Attending your first mounted USPC rally

1. Attending your first mounted USPC rally Lorri Witkowski, HMO March, 2013

2. RU ready 2 rally? • Maturity of child • Maturity of mount • Appropriate discipline • Available horse transportation • Financial impact • Showing equipment (buckets, boots, etc.) • Transport of horse • Hotel • Rally fees • Club polo • Optional show clothing (jacket, shirt, breeches, etc.)

3. Maturity of Child • Level of independence • Ability to follow direction of peers or youth mentor • Work ethic (can clean stalls and ride) • Desire to participate • Do you feel comfortable they will be safe while your watch from afar? • Safe riding at level in new situation • Confidence in self and coach

4. Maturity of horse • Participated in mounted meetings away from home • Participated in show away from home • Safe competing at or slightly above expected level • Approved by coach • Do you feel comfortable watching from afar? • Has appropriate brakes when needed • Child can manage on the ground AND under saddle • Can be confined to a stall overnight

5. Appropriate discipline • Dressage, jumping or eventing? • What does child want to do? • Have they practiced it? • Do they know the basic rules? • What does horse want to do? • Can he do all appropriate skills? • Is he sound for the number of rides expected? • Does the rally date fit into your family’s schedule?

6. Financial Impact • Add up expenses of rally fee, hotel (or camping), possible horse transportation cost, new horse equipment, new child equipment, coaching fee • New horse and child equipment should be minimal as much is not required. Show jackets, black helmets and new tack are not required • Don’t forget the cost of lessons before the rally!

7. You are going, now what? Rally Packet Your team • Decide riding level with club DC (or coach/instructor) • Complete volunteer or chaperone form as needed • Pay rally fees to club (club issues one check for all competitors) • Use for hotel or camping reservations • Some have optional t-shirt order forms • 3 or 4 riders • DC will try for a team to be from all your club, but you may need to “scramble” with another club • Possible stable manager • Most rallies have mixed ratings • Team captain—should help coordinate team with stall cards, extra equipment and source of information • Team chaperone—adult responsible for parental decisions if actual parent not available (possible food and cooler during rally)

8. Equipment Personal-your responsibility Rally Kit-team responsibility • Clothing • Grooming Kit • Horse Equipment • Tack • Stable Equipment • Most are owned by clubs • Must be cleaned and checked (labeled?) by team prior to rally • REL in HM rulebook • Small ponies or large horses may need to bring extra girth, bridle or halter if not in club kit

9. Rally Check List • Barn Equipment • Grooming Kit (complete??) • Fill Bucket (5 Gal.) • 2 Water Buckets (5 gal.) • Wash Bucket • Sweat Scraper • Body Sponge • Twine (lots) • Scissors or knife • Double ended snaps (3-4) • Salt Brick • Standing Wraps (optional) • Poultice or liniment (optional) • Grain • Feed Pan • Stall Card • Horse Equipment • Halter (break-away) • Cotton Lead • Tack hanging hooks • Lunge Equipment (optional) • Extra Rags • Fly Spray • Extra Labels (lots, sharpie) • 2-3 Bags of Shavings • Baled Hay • Stall cleaning equipment (Muck bucket, fork, broom, shovel and cart) You should already own most At the D level, many things are acceptable Most kids will have half chaps and jackets, but are not required at the D level You will NEED NICE to have Can WAIT for later Tack • Bridle --Jumping • Bridle -- Dressage • Saddle –Jumping (+girth) • Saddle – Dressage (+girth) • Pad --Jumping • Pad – Dressage • Whip for Jogs and riding • Horse Boots • Breastplate/martingale Clothing • Breeches/Jods • Show Shirt(s) • Jacket (w/PC pin) • Medical arm band • Stock Tie Pin • Stock Tie/ Ratcatcher • Gloves • Helmet • Hair Nets (3-4) • Socks • Club Shirt(s) • Polos • Tall Boots (paddock/half chaps) • Boot Trees (tall boots only) • Short Boots/ Barn Boots • Khaki Pants for Jogs • Khaki Shorts (Longer) • Watch • Scrubs/Cover-Ups • Garment Bag

10. Be sure they fit • Medical Arm Band • Helmet • Halter

11. Label Everything! If it goes in the barn or to the rally, label it! Paper label w/clear tape Sharpie Silver sharpie Iron on labels Tags Name plates

12. Rally Storage Large boxes are NOT necessary, especially for new members!! Large boxes can crowd a tack room They do make good chairs Most members can fit what is needed in a storage tote Large boxes make a good Christmas gift when you are ready.

13. Arriving at Rally What TO do What NOT to do • Be as early as possible • Eat before arriving (in the car?) • Find stall first before parking the truck • Prepare stall before unloading horse if possible • Help unload stuff as quickly as possible • Move truck/car away from barn as soon as possible • Help hang fans or shelves • Arrive as barns are closing (it will be dark, you will be stressed and the HM staff wants dinner) • Block all traffic • Leave truck/car close to barn • Set up tack and feed stall for team

14. Horse Management at Rally • Adults in the barn • Purpose: Supervision, teach, evaluate for the competition • Supervise: Health and wellness of horses and riders, safe practices in the barns, adult resource • Teach: when a problem arises, give best practices • Evaluate for rally: set-up and safety, daily checks, horse inspection, turnout inspection, turn back inspection, and required equipment checks.

15. Parents at rally • Communicating with Kids during the Rally • Rally is designed to allow kids to show what they know • Parents are expected to give kids the opportunity to be independent • During rally, parents are out of barns with limited contact with kids • Most times kids are too busy to seek out parents • The best way to help is to be positive, cheer for them and be sure they know you are there • Avoid critiquing their ride or problems with HM • HM staff • Chaperone—makes parental decisions in the absence of a parent. Some clubs have chaperone coordinate food for team • Volunteer jobs—scribe, runner, warm-up steward, scoring, ring crew, traffic flow, fill water jugs • Take pictures • Encourage kids

16. Packing up to go home What TO do What NOT to do • Wait till after awards to enter barns • Listen for announcements • Help as many as possible • Be aware of overall cleanliness of facility • Be sure your team’s entire tack and feed areas are cleaned • Remove all equipment and twine from stalls • Be in a rush • Leave without checking out