The Welsh Trec Championships

Anne Bolton's report on her Successful trip to the Welsh Trec Championships.

On July 18^th I headed up to Abergavenny to take part in the Welsh Trec championships. Trec is a new sport in comparison with many equestrian disciplines and began life in France. It was introduced to this country by the BHS in 1998. Trec is designed to test a horse and rider on their ability to hack through the countryside without getting lost and to test how they deal with hazards and obstacles that they may encounter whilst out riding. Riders need to be 16 to compete as an individual but those under 16 can compete as part of a pair with an older person.

The Trec was taking place over the whole weekend so we were camping and Archie was corralled for the weekend so it meant a fully loaded Landrover and trailer making the trip.

When we arrived we had to put up Archie's electric fencing as well as our tent. Archie was near the entrance which was flanked by Welsh Flags which he wasn't too keen on. The views were spectacular over the Brecon Beacons. All the horses were vetted to check they were fit for the competition.

Saturday was the POR (Parcours d'Orientation et de Regularite). This is the orienteering on horseback phase.  First thing was my equipment check - for all the compulsory safety equipment - first aid kits, equi-boot, farrier tools, fluorescent gear, compass, torch, correct hard hat, headcollar & leadrope and very importantly waterproofs as the weather wasn't looking too good.  I had to copy my route, from a master map, onto my map and follow it at the speed given. This is usually between 6 and 12 km per hour.  The route was tough as it was on the Brecon Beacons and involved lots of up & down, so the speeds were quite slow  I even had to get off and walk at some points because the slope was so steep and the going bad. As I went round the route I arrived at the checkpoints to be given new speeds and at some there was a wait becuase they made sure we set off at 10 minute intervals. We had a bearings section on the top of a ridge, where they sealed your map, and gave instructions like travel 150m on a bearing of 236 degrees, then 75m on 43 degrees etc. There were people heading in all directions! There was also a grid reference section where you were given grid references to mark on your map and then you had to find your way to all the points. It was with a sense of relief that I arrived back at the finish after about 35km of riding - I was out for about 6 hours. I know I made one mistake where I went in the wrong direction when my route crossed itself - I didn't look at the arrows I had marked on the map. Luckily I realised before I came to checkpoint and retraced my route and set off in the right direction, just having lost some time. Points are deducted for not arriving at the checkpoints in the correct time. Too fast or slow will mean that points are deducted. Penalties are given for missing checkpoints, tickets, unsealing your map on the bearings section or for being on the wrong route. You never really know how well you have done until the results are out.

In the evening a social took place with food & drinks - trec is a very friendly sport and everyone enjoys talking about their day. The results were posted at the end of the evening and to my surprise I was in the lead in the level 3 individual competition but there were still the final 2 phases to go.

 Sunday lunchtime was the Control of Gaits or Paces. With this phase you have to demonstrate your control of your horse's paces by cantering and then walking over a 150m course. You gain points for walking as quickly as possible and for cantering slowly without breaking pace. It was a tricky course as it was snaking and on the side of a hill. We broke in canter, as did most of the other competitors. We had been training hard on our canter with the help of Clare Hundley, so it was a shame that we didn't score anything for that. Archie has a good walk so we scored for that.

After this there was the final part, the PTV (Parcours en Terrain Varie)

This phase is really a cross between a hunter trail course and a handy pony competition. There are 16 obstacles, each scored out of 10, which are designed to test the horse and rider's ability to cope with hazards they may encounter on hacks and they vary at each competition. There is a wide range of obstacles - each with their own rules on how they are judged. At the Welsh championships we started with a gate which was on a steep slope which made it difficult to turn & close it without letting go. Next was a log pile jump which was nice, then riding up an incline followed by low branches which is tricky. The height is set 20cm above the horse's withers and you and your horse have to go under without knocking the ‘branches' - more points are earned if you canter. Other obstacles included leading up a slope, mounting - on the wrong side, a water crossing which was boggy so Archie leapt through it instead of  walking, a step jump, a hedge jump and bending. One of Archie's best obstacles was included - immobility. You lead the horse into a circle and then leave him standing there whilst you walk out. To score maximum points he has to stay in the circle for 10 seconds. The whole of the course is timed with penalties for taking too long.

I was really pleased with our performance over the PTV  and felt we had done our best. Whilst I was untacking Archie the chef d'equips for the GB team came and asked me if I wanted to be in the Young Riders Team as they felt my performance over the weekend had earned me a place in the team.

The prize giving in the evening seemed a bit of an anticlimax after that! I was thrilled to come 2^nd in the Level 3 Individual Class  - I was beaten by just 3 points, the winner having gained a total of 336 points to my 333.

I am off to France with the GB Young Riders team on 14^th September to take part in the European Young Riders Trec Championships which is in Lamotte-Beuvron - about 40km south of Orleans. The competition, for 16 to 21 year olds, is from 19^th to 21^st September and we will be spending the few days getting used to the area. The area is surrounded by forest and flat, so very different from Wales. The Senior World Trec Championships are taking place at the same time and so the senior GB team will be there with us. 

 If you would like to give Trec a try there is a schools competition coming up at Bryanston School in October for 9 to 18 year olds which would be ideal for first timers. There are different levels of  Trec with level 1 being the easiest with shorter routes and easier navigation so no need to worry about the bearings & grid references.  More information about Trec can be found on the BHS website.

Anne Bolton