Scottish Endurance Riding Club

Helper’s Handbook

Roles covered

Chief Steward

Route Organiser (see separate guidelines)

Ride Co-ordinator

Administration/Results

Starter/Timekeeper

Vet Steward

Vet Writer

Competent Person

Checkpoint/Road Crossing Stewards

Marker/De-marker

This Handbook provides an easy reference so that when helping at rides you will be able to carry out the task allocated and be aware of how your task fits in with others to ensure the smooth running of the ride. Tasks at our rides are universal throughout the Club with some very minor local adaptations. The information is in line with current rules. Fuller versions of the tasks can be accessed on the Club’s website –

The Club’s Intranet can also be accessed from the Members’ Section of the website, and is the source for many useful supporting forms and other information.

Many Branches issue a Helpers log card which records all the helps and tasks that you do. Please complete this for each ride that you help at and have the ride Chief Steward sign it off before you leave for home. The log card can be used as proof of your eligibility for Branch trophies and act as evidence should you want to develop your helping skills towards becoming a Chief Steward yourself - and indeed should you want to take a further step and train as an FEI judge. New cards are available from Club General Secretary.

Our rides simply cannot be held without helpers, so please take your turn in helping to make rides happen.

Any comments/suggestions about the Handbook are welcome and should be addressed to the Club General Secretary.

CHIEF STEWARD

  • Is responsible for the smooth and safe running of the ride.
  • Needs to be familiar with the Club’s Rules, able to make impartial decisions when a complaint is lodged or an incident reported, and keep a cool head when the going gets tough.
  • Acts as the coordinator for emergency procedures.

Every ride must have a Chief Steward

The Chief Steward should be appointed by the Branch Committee.

For all major rides it is recommended that in the interests of impartiality the Chief Steward should not be a member of the host Branch. A Ground Jury and Appeal Committee must also be appointed.

Before the day

  • Familiarise yourself with rules, accident report forms and procedures.
  • Communicate with the ride organiser.
  • Make sure you are sent copies of the map, talkrounds, ride notes and list of runners.
  • Make sure there is an emergency plan and help to draft one if necessary.
  • Assess the venue layout.
  • Check the risk assessment form.
  • Discuss potential or foreseeable problems with the ride organiser - e.g. weather (ice, snow, low cloud/fog), diversions for high water etc, stock in fields, lorries stuck in mud, venue layout - and possible remedies.

On the day of the ride

  • Arrive in good time before the start of the vetting in order to talk with ride organiser, vets and farriers.
  • Liaise with key helpers.
  • Agree with the Chief Vet the length of any vet holds and make sure riders/crews are given this information, similarly if there is to be a 10 minute re-present at any of the vet gates.
  • Be familiar with the venue layout.
  • Be visible (e.g wear Hi-Viz waistcoat).
  • Receive an updated list of runners.
  • Receive an updated copy of the emergency plan and list of phone numbers of key personnel
  • Generally be on hand during the day to back up the organiser.
  • Avoid becoming too involved with individual competitors.
  • Be helpful and don’t hinder.
  • Oversee the venue plan and try to prevent problems.
  • Keep in touch with venue/remote vetting/ride organiser AT ALL TIMES.
  • Use discretion about staying at venue or going out on the route, e.g. going out to remote vetting.
  • Delegate where necessary.
  • Ensure that rules are applied universally and fairly.

After the day

Complete debrief pro forma and submit to ride organiser/Branch committee and Club General Secretary. Make suggestions and be supportive.

Guidance for determining Appeals or disciplinary decisions

There are several stages to the process if an incident is being looked into by the Chief Steward, who may form a Ground Jury to assist them with their duties.

  1. Understanding the issues relating to the allegation/ complaint
  2. Gathering information and opinions
  3. Assessing the findings
  4. Deciding adjudication
  5. Determining the penalty
  6. Informing the parties
  7. Reporting to ride organiser (debriefing) and to Branch or Club committee as appropriate.

When interviews are being conducted in accordance with these procedures, the interviewee whether the person making the allegation, the person complained about, the person whose decision is being appealed against, or witnesses to the incident - should be asked if they want a friend or family member to be present. It is recommended that interviews with children and young people under the age of 18 should only conducted when they are accompanied by a responsible adult of their choice. It is recommended that only one accompanying person is normally sufficient, to ensure that the interview is manageable and orderly, but this should be at the relevant Ground Jury’s discretion.

