P a g e | 1

the horse’s

mouth

Newsletter of the Phillip Island Pony Club and Phillip Island

Adult Riding Club.

September 2011 Edition

P a g e | 2

Cover: Josh and Devo doing it easy through the

water jump at Tooradin Estate.

District Commissioners Report

What a great rally we had at Tooradin for

our August Rally. We had nine riders

participate on the day which turned out to

be the most beautiful winter’s day in a

long time. There was even a time when I

took my coat of and enjoyed a moment of

sunshine. Three great instructors on the

day ensured that everyone enjoyed

success in the three disciplines of

Dressage, XC and show jumping. We are

considering holding our August Rally at

Tooradin estate annually as it virtually

ensures we can run a rally with lots of

jumping and activity without having to be

worried about the surface. All of you who

were there will have enjoyed the lovely

sandy surface that Tooradin Estate offers

to riders.

Sianan watches on as Imogen finally clears the jump she’s been having trouble with.

September is scheduled to be an

unmounted rally as it is fathers’ day and

our Chief Instructor – Jill Grayden, will

also be away in America at that time. See

more about the September rally later in

the newsletter.

November Rally will need to be

rescheduled to the second Sunday in

November as the majority of people who

run the rally will be away at Werribee

competing at TTT Dressage. See more

about this weekend in the Phillip Island

Adult Riding section.

Focus on Grading

Recently, I have had a lot of requests from

members to be graded up a level in one or

more discipline. There is a section on

grading in the PCAV rules and you can find

them on the PCAV website via the

following pathway.

www.ponclubvic.org

Then on the left side of home page you

will find;

Quick Pick Menu

go to;

Grading Guidelines

The first page of this six page document

describes very accurately what District

Commissioners should consider when

grading or upgrading combinations. While

it would be advantageous to all riders and

supporters to read through this very

helpful and comprehensive document I

will put the opening page here for you to

peruse.

GUIDELINES FOR GRADING

Important Note: This document is

designed to assist District

Commissioners and Members in general,

to understand the grading process.

P a g e | 3

However, this document is not intended

to replace the current rules. Therefore,

this document must be read in

conjunction with all of the current

PCAV Rule books which are available

from the PCAV.

What is Grading

Grading is based on the ability of the horse

and rider as a combination, thereby

providing the opportunity for each

combination to compete at a standard

commensurate with their ability. The

grading is achieved by assessing the

capability of the horse and rider as a

combination, irrespective of the age of the

rider or the size of the horse, or the horse's

previous grading or performance. A

separate grading is required for each

discipline.

A competition is not the place for

schooling or instruction.

Grading should only occur when the

combination is capable of competing

safely, and this applies to all age groups.

Downgrading of combinations is allowed

in special cases, and this is at the

discretion of the District Commissioner.

The District Commissioner is responsible

for all grading, and this decision shall be

final. The grading may be achieved by one

of the following procedures:

(i) if sufficiently experienced, the District

Commissioner may grade on their own

initiative after taking into consideration all

relevant information such as competitive

ability performances.

(ii)Alternatively, the District

Commissioner may solicit assistance from

a Grading Panel consisting of Club

Instructors, other knowledgeable persons,

the Zone Chief Instructor or their

Appointee.

Care should be taken to ensure that

parents do not unduly influence the

grading of their children.

The combination must have attended two

Club Rallies before being graded.

The initial grading must take place at a

Rally Day. Re-grading may be done at a

time other than on a Rally Day. All

gradings must be recorded on the rider's

current Membership Card and signed by

the District Commissioner.

Into the water are Emma Spencer and Cupid.

The primary concern for me and for those

I consult when we are considering

regrading riders is safety of horse and

rider. Now this may seem a bit tiresome,

however, you might notice that PCAV

follow very strictly the same line of

thought. The next consideration is, are

you and your horse ready for the

challenges of the next level? Have you

met every challenge and achieved

everything you need to in the grade that

you are currently in? Are you riding the

correct lines between jumps, are you

P a g e | 4

walking courses in a way that will optimise

your chances of success. Are you riding

your pony forward enough or just

cantering around in way that will not

allow him to jump increasing heights and

widths with safety.

Pony Club grading is not based on age as

some other sports are such as basketball,

football, netball etc where you might play

in under 13’s or under 15’s etc. Instead,

pony club grading is based wholly on

ability of the combination, that being both

horse and rider together. If you are in a

grade where you look around at other

competitors and they seem younger than

you, don’t let this influence how you feel

about your placement in that grade.

Alternatively, some riders like to stay in a

grade that they should move on from for

lots of various reasons. When the time

comes for you and your mount to move

up a grade, if you haven’t come to see me

about the move up, then you may be

approached by me or Jill Grayden to

suggest it is time for you to move up into

the next grade. So by all means, if you

think you are ready for the challenges of

the next grade in any of the four

disciplines that are competitive at pony

club, i.e., CTD, Dressage, show jumping or

Horse Trails, come and see me or Jill to

discuss it. Be sure that you have met

every challenge at your current level and

that you are competing comfortably at

your current level and are probably

placing regularly in that grade.

Shenea and Buddy through the water at Tooradin

September Rally will be unmounted.

Yesterday, which was Saturday 20th of

August, I went for a walk around the

grounds. I couldn’t believe how wet the

grounds are. They are not just damp but

actually holding a lot of water on all areas.

So, even with two weeks to go before the

rally, I can’t see the grounds being dry

enough for a full rally. Even if the grounds

dried enough to ride on, the damage that

would be done would ensure a lot of

areas unusable for a while afterward. At

the last committee meeting we went

through a number of options for the

September rally. Some folk suggested a

navigation ride around Ventnor but they

are a lot of work to organise in a short

P a g e | 5

time, and as Josh mentioned, it is Fathers’

Day.

