West Waterford Hunt Branch
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WWPC Rules

There are rules concerning conduct, booking + cancellations, competitions, tack, dress code, administration and many more that you should be aware of. Most of these are IPC rules and are available either as booklets or from the IPC website. Some, however, are branch specific and can thus vary between branches. This page intends to give you a short introduction on some of the most important rules and where to find them.

IPC Conduct rules

Booking + Cancellation rules

IPC Competition rules

IPC Tack rules

IPC Dress Code

IPC Administration rules

IPC Anti-Doping rules

Conduct

The general rules for conduct are outlined in the Code of Ethics that you and your parents must sign before you can become a member and every year on renewal. They comprise rules like the one that forbids parents to speak with their children while the children are given a lesson by an instructor or the one that says you should be nice to other people and not talk ill about anyone. You should know these by heart and stick to them!

Booking + Cancellations

Depending on whether you are booking in for an national competition like e.g. the Minimus, an area qualifier (e.g. Robbie Bailey), an interclub competition (e.g. show jumping with your neighbouring branch) or a club rally the rules can differ. For some competitions like Horse Trials your branch's DC needs to enter your name on a special form and send all your branch's entries together with payment to the organising club. The same goes for area qualifiers or national competitions. However, IPC Hunter Trials are usually entered individually on the day - except for the Hunter Trial championships. All very confusing so ask your branch's entries secretary if in doubt about the booking procedure. You should be familiar with your own branch's booking procedures.

West Waterford Hunt Branch Booking and Cancellation Procedures

These are the West Waterford Branch Booking + Cancellation procedures: booking and cancellation of a rally is possible until the closing date. After this you must pay for the rally if you are booked in irrespective of whether you actually attend the rally. Late bookings are taken strictly on a waiting list basis, i.e. if someone cancels late you may be accomodated if the available place suits your standard. This is done at the sole discretion of the rally's organisers.

Competition Rules

There are lots of different pony club competitions and there is a rule book for each one of them! If you really get into a competition like e.g. Horse Trials, you should know the rule book because there are lots of things that could get you into trouble if you don't. For other competitions like, e.g. the show jumping competitions (e.g. Robbie Bailey or John Ledingham) it might be sufficient if your intrstructor knows them and lets you know the important bits because they differ from the SJAI rules. Also there is often a designated member of the committee who should know the rules for a particular competition. Please ask your club's secretary if you are unclear about anything. You can get the up-to-date rule books from the IPC shop. For a summary of some general competition rules see the IPC Guide to Competitions. Some of the IPC rule books are now available from the IPC website.

Tack

There are strict rules for the tack you may use in the different competitions. To find out about these there are the four tack sheets. There is one each for Dressage, Show Jumping, Cross-country, and Mounted Games. They tell you e.g. which bits you are allowed to use or whether you may carry a whip or wear spurs. Some general rules as to tack for rallies can also be found in the Official Guide to Pony Club Dress Codes.

Dress Code

There is a difference between dressing for competitions and dressing for rallies. For example you must wear white gloves in a dressage competitions (yes, also the dressage part of a Horse Trial) but you need not necessarily wear them for a dressage rally. The dress code for a competition is outlined in the tack sheets as described under tack above. The dress code for rallies is found in the Official Guide to Pony Club Dress Codes.

Administration

These are rules that are to do with the running of pony club, the committees, and an endless number of other things. They can be important for you if you want to lodge an official complaint or if you want to change membership from one IPC branch to another for example. Administrative rules are also available as booklets from the IPC shop. However, your DC or club secretary should have a set and you can turn to them or to your area representative for help.

Anti-Doping

Please consult the IPC anti-doping rules on the IPC website.

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