Gear Checking National Rules 2023

The main objective of Pony Club WA Gear Checking is to ensure the Safety of the Rider and Comfort of the Horse.

Gear Checking Manual by Sections:

Foreword and Introduction
Section 1- Rules
Section 2 – Guidelines
Section 3 – Process
Section 4 – Forms and Templates
Section 5 – Precis
Section 6 – Accreditation Process and Forms
National Gear Rules Addendum to 2022-Edition
Reference Tool – 2022 PCWA Gear Check Manual

To purchase a hard copy of these guidelines please visit https://www.ponyclubwa.asn.au/product/pony-club-wa-2022gcg/

For information on the Gear Checking Advisory Panel, Currently Accredited Gear Checkers or becoming an accredited Gear Checker see the Coaches and Officials page 

Enquiries

All Riders should follow the below steps when querying an item of gear or the use of.

  • Step 1 – Read the Pony Club WA Gear Checking Guidelines (contained in the Gear Checking Manual).
  • Step 2 – Ask your Club Coaches
  • Step 3 – Ask your Zone Coach Coordinator
  • Step 4 – Ask the Gear Checking Advisory Panel

Exemptions

An exemption is a form of authorisation that Pony Club WA and Pony Club Australia offers a member to participate in Pony Club WA, when their circumstances prevent them from complying with our Gear Checking Rules.

Who can apply for an Exemption?

Any Pony Club WA member is entitled to submit an exemption request.  The rider / parent must systematically go through the process outlined in the Online Exemption Application Form.

https://www.jotform.com/form/211177535758867

Memo’s and Information Documents

Mandatory Gear Checking Requirements

Helmet Standards and Inspections

Approved Photographers

All photographers wishing to photograph at Pony Club Events are required to apply to be on the Pony Club WA Approved Photographers List.

 

Pony Club WA – Approved Photographers List 2023 updated 22.08.2023.
Please note there are two pages of photographers listed.

 

Approved Photographers Application – Online Form

 

Clubs and Zones can nominate members for a position on a State Sports Committee at any time of the year.

Please visit the State Committees Page for all the information and forms for nomination – Click Here

2020 Sports Committee Nomination Form – Click Here

This form is for current club members. Nominated Committee members must be a current member of a club affiliated with Pony Club WA whose nomination is approved by their. Membership may be Associate, Adult, Coaching or Life Member but must be current for the start of the Committee Term. For more information please Click Here

2020 Sports Appointed Member Form – Click Here

Appointed members are persons who are not members of Pony Club WA but possess relevant skills and experience that will assist the Committee in carrying out its responsibilities (e.g. technical knowledge of the sport, financial expertise, committee governance experience, event management experience etc.) For more information please Click Here

Terms of Reference Committees

The Pony Club Australia syllabus is the first in the world to incorporate Equitation Science in an education program for riders. Pony Club Australia believes that using this evidence-based learning system is the best for rider safety and animal welfare. The syllabus is delivered in certificate modules with a manual and practical instruction from accredited coaches at our clubs and centres across Australia.

PCA Syllabus of Instruction

2021 Orientation to Pony Club. – Powerpoint

Powerpoint resource for clubs.

Presentation outlines:

Topic 1 – Administration
Topic 2 – Rallies
Topic 3 – Certificates and Competitions
Topic 4 – Volunteer Pathways

Risk management is all about being aware of what may happen as you go about your business and taking steps to limit the chances of something going wrong, or deciding that you accept that something may occur and that you are prepared for the consequences.

The emphasis is now on organisations taking a structured approach to risk
management to demonstrate to insurers and others that you have a transparent process which shows how you have identified risks, reached a decision whether to accept or not to accept certain risks, and how you will manage those risks.

Pony Club WA has detailed policies, rules and regulations that govern the way in which pony club events and activities are conducted in WA.

These, by their very nature, have inherent risk management elements as they put in place measures and requirements that control the way the pony club activities are conducted. It is a vital part of any risk management procedure. It is imperative that all concerned are fully aware of the requirements and that any rules and regulations are strictly adhered.

