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Handy Pony/Horse
Handy Pony/Handy Horse Events and Rules
Classes comprise a fun obstacle course designed to test rider agility and horse obedience and introduce some elements of road safety (e.g. walking past pretend "road works") and hacking out (e.g. opening and closing a gate).
Class 1 Lead rein, any age rider, horse or pony (element 1 only)
Class 2 Handy Pony
Class 3 Handy Horse
Rules
There are three elements to the competition:
1. The obstacle course ranging from activities such as bending to opening and closing a gate
2. The slowest canter over approximately 150m to demonstrate control
3. The fastest walk over approximately 150m to demonstrate control
1. The obstacle course:
- This section is completed against the clock
- Competitors may complete as many or as few obstacles as they wish.
- Obstacles not completed will be marked as "NC" (not complete)
- The winner of this section will be the rider who completes the most obstacles in the shortest time
2. Slowest canter:
- Each competitor is required to canter a predetermined distance as slowly as possible (longest time wins this section)
- 5 seconds will be deducted from the time for every fall into trot
3. Fastest Walk
- Each competitor is required to walk a predetermined distance as quickly as possible (shortest time wins)
- 5 seconds will be added to the time for every break into trot
A score will be awarded based on the relative positions in each section i.e. if there are 8 entries in the class, first place in each section will get 8 points, second 7 points and so on. The score for the obstacle course will be doubled before being added to the other two sections.
Leaders are not permitted to help riders complete any tasks but can give riders a leg up when remounting and can assist with steering and control of the horse/pony.