The Pony Club takes the health & welfare of horses and ponies extremely seriously. We focus on the highest standards of equine welfare and veterinary care.
To find out more please refer to the Health and Safety Rulebook 2024 linked here. Alternatively, there are multiple guidance documents surrounding this area located on the Resource Hub.
For all Pony Club activities the organiser must undertake a risk assessment to determine the levels of veterinary cover required. This would be based on the nature of the event, the location and complexity of the site, the number of Members attending with their horses and other significant factors, to define if they need to have a Veterinary Surgeon present, or it is sufficient to use “on call” arrangements.
The recommended level of cover for Pony Club activities are given in Appendix A2 – Veterinary Cover Matrix, link to the right. However, as a result of the risk assessment, the cover for Pony Club activities may be amended to suit the size and complexity of the venue.
Members wishing to ride with spurs at Pony Club activities must have achieved the C+
Riding Test or The Spurs Test.
It is important that spurs are only worn by riders who have a stable lower leg and who are able
to use – or not use – the spur intentionally.
Follow the link for more details around The Spurs Test and the guidelines on the use of spurs.
To protect the health of all horses and ponies and the biosecurity of the venue, the following
rules will apply to all Pony Club activities. Members competing with other organisations,
such as FEI, BHA and HPA, or at certain venues, for example racecourses, will need to
comply with their vaccination requirements.
Under the Animal Welfare Acts, every owner or person responsible for an animal has a duty of care to ensure the animal’s well-being. The full policy is under review and will be made available soon.
Started in 2022, British Equestrian Launched Equine Health Week taking place in November. The purpose of the week is to provide educational information direct from experts and useful downloads. Find out more about 2024 Equine Health week click on the link below.
If you have any queries or need more information then please see the contact details to the right.
