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RULES FOR

TENT PEGGING

FOR SAFETY & COMFORT OF THE RIDER AND HORSE

Written by Don Hawkins

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Table of Contents

Preamble ............................................................................................................................................................. 3

Origins and History .............................................................................................................................................. 4

The Rider ............................................................................................................................................................. 4

Horses and Training ............................................................................................................................................. 5

Tent Pegging Construction .................................................................................................................................. 6

Tent Pegging Course Layout ................................................................................................................................ 7

Rules for Tent Pegging Individual Runs with Sword/Lance ................................................................................. 8

Event Drill .......................................................................................................................................................... 10

Common Weapon Handling Faults .................................................................................................................... 12

Competition Score Sheet ................................................................................................................................... 13

Tent Pegging as a K Certificate Option .............................................................................................................. 14

“Option A” Assessment Sheet ........................................................................................................................... 14

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Preamble The Information in this package is based on the Australian Tent Pegging Association Rule Book 2014.

It is designed and modified to suit the safety needs of Pony Club in the interests of creating

participation and more skills in riding and greater scope for the older members with a view to

retention of those members longer term. It also addresses some anomalies in the Pony Club Australia

K Certificate Manual that may include the use of tent pegging as an option.

The main aim is to introduce a change to the Pony Club Australia syllabus in two areas, mainly the

introduction of a dummy sword and an allowance in the judging rules to cater for the new rules. The

change in these rules, affects the way the competition is scored and the type of tent peg construction

used to accommodate it. They are very minor changes and do not detract from the conducting of the

sport in any other way.

Previously, lances have been part of the PCAWA Syllabus and the competition lance mentioned in

the Australian Tent Pegging Association Rules Book 2014 gives a measurement of (for junior riders),

minimum of 2.15 metres and not longer than 2.30 metres. This makes for a very unwieldy weapon

and one that would take some considerable expertise and strength to manage. There is no mention

of lance length in the Pony Club Australia Syllabus so this too could be modified if thought to be an

option.

A sword, on the other hand, is from 81 centimetres’ minimum blade length to 1.10 centimetres’

maximum blade length. This is for a regular sword and not the modified one proposed. The modified

one is made of aluminium tube 25 millimetres’ diameter one metre in length with rubber stoppers

on each end so therefore no point that could cause injury to horse or rider. Because it has no point

it is less intimidating to riders and parents of riders who are new to this sport. It also is in line with

duty of care and risk management practices to ensure the safe environment needed to prevent injury.

Generally, under Australian Tent Pegging Association Rules 2014, teams of four compete. For reasons

of a duty of care and safety it is recommended only individual, 2 run, competitions be held for PCA

Efficiency Certificate Assessments. The rules are available for any other competitions that need to be

included and can be transferred at any time.

A copy of this document will be available from PCAWA website or office upon request.

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Origins and History

Tent pegging is an exciting and skilful horse sport, and like dressage, show jumping and eventing has

its origins in the military.

Tent pegging is a variation of an ancient military skill. The use of sword and lance by mounted

warrior’s, dates back many centuries, and over the year’s skill at arms contests were devised which

not only provided enjoyment and satisfaction to those taking part, but military prowess as well. Tent

pegging was among these skills.

It is believed that the invasion of India in 326 B.C. by Alexander the Great that his army was the first

to use the removal of tent pegs from around soldier’s tents in predawn raids to cause havoc and

confusion and therefore an easy victory. This then led to the practice of tent pegging.

For many years, the horse was the only means of transporting troops, and the lance sword and pistol

were the only weapons carried so proficiency with these weapons were paramount to survival. Naval

and military tournaments were popular in Australia before World War 1, and drew large crowds of

spectators. Tent pegging was also recognised at Olympic level in 1982 as an official event at the New

Delhi Asian Games.

In 1964 the first Australian Civilian Tent Pegging team was formed in Deniliquin in NSW, and was

invited to compete at the Melbourne Royal Show. Following this, several other teams were formed

and tent pegging competitions are now held regularly each year bound by the rules of the Australian

Tent Pegging Association formed in 1981. Tent pegging was also popular and practised by Australian

Mounted Police units until recent times. To this day there are many people involved in Australian

Light Horse history based units. wearing all the original style uniforms of the day, these units still

practice the skill at arms events in the form of tent pegging.

