Eligibility Rules for Area Competitions and the Championships

DRESSAGE

Eligibility for Area Competitions and the Championships

The District Commissioner is required to certify the eligibility of horse and rider as follows. Should a breach of eligibility subsequently be discovered, then The Pony Club Office may disqualify the offending competitor.

Applicable to all three levels – Open, Intermediate and Novice

1. No horse or rider may compete at more than one level of Area Dressage (Open, Intermediate or Novice) in any one year, nor may any horse be ridden more than once in any one year in any of the qualifying competitions or at the Dressage Championships.

2. No competitor may ride more than once in any one year in any Pony Club Area Dressage competition or at the Championships.

3. All Members who have not attained their 21st birthday by the beginning of the current year are eligible to enter both team and individual competitions.

4. Horses which have competed at Advanced Medium level or above during the current year are not eligible. This includes Hors Concours entries.

5. Horses must be 4 years of age or over and there is no height limit.

6. Stallions may only be ridden by Members if written permission is obtained from their District Commissioner and they must wear identifying discs on their bridles in the interests of safety.

7. All horses and ponies must have genuinely participated at a minimum of 3 working rallies since 1st July in the previous year, one of which must have been in the current year, with a Member of The Pony Club.

8. All riders entered must be active members of the stated Branch of The Pony Club who have participated at a minimum of three working rallies of this or their previous Branch since 1st July in the previous year, excluding team practices and coaching, and have been Members of The Pony Club since at least the 31st January in the current year. Attendance at camp counts as one working rally. The District Commissioner has discretion in the case of those who are working.

9. In the case of a transfer of Branch since the previous year’s competition, the Transfer Rule in the current Pony Club Year Book will be enforced.

INTERMEDIATE

i) Combination of horse and rider must not have represented any Branch in Open Area Dressage or above in previous years

ii) Combination of horse and rider must not have won any British Dressage (or Dressage Ireland) points at Elementary level or above or competed at BD (or DI) medium level or above.

iii) Horses may be graded BD (or DI) Novice or below.

iv) Combinations of horse and rider must not have been placed 1st – 6th individually in their arena at the Intermediate Dressage Championships.

v) Combination of horse and rider must not have represented any Branch at the Intermediate Dressage Championships on more than two occasions.

NOVICE

i) Riders wishing to compete at Novice Dressage may not compete at Intermediate or Open Level in Dressage, Eventing or Show Jumping or Open Tetrathlon in the current year or have done so in previous years.

ii) Riders must not have won any BD (or DI) points or competed at BD (or DI) Elementary level or above.

iii) Horses may be graded BD (or DI) Novice or below.

iv) Horses must not compete at Pony Club Open or Intermediate Area Dressage in the current year but may have done so with another rider in preceding years.

v) Combination of horse and rider must not have been placed 1st – 6th individually in their arena at the Novice Dressage Championships.

vi) Riders must not have passed their ‘B’ Test Riding.

vii) Combination of horse and rider must not have represented any Branch at the Novice Dressage Championships on more than two occasions.

EVENTING

Eligibility for Area Competitions and the Championships

Applicable to all three levels – Open, Intermediate and Novice

1. No horse or rider may compete at more than one level of Area Eventing (Open, Intermediate or Novice) in any one year, nor may any horse be ridden more than once in any one year in any of the qualifying competitions or at the Eventing Championships.

2. No competitor may ride more than once in any one year in any Pony Club Area Eventing competition or at the Championships.

3. All Members who have not attained their 21st birthday by the beginning of the current year are eligible to enter both team and individual competitions.

4. Riders or horses who have ‘schooled’ over the Area Cross Country courses during the previous two weeks are not eligible to compete. Competing over the course is permissible and does not render the competitor ineligible.

5. All horses graded British Eventing Advanced (Grade 1) (or Eventing Ireland Advanced) which have competed at OI/AI/A level during the current year are ineligible at all three levels.

6. All horses must be 5 years of age or over and there is no height limit.

7. Stallions may only be ridden by Members if written permission is obtained from their District Commissioner and they must wear identifying discs on their bridles in the interests of safety.

8. All horses and ponies must have genuinely participated at a minimum of 3 working rallies since 1st July in the previous year, one of which must have been in the current year, with a Member of The Pony Club.

9. All riders entered must be active members of the stated Branch of The Pony Club who have participated at a minimum of three working rallies of this or their previous Branch since 1st July in the previous year, excluding team practices and coaching, and have been Members of The Pony Club since at least the 31st January in the current year. Attendance at camp counts as one working rally. The District Commissioner has discretion in the case of those who are working.

