Holcombe Hunt Branch
Activities
Welcombe to Holcombe Hunt Pony Club
We have a lot of new members who may not be aware of exactly what goes on, (we have a lot of older members who don't know either) so here is a guide to what we are about and who to contact. Please feel free to ring any of the committee members from the contacts page if you need any more information or guidance. Pony Club Members can also participate in competitions held by other branches of the pony club.
Working Rallies - More Information
Working Rallies are the best way to improve your riding and to learn how to look after your pony.
It cannot be too strongly stressed that the working rally is the backbone of The Pony Club.
It cannot be too strongly stressed that the working rally is the backbone of The Pony Club.
Every Branch organises Working Rallies for their Members. They may be either "mounted," where you take your pony with you, or "unmounted," where you go on foot.
Basically a Rally is a group lesson.
When you get to the Rally, you will be placed in a "ride". Your ride is the group of children with whom you will be sharing an instructor. Most Rallies start with a tack inspection - so make sure that your tack it is in good condition before you go!
Rallies are the best way to improve your riding and to learn how to look after your pony. You will learn lots of new skills and have the opportunity to take tests, for which special certificates and badges are awarded.
Holcombe Hunt Rallies are fun. Instructors will be able to give you tips to improve your technique but it's also a chance to catch up on the latest news and gossip! Our Rallies are usually held fortnightly on Monday evenings, indoor, at Croft Top and are organised by Lesley and Rebecca Jenkinson.
You need to book in advance by contacting either of the above. We have three sessions per night, 7pm - 7.40pm, 7.40pm - 8.20pm and 8.20pm - 9pm. We try to arrange them in order of age and experience. Remember - they are very well attended so it is important that you book a place beforehand. Tel - 01942 523870, between 8pm - 10pm
Pony Club Members, who wish to represent their Branch in competitions, must go to at least three working rallies a year.
Prince Phillip Cup Mounted Games - More Information
Do you like Gymkhana Games ? Want to have lots of Fun ?
Lots of Games played in Teams: Bending, Stepping Stones, Flag and lots more.
They are great fun and are as the title suggests games on horse back.
They are a great way to meet new friends and have a great time.
You can begin as soon as you can ride on your own - until you are 15 years old. Your pony must be 14-2hh or under.
The mounted games in Holcombe Hunt are organised by Dawn Grundy
Holcombe Hunt hold games practices throughout the Winter and Spring at various venues and all
members are welcome to attend.
For dates and times of practices please contact Dawn Grundy - 01254 388844.
During the winter months Holcombe Hunt send teams of four to the Inter Branch Mounted Games Competitions, this year held at Myerscough College.
The Junior Team: not 11 years by the 1st January.
The Senior Team: not 15 years by the 1st January.
You and your pony could be one of the team, so why not ring Jane or Dawn now! Just give it a go and see if you like it. 
Each Spring Holcombe Hunt send teams to represent them at the AREA COMPETITIONS - this is a competition between all branches of an area (Holcombe Hunt is in area 4.)
The best teams at the area competition then go to the ZONE FINALS which are held in July & August. The best Junior Teams and Senior Runners up Teams from the zones go to The Pony Club Championships held at Sansaw Park in August.
The winning Senior Team from each zone goes to:
Horse of the Year Show! .
Triathlon and Tetrathlon - More Information
Triathlon is a competition for Pony Club members which is made up of three different parts.
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Shooting
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Swimming
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Running
Shooting
Swimming
Running
Tetrathlon is a competition for Pony Club members which is made up of the same three parts as the Triathlon but with a fourth part .
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Riding
Riding
The aim is to score as many points in each part as possible.
The points are added up at the end of each part.
The winner is the person with the most points at the end of the competition. 
Shooting
The first part is Shooting.
You will have to shoot at a target with a gun.
The closer to the middle of the target, the more points you score.
SwimmingThe second part is Swimming.
You have two minutes to swim as many lengths as you can.
The further you swim, the more points you get!
RunningThe third part is Running.
You have to run around a set course.
You have to run inside a set time. If you run too slowly, you loose points.
Riding
The fourth part is Riding
You must ride your pony around a Cross Country course, jumping all of the jumps.
You will also have to open and close a gate whilst on your pony and then get off and lead your pony through a slip rail before getting back on.
Points are taken away if you go too fast, too slow or if you have a refusal.
Holcombe Hunt has many members who compete at either, or both, Triathlon and Tetrathlon. All members are welcome to attend the training sessions and take part in the competitions.