The Rider

Riders need to be aware of the level of fitness required for both horse and rider to compete in this

type of event. Some individual courses have in total six runs which require a fair amount of stamina

and fitness, so the presentation of your horse and equipment is paramount. There can be many other

events on the day so fitness and turn out are important. In this proposed competition, there would

only be two runs per rider per event.

The competent tent pegger is well mounted, with their horse completely under control, who

approaches the peg at a hand gallop, handles their weapon with skill and grace, engages the peg,

recovers and brings their horse to a controlled halt at the end of the course. This is the ideal of course

and not necessarily attained by all. The scores will reflect this rider by rider.

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Horses and Training

All breeds and cross breeds can and do tent pegging provided they are willing to learn. The secret to

achieving a calm, obedient and responsive tent pegging horse is slow repetition. Make sure any

training session is finished on a quiet, calm note, and only practice fast runs when your horse is ready

to cope. Never rush your horses training. Some horses take longer to learn than others so recognise

if your horse is not coping well and slow it right down and give them time. That said not all horses

take to the sport as do some horses when it comes to other equestrian pursuits such as showjumping,

campdrafting, polocrosse, dressage or eventing. As in all horse sports the horse must be under

control and not show any vices. When a horse is in gallop it has quite a flat plain of movement as

opposed to a slow canter where there is a lot of up and down movement. The faster pace gives the

rider a better chance of engaging the peg as they do not have to compensate for the horses up and

down movement whilst trying to engage the peg. The horse will also run straighter at a faster pace

leaving less chance of being out of line with the peg. They are mostly easier to correct at a faster pace

if going slightly off line. The ability to neck reign has an added advantage.

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Tent Pegging Construction

The traditional tent peg was made from wood and driven into the ground for practice and

competition. All the pegs needed to be properly milled, painted on three sides only, a tie wire bound

on the top and bottom of it to prevent splitting, and soaked in water for three days prior to use to

soften the impact when striking the wood with a lance or sword. The wood was of a special type and

is no longer readily available, plus milling, painting and wire tying is expensive and time consuming.

In all competitions now held under the Australian Tent Pegging Association Rules Book 2014 and

Australian Light Horse Rules, the use of cardboard glued together and painted is used. The ground is

still required to be dug to accommodate the pegs being stable and at the angle needed. This is not

always achievable due to some hard ground and time restraints.

The peg proposed has a proven history of performance with normal and modified weapons such as

mentioned above, is made from polystyrene foam and has high tensile fencing wire taped to its

entire central perimeter to hold it steady in the ground with 75 millimetres protruding below.

These are far more manageable and with white gaffer tape bound around them, easy to use. When

struck with the modified weapon (sword), they do not flick up or cause any other issue that could

cause injury to horse or rider, as they are pushed flat onto the ground. Plus, they can be reused many

times without wear.

The proposed specifications are:

75-90 millimetres wide,

240 millimetres long excluding the wire .

40 millilitres thick.

The wire should protrude 75 millimetres

below the base of the peg.

Wire should be held in place by

wrapping the whole peg with white

gaffer tape before the final layer of

thinner tape.

Importantly for competition there must

be uniformity to peg size.

75-90 mm

240 mm

75 mm

40 mm

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Tent Pegging Course Layout

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Rules for Tent Pegging Individual Runs with Sword/Lance

1. The cones should be set out as in the layout of the course in this document.

2. The cone markers are set 5 metres off the line of the peg. They assist the competitors with

keeping their line and the judges to assess the drill.

3. Only 1 peg at a time is placed on the course and is set at an angle of 60 degrees to the ground

facing and sloping away from the competitor.

4. Only 1 competitor is allowed on the course at any one time.

5. At a prearranged time, the first competitor approaches the start flag at Marker A on the

course and comes to a halt. The competitor salutes the judge by raising the sword to the

front at shoulder height in a vertical line with the arm held straight out to full length. The arm

is recovered and the sword held at the slope resting on the shoulder of the competitor. If a

lance is used, the butt of the lance is held on the rider’s foot/boot and the lance is held at

shoulder height by the rider’s hand. For the salute is it thrust forward at shoulder height with

the butt remaining on the rider’s boot. The lance is then brought to the recover position

which is back to the rider’s side with the butt still on the foot.

