West Gippsland PCAV Zone competition checklist
Steps to take when a West Gippsland zone pony club wants to run a competition, clinic, camp or event to comply with PCAV and West Gippsland zone rules and requirements.[1]
First of all, DECIDE WHY ARE YOU RUNNING AN EVENT.
Is your primary aim to:
a) Fundraise for the club
b) Provide an opportunity for West Gippsland zone PCAV members to qualify for state competitions
c) Promote a sport
d) Encourage your own club members to participate in activities beyond a normal pony club rally
e) Other?
Why you want to run an event will have an enormous impact on your decisions and how and when you will run your competition. For this checklist, we are primarily presuming your reasons are a, or b, but most of the requirements from a zone perspective remain the same, regardless of the reason. If you want any advice to maximize success based on why you are running an event, contact the zone and if we can help, we will.
Basic steps to running a competition:
STEP 1:contact the West Gippsland zone Secretary to get the event date approved.The competition date must be -approved by the zone before release.
STEP 2: prepare a draft entry form, and include the requiredconditions of entry(see below, the PCAV link doesn’t work for this section).
STEP 3: Include thecorrect and full legal club name and its registered association number on the entry form.
STEP 4: send a draft of your entry form to the West Gippsland zone secretary. All entry forms must be checked by the zone and approvedbefore release.
Detailed information
1. Getting Your Date Approved
When you submit your date with the zone secretary () for approval, the zone secretary will check it doesn’t clash with the same sort of competition in the zone, including with dates that have been submitted but are not on the zone calendar yet.
TIP: You can check the West Gippsland Zone, PCAV, Equestrian Victoria, Victorian Equestrian Interschools, and Victorian Agricultural Shows calendars, before deciding on a date, if you think clashing competitions may impact on your numbers, or helpers.
2. Drafting Your Entry Form
Entry forms must be approved by the zone before they can be distributed publicly. They need to include:
Details of incorporation
That means the FULL name of club, including “incorporated”. Registration number as specified in your club’s certificate of incorporation. Include all the 0s!
Zone levy
The West Gippsland zone currently requires a levy of $2 per entry to be paid (This means if one rider has two horses, they need to pay the levy twice). This needs to be included in your entry form, and contribute toward the total entry fee.
Rules of competition
Currently the link on the PCAV website to rules of competition doesn’t work, hasn’t for months. Here’s the basic list, you can modify some things (lunging in an enclosed nominated area, canteen details, admin fees but most have to stay). The zone approver will help when you send your draft entry form in, with any new requirements:
1. No refunds after closing date except with vet or medical certificate. An admin fee of $10 will be deducted.
2. Entering this competition constitutes acknowledgement that PCAV rules apply and acceptance of these rules.
3. The organising committee reserves the right to cancel any class or competition; divide any class; alter times; refuse any entry with or without stating the reason.
4. Competitors may ride more than one horse, subject to the conditions of PCAV Handbook of By-laws multiple horse rules.
5. Complying helmets must worn, spot checks may occur.
6. Gear Check: required for all riders before each phase.
7. Armbands: must be worn by all competitors.
8. Horses must be at least age four, no stallions, colts or rigs.
9. Competitor numbers - the organising committee will pre-allocate and advise numbers. Competitors may supply their own numbers.
10. PCAV Alcohol Policy applies.
11. Dogs are prohibited without exception
12. Queries, protests, horse abuse, rules as per the PCAV Handbook of By-Laws.
13. Neither the organising committee of this competition nor the PCAV accepts any responsibility whatsoever for any accident, damage, injury or illness to horses, riders, ground spectators or any other person or property.
14. Lunging is not permitted at this competition.
Full Canteen Facilities available on the day.
15. The following Gear Rules apply: (include what is applicable, depending on what your event is)
16. Early entries appreciated. Website: www.xxxxi.ponyclubvic.org.au Entries close 00/00/2016
TIP: if someone has done a similar event, copy what you need from their entry form.
3. Is your event part of the dressage or showjumping West Gippsland PCAV zone series?
Events that are part of the West Gippsland zone series need to include the Skye Park Rugs logo. Skye Park contributes valuable sponsorship to the series, which must be acknowledged. The logo must be on the entry form of any event which is part of the series: format Link. logo Link.
Sponsorship rugs. Skye Park understands that some individual competitions get rug sponsorship or decide to buy rugs for their champions outside of Skye Park. Please note that if you are running a series event you need to give Skye Park Rugs the chance of quoting on any championship rugs you may be providing.
Horse trials entry forms that are qualifiers for state horse trials championships require an acknowledgement on the entry form that the event is a horse trials qualifier for state (subject to course accreditation). Horse trials entry forms must include a table of the heights and spreads in each grade, in each phase, and the time allowed.
Dressage competitions
A list of dressage judges needs to be provided to the zone as soon as they are confirmed. Ideally judges at series dressage events will have considerable experience at the level they are judging, either in pony club, HRCAV or EA. This is particularly important for levels 3 to 1, which are also PCAV state championship qualifiers.
Showjumping competitions
The course designer and showjump judges need to be provided to the zone as soon as they are confirmed. As the grades C, B and A courses don’t need to be accredited (unlike cross country for horse trials) it is strongly recommended to use an EA qualified course builder for these levels, at the least. Qualified builders know how to set a course to reward the best combinations and although many showjump competitions are against the clock, good courses are built to reward strategy and skill rather than just speed.
TIP: For all zone series and state qualifiers, the zone requires recognized or accredited people judging or course building at your competitions so please provide names as soon as possible.
4. Handy web links
http://westgippslandzone.org.au/?page_id=1268 (West Gippsland PCAV zone calendar)
http://www.ponyclubvic.org.au/calendar/default.aspx
http://www.vic.equestrian.org.au/Events/calendar
http://www.vic.equestrian.org.au/jumping/dates
http://www.vic.equestrian.org.au/content/interschools
http://www.vic.equestrian.org.au/content/dressage-calendar-events-2016-2017
http://www.veis.com.au/calendar
http://www.vicagshows.com.au/show-calendar/?view=calendar&month=June-2016
Version one as at 06/06/16
[1] If you want to run a West Gippsland PCAV zone dressage or showjump series event, while you are supposed to nominate each year by a certain date, if you’ve not done so get in touch with the zone as soon as you can, to see if you can get an event up.