The Irish Pony Club

Good Luck to our International Tetrathletes

There will be an official reception to send off the team travelling to the U.S. This will take place at the IPC Festival at Mullingar Equestrian Centre on Thursday 29th July at approx. 5:30 p.m.

SENIOR INTERNATIONAL TETRATHLON

With August drawing near, bringing with it two international Tetrathlon trips, the British Tetrathlon Championships, and our own National Tetrathlon Championships, the Irish senior tetrathletes and their coaches are hard at work.

The squad recently returned from a successful trip to Co.Down where they competed in the Area 17 Tetrathlon. It was a very valuable weekend in anticipation of the competition series ahead. The North Down Pony Club provided us with a challenging cross-country course and, as always, a very enjoyable weekend.

The squad have been gathering for fortnightly training sessions since late february, with gatherings now becoming more frequent and Tetrathletes more exited.

Four teams will travel to Wales to compete at the British Regional Championships in the second weekend of August.

A team has been selected to travel to San Fransisco for the 2010 International Tetrathlon hosted by the USPC. All of the team are very much looking forward to this trip which promises to be a terriffic and memorable experience.

The coming weekend will see the final training competition before the teams travel. The Warrington pony club will host a triathlon (run/swim/shoot) competition for minimus, junior and senior tetrathletes.

The team travelling to the US will have their final training day in Mullingar on the 29th of July, where they will receive a showjumping lesson from Paddy Quinlan, this session will be geared towards preparing the team to assess and ride strange horses, a challenge they will be faced with at the competition in California. This will be followed by an official reception, and team photographs at the IPC Festival that afternoon

DETAILS OF FINAL TRAINING DAY FOR ALL TETRATHLETES TRAVELLING TO THE U.S.

29th of July in Mullingar

12.00 – Shooting practice (venue to be advised)

14.00 – 16.00 – Showjumping training with Paddy Quinlan at Culleen Equestrian Centre on Castlepollard Road) NOTE* Tetrathletes are asked to bring a horse for sharing for this lesson.

17.30 (approx.) – Official reception and photographs at the IPC Festival in Mullingar Equestrian Centre.

WARRINGTON TETRATHLON
Kindly sponsored by RED MILLS
Sunday 25th July

RESULTS
Senior Boys
Senior Girls
Junior Boys
Junior Girls

Irish Pony Club Success in Bedale!!
WELL DONE TO ALL WHO COMPETED AT JUNIOR INTERNATIONAL TETRATHLON
At British Regionals June 2010 in Bedale, Yorkshire

** New "A Memorable Trip to Bedale!" click here

CLICK HERE FOR REPORT

CLICK HERE FOR TETRATHLON POEM!

See photos on left.

Senior Tetrathlon International Teams Announced
(Posted: Tuesday 4th May 1:00 p.m.)

The Irish Pony Club and Tetrathlon Committee wish to thank ALL senior tetrathletes who went forward for international team selection. Your efforts and dedication to the dicipline are a wonderful example to all members and are very much appreciated and admired. After many training sessions, assesment days and yesterdays final trial, the following were selected.

Boys Team
Edward Healy - Warrington
David Bourke - Bray
Ben Mangan - Shillelagh
Ricky Healy - Duhallow

First Reserve: John O Donoghue - Duhallow / Second Reserve: Patrick Duggan - Limerick

Girls Team
Sive Brazil - East Galway
Kate Coleman - Meath
Naomi Mullins - East Galway
Sarah Rennick - Carlow

First Reserve: Maeve Brazil - East Galway / Second Reserve: Louise Kent - Waterford

Congratulations to all.

Sarah Gayer, a successful tetrathlete from the Duhallow Branch, writes for us about her Tetrathlon experiences.
Thanks Sarah.
CLick here to read Sarah's report

ABOUT TETRATHLON

Tetrathlon is a very demanding competition with four parts: swimming, running, riding, and shooting.

The Aim of The Pony Club Tetrathlon is to provide Members with a challenging competition requiring sound practical horsemanship and general athletic ability. Thus all-rounders should be encouraged to further their interest in riding and the horse generally by combining riding with other activities, thereby retaining their interest in The Pony Club.

The Tetrathlon originated as a competition for boys, but there are separate competitions for girls, under identical rules except where otherwise stated. Boys’ and girls’ competitions are run separately from each other, though they may take place at the same event.

SCORING

The Pony Club scoring system is similar to the Modern Pentathlon method in that competitors score positive points according to the standard of their performance in each phase. In the Running and the Riding Phases, they are based on standards of 1,000 and 1,400 respectively, competitors having marks deducted or, in the Running, bonus marks added, according to their performance compared to the standard. In the Shooting and Swimming positive marks are awarded for shots on the target and distances swum and on scales such that scores are commensurate with those of other phases.

Ideally each phase should have an equal influence on the final result (except that riding should have slightly more weight).

The scores of a competitor in each of the four phases are added together to give his overall score for the Tetrathlon. To earn an overall score a competitor must start each phase and must continue until eliminated or compelled to retire.

Please refer to the

Irish Pony Club Tetrathlon Rule Book

See also

Cross Country Tack Sheet