Sports Update – August 2026
Welcome to the August edition of Sports Updates!
Dressage
PCIA Virtual Dressage Show 2026
We are pleased to be a part of an exciting opportunity for members to take part in an International Virtual Dressage Competition alongside other members from Pony Club International Alliance (PCIA) countries.
There are four classes available, including Dressage to Music for which we are invited to send a team of four for each. Pony Club members can be nominated to take part if they meet the class eligibility and will be selected by the Dressage Committee based on the submission of a scoresheet of the member riding the specified PC Dressage test.
Click below for more information and to apply! Deadline 23rd August.
The Endurostyle Challenge Rules
Have you entered The Endurostyle Challenge? Have a look at our rules at the link below to make sure you’re in tip top shape for the competition.
The map will be released to competitors ahead of the competition. Please study carefully as you will be asked to pinpoint where you are on course.
We want to reassure all competitors that anyone who has not competed in Endurance previously will be fully supported around the course. Whether you are a seasoned Endurance pro or brand new, our emphasis for this year remains on a fun and supportive competition. If you have any questions in the run up to the competition, please do not hesitate to get in touch!
Schedule:
Endurostyle Challenge 10:00am
Endurostyle Challenge Elite 11:45am
(P.S if you haven’t entered already, you have until midnight TONIGHT (5th August))
Polocrosse
Home Nations 2026
The 2026 Home Nations competition took place at Priors Norton in Gloucestershire between the 24th and 26th of July, all kindly hosted by Cotswold Polocrosse Club and the Whitehead family, and saw some amazing play from the three teams involved; Wales, England and the Celts (made up of players nominated to represent the Celtic nations).
There was some fierce competition across all the grades and some very close results, including the final for the Minis going to golden goal. However, ultimately is was Wales who won the day and achieved something no nation has achieved before; a clean sweep of all the trophies, including the Field Shield for the best overall performance in the training camp, as judged by a selection of judges over the three days.
Congratulations to all the teams, thank you to all the organisers, umpires, umpire ponies, volunteers, officials and parents, and thank you to our sponsors for supporting the events and the teams.
Horsemanship
The Pony Club Thelwell Art Competition – BRAND NEW AGE CATEGORY
This year, the Pony Club Horsemanship Committee was delighted to introduce a brand new 8 & Under age category to the 2026 Pony Club Art Competition, recognising and celebrating the incredible creativity of our youngest Members.
🌟 Congratulations to all of our 8 & Under finalists – you should all be incredibly proud of your artwork!
🏆 Winner: Nina Mitchell (Wylye Valley)
🥈 Runner Up: Olivia Roblett (Petasfield Stables)
✨ Finalists:
🎨 Molly Raper, Emma Lacey, Rosie Hannaford and Gracie Burrows.
The introduction of this new category provides an opportunity to showcase and celebrate the artistic talents of our youngest Members, and we hope it encourages even more budding artists to get involved in future Pony Club Art Competitions.
Thank you to everyone who entered this year and helped make the 2026 competition such a wonderful celebration of creativity and imagination.
We’re already looking ahead to next year’s competition and will soon be choosing the theme for the 2027 Pony Club Art Competition. We would love to hear from Members with their ideas for next year’s theme. If you have a suggestion for what the 2027 theme could be, please share your ideas with us via the link below. 🎨✨
Eventing
The PC110 Championships make their debut at Bishop Burton’s Festival of Youth!
This year marked an exciting new chapter for Pony Club Eventing, with the PC110 Championships taking place for the first time as part of Bishop Burton’s Festival of Youth.
In a joint initiative between The Pony Club and British Eventing to help de-clutter the Eventing calendar for riders under the age of 25, the Festival of Youth and the PC110 Championships were brought together into one event. This meant that Pony Club Members under 21 could compete in both the CCIJ2* or CCIYR2* and the PC110 Championships without having to choose between them. It also gave Pony Club Members over the age of 21 the opportunity to continue competing at the Festival of Youth, despite being too old for the 2* classes.
All Pony Club Members competed together in one section, representing their Areas in squads, with the best three scores counting towards the team competition. It was fantastic to see 40 starters in the PC110 class and 10 Area squads represented, with competitors travelling from as far as Scotland and the South Coast of England.
Congratulations to Area 3, represented by Emily Worsdale (Bedale & West of Yore), Emily Lawson (Hurworth) and Izzy Tweddle (Bedale & West of Yore), who claimed victory in the Area Team competition.
Congratulations also to 22-year-old Lottie Walsh (Fylde & District), who won the PC110 Championship, and to Zurie Dempster (Dumfriesshire) riding Carraiganard Obie, who took the overall title from all 40 starters after finishing on her impressive dressage score of 30.8. What a fantastic achievement!