Holcombe Hunts Triathlon/Tetrathlon co-ordinator is Jane Denney - 01204 888860.
Shooting practice is held at Loe Lodge every Tuesday Evening at 7pm, we often, also practice running whilst at Loe Lodge.
Holcombe Hunt frequently enter Triathlon/Tetrathlon competitions and like to encourage new members to have a go, and with practice you will soon be good enough to do your first competition.
Competitions consist of classes for:
Minimus: 8 - 11 years
Junior: 12 - 14 years
Senior: 15 - 21 years
Junior: 12 - 14 years
Senior: 15 - 21 years
With lots of competition experience, you could be selected to go to your Area Tetrathlon Competition.
And if you do well here, you could be selected to go to The Pony Club National Tetrathlon Championships.
Every four years, there is an International Exchange.
This is where teams from other countries come together to compete against each other.
Older Tetrathlon members are required to compete over more demanding courses. The Juniors, who are aged 12-14, have to run over a distance of 1,500 metres, ride over fences which may be 3 feet in height and swim for three minutes instead of two.
Senior Tetrathlon competitors have to run over a distance of 3,000 metres, ride over a cross-country course of 3’6’’ fences, swim for four minutes and shoot over a range of ten metres.
Modern Pentathlon
Just as Tetrathlon involves four disciplines, Modern Pentathlon involves five. In addition to the running, riding (which is completed over show jumps instead of cross country), shooting and swimming, competitors have to compete at “fencing” – which involves controlled combat with a harmless type of sword called a foyle.
Modern Pentathlon is an Olympic Sport and several ex-Pony Club Members are in the national squad. Georgina Harland and Jo Clark (ex pony club members) represented Great Britain at the Athens Olympics. If you enjoy Pony Club Tetrathlon, who knows, perhaps you could end up representing your country at a future Olympic Games.
Dressage - More Information
All members of Holcombe Hunt Pony Club are welcombe to attend our Dressage Training Sessions and Competitions.
When you are riding at home and getting the pony to do the things that you want him to do you are already practising the basics of dressage.
To improve you and your pony, you might want to have lessons with an instructor.
This includes the lessons that you have at a rally, where you will get help with your riding which will make the pony behave better.
As you and your pony get better and your confidence grows you may want to take part in a competition.
If you cannot remember your dressage test, don't worry as someone can read the test out loud to you.
Holcombe Hunt Pony Club host their own Dressage competitions throughout the winter months. These competitions are a great starting point for all members wanting to try their hand at Dressage, there are lots of friendly faces there and Lesley and Becky are always happy to read your test for you. For more information about these competitions ring Becky- 01942 523870.
Holcombe Hunt also participate locally, in the Inter Branch competitons (our area is area 4)
During the winter, each month, we send a team of four to the Inter Branch Dressage Competition, this year they will be held at Croft Top, Rising Bridge. Becky Jenkinson is our dressage co-ordinator for the Inter Branch team events. Becky is always scouting for new team competitiors, so if you would like to be selected for a team please contact Becky- 01942 523870.
So there is lots you can do with Dressage and with lots of practice and competition experience gained from the above events, you may get to compete at your Area Competition.
If you should do well at the Area competition you may qualify for the Championships.
Older members would qualify for The Pony Club National Dressage Championships.
Younger or less experienced members would qualify for The Novice Championships.
Show Jumping - More Information
Show Jumping takes place both indoors and outdoors and can be enjoyed all year round.
The courses are made up of coloured fences which can be easily knocked down if they are hit.
Competitors will get faults if they knock a fence down, refuse or run out.
If you manage to jump a clear round, you will go through to the "jump-off".
The "jump-off" is a shortened course which you have to jump as fast as you can as it is timed.
The winner is the person with the least faults and the fastest time in the "jump off"
Holcombe Hunt provides show jumping training for members, throughout the year.
When you feel confident enough, you can try your first Show Jumping Competition.
Holcombe Hunt members also compete in many Show Jumping Competitions during the year.
The Inter Branch Competitions are held throught the Winter months (usually during the school holidays.) The Pony Club branches enter teams of four in these competitions. We can send as many teams of four as we like.
At these competitions members jump two rounds reguardless of any faults, elimination etc. Any competitior who jumps two clear rounds goes forward to the jump off.
The first competition, held in October is for members who are 12 years and under, with the height of the jumps approx 2ft.
The second competition, held in December is for members who are 14 years and under, with the height of the jumps approx 2ft 6in.
The third and fourth rounds held in February and March are for any age of member but the jumps are a little bigger.
