Ride For Meon
Meon Riding Club is affiliated to British Riding Clubs, which is in turn affiliated to The British Horse Society. We are part of ‘Area 17’ which covers Hampshire, Dorset and the Isle of Wight.
As well as running our own events, we actively participate in BRC Area Qualifiers which give our members the opportunity to qualify for National BRC Championships. At regular intervals throughout the year we put out calls for those wishing to be considered for teams in all disciplines – dressage, dressage to music, horse trials and show jumping etc. Look out for these shout-outs on our Facebook page!
So what does it mean to ride for the club? What happens? Is it scary? Is it fun? Can anyone put their name forwards? Here are the ‘must-knows’ about what it’s like to ride for Meon
Should I put myself forward?
Why not? If you and your horse are performing consistently well in your discipline, why not give it a go? Before you enter, you should check your diary though in case you need to keep the championship date free if the team qualifies! You also need to get your horse’s fluvac record checked and stored on our system. Our Passports and Fluvac Coordinator will advise you on this and her contact details are given here:
How are the teams chosen?
We ask volunteer riders to give us an overview of recent competition performance e.g. Copies of recent dressage tests or a summary of show jumping results and take it from there. We try to give everyone who has volunteered to represent the club the opportunity to compete in a team. We believe that the more teams we put forward, the merrier – if you’ve expressed an interest in riding for Meon, we want to say thank you by giving you the opportunity to do so.
What happens if I’m selected for a team?
Well done! Your up-to-date flu vaccination record will be sent off with your entry to Area Organiser. The chef d’equipe will organise entries for you, you will just be asked to pay some contribution towards these fees as soon as you have been selected (in the same way as you would pay pre-entry for a non-riding club competition).
What happens next?
All being well, we will confirm which team you are in, and let you know what time you’re on. We try to keep a number of reserves too, just in case your horse gets into trouble before the day.
What to expect on the day
The team manager will make the ‘declarations’ on your behalf, confirming team members and any replacements if injuries etc. The competition will run like any other, and you should treat it the same way – try not to worry about ‘letting the team down’ – just concentrate on what you know you’re capable of, and enjoy it! If you can be there to support other team members – as they might you – you’ll see that everyone is there to support each other, and everyone wants to do their best, even if, sometimes, it doesn’t go according to plan.
What if it goes wrong?
Don’t worry. Never mind. There’s always next time. It happens to us all every now and then. Look out for messages of support on Facebook from members keen to tell you not to overthink it!
What if it goes right?
Woo hoooooooo! Go Meon Go!! Next stop – championships! Look out for messages of support on Facebook from members keen to congratulate you and wish you luck!
To find out more about BRC and its competitions, visit the BRC Rulebook 2022.