News | 18 September 2024
The Pony Club International Alliance Tetrathlon Championships
This summer from the 24th July-12th August, the Pony Club International Alliance (PCIA) Tetrathlon Championships took place. This event was hosted by the Irish Pony Club, and the UK Pony Club. Three events took place, the first at the Irish Pony Club Championships at Punchestown Racecourse, the second hosted by Northern Irish Tetrathlon at Necarne Castle and also the Senior Regional Tetrathlon, and the final at the JCB Pony Club Championships in Offchurch.
The UK Pony Club International Tetrathlon Exchange Team 2024
Boys:
Finlay Montgomery – North Shropshire Hunt
Freddie James – East Cheshire
Gregor Montgomery – North Shropshire Hunt
Marcus Cook – West Kent (Sevenoaks)
Moray Turnbull – East Stirlingshire
Morgan Thompson – Llangeinor Hunt
Oliver Loud – The Wynnstay
Patrick Williams – Seskinore Harriers
Ryan Widdicombe – South Pool
Ted Featherstone – Newmarket and Thurlow Hunt
Reserves:
Guy Holman – Albrighton Hunt
Rory McFadyen – Lauderdale Hunt
Girls:
Annabel James – East Cheshire
Cressie May – Cotswold
Eleanor Clulow – South Durham Hunt
Georgie Featherstone – Newmarket & Thurlow Hunt
Georgina Crawford – Wheatland Hunt
Hannah Raw – Zetland Hunt
Jade England – Quorn Hunt
Megan Jones – Brecon & Talybont Hunt
Nina Frankland – South Northumberland
Sophia Williams – Seskinore Harriers
Team Managers
Richard Mosley and Zoe Kennerley
Our UK Teams were joined by teams from Ireland, United States of America (USA), Australia and New Zealand.
This report was written by Nina Frankland and Georgie Featherstone, members of the UK International Tetrathlon Team.
Team Arrival, Dublin and Welcome Reception
The International Tetrathlon Exchange began at Punchestown Racecourse, at the Irish Pony Club Tetrathlon Championships. Before the competition began, we had the opportunity to meet the international competitors from the United States, New Zealand and Australia. During a visit to Dublin, we explored Trinity College and the Guinness Storehouse. The first night concluded with a quick practice shoot to get our eye into the competition, and a welcome reception within the fantastic venue, the first occasion we all wore our formal outfits! The reception was held in a room overlooking the spectacular racecourse where we received a real Irish welcome.
Irish Pony Club Championships
Punchestown Racecourse
Shoot
The first phase began on the Friday with shooting where, although it has a different format to UK tetrathlon, our teams held good scores ahead of the cross country the next day.
Cross Country
The course lived up to our expectations, in height and technicality.
Cross Country
Many scored the full 1400 points, alongside other strong rounds, with the help from a course walk courtesy of Heather Greenslade.
Run
The third phase of the competition was the run, which was then celebrated with a jersey themed party. The competition relocated on the Sunday to the Irish national aquatic centre for the swim phase. Individuals held strong results with many PBs, and UK finished second in the international relay.
Prize Giving
The prize giving was to follow, with special mentions going to Patrick Williams (3rd), Marcus Cook (8th), Oliver Loud (9th and Best Shoot) and Georgina Crawford (3rd). The Boys teams ended 5th and 6th, and the Girls 3rd and 5th.
Gala Dinner
Sunday night gala dinner concluded our time at Punchestown on a high, ahead of relocating the competition to Northern Ireland the following day.
Thank you
Thank you so much to the Irish Pony Club for hosting us at this amazing competition. A special thanks goes to John Flood for the great running of this competition.
Shoot
The first phase began on the Friday with shooting where, although it has a different format to UK tetrathlon, our teams held good scores ahead of the cross country the next day.
Cross Country
The course lived up to our expectations, in height and technicality.
Cross Country
Many scored the full 1400 points, alongside other strong rounds, with the help from a course walk courtesy of Heather Greenslade.
Run
The third phase of the competition was the run, which was then celebrated with a jersey themed party. The competition relocated on the Sunday to the Irish national aquatic centre for the swim phase. Individuals held strong results with many PBs, and UK finished second in the international relay.
Prize Giving
The prize giving was to follow, with special mentions going to Patrick Williams (3rd), Marcus Cook (8th), Oliver Loud (9th and Best Shoot) and Georgina Crawford (3rd). The Boys teams ended 5th and 6th, and the Girls 3rd and 5th.
Gala Dinner
Sunday night gala dinner concluded our time at Punchestown on a high, ahead of relocating the competition to Northern Ireland the following day.