Understanding the issues

When considering allegations or adjudicating an appeal

it isimportant that the process is thorough, well informed,

based on rules where available, and reflects principles

of natural justice. This has implications for a number of steps to be taken in the process:

  • Identify the person who is making the complaint or appeal, where the alleged incident took place, who else was present and whether other known parties were involved. Obtain contact details for the relevant people.
  • Find a place where business can be conducted without disturbance.
  • Take notes of the interviews and repeat and clarify the statements made to ensure full understanding of the allegation(s).
  • Obtain as full an account as possible of the incident what led up to it, what happened, who was involved, what were the consequences, what was the reaction of the parties following the incident.
  • Explain that the parties may be asked to provide further information and will be contacted when the fact finding process is completed.
  • Ensure that the Ground Juryknows the rules relevant to the situation and has access to any advice it may need in respect of rules or other technical issues.

Gathering information and opinions

This process may well involve a series of interviews with relevant parties as well as site visits, to gather a picture 'on the ground' of what might have happened. Obviously the main interviews will be with the person(s) making the complaint, objection or appeal; person(s) against whom the allegation is made, and any known witnesses. It should beclearly indicated when arranging the interview whether the individualis being interviewed because an allegation has been made against them, or because they are believed to be a witness to an incident. This helps them to decide whether they wish to be accompanied at the interview. It should similarly be noted that, in the course of these interviews, counterallegations may be made against persons who were initially not the subject of complaints. Where this happens the person should be reinterviewed as, now, the subject of a complaint.

Assessing the findings

There is no simple and straightforward way of making sense of the information obtained, but the following advice is offered.

The end result of this process may be straightforward. The person complained against may agree that they were at fault and accept whatever disciplinary response is considered suitable by the Chief Steward and/or Ground Jury. They may, alternatively, partially acknowledge the fault but plead mitigation ('Yes,I was cantering where I should have been trotting but my horse was overexcited by just having been overtaken, and I was still trying to calm him' or ‘I did not realise there was a rider behind trying to overtake because I have poor hearing and did not know they were there'). The Chief Steward/Ground Jury must then decide the validity of the mitigation based on the best picture of the events as they unfolded, taking account of all the information available, and apply a penalty accordingly. Finally the individual may contest the allegation, in which case the Chief Steward/Ground Jury must try to form an opinion as to what happened.

Differentiating between 'facts' and opinions is an important first step. Facts are verifiable if there are witnesses to corroborate what a person is saying. For example: 'The rider was off course' or 'The rider was with their crew in a forbidden area' may be established to the satisfaction of the Chief Steward/Ground Jury if more than one person says they saw the event. This does not necessarily make it a disciplinary matter (e.g. 'Yes, I was off course but I retraced my steps and picked up the course again where I got lost' or ‘I was talking to my crew to get them to call for help for a rider who had fallen in the woods, but we were not crewing'). Therefore the Chief Steward/Ground Jury’s response to the factual finding will depend on the substance and credibility of any explanation given by the person complained against.

Opinions are perhaps harder to establish as right or wrong.

For example, 'The rider was riding too fast in the vicinity of stock' or 'The rider was using their stick excessively to get the horse through the burn' are the kind of allegations where witnesses may agree or disagree according to their point of view. There may be supporting evidence for one opinion or another, e.g. stampeding cattle, or marks on the horse. Generally, however, the Chief Steward/Ground Jury will have to form their own opinion based on the accounts they have heard of the incident.

Categorising the conclusion

The Chief Steward/Ground Jury, having established to the best of their ability what type of incident occurred, based on the evidence and opinions received, must then determine whether it warrants disciplinary action or a change to the decision being appealed against. This will mainly depend on:

  • Did it cause danger, of whatever sort?
  • Did it contravene the Club constitution or break one of the Club rules?
  • Did it contravene an instruction specific to the situation?

Applying the penalty

If the answer to any of these questions is 'yes' then the Chief Steward/Ground Jury must decide what decision is appropriate, and if necessary what penalty is proportionate with the seriousness of the incident from the range of penalties available.

RIDE CO-ORDINATOR

(tasks can vary between Branches)

  • Supports the Route Organiser (RO) of a particular ride, and liaises between them,the Chief Steward and the Branch Committee.

Arrange to meet up with the Ride Organiser in good time to support them where possible.

Using the Ride Support Checklist make sure the RO has done everything they can to ensure a safe and enjoyable ride for everyone.

Inform the RO about any Committee or Club decisions that affect the organisation of the ride, the production of the talk round or maps. You are quite likely to be involved in all or any aspects of putting on a ride – course marking/demarking, getting permissions, completing the Risk Assessment, booking vets and farriers, liaising with Raynet or their equivalent.Discuss with the RO how many helpers might be needed, e.g. any checkpoints or road crossings etc.

