The Irish Pony Club

For Pony Club members, the annual Camp is very often the highlight of the year. This is so for both cometitive and less competitive members.

A Camp is an assembly of the members of a Branch, together with their ponies, held over a period of several days, usually during the summer holidays.

Every branch runs a camp or camps. The larger branches may have to run a number of camps to accommodate their members, sometimes these are divided into Senior and Junior Camps.

Camps may be either residential or non-residential for both members and ponies. This often depends on the venues and facilities available in a branches region. Camps are often held at racecourses, equestrian centres, farms or even just a green field site.

It is the members, the instructors and the hard working committees that make Camps so much fun, whatever the venue.

The object of Camp is to provide an instructional holiday for members and their ponies. Instruction should be given each day, but the holiday element must not be neglected and there should be a balanced mix of enjoyable activities and competitions. Not all of these activities and competitions need to be equestrian in nature.

Camp is intended to be fun.

In view of the additional responsibilities for the Health, Safety and Welfare of the members that arise from the very nature of Camp, Branches must plan Camp organisation very carefully, especially for residential Camps. Rigorous Risk Assessment must be carried out at all venues to be used, and both District Commissioner and the person in charge of the Camp (the Camp Organiser) must be fully conversant with the Irish Pony Club's guidelines on child protection. Camp Organisers should be given guidance on supervision levels and child protection, particularly at night. A responsible adult should be available to the Members at all times of the day and night.

There should also be a qualified First Aider equipped with a mobile phone and an appropriately stocked First Aid Box.

Arrangements for catering must ensure that all food hygiene regulations are fully met.