Horse and Hound Rules and Scoring

Horse and Hound Rules and Scoring

·  Riders must be 12 years or under as at 1 January 2016

·  Ponies must be 13.2hh or under

·  Show jumping rules to comply with the Pony Club Show jumping rules 2016, except for where adapted below.

·  Pony club sweatshirts, cream coloured jodhpurs and jodhpur/riding boots must be worn (chaps optional)

·  All runners must wear their pony club sweatshirt and suitable footwear for running and jumping

·  Dogs must be kept on a lead at all times, but any little dog of terrier proportions must wear a chest harness instead of a collar.

Rider Faults

Knockdown 4 faults

First disobedience 4 faults

Second disobedience 8 faults

After the second refusal at a fence, riders will not be eliminated but must move on to the next fence. For each fence not jumped, 12 penalties will be added to the final score.

Fall of rider 8 faults

Second fall of rider Elimination

Fall of horse Elimination

Rider Style

Riders will complete the course and be judged on style which will be marked out of 10 positive marks and then converted to penalties.

Runners and Dogs

Runners will compete as a team, each runner will complete the course with their dog in a relay carrying a baton. The time will start when the first runner leaves the start/finish box and end when the last runner and their dog return to the start/finish box. In this way, the handoff to each runner is critical and must take place within the start/finish box.

A dog may negotiate a fence without incurring penalties by going between the poles instead of over the top as long as the dog remains on the lead held by the runner. Dogs must not be dragged or forced to jump against their will. The judges will have the discretion to retire any competitor if they think it appropriate.

Team Scores

Riders’ scores will be shown as penalties, and runners’ scores will be shown as times.

The team with the lowest penalties and the fastest time will be the winners. Teams with a fast time but more penalties will score lower than a team with low penalties and a slower time.

In the event of a tie one runner and dog will be nominated from each team to jump against the clock and the fastest time with the least amount of penalties wins.