So as Bowling was so much fun last year

we decided to go with that again. You

don’t have to come of course, but if you

want to spend part of the day with your

club members with a game of bowling and

some chippies etc, then come along on

Sunday 4th of September from 11am.

Enough time to give dad a kiss and a card.

Bring dad too. Pony club will pay for

members’ games and snacks. If other

siblings would like to come they are

welcome but they will need to be financed

by mum or dad. Parents can play too if

they want, but once again, they will need

to finance their own games. Please let me

know if you intend to come along so I

know how many to book for and if

brothers or sisters, mums and or dads are

playing too.

Phillip Island Adult Riding Club

August Rally was a huge success with

Michael Baker taking the classes and

could we get a better day, weather wise?

Many thanks again to Jill for organising a

brilliant rally, and the sunshine Jill, how

did you pull that off? Many of our riders

were re graded in preparation for

participating at TTT Dressage. Many

thanks extended to Rhonda Smith for

taking the time out to visit us at our

August Rally to help out with the grading

process. This has become an annual event

now for Rhonda and she is always happy

to oblige us in this way.

TTT Dressage dates have been changed

to 5th & 6th of November. The adult riding

club is excitedly organising to attend the

HRCAV Top Team Dressage competition.

We have eleven riders and therefore

three teams heading off to Werribee this

year. The event was scheduled to be on

the 12th to the 14th of November but due

to a big event being held at Werribee

Mansion, it has been changed to the

weekend before hand.

Robyn and Kelli and Jill have been hard at

work organising team entries and trying to

book stables and campsites in close

vicinity to each other. Protocols have

changed recently at Werribee so we are

playing by a whole new set of rules and

Roby and Kelli are the ones trail blazing

their way through the new system. Many

thanks go to these girls and team

members should have received an email a

day or so ago from Robyn explaining what

payments still need to be paid.

Teams have been chosen to compete at

this year’s TTT and consist of;

Diamonds and Pearls

Denelle Wake

Robyn Morgan

Viv Verwey

Jill Grayden

Whips n Spurs Xcite me

Felicity Jones

Jill Drew

Amanda Price

P a g e | 6

Kelli Ryan

Victorious Secret

Casey Morris

Amy Oxenbould

Harley Ricketts

As usual we will need volunteers to

ensure that our teams are competitive so

if you would like to volunteer your time to

one of the teams please contact Jill, prior

to Monday 29th of August. Volunteers are

usually expected to Pencil for the

dressage judges, or Marshall at a ring, run

dressage sheets, score, work in the office

or a myriad of other jobs. You can

nominate for any of these positions. The

time you are required for is stated as two

hours, however, it can be for much longer

as a number of us can attest to from

experience volunteering in other years.

So, a relaxed attitude to the expectations

is required. But it makes you a part of the

team and includes you in the weekend,

which is really, just lots of fun.

Our September Rally will be with Viv

Axton. Jill will be away from 30th August

in America with Roger Oxenbould and

Simon as they say their last farewells to

Joanne. Kelli Ryan will coordinate the

rally and will send an email out with

expression of interest requests, costs etc

in the coming weeks.

Competition Results

Beacon Hills Show Jumping Day

Emma Spencer ‘D’ Grade 6th & 7th

7th Overall

Cranbourne Show Jumping Day

Shenea Carlin ‘E’ Grade 3rd & 3rd

Ashlea O’Brien ‘E’ Grade 4th & 6th

Emma Spencer ‘D’ Grade 3rd & 6th

Watch this space as we head into the

depths of the competition season!!

Coming Events September 4th PIPC Rally – bowling from 11am. 14th PIARC General Meeting 16th PIARC Rally – Viv Axton 20th PIPC General Meeting

October 2nd PIPC Rally 12th PIARC Wednesday 15th PIARC Rally 18th PIPC General Meeting

NOVEMBER 5th – 6th TTT DRESSAGE Teams as above.

PIARC DUTY ROSTER 2011:

August: Nicole Patterson Ph. 59983142

September: Pam Campbell Ph: 59568296

October: Brooke Verway

P a g e | 7

November: Kelli Ryan Ph. 0407882603

December: Anita McDonnell

Ph. 0438523676

2012:

January: Ewa Maria Skwarczynska

Ph. 0421200314

February: Amanda Price Ph. 59568636 March: Jill Grayden Ph. 0414874378

April: Felicity Jones Ph. 0409456433

May: Casey Morris Ph. 0423870412

June: Rose Kirby Ph. 0402632012

July: Cathy Jones Ph. 59522137

August: Deb Morris Ph. 0407900959

September: Jill Drew Ph. 0400032480

October: Robyn Morgan Ph.0439157169 November: Denelle Wake Ph 0412227093

December: Viv Verway Ph. 0414 727 617

PONY CLUB CATERING ROSTER for

2 0 1 1 / 2 0 1 2

S E P T E M B E R T y n s k e / H i n e s

O C T O B E R C a r l i n / O ’ B r i e n

N O V E M B E R S p e n c e r / M a l e s

D E C E M B E R P r i c e / M o r r i s

JANUARY PONY CLUB CAMP

F E B U A R Y S m i t h / H i n e s

M A R C H S p e n c e r / P i e r a

APRIL Lena/Tynske

MAY Carlin/Males

JUNE O’Brien/Holub

JULY Morris/Price

Newsletter: Amanda Price Phone: 5956 8636

everton.price@waterfront.net.au