Gow-Gates Risk Management Guidelines

Risk Assessment Tool

Gow Gates Event Checklist

Crisis Management Plan

Logo Branding

Before the use of Pony Club WA’s logo please contact marketing@ponyclubwa.asn.au for the correct use of item:

Pony Club WA Logo.png

Pony Club WA logo.jpeg

Pony Club WA logo.pdf

Should you require a white text logo please email marketing@ponyclubwa.asn.au

Child Safe Sport Framework

Pony Club WA is committed to the safety and well-being of all children and young people who participate in our sport or access our services.  We support the rights of the child and will act at all times to ensure that a child-safe environment is maintained.

We acknowledge the valuable contribution made by our staff, members and volunteers and we encourage their active participation in providing a safe, fair and inclusive environment for all participants.

The Pony Club WA Member Protection Policy outlines the Association’s position on:

  • Child Protection
  • Taking Images of Children
  • Anti-Discrimination and Harassment
  • Intimate relationships
  • Pregnancy
  • Gender identity
  • Responsible Service and Consumption of Alcohol
  • Smoke-Free Environment
  • Bullying
  • Social Networking

PCA CHILD SAFETY Statement of Commitment

PCA CHILD SAFETY Code of conduct

Mandatory Reporting Requirements

If you believe a child is in immediate danger or a life-threatening situation, contact the Police immediately on 000.

Fact sheets on reporting allegations of child abuse in different states and territories are available here.

Pony Club WA will treat any allegation of child abuse or neglect promptly, seriously and with a high degree of sensitivity.

All people working with Pony Club WA in a paid or unpaid capacity have a duty to report any concerns to the appropriate authorities, following the steps outlined inAppendix 1 of the Member Protection Policy: Procedure for Handling Allegations of Child Abuse

Resources for Clubs, Coaches and Parents

Information for Committees on Running Open Events

Please read on for information to assist with holding open pony club events. An open pony club event can include competitions, clinics and training days.

The information on running events other than pony club events are recommended guidelines only. Pony Club WA cannot guarantee that there will not be gaps or grey areas in your insurance cover when your club runs events that involve other affiliations or clubs.

Please share with your event organisers where applicable.

WHO CAN RIDE AT AN OPEN PONY CLUB EVENT?

Pony Club Classes

  • Ordinary Riding Members
  • Associate Riding Members
  • Coaching Associate Riding Members

Open Classes

  • Affiliate Riding Member
  • Coaching Affiliate Riding Member
  • Adult Supporter Mounted
  • Club Coach – Mounted
  • Coaching Life Member – Mounted
  • Life Member Mounted
  • Open Rider
  • Competition Participant

HOW DO I KNOW THEY HAVE A CURRENT/VALID MEMBERSHIP OR REGISTRATION?

  • View membership cards on registration – no membership card/not a member; or
  • Email a list of competitors (word or excel doc) to the Pony Club WA office by Wednesday prior to event and a member check will be conducted; or
  • Check via the Global Search function on the database
  • Please note – Competition Participants are not covered under insurance by our
  • If they have a current Pony Club WA Membership Card or are listed as current on the database, the office has verified that they have 24/7 Personal Accident and Public Liability insurance cover elsewhere.

AN EQUESTRIAN WA (EWA) MEMBER WANTS TO RIDE AT MY EVENT?

  • If they are over 18, ask them to register with Pony Club WA as a Competition Participant before entering.
  • If they are under 18, they must be a pony club

SOMEONE WANTS A DAY MEMBERSHIP TO RIDE AT OUR EVENT?

