst mounted, particularly as horses cross the finish line as this offence would be yellow or possibly red carded on the mainland.
The issue of insufficient space for horses finishing XC was probably generic to the WTPC course due to space constraints, however there was an issue with spectators being in the finish area which could be hazardous as they were assisting riders with washing down horses etc and that perhaps this washing area should be some distance from the finish. Similarly the vet area could be situated away from the finish.
Trials dinner – TPRC encountered some problems with using the Beaconsfield Community Centre as a venue for the official dinner. The venue was certainly large enough , however despite our early efforts to source a suitable venue, we had problems finding one sufficiently large enough and also which offered a meal at a reasonable cost to families. The options were a venue just large enough with a more expensive pre-set menu with no meal choices, however all facilities ie. Tables chairs etc were included. We opted for the Community Centre as it was closer for families staying at Trials, however we then experienced difficulties in that the BCC did not have sufficient tables, chairs, crockery etc which then had to be sourced and transported at additional cost. TPRC also then had to provide bar facilities as well. Just for future reference we suggest that committees look closely at their venue options as sometimes the extra cost incurred with hiring equipment etc can outweigh the cost of a venue with a higher meal price but inclusive of facilities.
Have the current Trials programme template available to the next committee in publisher format to save unnecessary repetition of set up time and cost.