The Irish Pony Club

In the interests of safety and courtesy on the cross country course there are some alterations to the rules. Please open the Horse Trials Rules and read carefully numbers 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33 which start on page 17. Competitors and parents should familiarise themselves with all rules. All results will be posted on the RESULTS page.

See Also: 2010 Guide to Competitions / Cross Country Tack Sheet / Horse Trials Rule Book

LIST AND DETAILS OF HORSE TRIALS QUALIFIERS CLICK HERE

A List of Horse Trials Qualifiers with with full details of Event Secretaries etc. is available in the Branch Officers area along with Entry Forms and Fee Docket.

AMENDEMENTS TO LIST OF RED MILLS HORSE TRIALS QUALIFIERS

Area 5 qualifier at Kilquilky, postponed from 20th June to 17th July

Kingdom qualifier in Tralee CANCELLED

Horse Trials -aka- Eventing

This page is a brief guide to Horse Trials as an activity in the Irish Pony Club. Please refer to the current IPC Horse Trials Rule Book for further information, or have a chat with your D.C. as you will need their permission to take part in this pony club discipline. Please also consult the current Irish Pony Club Guide to Competitions.


What are Horse Trials?

Horse Trials and One Day Events (ODEs) and are two different names for the same thing. They are usually referred to as Horse Trials, One Day Events (ODEs), or simply Events. For the rest of this section, we will call them Horse Trials.

Horse Trials consist of three parts: a dressage test, a round of show-jumping and a cross-country course which take place on the same day. The Horse Trials Championships is the only competition that takes place over two days.

The scores from all three phases added together. The winner is the one with the lowest penalty score. The lowest score is best, faults in cross country and show jumping are added to your dressage score. If you have 0 faults in these sections, you finish on your dressage score.

Tack and Dress

There are very strict rules about tack and dress. You should consult the current Tack Sheets, for each discipline, as there are three tack inspections at competitions.

Eligibility

To be eligible to compete in Associate, Member, Intermediate and Junior classes, you must have passed your C test. In the Under 12 class, riders should have passed the D+ test. All riders must be active members of their Branch and be paid up members of the Irish Pony Club. They must have participated at three appropriate rallies since 1st June of the previous year, two of which should be cross country and on the horse on which they now wish to event.

District Commissioners have discretion in this regard, and have to sign off on the form that this particular child is able to go cross country.

Ponies and horses must be 5 years old or over for all competitions, there is no height limit for horses but a horse/pony is only allowed to go under one rider at one event. It must not go eventing again the next day!

Age Groups

U12 - children who are under 12 years of age on 1st January of current calendar year; should have D+ Test to participate. U12s cannot qualify for the IPC HORSE TRIALS championships, which are held in a different location each year in August. The maximum height of jumps is 75cm for show jumping and cross-country. Some Under 12 competitions include a Starter Stakes class.

Junior - members who are under 15 years of age on 1st January of current calendar year; competitors must have C-Test! Teams of 3 or 4 can participate in the IPC HORSE TRIALS championships. The maximum height of jumps is 90cm for show jumping and 90cm for cross-country.

Intermediate - members must be under 21 years of age on 1st January of current calendar year; competitors must have C-Test and you can also take part if you have your B test) Teams of 3 or 4 can participate in the IPC HORSE TRIALS championships. The maximum height of jumps is 1m for show jumping and cross-country.

Members - must be under 21 years of age on 1st January; competitors must have C-Test! Teams of 3 or 4 can participate in the IPC HORSE TRIALS championships. The maximum height of jumps is 1.10m for show jumping and for cross-country.

Senior Associates Individual Section B - must be under 23 years of age on 1st January; competitors must have C-Test! Teams of 3 or 4 can participate in the IPC HORSE TRIALS championships. The maximum height of jumps is 1m for show jumping and for cross-country.

Senior Associates Individual Section A - must be under 23 years of age on 1st January; competitors must have C-Test! Teams of 3 or 4 can participate in the IPC HORSE TRIALS championships. The maximum height of jumps is 1.10m for show jumping and for cross-country.

Phases of Horse Trials

Dressage

General: The dressage test must be ridden from memory and is available from your club secretary. There is no time limit, and the movements of the test must follow in the order laid down. The arena for these tests is 20 metres by 40m, (the size of the arena will be specified on the test - higher tests are often ridden in a 20m by 60m arena) and the boundary will be marked. If the pony goes outside of the boundary during the test, marks will be deducted, or elimination may follow. If you get mixed up, or make a mistake while riding the test, marks are deducted. You may carry a whip, but use of your voice for encouragement or anything else is prohibited! When your test is finished, the judge will mark the sheet and this is sent to the scorers who will then add your cross country and showjumping scores to it to get a result. There are different dressage tests for the different age groups but the same test is used for all pony club Horse Trials during the same calendar year. See Dressage Tests for current tests being used. The dressage test is always the first of the three parts in Horse Trials. Note: You will get a dressage time from your own club a few days before the Horse Trials which must be adhered to! There are usually many competitors and so if you are late for your dressage time, you may not be allowed to ride your dressage test!

