British Riding Clubs

We have been affiliated to British Riding Clubs, an arm of the British Horse Society, for the last few years.  Members get a variety of benefits from this and the club gets event/training insurance.  It does mean that £12.50 of your membership money goes to BRC.  As part of our affiliation, we can take part in a variety of competitions.  Some of these are qualifiers for National competitions – the championships where the different areas send winning competitors to find out who is the best!  Taking part in these is great fun and gives us the opportunity to experience fantastic venues and the atmosphere of a National level show.  Everyone entered in these competitions is in as an individual but can also be part of a team, giving a second chance of qualification.  Being on a team is not something that should make you feel pressured in any way, it simply gives you a better chance of qualification.  Going along to a championship with a group of friends makes the whole experience so much more enjoyable. 

This is the protocol for entering AREA COMPETITIONS:

• Flu Vaccination, All competing horses and ponies must have an up to date full flu vaccination certificate. If your flu vaccination does not comply, or you do not bring the complete record with you, you will be eliminated. Check the Flu Vac rules
• Hat Tagging and Body Protectors, you are now required to have your hats tagged before competing in any BRC qualifier or championship this year. For acceptable specifications, check the Hat Standards Guidelines.
• All competitors in BRC XC phases must now wear a BETA Level 3 (Purple Label) Body Protector manufactured in the year 2009 or after. Further information on permitted body protectors can be found in BRC News. Check the Body protector rules
• Area 4 committee choose the date and venue for the competition following the guidelines in the BRC rule book. All the clubs in Area 4 are notified and we then advertise these to our members.
• The entries have to be in with Area 4 and BRC a clear 21 days prior to the competition, and at this point every member competing MUST appear as a paid up member of the club.  There are two fees to pay – one to the area (competitors pay this) and one to BRC HQ (club pays this on the understanding that competitors will attend the qualifier – if you don’t attend then you will liable for this portion of the fees too).
• The closing date for the members to get their entry into the person organising the team may vary but generally speaking it’s at least 31 days prior to the competition. Therefore to avoid disappointment, if you see a competition that you would really like to be part of, send the entry form, payment and copy of your horse’s vaccination certificate back ASAP to the named person on the email or facebook page. No person will be accepted for an Area 4 competition without any of these.
• Once the qualifier is over and the results sent to BRC Headquarters, you may be invited to ride at the National Championships representing PDRC and Area 4. The club is notified first and the chef d’equipe will then contact you.
• Once accepted, the rider becomes liable to cover all costs incurred by the club in the event of withdrawal. Reserves are sometimes allowed but not always so, therefore the competitor will be liable for costs if no replacement is allowed or found.
• If you enter an Area Competition you must be available to attend the Championship Date which will be notified at the opening of the Area Competition.