pony club nz

Pony Club NZ

The New Zealand Pony Club Association is our governing body and is made up from 16 Areas across New Zealand.

These are:

Northland, Waitemata/Rodney, Auckland, Franklin Thames Valley, Waikato, Bay of Plenty,

Hawkes Bay, King Country, Taranaki, Gisborne/Wairoa, Manawatu/WestCoast,

Wairarapa/Wellington, Marlborough/Nelson/West Coast, Canterbury,

Ashburton/South Canterbury/North Otago and Otago/Southland

The North Harbour District Pony Club is part of the Waitemata/Rodney Area.

There are three Branches in the North Harbour District Pony Club:-

Silverdale Pony Club, 124 Green Road, Dairy Flat
Dairy Flat Pony Club, Horse Shoe Bush Road, Dairy Flat
Kaukapakapa Pony Club, Sinclair Park, Henley Road, Kaukapakapa

Silverdale Pony Club is located 25 mins north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

The New Zealand Pony Club produces the Pony Club Manual and can be purchased through the club.

The certificates sat under NZPC for riders begin at D certificate and move through the curriculum to A certificate. The NZ Pony club certificate rules can be found on their website http://www.sportsground.co.nz/nzpca/?temp-new-window-replacement=true

Those sitting D certificate are at the beginning of their theory and riding experience covering the basic knowledge of parts of the horse, riding and riding equipment (tack). These certificate levels quickly accelerate up the ladder of the knowledge of the rider until they are expert and qualified in all areas of the equestrian sport.

INTRODUCTION AND GUIDE

FOR

PARENTS AND MEMBERS

OF THE

SILVERDALE PONY CLUB

This guide is for all parents and members as an introduction to Silverdale Pony Club. Please never hesitate to ask for advice if needed, your help is always appreciated no matter how small i.e. helping to put out jumps, set up dressage arenas and games equipment.

Rally Turnout

Rider - Clean boots or shoes (no muckers, gumboots or sneakers), helmet, Teal pony club shirt,

clean jodhpurs or pants, tidy hair and NO JEWELERY except a watch.

Horse/Pony: Clean body, clean and well brushed mane and tail, clean eyes, nose and dock, shoes in good

order (if worn), clean and oiled hooves.

Saddlery: Clean bridle in good repair, clean saddle in good repair, clean bit of correct size, clean and

soft girth and numnah/saddle blanket, correct stirrup size.

ALWAYS ENSURE YOU HAVE A SPARE HALTER AND LEAD ROPE WITH YOU!

** Refer to Page 3 for safety standards for Helmets, Body Protectors and allowed Footwear

Rally Timetable

Silverdale Pony Club mounted rally nights are on Tuesdays from 5:30pm to 7:30pm during the months of daylight saving at our Green Road property, however we do occasionally get together with the other two clubs in our North Harbour District for a combined rally or we may have an outing to another pony club within Waitemata who are holding a practice cross country evening.

We also have 5 unmounted Horse Management theory rallies prior to daylight saving commencing and another 5 unmounted Horse Management rallies at the end of the season when daylight saving finishes. These rallies are also on Tuesdays between 5:30pm to 7:30pm. Should we be unable to ride due to rain or wet ground conditions on a Tuesday during the mounted part of our season, we will either have Horse Management theory or a quiz evening instead.

Silverdale pony club does between 28 to 30 rallies each season (includes unmounted and mounted). Each mounted rally is split into three 45 minute intervals so that minor horse management theory, dressage and show jumping (or cross country) can be done every week thus ensuring that our members certificate record cards are consistently being worked through and revised and each members progress can be tracked due to teaching plans for every rally (mounted and unmounted) being used by our Instructors

If you are ever unsure if a rally is still occurring due to rain or ground conditions, please contact our Information Hotline Number 09-426-6309 after 3pm for an update.

Helmets

The wearing of an approved safety helmet whenever your child is mounted or whenever they are handling a pony must be a matter of course. An approved helmet will carry one of the following recognized safety standards on either a label inside the helmet or on a sticker which will be placed on the outside of the helmet at the back of it.

BSEN 1384 (British/European Standard)

EN 1384 (European Standard)

AS/NZ 3838 (Australian/New Zealand Standard)

ASTM F1163 (American Standard)

PAS 015 (British Standard)

Although these standards are presently correct they may alter occasionally. Your Pony Club Head Coach or your local saddlery stockist will be able to advise you of any change to the above.

The fitting of the helmet is of utmost importance. If not fitted correctly the helmet will not only fail to offer proper protection but may actually itself be a hazard. Always ask for assistance when trying a helmet and note the following points:

* The helmet should sit level, and be about 2cm above the eyebrows.

* Fastenings and straps must be secured firmly.

* Place a hand on top of the helmet and rock it from side to side and back and forward. The helmet should not slip but should move your childs scalp with it.

* If the helmet has been involved in a heavy fall or dropped, it should be replaced, as there may be damage that you cannot see.

* For the same reason do not buy a second-hand helmet.

* Follow any manufacturers instructions on the care and cleaning of the helmet.

Footwear

Footwear must be suitable and safe, both for riding and when working around ponies. Jodhpur boots are ideal, or failing this, solid shoes with a smooth sole and a solid heel. Boots with gripped soles are not safe (such as most types of gumboots) as they will not slide freely from the stirrup in the event of a fall.

Body Protector

Also known as a safety vest, a body protector is designed to offer protection to the upper body, and should be worn when show jumping and always when doing cross-country. It is compulsory at all Pony Clubs in New Zealand that a Body Protector be worn when doing cross-country at pony club. It is also compulsory that a rider must wear a body protector at any pony club ODE (One or Two Day Event) in the cross-country part of the competition and failure to be wearing a body protector at Gear Check prior to commencing the cross country phase or during the cross country phase will incur automatic elimination from the competition.

Always ask advice when buying a body protector as there are several different models available. With wear they often tend to mould to the riderÃ¢ÂÂs shape, so for this reason buying second hand is not always a good idea.

Currently New Zealand does not have a safety standard for body protectors, however the acceptable international standards include:

BETA 2000 (British Standard)

EN 13158 (European Standard)

ASTM F1937-04 (American Standard)

Always follow the manufacturers advice on fitting, cleaning and care.

Silverdale Pony Club have made a club rule that safety vests are to worn during rallies whenever there is any jumping involved.