Pony News!
Please take a moment to read programme plan and fill in the Survey http://www.irishharnessracing.com/pony-trot-2020-survey
14/02/2020
🐴
Useful information for those planning to get involved in 2020
🐎 Pony camps and qualifiers for ALL ponies and drivers prior and during racing season.
PONIES
🐎 Trotting ponies only
🐎 Pony max height 13.3hh measured with shoes.
Pony has to be older than 3 years of age (teeth may be checked), have passport, be microchipped and have vaccinations up to date.
Ponies will be cleared by the track veterinarian and measured by the stewards.
🐎 Before racing season each pony will have to be qualified, handicapped and be approved by the stewards as safe to go.
DRIVERS
🐎 Junior Drivers will have their own Pony Trot membership and insurance (more info to follow soon)
🐎 Children aged 7-15
Drivers will have to pass their driving exam before entering into races. Each young driver will have to prove their ability to drive a pony independently.
If exam is not passed, they will be racing in the NOVICE race with backup driver until ready to drive on their own in the INTERMEDIATE & ADVANCED races.
🐎 The Tiny Hooves – children aged 4 to 6 years, ponies max height 10.2hh (max one race per race meeting) only allowed with backup drivers.
RACING ATTIRE:
Helmet, body protector, registered racing silks (or at least registered colour of the jacket), short leather boots and driving glasses and long pants. strictly no runners.
RACES
The Tiny Hooves distance 400m
Novice to Advanced – 1000m
Max trailing 400m
Stay tuned for the Racing calendar and training programme!
15/12/2019
Teach them a proper way from the beginning!
RULES 2019
- TROT! It’s not the speed, it’s the gait and effort in trot that is being judged.
- Encourage your young drivers to drive themselves! Backup drivers are there only for safety reasons. Young children that are not yet capable of driving themselves have to have second set of reins, don’t forget it’s education for children, we want to see children driving!
- Ponies purposely driven in canter, therefore gaining advantage at the start will be disqualified.
- Ponies entering wrong races are automatically disqualified despite their finishing position.
- Ponies and backup drivers must be declared on the day.
We allow emergency pony swap or driver change on the day at the time of declaration but no later than main races are started. Ponies entering track without declaration will receive no placing points. - For Children under age of 14 and ponies under 12.2hh
- Standing start race
- Series will go on the point system
1st 10
2nd 8
3rd 6
4th 4
5th 2
6-last 1
DQ 0,5 - Double seat bike. young driver must sit on the right for public to see main driver.
- Junior driver must be accompanied by a licensed driver !!!
- Faster ponies will have to trail
- Body protector & helmet, long pants and safe footwear with no laces must be worn at all times while on the track
- Driver must be able to drive and control pony himself/herself!
- no whips allowed
SAFETY NOTE
Children must be supervised at all times while in the paddock! Horses are horses, small or big!
Kids found riding or driving ponies around the paddock among big horses will not be allowed to race in future.
After last pony race, all ponies must be put in the horseboxes.