6. When the judge is ready they will then signal with a raised hand for the competitor to

commence the run. No runs are to be commenced without the signal from the judge.

7. Judging commences as soon as the run has begun and continues until the halt at the other

end of the course.

8. The competitor commences the run and follows all the drill procedures that are required in

this event as outlined in this document.

9. At the completion of the run the competitor brings their horse to a halt, waits briefly at the

halt and then returns to the line of competitors waiting for their number in line to be next,

assuming a position on the end of the line.

10. Once the remaining competitors have completed their first run, the procedure is completed

again until all competitors have had two runs which indicates the end of the event.

11. All riders wait in line until either called to attend the judge or the judge attends their position

to announce the results of the competition.

12. In the event that a competitor drops their weapon for any reason, all marks will cease to be

applied to their run after that and an automatic loss of 3 drill points will be applied. All points

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prior to that will still be allocated. The competitor may be rearmed to complete the second

round.

13. If a rider becomes dismounted for any reason when engaged in the run, they will not be

permitted to remount until they have been checked by the first aid person and only then if it

is safe for them to do so. An automatic loss of 3 drill points will also be applied.

14. If in the judges considered opinion it appears the riders horse is an unsafe mount, then

discretion can be used to remove the horse from the competition after discussion with the

rider.

15. Drill will be awarded out of a possible 10 points. This is divided into drill style and pace on a

total of 5 points per section.

16. Complete striking of the peg to flat on the ground will be allocated 6 points.

17. Striking of the peg and it only being partially pushed to the ground 4 points.

18. Striking of the side of the peg with the tip of the sword/lance is 2 points.

19. Striking of the peg with any part of the sword/lance not being the tip attracts 0 points.

20. If the riders mount runs off the course it will result in disqualification.

21. Any round completed in trot will not be allocated any points.

22. No competitor is permitted to change horses during the competition.

23. No mistreatment of a horse will be allowed and can result in elimination.

24. In the event a riders/horse’s gear is broken, no further part can be undertaken by that

competitor until it has been rectified to the judge’s satisfaction. Loss of helmet = loss of 2

drill points plus helmet must be reinstated before continuing.

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Event Drill

1. The rider enters the course area to marker A with the sword at the slope with forearm

horizontal to the ground, the rider’s elbow at their side and the weapon resting on the

shoulder. This is done at a walk. If using a lance the rider carries the lance with the butt of

it resting on the rider’s boot. The lance is carried vertically with the rider’s hand at shoulder

height with a bent wrist to allow the knuckles to be at the front of the lance so that the rider’s

knuckles are facing the front. This ensure the lance is held vertically which is important for

drill marks and control of the weapon.

2. The rider comes to a halt at the start marker A facing the judge and once there and has the

judge’s attention completes a salute by taking the sword from the slope to a straight arm

forward to full extension with the weapon held vertical at shoulder height. The sword is then

returned to a carry position. If using a lance the rider approaches the start under the same

rules as for a sword, but holds the butt of the lance on the boot with the hand at shoulder

height holding it vertically. The salute is given by thrusting the arm holding the lance forward

at shoulder height before being returned to the to the vertical position before moving their

hand down the lance to just below the point of balance before removing it from their boot

to the carry position.

3. Once the judge has acknowledged the salute by raising the hand the competitor can

commence the run.

4. The competitor will then pick up the line of the peg and commence into a hand gallop. The

emphasis is to attain full gallop before or at marker B riding a line that will take them to about

45 centimetres to the left or right of the peg depending on the rider’s master hand. To the

left for right handers and to the right for left handers.

5. At marker C or the engage marker the sword will be taken to the straight-ahead position on

a horizontal line parallel to the ground in line with the riders’ shoulder. This is the act of

engaging the weapon prior to engaging the peg. The gradual bringing down of the point of

the sword onto the peg engages the peg by the next marker D.