10. In the case of a transfer of Branch since the previous year’s competition, the Transfer Rule in the current Pony Club Year Book will be enforced.

INTERMEDIATE

i) Combination of horse and rider must not have represented any Branch in Open Area Eventing or above in previous years.

ii) Combination of horse and rider must not have completed a British Eventing (or EI) Novice (or JRN or Pony Trials) or above.

iii) Combination of horse and rider must not have been placed 1st – 6th individually in their arena at the Intermediate Eventing Championships.

iv) Combination of horse and rider must not have represented any Branch at the Intermediate Eventing Championships on more than two occasions.

NOVICE

i) Riders wishing to compete at Novice Eventing may not compete at Intermediate or Open Level in Eventing or Show Jumping or Open Tetrathlon in the current year or have done so in previous years.

ii) Combination of horse and rider must not have completed a BE (or EI) Pre-Novice or above.

iii) Horses must not compete at Pony Club Open or Intermediate Area Eventing in the current year but may have done so with another rider in preceding years.

iv) Combination of horse and rider must not have been placed 1st – 6th individually in their arena at the Novice Eventing Championships.

v) Riders must not have passed their ‘B’ Test Riding.

vi) Combination of horse and rider must not have represented any Branch at the Novice Eventing Championships on more than two occasions.

SHOWJUMPING

Eligibility for Area Competitions and the Championships

Applicable to all three levels – Open, Intermediate and Novice

1. No horse or rider may compete at more than one level of Area Show Jumping (Open, Intermediate or Novice) in any one year, nor may any horse be ridden more than once in any one year in any of the qualifying competitions or at the Show Jumping Championships.

2. No competitor may ride more than once in any one year in any Pony Club Area Show Jumping competition or at the Championships. Except for a competitor who has qualified for either the Open or Intermediate Individual and Team competition at the Championships in Show Jumping.

3. All Members who have not attained their 21st birthday by the beginning of the current year are eligible to enter both team and individual competitions.

4. At the closing date for entries for Area Competitions only unregistered (BSJA) horses and ponies and registered horses as below are eligible: Grades B & C / Grade A horses which won less than £500 total (Notional) in the previous calendar year / Horses first upgraded to Grade A in the current calendar year irrespective of winnings.

The qualification for registered ponies is:

Grades JD and JC Ponies / Grade JA ponies which won less than £300 total (Notional) in the previous calendar year / Ponies first upgraded to JA in the current calendar year irrespective of winnings.

Horses and ponies imported from Ireland or horses and ponies graded with points awarded by the Show Jumping Association of Ireland will have those points converted to pounds sterling by multiplying by a factor of 9 for horses or 2.5 for ponies. This applies to both re-registered and unregistered horses and ponies. (i.e. Horses £9.00 = 1 point, Ponies £2.50 = 1 point)

5. Horses must be 5 years of age or over and there is no height limit.

6. Stallions may only be ridden by Members if written permission is obtained from their District Commissioner and they must wear identifying discs on their bridles in the interests of safety.

9. In the case of a transfer of Branch since the previous year’s competition, the Transfer Rule in the current Pony Club Year Book will be enforced.

INTERMEDIATE

i) Combination of horse and rider must not have represented any Branch in Open Area Show Jumping or above in previous years.

ii) Combinations must not have competed in BSJA or SJAI competitions above 1.05m in the 1st round.

iii) Combination of horse and rider must not have represented any Branch at the Intermediate Show Jumping Championships on more than two occasions.

HORSES/PONIES

i) Must not be currently registered with the BSJA/SJAI in Grades A or B or JA or have been registered in these grades in the previous two years.

NOVICE

i) Combination of horse and rider must not have been placed 1st – 6th in the Individual or Team Competition at the Novice Championships in Show Jumping.

ii) Combination of horse and rider must not have represented any Branch at the Novice Show Jumping Championships on more than two occasions.

RIDERS

i) Riders wishing to compete at Novice Show Jumping may not compete at Intermediate or Open Level in Show Jumping or Eventing or Open Tetrathlon in the current year or have done so in previous years.

ii) Must not compete in any class above 0.95m in 1st Round under BSJA or SJAI Rules.

ii) Must not have passed their ‘B’ Test Riding.

HORSES/PONIES

i) Must not compete at Pony Club Open or Intermediate Area level in Show Jumping in the current year but may have done so with another rider in preceding years.

ii) Must not be currently registered with the BSJA in Grades A or B or JA or the SJAI equivalent or have been registered in these grades in the previous two years.