Thank you
Thank you so much to the Irish Pony Club for hosting us at this amazing competition. A special thanks goes to John Flood for the great running of this competition.
Travelling to Northern Ireland & Rest Day
En-route to Irvinestown, we made a detour for some team building alongside the International competitors, and had a dip in the Irish sea, before settling in at the beautiful venue of Necarne Castle. Departing early on Tuesday morning, we toured at Bushmills Distillery, explored the picturesque Giants Causeway, and enjoyed pizza to fuel for the next day of training.
Training Day, Boat Trip and Pub Quiz
This began with a morning group run around the grounds of Necarne and a swim in the afternoon. In between this we took a boat trip around Lough Erne and tried water bikes in Enniskillen. The day ended with a very competitive pub quiz (which included the parents who got very competitive!), which earned us a bit of a lie in before horse matching ahead of the International Show Jumping on the Sunday.
Horse Matching and International Parade
The UK team and some kind Tetrathletes at the event put horses into a pool for the overseas riders to Show Jump with the coaches putting a lot of effort into pairing horse and riders.
We then had the incredible opportunity to parade the streets on horseback and foot in Irvinestown, wearing our team colours and waving flags. The streets were lined with locals welcoming us to their town!
Senior Regional and International Tetrathlon
Necarne Castle
Shoot & Swim
The second competition commenced on the Friday with a shoot in the morning and swim phase in the afternoon. There was then another relay, however this time with coaches – the UK team won this time!
Cross Country
We then walked the beautifully presented cross country course, which featured three water complexes, as part of the Senior Regional competition. The course caught many riders out on the Saturday yet it was educating and rewarding. ‘Myths and legends’ costume party was also a success, and didn’t hinder anyone’s performance too much on the run phase early Sunday morning, on a very hilly track.
International Show Jumping
This led us to the final phase, the international showjumping, which also included a slip rail and stop box in the spectacular stone walled arena in the castle grounds. UK competitors produced strong rounds, and their horses took care of the Internationals too, many having clear rounds.
Prize Giving
This resulted in the Girls teams finishing 2nd and 3rd, and the Boys 2nd and 6th, with special mentions to individuals Patrick Williams (2nd), Marcus Cook (5th), Ryan Widdicombe (8th), Jade England (2nd), Sophia Williams (3rd) Annabel James (6th), Georgina Crawford (7th) and Georgie Featherstone (10th).
Gala Dinner
Celebration was in full swing at Mahons Hotel for the gala dinner in the evening, concluding the first two weeks of the exchange. Some competitors then returned home for a few rest days on the Monday, while some joined the internationals while they were very kindly hosted by the East Cheshire Pony Club.
Thank you
Thank you so much to the Pony Club Area 17 Tetrathlon Committee for hosting us at this amazing competition in such a beautiful setting. A special thanks goes to Heather Williams for the organisation of this competition and for all of the support!
Shoot & Swim
The second competition commenced on the Friday with a shoot in the morning and swim phase in the afternoon. There was then another relay, however this time with coaches – the UK team won this time!
Cross Country
We then walked the beautifully presented cross country course, which featured three water complexes, as part of the Senior Regional competition. The course caught many riders out on the Saturday yet it was educating and rewarding. ‘Myths and legends’ costume party was also a success, and didn’t hinder anyone’s performance too much on the run phase early Sunday morning, on a very hilly track.
International Show Jumping
This led us to the final phase, the international showjumping, which also included a slip rail and stop box in the spectacular stone walled arena in the castle grounds. UK competitors produced strong rounds, and their horses took care of the Internationals too, many having clear rounds.
Prize Giving
This resulted in the Girls teams finishing 2nd and 3rd, and the Boys 2nd and 6th, with special mentions to individuals Patrick Williams (2nd), Marcus Cook (5th), Ryan Widdicombe (8th), Jade England (2nd), Sophia Williams (3rd) Annabel James (6th), Georgina Crawford (7th) and Georgie Featherstone (10th).
Gala Dinner
Celebration was in full swing at Mahons Hotel for the gala dinner in the evening, concluding the first two weeks of the exchange. Some competitors then returned home for a few rest days on the Monday, while some joined the internationals while they were very kindly hosted by the East Cheshire Pony Club.
Thank you
Thank you so much to the Pony Club Area 17 Tetrathlon Committee for hosting us at this amazing competition in such a beautiful setting. A special thanks goes to Heather Williams for the organisation of this competition and for all of the support!
