West Waterford Hunt Branch
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Minimus

The Minimus is an U12 Triathlon - a downsized version of the Tetrathlon (over 12) - hence the name. The children - competitors must be under 12 on 1st January of the competition year - compete in the three disciplines of swimming, running and cross-country riding. The IPC Minimus finals are usually held on a weekend in mid June. The swimming and running takes place on the Saturday and the riding the next day, i.e. Sunday. For full Tetrathlon Age Guide consult the Irish Pony Club Guide to Competition Ages.

Swimming

Competitors swim for two minutes (they are allowed to hold on to the side of the pool if they need a rest and outside lanes may be booked for beginners) . The farther you get the better!

Running

Competitors run 1000m the faster the time the better.

Cross-country riding

Competitors ride a 75cm cross-country course that includes a slip-rail where they have to dismount and remount without help and a gate that needs to be opened and closed while mounted. There is a time limit of 2 minutes for each of the two and if the obstacle has not been managed within this time there will be penalty points. There is also a time limit for the whole course and 3 penalty points are added for every second over the allowed time. Please note that from 2008 one fall will lead to elimination and you must walk back!

Scoring

There is a very complicated points system and the team with the fewest points wins. In the swimming for example if you manage to swim over a certain threshold distance you points go down dramatically. The running is scored in a similar manner. The cross-country riding is not scored like the cross-country of a hunter trial. You start out with 1400 points and even if you get lots of stops you can still make a decent score. You must make three honest attempts at a fence and can then carry on to the next fence. It is 60 penalties for the first and second refusal and 80 for the third. Please consult the Irish Pony Club Tetrathlon Rule Book for more rules and causes of elimination.

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A big thanks goes to Mary Dunphy for the information on the Minimus cross-country!!!