Dressage Scoring

When you see your dressage score you might wonder how it was calculated. This is done as follows:

The judge's good marks are added together and any penalties awarded are deducted. This total is subtracted from the maximum mark obtainable (this varies depending on the amount of movements in the test). Multiply the result by 100 and divide it by the maximum mark obtainable. The result is the score in penalty points for the test

This might seem a bit complicated but the people doing the scoring on the day, know what to do.

Just remember, the lower your score, the better!

You can collect your dressage scoring sheet at the end of the competition and this is highly recommended because the judge's comments tell you what you are good at and what you might want to improve on.

Show Jumping

General: A regular round of show jumps is jumped in an arena in a field (or sometimes in an all weather arena). Jumped under SJAI rules, with a few modifications. There is only one round, no jump-off. The course consists of seven to ten numbered showjumps, at least three of which will be spreads and will include a double combination. Practice fences will be provided. There is a time allowed and a time limit in operation at some Horse Trials. The showjumping course should also be carefully walked on foot, and a note taken of where the start and finish are.

The difficulty of the jumps varies for the different age groups.. For heights see the Irish Pony Club Guide to Competition Ages. The IPC Horse Trials Rule Book will specify the size of the jumps in detail and will tell you which kinds of jumps are allowed for which age group.

Scoring:

There are lots of different things that can incur penalties or even elimination as you will probably know from having done show jumping before. However, don't assume that IPC show jumping always follows the SJAI rules - it doesn't necessarily! Again please check the IPC Horse Trials Rule Book for details.

The total faults are added to the dressage score.

Cross Country

General: This is most people's favourite part of the day! . The fences are solid, fixed and imposing, and can include water, banks, drains, skinny fences, and almost anything else. Obstacles are numbered and flagged, with the RED flag on the RIGHT, and the WHITE flag on the LEFT, always.

You must walk the course at least once before riding over it, preferably with a knowledgeable adult, and as few chattering companions as possible, as you need to concentrate and pay careful attention to your own jumps!

These are always colour coded, and you will have to find out at the start which is yours, e.g. U12 yellow on a white background, junior green on a yellow background (this will vary from one Horse Trial to another). You can often see a course plan at the Secretary's tent. There is always a time allowed for the cross country, and if you are very slow or have a problem with a jump, you will also probably have time faults. Heights for the cross country are in the IPC Horse Trials Rule book available on this website.

Cross country is run in numerical order, so you have to be careful to be ready when it's your turn, with your horse warmed up and ready to go. The start is usually in a square timber enclosure, and you are counted down from ten to GO. If you have problems on the course, you MUST GIVE WAY to a competitor who has caught up to you. It is very unfair to make another competitor stop in front of a jump because you haven't gotten out of the way in time.

FALLS
If you fall off your horse whilst negotiating a fence during the cross country course, you are eliminated and must leave the course. This applies to all falls, even when you land on your feet! However, there is always another day!

You will be eliminated also for outside assistance from parents or anyone on the ground, and in championships, this includes verbal instructions.

Penalties:

First refusal, run out or circle at obstacle - 20 penalties

Second refusal, run out or circle at obstacle - 40 penalties

The following will result in ELIMINATION

• Third refusal, run out or circle at obstacle
• First fall of rider
• Fall of horse
• Omission of obstacle or boundary flag
• Jumping fence in the wrong order
• Horse resisting rider for 60 seconds
• Exceeding time limit
• Continuing course with chinstrap unfastened or without hat
• Outside assistance

There are a few more, but these should cover all the faults which will lead to elimination.

How to Enter

Entries for ALL Horse Trials must be booked through your own pony club branch. Each branch has their own system for this. Don't contact the organising club yourself because your DC must send in your entry on a special form. Your club needs the name of the rider, the passport name of the pony and the competition you want to enter for. Each member pays their branch and one branch cheques is sent with the entries.

When and where are they on?

Horse Trials competitions usually start at the end of June. They are held at various venues throughout the country and are hosted by different branches. A list of dates and venues is available soon after Easter. These will be available on this website. This list will include qualifiers for the championships together with a list of Novice Events.

Novice Events
There are also Novice Horse Trials held which are not qualifiers. These events are less demanding than the qualifiers and generally take place after the Championships. Combinations who qualify for the championships are not allowed to take part in the Novice Horse Trials. As with all matters in Horse Trials, you should talk to your D.C. if you are interested in taking part in these.

Horse Trials Championships

There are strict qualifying rules for the Horse Trials Championships. Briefly they are listed below but at all times you should refer to the IPC Horse Trials Rule Book.

Junior: Must have completed two approved IPC Horse Trials qualifiers , one clear and the other with not more than 20 cross country penalties. (In other word, one stop cross country is allowed)

Intermediate: Must have competed in 2 IPC one day events one of which must have been completed without cross country jumping penalties, and one not more than 20 jumping penalties (one stop).

Members: Have to complete all section of Members competition at two IPC one day events. (More ways to qualify in the IPC Horse Trials Rule Book)

Note: Not all rules could be dealt with here since this is just a short reference page. If you decide you are interested in Eventing please make sure you are familiar with the current IPC Horse Trials Rule Book and discuss it with you D.C.

back to top