West Waterford Hunt Branch
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IPC Ages

A lot of new members have problems understanding the IPC ages so this is a short explanation of what is meant by abbreviations such as 'U12' and how you find out what you can do at which age.

Ponies & Horses

Rallies

Summer Camp

Competitions

Ponies & Horses

The minimum age for all ponies and horses for all pony club activities is 5 years! So you must not ride a pony or horse that is younger than 5 years old even for rallies.

Rallies

For rallies you don't have to worry about your age. Your club officials in cooperation with the instructors will try to fit you into a lesson that suits your age and riding standard.

Summer Camp

The groups for summer camp are generally ability based as well. However, an older beginner will usually not be put with very young children. The groups are also chosen according to the test they are preparing for. There will usually be D test, D+ test, and C test groups. If there is demand we will also offer groups for the more advanced tests.

Competitions

Minimum and maximum ages are usually given for all IPC competitions. If you would like to enter a competition you should check with your club officials to make sure you and your pony qualify - age is not the only factor! You should also check the Irish Pony Club Guide to Competition Ages that gives you all the ages required for the various competitions in table format. It can be a bit confusing when you first look at it but try to work it out and you will soon find the logic behind it. In order to understand the table you should be familiar with the following facts:

Irish Pony Club ages always mean: 'age on 1st January of the current year'. This is not stated explicitly because you are expected to know this. It basically means that if you turn 12 this year and your birthday is not on the 1st January you can do under 12 competitions all year because technically you are 11 this year (even if you have turned 12 since).

The ages are usually given in abbreviated form such as 'U12'. This is short for 'under 12'. The following age groups are commonly used:

• U10 - Under 10 years of age on 1st January of the current year
• U12 - Under 12 years of age on 1st January of the current year
• U14 - Under 14 years of age on 1st January of the current year
• U15 - Under 15 years of age on 1st January of the current year
• U21 - Under 21 years of age on 1st January of the current year
• U23 - Under 23 years of age on 1st January of the current year