East Down Branch of the Pony Club
2018
Spring Newsletter
Happy New Year Everyone. We hope that you and your equine friends have had a great Christmas and New Year and are now in the process of getting ready for the season ahead.
Some of us have already begun! There are Triathlon competitions running already and the Spring Quiz Season is underway too.
Swimming shooting and running are ongoing with the indefatigable Findlay family organising. Despite the weather we are also proceeding steadily with progressive test training and exams. C+ candidates and B candidates are already proving that hard work does pay off by gaining some very creditable passes. Well done to all involved. Good luck to those about to take the next round of C+ exams and those training for their lunging exams. David will be in touch about C training and E-D training for Juniors as we aim to make this a particular focus this season.
It is also the season for Dengie Qualifiers. Well done to all who have already qualified for the finals or taken part. We are looking forward to EDPC next qualifier at Ardnacashel on the 11thFebruary.
As part of your preparation for the Spring and Summer season please take the time to read carefully the PC rule changes. There is a summary below, and details on the main PC website too. Best not to get caught out as some of the changes are significant.
Could we also remind you to get your Membership renewals in sooner rather than later? Charlotte Kirkpatrick is our new Membership Secretary and we are very pleased and thankful to have her on board for this important task.
There will also be an opportunity to renew membership at our Parents Night in Ballynahinch on the 31st January. We would encourage you all to come along to the Parents Night to have your say and help us as Committee with ideas and suggestions. In addition, please encourage friends and anyone interested to think about joining EDPC. We have an amazing Branch with some really dedicated and talented children, very supportive parents and at this time of year it is good to welcome new faces.
We look forward to seeing you all at the various events and at the East Down Hunt Ball!
Rally Dates up and coming
28/1/18 - Seniors Eventing Rally at Riverhill with Clare Steele – book with Fran RM
28/1/18 - Juniors – Tullymurray with Sarah Turley– book with Catherine Sharvin
3/2/18 - General Rally at Hillside Stables with Kate Gilmore – book with Catherine Sharvin
10/2/18 -General Rallyat Hillside Stables with Kate Gilmore – book with Catherine
11/2/18 - Junior Rallylocation and instructor TBC – Book with Catherine
23/2/18 – Show Jumpingrally at Ardnacashel – Instructor Ronnie Morton (SJAI / HSI Level 2 coach) book with David K
25/3/18 - Junior Rally – location and instructor TBC – Book with Catherine
25/2/18 -Eventing Rally at Riverhill with Jonathan Steele - book with Fran
11/3/18 - Eventing Rally at Tyrella Go As You Please with Clare Steele - book with Fran
18/3/18 - Eventing Rally–Instructor and Venue TBC - book with Fran RM
Future Rally Plans
We plan some flatwork training for Seniors at Rowlatt-McCormick’s in April with Emma Newsam, Dates to be advised but will be on a Wednesday evening.
Karen Dixon is to run a course walking (non-mounted) rally at Tyrella – date to be confirmed.
More Show Jumping, Eventing and Flatwork rallies are planned following feedback at Parents Night.
Parents Night
We would encourage everyone to attend our rearranged parents evening on 31stJanuary - This will give an opportunity for us to meet and to share thoughts on our objectives for 2018. We are keen to obtain feedback on what has worked well this year, answer any questions you may have and plan ahead for an exciting
2018 for the East Down Branch.
Wednesday from 7.30-9.30 pm 31st January 2018 Market House, Market Square, Ballynahinch.
Membership Renewal
You will have received a copy of the membership forms and our behaviour contract via email message from Charlotte Kirkpatrick our New Membership Secretary.
“If renewing, please complete forms and return with appropriate fee to me NOW or return as soon as possible before the 28th February 2018.Please be aware both Membership and Insurance Cover will automatically terminate if the subscription is not paid by 28th February 2018. Also, members renewing after this date will not be eligibleto compete in Pony Club competitions at Area level or above.
We all have a responsibility to promote high standards of behaviour in the sport and thisbranch is supporting the Pony Club's aimsto ensure equestrianism can be enjoyed in a safe, positive environment. That is why yourEDPC Committee are asking all Members and Parents / Guardians tosign this Behaviour Contract.
The form also contains useful links to information about the Pony Club's Policies on Safeguarding, Discipline at PC events, Complaints and AppealsProcedure and alink to the up to date EDPC contacts list.
If you are not re-joiningcan you please advise meby email to: ”
Area Dates
3/02/18 – Area quiz – Omagh
4/3/18 Dengie SJ at Portmore
25/3/18 Dengie DR at Connell Hill
26/5/18 Area Games at Shanes Castle
7/7/18 Area Dressage
9/7/18 Area SJ at O’Flynns Kircubbin
13-14/7/18 Area Tetrathlon
21/7/18 Area Eventing at Lusks – EDPC arranging this!!
We will update you with date for Home Championships when it is finalised.
Other Key dates
EDPC are running the annual 3 phase at Tyrella 2ndApril - entry forms will be available shortly.
EDPC are running a Tetrathlon on 29/4/18
Camp dates will be released very soon – watch this space!