If you feel you would like to compete in this competition then please contact Dawn our co-ordinator, details as above.
Some of our Pony Club rallies include pole work and jumping, so this is a good place to see if you like it.
Holcombe Hunt's Show Jumping co-ordinator is Dawn Grundy - 01254 388844, and this is who you need to contact if you think you are interested in Show Jumping. All members are welcome to attend the Show Jumping training sessions.
There are lots of other Show Jumping competitions that you can compete at, including the Area Show Jumping held during the Summer.
There are three parts which make up the sport of eventing.
The first part is Dressage.
This is where you complete a pattern of movements laid out in a dressage test.
Show Jumping
The second part is Show Jumping.
This is where you jump a course of show jumps.
Any knock-downs or refusals are added to your dressage score.
The third part is the Cross Country.
This is where you get to canter round a course of solid jumps through fields, woods and water.
The aim is to complete the course without having any refusals or adding any more faults onto your dressage score.
The person with the lowest score at the end is the winner!
Jane Denney is the Eventing co-ordinator for Holcombe Hunt, and so she is the person to contact if you feel you would like to have a go at eventing.
Our training sessions are open to all members reguardless of age or ability and during the year there are lots of Eventing competitions, as a team or individual, for all levels of ability.
For the more experienced rider there is an Area Eventing competition held in the Summer.
If you would like to know more about Eventing within the pony club or any on going training then please contact Jane - 01204 888860.
Eventing - More Information
Eventing is also known as Horse Trials. It is a competition which involves all round ridng skills
Dressage
Cross Country
Other Activities - More Information
There is a wealth of other activities which go on within Holcombe Hunt Pony Club with all members are welcome to attend. These activities include:
The Annual Presentation Evening - an evening of dancing, with the presentation of awards, gained throughout the year, to members.
The Annual Show - usually held in Spring with various classes for all members of pony club.
Annual Camp - members and their ponies can spend five days in the Summer at camp, recieving tuition from our qualified instructors during their stay.
Achievement Badges - training days, or evenings, are available for any member wishing to gain the pony club achievement badges. There are eighteen badges available to members ranging from Grooming and Points of the horse - Farming and Map Reading. Becky- 01942 523870 is the person to contact if you are interested in gaining these badges.
Riding and Road Safety - training and exams are arranged by Denise Rushton - 01706 227283. All members are encouraged to attend these training sessions which are so often a life saver. If you would like to gain your Riding and Road Safety Certificate then please don't hesitate to contact Denise.
Hunting - although not everybodys cup of tea, any active member of Holcombe Hunt Pony Club is welcome to hunt with the Holcombe Hunt. Members who would like to ride with the Holcombe Hunt need to have already passed the Pony Club 'C' Test. Any members who have not passed the 'C' Test may still be able to attend the meet however, it is essential that they are accompanied throughout the whole of the meet by an adult over the age of 18, and this person must have a lead rein available at all times. This is a directive from Pony Club Head Quarters and there will be no exceptions. You must contact Becky or Lesley- 01942 523870 in advance of any meet.
Website - the Holcombe Hunt website is updated regularly. Be sure to visit it frequently to keep up to date with what is going on within the club. Important notices are usually placed on the first page, with dates of events, training etc. on the 'News' page under 'Dates for your Diary.'
What to wear is based on being firstly, safe, and secondly, sensible. This means the Pony Club decided that it should avoid following the latest trends for checked/spotted/flowery/pink outfits as these fashions will change. So, at Pony Club you may not be the trendiest but you also won't risk being SO last year, darling!
Dress which is common throughout all disciplines and events
Mounted Rallies
Competitions
More information on correct dress is in the rule book for each discipline - or ask for help.
Turnout for Pony
Just as with rider's clothing, the Pony Club decided that it should avoid following the latest trends for pony bling! So, at Pony Club it is safety and classic quality that will get you noticed!
Your pony should be clean! Tack should fit correctly, with all stitching in good condition and well looked after.
More information on correct turnout is in the rule-book for each discipline - or ask for help.
What to Wear - More Information
Join Now
You can join the pony club now by downloading our Membership Form below
2009 New Membership Form (2.85 MB)
Note that you should return the Membership form to the Branch and not The Pony Club HQ
Copyright ©2008 The Pony Club
Registered Charity No: 1050146 | Incorporated as a Company Limited By Guarantee Registered in England No: 3072475
Registered Charity No: 1050146 | Incorporated as a Company Limited By Guarantee Registered in England No: 3072475