Bake Off Competition

We are running a Cake Competition for our members in the F&D Branch. The cake must be an Equine/ Pony Club Theme.

Please email a photograph of your cake to secretary@fndponyclub.org.uk by the closing date, Friday 9th April, stating which age group you’re in: 10 years & under or 11 years & over.

Good Luck.

Training Session with Richard Carruthers

Training with Richard Carruthers at Forest Gate on 9th April, 10am start. Get yourself ready for the season. Please book by sending a message with your details to Cheryl Booth either on Facebook or by email (cheryllbooth@outlook.com).

Please note this training is in England. We don’t yet know whether COVID restrictions will allow people to cross the border from Wales and it is up to you all as individuals to ensure you comply with the relevant restrictions.

Endurance Hack Out

The scheme is a new addition for 2021 as an opportunity for members to ride out of the arena and explore new areas of the countryside and local environment. Members who wish to take part are asked to record their rides and to record the distances they travel in miles or kilometres. This is to be recorded on a Pony Club Rides tracker. Members are able to use smart phones to track their rides via their preferred apps. 

From the date of entry members have 12 calendar months to complete as many rides and as great a distance as possible prior to submitting their tracker sheets.

Recognition & Rules

  1. Ride out and record all the distances you do in the next 12 months towards your challenge, we are recognising those who achieve the following distances in the coming months
  2. Ride may be recorded via smart phones and apps as required or on IOS maps
  3. Completers will receive a recognition certificate which may be presented at your Branch or Centre
  4. The distances awarded are:
Kilometres (KM) 40 80 160 400 800 1600
Miles 25 50 100 250 500 1000
  1. Completed trackers and photos for the treasure hunt can be entered here.
  2. Please only submit the Pony Club Tracker for your award.

Rules

  • Must be members of the Pony Club.
  • Rides recorded are based on the rider entered, not the combination of equine and rider.
  • All recorded rides must be outside of an arena, this can be on or off lead rein.
  • Proper safety precautions must be taken by participants and respect shown for the land which being ridden across. Adults are to accompany young riders for safety purposes.
  • Payment for entry must be made via PayPal upon entry, which is when the 12 month period will begin for completion. Entries without payment will not count.

Entries

All those wishing to take part in the Ride Out Scheme must first enter via the Pony Club events page before tracking any rides. 

To submit an entry you will need: 

  • Membership Number 
  • Branch/Centre information 
  • Payment card

To enter please follow this link:http://events.pcuk.org/the-great-pony-club-hacking-challenge 

*NB. Please note, there is an auto response to confirm entry. This may have been filed in your Spam/Junk folder, should you not receive the details please contact endurance@pcuk.org *

Pony Club CEO Update – 19th March

As lockdown restrictions ease, it is great to hear Branches and Centres planning for the careful restart of Pony Club activity. The latest news is from the Northern Ireland Assembly, which has indicated that small group training (up to 15 people) can start from 12th April. This is in addition to the announcement from the First Minister of the timetable for restrictions to ease further in Scotland.

We are looking forward to every area of The Pony Club now being able to restart some activity in April. For the updated National COVID Summary please click here.

Biosecurity

Passports and Equine Flu Vaccinations

A reminder that any horse or pony attending a Pony Club activity must be accompanied by their passport. The first and second Equine Flu vaccination injections must have been given and, if needed, correct subsequent booster injections.

EHV-1

As detailed in my CEO update of 5th March, there is increased concern over the impact of Equine Herpes, EHV-1, in the UK. The recent outbreak on the continent has so far claimed the lives of 17 horses.

British Equestrian (the BEF, of which The Pony Club is a Member Body) is requesting that all Member Bodies use a process of self-certification whereby they declare their horses and ponies fit to attend the activity. This is initially for the period 29th March – 12th April, subject to the ongoing monitoring of the disease.  Click HERE for further information.

I am asking Pony Club members to confirm with the organiser of a Pony Club activity 24 hours before it starts that their horse or pony shows no signs of:

  • recent cough of unknown cause 
  • recent nasal discharge of unknown cause 
  • enlarged lymph notes 
  • fever (>38.5˚C)
  • recent onset of neurological signs of unknown cause 
  • diarrhoea

In addition the horse or pony:

  • is not under current investigation for EHV infection.
  • has not been in contact with and is not kept on the same premises as a horse known to have or be under investigation for EHV.
  • has been resident in the UK for the last 28 days.

If the horse or pony shows any of these clinical signs on the day of the activity it must not travel nor attend the training or competition.

The rally / event organiser may wish to add this declaration to the entry form or set up their own process to ensure all horses and ponies attending have been declared fit before travelling to the activity. (Examples that have been given include text message, WhatsApp confirmation, SurveyMonkey, email checklist)

Our priority is the welfare and safety of our horses and ponies. In addition, as we start the journey out of human lockdown, we do not want to see our equestrian sport locked down.

Resumption of Sport: Pony Racing

If you would like to try Pony Racing, we have teamed up with the Pony Racing Authority to organise Training days which take place around the country. They are a safe introduction to the world of Racing and you don’t need to own a thoroughbred to take part. We can now release new dates for April, so why not have a look at what it involves and come and join us. You could become the next Hollie Doyle or Tom Marquand!

For more information click here.