Pony Club - Appeal for help

With the arrival of spring and warmer weather Pony Club activities are about to move up a gear.  Each year the branch runs a mixture of rallies and associated activities for members, summer camps and competitions.  Our competitions are mostly held at Wivelsden Farm where we are very fortunate to have our own cross country course.  Competitions are the main fund raising events of the year and have been very successful over recent years having proved popular with both members and local non Pony Club riders alike.

Rather like schools, there is a turnover of membership each year and we always say good bye to some older members while saying hello to new members of all ages and their families.  Pony Club is run entirely by volunteers and we only pay for a handful of services and even then at less than market rate so there is a goodwill element pretty much throughout.  The purpose of this message is to appeal to anyone willing to be involved in running the branch to make themselves known so they can become involved. 

We can always benefit from people willing to help in the following ways:

Rally Organising

Book venue and instructor.  Take names and money (cash/cheque/BACS).  Arrange rides and publish as necessary (create e-mail for distribution).  Handle any queries from the membership and take a harsh line with 'no shows' and invalid excused for not turning up and expecting a refund!

Jump Stewarding

This is mainly an 'outdoor gym' role.  Our jumps are all stored undercover when not in use at a remote location.  When needed they have to be loaded safely onto trailers and unloaded after use.  Breakages and missing equipment need to be attended to.  There is the potential for helping with maintenance (eg.(repair broken wings, filers, paint wings and poles).

XC Course Maintenance

We have a mixture of portable and fixed jumps.  The course has now been in use for some 8 years so more repairs are now required (basic carpentry skills and access to power tools helpful).  We also try and paint the jumps each year to enhance their appearance and help preserve the wood.  In the grass growing season we need to strim around the jumps.  From time-to-time courses are re-arranged and John Bedford would appreciate any help with such tasks as removing and redeploying the ground anchors (sledge hammer task).

Shows

There are numerous jobs associated running the main shows:

·         Creating and editing the schedules and entry forms;

·         Taking entiries and compiling lists of 'runners and riders' by class, answering queries and collecting the money;

·         Manning 'front of house' on the day – handing out numbers to competitors, taking late entries, selling number bibs. dealing with lost mobile phones, defusing competitive parents whose little one's have been unexpectedly eliminated for jumping the wrong jump;

·         Jump judging;

·         Scoring (one for the computer nerds – it's surprisingly complex and more interesting than Sudoku);

·         Tack checking - a vital safety and horse welfare role;

·         Stewarding (making sure the right competitor is in the right place at the right time);

·         Traffic management and parking;

·         Course flagging / de-flagging;

·         Arena roping / de-roping;

·         Putting the results on-line after the event;

·         Sending out rosettes for those who left early;

·         Managing rosettes (ordering the right ones in the right quantity);

·         Finding and retaining sponsors.

No prior knowledge or expereince is required.  We are fortunate in having a core of 'old hands' who have amassed years of experience (many will say too many!!) and are more than happy to explain what to do.  Team work is everything.  It can seem like organised chaos at times but that's the nature of the beast. It is much more important to be willing to get 'stuck in' and have a go than feeling supremely confident about organising something logistically complex at the first attempt.  The great mystery is how anyone did anything before mobile phones and e-mail!

We know it can be a challenge to both help on the day and have one's own members compete.  Some people have managed this very well and for some it's not logistically possible.  However, there are tasks that can be undertaken at other times.

We have decided to drop the Branch Show this year and replace it with a Combined Training event mainlyh to reduce the map power effort to put it on.  This would be a good place to start so we would love to hear from any new recruits ASAP.

The next Events Committee meeting is on Monday 9th May at 19:30 at The Cock Inn in Wivelsfield Green and newcomers would be more than welcome especially if you want to find out more about running the main events but all are welcome.  Alternatively e-mail back to Anne Cook or any of the committee.  Finally, please don't simply assume someone else will do it because the day may come when there isn't anyone and then the Club will stop.  On the plus side (apart from maintaining a healthy bank balance) there's the satisfaction of knowing how much excitement, pleasure and enjoyment the Pony Club brings to its members and the complementary comments we often receive after running a 'good event'.