  • Day membership is only available to prospective new members who wish to “try before they buy” at a maximum of two club rallies or dismounted phases of Tetrathlon competitions.
  • Day Membership provides Public Liability insurance cover
  • Day Members must sign a Pony Club WA Non-Member Disclaimer and pay the prescribed Insurance fee.
  • The fee and Day Membership Form must be forwarded to Pony Club WA within seven days of the rally or Tetrathlon

RUNNING AN EVENT IN CONJUNCTION WITH ANOTHER CLUB

  • Both clubs must have current liability
  • The pony club MUST be responsible for running the pony club and open PC
  • The secondary club MUST be responsible for running all other
  • The classes MUST be split – ie PC/PC Open classes run separately to the classes being organised by the secondary
  • When running combined events, it is a requirement that this is clearly stated in your Event Information Pack/Program. PC/Open PC requires a separate information sections stating the requirements that are particular to
  • Think of it as two totally separate events being held on the same
  • All classes run under your pony club affiliation and insurance need to have the following information clearly stated:
  • All Pony Club and Open Pony Club classes are being held under Pony Club WA Rules
  • Pony Club WA Gear Checking will apply to all Pony Club and Open Pony Club
  • All competitors and parents participating in Pony Club or Open Pony Club classes must abide by the Pony Club WA Codes of
  • Any person aged 18 years or above as of the 1st of January must be a registered Pony Club WA Open/Competition Participant, or have a mounted Pony Club WA membership, to be eligible to enter Open PC
  • Clubs affiliated with Pony Club WA are not permitted to accept Day Insurance/Memberships for events. If the secondary club has an insurance policy that allows Insurance/Memberships this is not applicable to Pony Club or Open Pony Club

Please note: not complying with the above conditions may compromise the validity of your insurance in the case of a claim against your club.

RUNNING AN EVENT UNDER DUAL AFFILIATIONS/INSURANCE

  • Both affiliations must be current
  • You must have current insurance policy to support your second
  • When running events under your dual affiliation, it is a requirement that this is clearly stated in your Event Information Pack/Program. It is also a requirement that PC/Open classes and EA classes are clearly split, with separate information sections for each stating the requirements that are particular to PC or
  • Think of it as two totally separate events being held on the same
  • All classes run under your pony club affiliation and insurance need to have the following information clearly stated:
  1. All Pony Club and Open Pony Club classes are being held under Pony Club WA Rules
  2. Pony Club WA Gear Checking will apply to all Pony Club and Open Pony Club
  3. All competitors and parents participating in Pony Club or Open Pony Club classes must abide by the Pony Club WA Codes of
  4. Any person aged 18 years or above as of the 1st of January must be a registered Pony Club WA Open/Competition Participant, or have a mounted Pony Club WA membership, to be eligible to enter Open PC
  5. Day insurance is not available for Pony Club or Open Pony Club
  6. Please note: The club’s Pony Club WA insurance policy only applies to classes run under pony club rules. To run events under your dual affiliation you must have a current insurance policy for your 2nd affiliation.
  7. The terms of your 2nd insurance policy will determine the conditions that all other classes other than PC and Open PC are run under and these terms should be clearly stated in a separate section of your Information Package/Event

Please note: not complying with the above conditions may compromise the validity of your insurance in the case of a claim against your club.

OUR CLUB HAS ANOTHER INSURANCE POLICY AND WANTS TO RUN AN EVENT ONLY UNDER THAT INSURANCE POLICY

  • Please state clearly on all event information that the event is not a Pony Club WA sanctioned
  • Pony Club WA non-riding members (Adult Supporters etc) and Pony Club WA registered officials and volunteers may not have insurance cover at your event. It is your Duty of Care to let participants know that you are a pony club running a non-pony club
  • Pony club rules, policies and procedures do not apply to non-pony club

Pony Club Rallies

One of the main objectives of pony club is to encourage and improve horsemanship and horse care in its riding members, therefore the Working rally is the backbone of the Pony Club Movement. It is by such rallies the Aims and Objectives of the pony club movement are best carried out.

The Club Chief Coach is responsible for the club’s coaching program and the safe implementation of the current PCA Syllabus of Instruction.

All rally dates are arranged by the Club Committee, recorded and minuted by the secretary and notified and open to all financial members.  No person shall conduct a rally or coach at a rally unless authorised by the Club Committee and the Club Chief Coach.