A huge thank you to Bishop Burton for hosting such an incredible event, and to British Eventing for welcoming The Pony Club into the Festival of Youth. Thank you also to LeMieux for providing the winners’ rugs and to R&R Country for supplying a fantastic selection of prizes for our competitors.
Finally, a very special thank you goes to Patrick Campbell, Chairman of The Pony Club Eventing Committee, whose hard work and commitment helped make this exciting new opportunity possible for our Members.
Pony Racing
Pony Racing returns this month with fixtures at Nottingham (12th August) and Newbury (27th August). Entries are now closed for both.
However there will still be time to enter Bangor-on-Dee race day (27th September) as well as Warwick and Lingfield which take place in October.
A reminder to all competitors to familiarise themselves with the rules and only enter classes that they and their pony are eligible for.
Mounted Games
We are now in full swing in the run-up to the Mounted Games Championships – congratulations to all the Teams who have qualified this year!
The competition gets underway in just over a week, with the Junior Championship kicking things off on Friday 14th August, followed by the Intermediate and Pairs Championships on Saturday 15th August, before the Senior Championship rounds off the weekend on Sunday 16th August. The Senior Teams will also be battling it out for the final two qualifying places at the Horse of the Year Show (HOYS).
Congratulations to the Teams who have already secured their HOYS qualification:
- Strathearn from Northern Zones
- Wylye Valley (our 2025 HOYS Champions) from Southern Zones
- North Warwickshire from Central Zone Saturday
- North Herefordshire from Central Zone Sunday
Who will be the final two Teams to join them? We can’t wait to find out!
We were also delighted to welcome home our IMGE Team following an incredible 10-day trip to America. Accompanied by chaperones Nicola and Rob Way, the Team enjoyed a packed itinerary and a fantastic international experience representing The Pony Club.
Keep your eyes peeled for a full report on their trip in next month’s newsletter – you might even be inspired to apply yourself! Applications for the 2027 IMGE trip will open in December 2026, so watch this space.
Howden Centre Equitation
Calling all Centres and Centre Members! Are you taking part in the Howden Centre Equitation competition this year? This completely online competition allows Centre Members to compete INTERNATIONALLY without even needing to leave their riding school. All information can be found on the Centre Equitation page of the website – Hurry! Entries close 14th September.
NAF Regional Championships
As well as the National Championships, our PC70 and PC80 Members will be taking part in the NAF Regional Championships at five different locations around the UK:
Scotland, North England and Northern Ireland Region (Areas 1, 2, 17, 19) @ Auchlishie
7th – 9th August 2026
Northern England & Wales Region (Areas 3, 4, 5, 7) @ Kelsall Hill Equestrian Centre
29th – 31st August 2026
East Midlands & East Anglia Region (Areas 6, 8, 12) @ Aston le Walls
29th – 30th August 2026
South Wales and Southern England Region (Areas 9, 10, 11, 13, 18) @ Rectory Farm Arena
29th – 31st August 2026
South West Region (Areas 14, 15, 16) @ Bicton Arena
29th – 30th August 2026
The NAF Regional Championships are organised and run by these Venues, along with Pony Club volunteers. Please visit each venue’s own website for more information regarding entries and schedules.
Tetrathlon
Tetrathlon Championships
It’s almost Championships time!!
Are you competing this year? Make sure you join the competitor WhatsApp community to stay up to date with the latest on the competition details.
Basic Championship Schedule:
Thursday 13th August – Practice Shoot (Stepping Stones, Juniors, Intermediates, Opens)
Friday 14th August – Shoot (Stepping Stones, Juniors, Intermediates, Opens), Swim (Stepping Stones, Juniors, Intermediates, Opens) and Run (Stepping Stones)
Saturday 15th August – Ride (Juniors, Intermediates, Opens)
Sunday 16th August – Ride (Stepping Stones) and Run (Juniors, Intermediates, Opens)
Senior Home International
We’ve seen the Minis and the Juniors in action this summer – now is the turn of our exceptional Seniors!
Taking to Pontispool this weekend, our Senior Tetrathletes from the eight regions and the Republic of Ireland will compete for the Senior Regional Championships, wrapping up our season ahead of The Pony Club National Championships. Some will also be seeking final qualification spots for the Championships. Any Members who do qualify at the Senior Regionals will have an entry window opened for them.
We are sure the weekend will feature the fiercest of competition and good times all round. We wish all the competitors, organisers, volunteers and supporters the very best of luck this weekend.
Nations Cup 2026
We regret to announce that the Nations Cup, proposed for Breckonbrough in September, has been cancelled for 2026. This decision has not been taken lightly and is due to several factors, including conflicts in the competition schedules of major competing nations.
Please stand by for an announcement on the 2027 fixture in the autumn.