For the lance, it will be thrust forward vertically being removed from the riders boot to the

carry position prior to commencing the run after the salute. It is always held under the

balance point so the point of the weapon will take itself in a downward manner to assist in

engaging the peg.

6. The strike – the instant the peg is struck with the point of the sword/lance the eye of the

rider will be on the peg and the point of the sword/lance. As the peg is passed, the arm is

kept straight and the sword/lance is allowed to at least swing back to the horizontal position

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behind the rider before being brought back to the front with a graceful underhand sweep

and returned to the slope. The rider follows the tip of the sword/lance with their eyes at all

times, in this action.

7. The gallop is maintained until the F marker and then returned to the halt at the end of the

course. The sword is still at the slope position and the halt maintained briefly before the

competitor leaves the course. The same applies for the lance except that it is returned to the

boot of the rider in the recovery position.

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Common Weapon Handling Faults

1. REACHING

The act of standing in the stirrup and leaning forward with a straight arm to the peg. Loss of

2 drill points.

2. PALMING

The practice of resting the butt of the sword in the palm of the hand of the rider giving an

unfair reach advantage and weakens the grip of the rider. Loss of 2 drill points.

3. If the rider does not use a completely straight arm when holding the sword and engaging the

peg, then ultimately the peg can be easily missed.

4. If the rider does not use snappy drill movements this will lessen the chance of striking the

peg.

5. When striking the peg with the lance it is important for the rider to follow the tip of the lance

with their eyes so that they do not have the butt of the lance strike them on the helmet. This

is also a drill movement and can attract a loss of points if not done.

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Tent Pegging

Competition Score Sheet

Event Judge

Date Signature

Rider Round Drill Style Out of 5

Pace Out of 5

Strike* Out of 6

Total Out of 16

Over All Total

out of 32 Placing

Round 1

Round 2

Round 1

Round 2

Round 1

Round 2

Round 1

Round 2

Round 1

Round 2

Round 1

Round 2

Note

Strike* 6 points when the peg is pushed completely to the ground.

4 points when the peg is pushed partially to the ground.

2 points when the peg is touched by the tip of the weapon only.

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Tent Pegging as a K Certificate Option “Option A” Assessment Sheet

RIDER DOB

PONY CLUB ZONE

HORSE VENUE

EXAMINER DATE

RESULTS MARK COMMENT

WORKBOOK

PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT

OVERALL RESULT

WORK BOOK

REQUIREMENTS MARK /10 COMMENTS

Write up preparation of horse for tent pegging and any competitions and/or schools attended

Write up preparation and care of horse, before, during and after the event (including safety equipment and precautions taken for horse and rider)

Write up experiences in competitions and/or schools and the equipment used

GRADING Competent Not Yet Competent

PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT

REQUIREMENTS MARK /10 COMMENTS

Must be able to show proficiency with the sword/lance

Demonstrate how to carry sword/lance correctly and safely. Either weapon is sufficient for this level to be assessed and does not include both.

Know commands/signals and drill for individual event runs which would be used for the assessment at this level. It would be sufficient for the candidate to know the rules pertaining to an individual 2 competition runs per rider per event as stipulated in the Tent Pegging manual held by PCAWA.

Demonstrate how to handle sword/lance at the gallop

Must know the rules of competition

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PRACTICAL ASSESSMENT cont.

Must be conversant with all rules as per the tent pegging support manual/document held by PCAWA.

Must know the scoring for competition

Must know how to release sword/lance safely if in trouble although this would not be encouraged unless needed.

Know the points for a strike, draw, carry and split peg plus points for drill and pace. A split peg will not occur with a dummy weapon and nor will a carry however it is best to know this for any future reference.

GENERAL IMPRESSION Riders Safety, Efficiency and Confidence

GRADING Competent Not Yet Competent

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

EXAMINER (Print Name)

SIGNATURE of EXAMINER

THE EXAMINER/S DECISION AS TO THE RESULT OF ANY TEST WITHIN THE PONY CLUB MOVEMENT

WILL BE FINAL.

Organisers – Please fill out the Examination report form and send results to PCAWA

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO CANDIDATE