Dan Skelton Racing
We regrouped at Offchurch Bury on the Wednesday where we had the chance to visit Dan Skelton’s racing yard on a lovely day, and were given a tour of the yard, seeing the beautiful horses and amazing facilities . We saw and learnt about the gallops; when and how they use them in the top racehorses program. We then were very lucky to see the stud side of the yard, where we saw the stallions and also heard some interesting stories and information on how it works and how they breed their professional racehorses! Finally, we had a nice lunch on the grass outside the main yard in the sunshine.
Water Obstacle Course, BBQ & Team Building
Next up was an afternoon at the water obstacle course organised by Gregor and a delicious barbecue cooked by Nick Cripps before the rest of the Pony Club Championships competitors arrived at Offchurch Bury! Thursday was team building games and a photo challenge which got us all thinking outside the box before the opening drinks reception on Thursday.
The JCB Pony Club Championships
Offchurch
The competition took the same format as the week prior, with shoot and swim on the Friday, cross country on the Saturday, and run and International Show Jumping on the Sunday.
Shoot & Swim
The Shoot and Swim ran smoothly, with some impressive scores across the competition. The National Competitors also joined us, as well as the Stepping Stones Regional Tetrathletes – Mini Competitors selected to represent their region at the Championships.
Cross Country
The cross country course at Offchurch was beautifully presented by LandS eventing and gave us a fantastic ride.
Run
The run was done with timing chips and the run steward set a course which saw us run through the water jump, the finish was lined with spectators and a commentator which pushed us all on in those last few hundred meters!
International Show Jumping
This week for the international ride phase, every competitor rode an unfamiliar horse, as we swapped within the team. We were also lucky enough to have some generous national competitors donating their horses into the pool. It was great to see how we rode each other’s horses and an incredible experience with such a great atmosphere from lots of other spectating tetrathletes.
Prize Giving
Strong placings were produced again, with Girls teams coming in 2nd and 5th, Boys in 2nd and 4th, Marcus Cook (10th), Ryan Widdicombe (5th), Patrick Williams (2nd), Jade England (10th), Georgina Crawford (4th) and a well-deserved win for Sophia Williams. Notably, Oliver Loud achieved three back to back best shoots from every competition.
Final Party
After the prize giving, we got together for one last party with all competitors, coaches, family and friends to celebrate the experience we have had.
Thank you
A HUGE thanks goes out to the Tetrathlon Committee for the great organisation of the Tetrathlon Championships. Also another thank you goes out to LandS Eventing for such a great course, and to the UK Pony Club for running the event.
Shoot & Swim
The Shoot and Swim ran smoothly, with some impressive scores across the competition. The National Competitors also joined us, as well as the Stepping Stones Regional Tetrathletes – Mini Competitors selected to represent their region at the Championships.
Cross Country
The cross country course at Offchurch was beautifully presented by LandS eventing and gave us a fantastic ride.
Run
The run was done with timing chips and the run steward set a course which saw us run through the water jump, the finish was lined with spectators and a commentator which pushed us all on in those last few hundred meters!
International Show Jumping
This week for the international ride phase, every competitor rode an unfamiliar horse, as we swapped within the team. We were also lucky enough to have some generous national competitors donating their horses into the pool. It was great to see how we rode each other’s horses and an incredible experience with such a great atmosphere from lots of other spectating tetrathletes.
Prize Giving
Strong placings were produced again, with Girls teams coming in 2nd and 5th, Boys in 2nd and 4th, Marcus Cook (10th), Ryan Widdicombe (5th), Patrick Williams (2nd), Jade England (10th), Georgina Crawford (4th) and a well-deserved win for Sophia Williams. Notably, Oliver Loud achieved three back to back best shoots from every competition.
Final Party
After the prize giving, we got together for one last party with all competitors, coaches, family and friends to celebrate the experience we have had.
Thank you
A HUGE thanks goes out to the Tetrathlon Committee for the great organisation of the Tetrathlon Championships. Also another thank you goes out to LandS Eventing for such a great course, and to the UK Pony Club for running the event.
Fantastic Opportunity
The International Tetrathlon Exchange 2024 was in no doubt the highlight of every competitor’s Pony Club careers, where lifelong memories and friendships were formed within and between teams. We are all so thankful for Pony Club itself, all the volunteers, sponsors and amazing team managers, Richard and Zoe, without whom the exchange wouldn’t have been as smooth and memorable.
Congratulations
Congratulations to all that took part in the Pony Club International Alliance Tetrathlon Exchange 2024, especially to those representing the UK Pony Club!
To get to where they are today, each of these members have dedicated their time and effort into training themselves and their horses to be as fit as possible for this exchange, as well as being active members of their branches, many also competing in other Pony Club disciplines.
There is an International Exchange in 2026 to Australia. Please keep an eye out on the link below for information on how you could become a member of the UK International Tetrathlon team.