EDPC Dengie Dates
Sunday 21st January at Ardnacashel – Dressage and Show Jumping
Feb 11th Show Jumping Only at Ardnacashel
Tetrathlon News
EDPC training dates
Sunday 4th, 18th February and 4 th March
Swimming training, taught by Wendy, Peter and Noreen at 1-2pm at Down Leisure Centre followed by shooting with John and running with Greg at the Findlay residence. Open to all members.
Wed-Fri 28 th-30 th March: Area 17 Tetrathlon Training Camp at Campbell college and Lorne Guide centre
(now booked up, but has a waiting list)
Area 17 Tetrathlon 2018 Competition Series (Including triathlon and tetrathlon)
**New for 2018** Compete at any 5 triathlon/tetrathlon events and win a green “Northern Ireland Tetrathlon 2018 Competition Series” top with the tetrathlon logo
21 st January: North Down Triathlon (Shooting-Swimming-Running)
11 th February: Seskinore Winter Triathlon (qualifier)
25 th February: Route Hunt Winter Triathlon (qualifier)
18 th March: Winter Triathlon Finals 2018 at Milton Keynes
(Minimus, Junior and Open only)
29 th April: East Down Tetrathlon at Down Leisure Centre and Tyrella
20 th May: North Down Tetrathlon
10 th June: Iveagh Tetrathlon
24 th June: Route Hunt Tetrathlon
13/14 July: Area Tetrathlon, Fermanagh
Any questions to Wendy 07814722629 or fb message me
Progressive Test Training
Test training is ongoing – please contact David for more information and check out the Facebook pages relating to each group. Lunging training is about to start (2 Feb) and is open to anyone with their B Tests.
Super well done to all the B and C+ test candidates who have all passed their various exams! We are very proud of you all.
B test
Our successful B Test Candidates are Troy Watson, Alex Cleland, Ben Rowlatt-McCormick, Lauren Gabbie, Aoife Hamilton Quinn.
C+ test Horse Care Exam
Sophie Dunlop, Zara Sharvin, Tara Dixon, Conor Findlay and Jessica Nelson have also passed their C plus Horse Care Exam. We have another batch ready to do the C plus Horse Care Test on Friday 26 January good luck to them all and thank you to Sarah Turley for training them.
East Down Hunt Ball
10th Feb 2018
Downpatrick Racecourse
All welcome
Drinks Arrival Reception 7:30pm Dinner and Dancing to This Way
Tickets £50 Please contact Donna - 07802 333813
TEAM IRELAND EQUESTRIAN - EVENTING DEMO TOUR!!!
Team Ireland Equestrian is holding a fundraiser for the High-Performance Eventing Athletes featuring:
Aoife Clark, Clare Abbott, Sarah Ennis, Jonty Evans, Joseph Murphy, Michael Ryan, Patricia Ryan, Camilla Speirs, Sam Watson. Demos will be hosted by Ian Fearon and Ian Woodhead.
One of the Demos is in Portmore Equestrian, Antrim: 4 February 2018 (4pm)
Special ticket price for Irish Pony Club Members and Pony Club Northern Ireland only at €15
If you would like to book a space at the pony club rate please contact Fran on 07912627751 as this looks like a great evening out. – NEWSFLASH – and we have PC DISCOUNT!!
PONY Club Rule changes
Well worth you all checking these 2018 rule changes here! There are some fairly key ones on this overview and some biggish ones in the nitty gritty detail... you should all have received the link via email. Here are the "highlights"!
Eligibility Rules 2018
The Pony Club Eligibility rules for Dressage, Show Jumping and Eventing have been significantly simplified and changed to make them easier for all to understand and to give our Members more opportunities to compete at levels of competitions available to them. Visit The Pony Club website for full details.
Hat Rule Amendments
To unify hat standards across Member bodies and to avoid riders having to wear multiple tags on their hats, The Pony Club, British Eventing (BE) and British Riding Clubs (BRC) will introduce a new 'aquamarine' hat tag for 2018. The tag will carry the logo of the body that checked the hat so that tagging can be tracked.
Will white tags still be accepted?
No, white tags will no longer be accepted at Pony Club rallies, events or competitions and Branches should look to re-tag Members' hats from now.
Vaccination Rule Introduced
The vaccination rules have been consolidated across all sports and a new rule will be introduced in 2018 that will require all horses and ponies taking part in Pony Club Competitions at Area level and above to be fully vaccinated.
Numnahs / Saddle Cloths
Any solid colour and contrasting piping is permitted across all Sports.
Spurs
Members will not require permission to wear spurs as of 1st January 2018. However, misuse of spurs should be reported to the DC / Centre Proprietor, Area Rep and the Training Chairman so that it can be dealt with accordingly.
Body Protector Notification
Please be aware that BETA has announced that a new standard will be introduced during 2018. We will notify you when any changes have been made.
Full details of the 2018 Rules can be found on The Pony Club website
As you can see – it’s a packed schedule. Looking forward to seeing you all very soon.
EDPC Committee
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