Working Rally Definition

A WORKING RALLY is a rally to which all financial members are eligible to attend and where coaching from the current Pony Club Australia Syllabus of Instruction is given – e.g. flatwork, jumping, horse care, general knowledge and active riding, e.g. games, polocrosse, vaulting.  A Working Rally is generally a minimum of three (3) hours of instruction in duration, with lesson times varied to reflect the ages / level of riders, weather and other factors. A riding member can expect two (2) or three (3) ridden (flatwork, jumping, active riding) sessions and at least one unmounted horse care session

Visiting Rallies

Horse and rider combinations may attend Working Rallies at a club other than their own financial Club, which must be notified too and agreed by the rider’s Club Chief Coach and the Chief Coach of the club they are visiting.

A member may not be a visiting rider more than twice in any calendar year unless an exemption is applied for through the State Coaching Panel on the appropriate form.

Visiting Rally Exemption Form

Visiting Rally Attendance Form

Special Mounted Rallies

These can be a club outing to a different venue when the whole expedition is a learning experience for all. Examples are, but not limited to, trips to the beach, farms or forest trail rides.

Unmounted Rallies

These can be of great value and are generally devoted to horse care. These lectures provide practical knowledge and experience and can be delivered by experts in the field or experienced coaches on horse ailments and their treatments (vets), fitting and care of saddlery (saddle fitters), shoeing & trimming (farrier) grooming, feeding, stable management and other aspects of horse care, Landcare, vaulting and many other equestrian related topics.

State Squad Days as Visiting Rallies 

Pony Club WA State Squad Days are planned by the relevant Sport Discipline Committee and conducted under the definition of a working rally.  Only one State Squad Day per year may be claimed as a visiting Rally. 

State Training Days as Working Rallies

If a State Training Day takes place on a normal club rally day, then the rider attending the Training Day may be granted one Working Rally. Only one State Training Day per year may be claimed as a Working Rally.

State Training Days are defined as State Squad Days as acknowledged by the relevant Sport Committee in relation to PCA National Championships.

State Schools as Working Rallies

Mounted attendance at a State C/ C*/K/B/H/A Development School can be used as one Working Rally over a 12-month period.

Camps as Working Rallies

Club / Zone Pony Club Camps consisting of one or two-day duration is counted as ONE (1) Working Rally ONLY.

Associate Riders ONLY, are permitted to count 2-3 day camps as TWO (2) Working Rallies as long as they are participating (riding or coaching) all day at camp as set out in 2.2.

Rally Qualification Requirements

Where qualifications for pony club activities are required such as national/state/zone competition or Efficiency Certificate assessments, The riding member and horse combination must:

1.1 attend a minimum of three hours at three separate Working Rallies within the 12-month period required by the event or competition, two of which must be at the club at which they are a member; and

1.2 participate in at least one ridden session at each Working Rally.

1.3 If riding two horses at a Working Rally, participate in at least one ridden session on each horse.

A maximum of two horses/ponies may be ridden by one rider at any Working Rally

Rally Qualification Requirements for an Associate Riding Member

As above, the Associate Riding Member and horse combination must attend a minimum of three hours at three separate Working Rallies (as set out in 1.2 and 1.3 in this document or General Regulations 1.1ii and 1.1iii) within the 12-month period required by the event or competition, two of which must be at the club at which they are a member,

OR

An Associate Riding Member can attend a minimum of three hours at two separate Working Rallies within the 12-month period required by the event or competition, one of which must be at the club at which they are a member provided at least one of the following conditions has been satisfied:

2.1 the Associate Riding Member holds their C*/K or above Certificate;

2.2 the Associate Riding Member has provided coaching instruction for at least three hours at a minimum of one Working Rally (in addition to attending 2 Working Rallies as a riding member as above) or

2.3 the Associate Riding Member has provided other regular service to their club or Pony Club WA (i.e. Club Executive, Zone Representative, State Sport Committee) over the required prior 12-month period.

An Associate Riding Member can qualify a maximum of 2 horses.

Associate Riders qualifying under option 2.1, 2.2 or 2.3 must be agreed to and signed off by a Club Chief Coach and a member of Club Executive, provided that the qualifying mount(s) are known to the Club Chief Coach to be competent at pony club activities at the level chosen for competition.