ROUTE ORGANISER

(see separate guidelines for planning a ride/route)

Responsible for:

  • Setting up the route
  • Finding a venue
  • Negotiating with landowners, permissions etc
  • Working with ride co-ordinator and Chief Steward before and during the ride
  • Producing the master map and talkrounds
  • Liaising with the helper’s co-ordinator to make sure that any extra help is flagged up, e.g. gate openers/road crossings
  • Arranging marking and demarking
  • Sending Thank you letters/gifts to landowners

RIDE ADMINISTRATOR

Based in the caravan.

At the start of the ride:

  • gives out numbers
  • takes in mastercards and mileage cards
  • updates rider lists with withdrawals/no-shows

Logbooks and mastercards

  • Check mastercards looking for horses that have been eliminated 3 times due to lameness if this is the case then they may not enter and their Logbook must be retained for a period of 1 month consult Chief Steward.
  • Check the mastercardandcumulative distance card in polypocket, making sure that competitors have completed the relevant sections before handing in, i.e. date/venue/distance.
  • Note: for 2 Day rides 1 entry to be made on mastercard/distance card.
  • Check membership and horse registration cards are current.
  • Check that the large medical card is in the poly pocket being handed in

Other duties during the day

  • Liaise with Raynet and checkpoints – make sure that no shows or eliminations/retirals are passed on during the day
  • Collect vet sheets from Start and vetting to start inputting data
  • Make sure all horses and riders are accounted for.

Results

When riders finish their rides:

  • Receive from timekeepers the middle copy of the three-part finish sheet. Input data to the spreadsheet on the computer, or if working manually record this information on the master sheets subtract any allowances (gates/ vet holds) and then work out the speeds from the relevant speed chart.
  • On receipt of vet sheets from the final presentation, fill in the speed as calculated by the spreadsheet.
  • Check whether a speed category has been nominated and if this has been achieved. If not work out the penalties per Rule book and record on the vet sheet and spreadsheet.
  • Check to see if the vet has given any penalties, and record them on the spreadsheet.
  • Check final heart rate.If above 48 then the spreadsheet will work out penalties (or you do this manually per Rule book or Penalty chart). This in turn determines what award is given, see Rule Book. 0 Penalties Gold, 2 Penalties Silver etc. Complete Award section on vet sheet with this information.
  • Retain top copy of vet sheet.
  • Return yellow copy of the vet sheet and any rosette awarded to rider in the poly pocket, together with completed mastercard and distance card. On the mastercard under Pass/Fall please enter only that information as applicable all other result information,ie Speed Category/Grading/Speed, must be entered on the distance card.
  • Remember that combinations that do not complete the whole ride should be awarded mileage only up to their last successful vetting.
  • Pass all top copies of Competitive vet sheets to vets to select Best Condition.
  • Ensure that all bibs have been returned by riders and helpers.
  • In conjunction with the Chief Steward ensure that accident forms are completed if necessary.

Log Book/Mastercard terminology

  1. WITHDRAWN – a horse can only be withdrawn before presenting for initial vetting
  2. RETIRED – if during the ride the rider becomes ill or is injured then the horse will be regarded as Retired with the reason being stated on the vet sheet and mastercard.
  3. FAIL – once the horse has been presented for initial vetting if it fails to finish the ride for any other reason other than rider being ill/injured it will be eliminated and fail will be recorded on the mastercard, the reason being stated on the vet sheet and mastercard. If the horse is lame then the leg on which the lameness is diagnosed should be recorded on the mastercard, e.g. Lame RF. If a rider decides to not continue on the ride and pulls out, then this is still recorded on the mastercard as a Fail; if this happens at a vet hold/gate after the horse has successfully vetted then Fail and a notation such as ‘retired rider/owner after successful vetting at VG1’.

STARTER/TIMEKEEPER

  • Responsible for orderly start process and organisation of relevant paperwork.

At the start of the day

Take a note of Chief Steward’s and Admin’s mobile numbers and leave your own at caravan.

Take vet sheet from rider before they are due to start. Make sure that the vet has recorded heart rates etc. Also ensure that the riders have ringed whether they are riding a Pleasure or Training ride. Your rider list from Admin will note which riders are required to nominate a speed category – check that this has been done.

  • Start riders at approximately 2 minute intervals between riders/pairs.
  • Enter start time on vet sheet and master sheet.
  • Get a list of withdrawals/no-shows from Admin and delete on master sheet.
  • Pass all vet sheets back to Admin.

Finish on all types of ride