Sports Update – July 2026
Welcome to the July edition of Sports Updates!
As we move into one of the busiest and most exciting periods of The Pony Club calendar, there is plenty to celebrate across our sports.
Area Qualifiers are now complete, with congratulations to all Members and Teams who have qualified for the next stage of their journey. Attention now turns to Area competitions and Championship preparations, with entries for Championships opening on 17th July and closing on 5th August – important dates to add to your diary!
This month’s updates include key information about upcoming Championships, team selections, qualification pathways and webinars, alongside announcements about new competitions and opportunities for 2026.
Whether you are preparing for a Championship, representing your Branch, trying a new sport or simply enjoying time with your pony, we hope you find plenty to inspire you in this month’s newsletter.
Dressage
PCIA Virtual Dressage Training Challenge
Round 1 for the PCIA Dressage Training Challenge is complete with some great tests seen by our members putting the UK Pony Club teams in first place in both the Training Level and Prix Caprilli classes.
Special mentions to Elle Ringham, Jessica Lacey and Grace Clarke who all came first in their individual sections.
Now the competitors study their score sheets, take on board the judge’s comments and work towards improvements for round 2!
Click here to watch the tests, see the results and keep up to date with the competition.
Endurance
THE ENDUROSTYLE CHALLENGE 2026
Exciting updates for the Endurostyle Challenge will be released next week! Stay tuned for full information on competition rules and what to expect on the day!
Are you excited? We’re excited!
Eventing
July is an exciting month for Pony Club Eventing, with Area competitions now underway across the country. It has been fantastic to see so many Members putting their training into practice. A full list of Area competitions can be found on The Pony Club Eventing page of the website.
We are delighted to announce our sponsors for the 2026 Pony Club Eventing Championships:
- PC90 Championship – Hiho Silver
- PC100 Championship – Evoke
- Chairman’s Cup – Treehouse Sporting Colours
Thank you to all our sponsors for their valued support.
We are also pleased to announce that the Pony Club Eventing Nations Cup will take place at Aspen Cooling Osberton International (2), 1st–4th October 2026. With teams representing the Home Nations, this is a fantastic opportunity to compete on an international stage. Full details and selection criteria can be found in the statement below. Members competing at PC100, Chairman’s Cup or PC110 level should start planning their pathway to Osberton now.
Preparations are underway for the PC110 Championships at the Bishop Burton Festival of Youth (29th July–2nd August), which promises to be a fantastic Championship experience.
A reminder that Pony Club Members can compete in up to two British Eventing competitions before becoming full BE members, and those who have never held BE membership can benefit from a 40% discount on membership fees.
We also have some exciting new eventing opportunities planned for The Pony Club Championships, including course walks with 5* event riders, rider briefings and CPD opportunities for coaches. More details coming soon!
Reminder – Eventing Committee Youth Representative Applications
Applications are still open for the Eventing Committee Youth Representative role.
This is a fantastic opportunity for a young Pony Club Member to represent the views of fellow Members, contribute to the development of Pony Club Eventing, and gain experience as part of a national committee.
If you’re passionate about Eventing and would like to help shape the future of the sport within The Pony Club, we’d love to hear from you.
Interested in becoming the next Youth Representative? Find out more and apply below.
Horsemanship
The NEW Horsemanship Home International
We are delighted to announce the teams selected for the brand NEW Horsemanship Home International an exciting new addition to this year’s Championships. This fantastic competition provides our older Members with a unique opportunity to showcase their horsemanship knowledge and skills, up to AH level, on a national stage.
To see the talented Members selected to take part, click here.
Horse & Pony Care Road to the Championships
Missed our ‘Road to the Championships’ webinar? Don’t worry! You can catch up by watching the recording. Whether you’ve already qualified for The Blue Cross Horse & Pony Care Championships or you’re hoping to qualify in the future, the webinar is packed with useful advice to help you on your Championships journey. Hear about our exciting new prizes and gain valuable tips and insights from experienced older Members who have been there and done it.
Horsemanship at The Pony Club Championships
- Wednesday 19th August – The Horsemanship Home International
- Thursday 20th August – Mini Horse and Pony Care
- Friday 21st August – Junior Horse and Pony Care
- Saturday 22nd August – Senior Horse and Pony Care
- Saturday 22nd August – Thelwell Art Competition Prize Giving to take place in the prize giving tent.
Mounted Games
With all Area competitions now complete, attention turns to the upcoming Zone competitions, and Teams across the country are busy preparing for the next stage of the season. The Northern Zones have already taken place, with the Southern Zones following on Saturday 11th July and the Central Zones on 18th and 19th July.
Congratulations to everyone who has qualified so far, and best of luck to those still competing!
For those who qualify, please ensure your entry is completed as soon as possible once entries open on 17th July. A reminder that all Team Members must be added to the entry. For Championship entries, Team Manager logins can be used to return to paid entries to add or amend rider details, but any changes must be completed by the closing date of 5th August. Team Member names for Championship hoodies will be taken directly from the entries, so please ensure all details are correct.
If your qualified Team or Pair is unable to attend the Championships, please let us know as soon as possible. Early notification allows us to offer the place to the next eligible Team or Pair and gives them the best possible opportunity to prepare.
Did you catch the England and Wales Windsor Teams on ITV on Sunday 7th June? Watch the episode of Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh to catch a glimpse of them in action in the famous Manor Farm paddock!
Polo
International Day 2026
The International Day in 2026 offers world-class polo at the highest level played on British soil in one of polo’s most iconic locations at Guards Polo Club, and this year The Pony Club have been invited to have two Jorrocks and two Jopps teams impressing the crowds with display matches in between the Young England and Young Argentina teams competing for the Whitbread Tankard, and England taking on Uraguary for the historic Coronation Cup.
A great chance to showcase our fantastic young polo players and see our “fluffies” out on the presitgious grounds of Guards Polo Club!
Our Jorrocks team will be made up of PC members aged between 6 and 10 riding 13.2h and under genuine all round Pony Club ponies.
Our Jopps team will be made up PC members aged between 6 and 11 riding polo ponies.
Pony Racing
With the Pony Racing season now more than halfway through, it has already been a fantastic year of competition. Eight fixtures have taken place so far, attracting almost 600 entries from more than 260 individual Members across the UK. There is still plenty to look forward to, with fixtures at Newbury and Nottingham later this summer, before the season concludes with meetings at Haydock Park, Bangor-on-Dee, Warwick and Lingfield.
The Points Series leaderboards are continuing to take shape as the season progresses. In the 128cm section, Chloe Morse and Llanwarne Artist from North Herefordshire currently lead the standings, as well as topping the the 138cm leaderboard with her other pony Jackets Sweet Dreams. The 148cm section is headed by Lexi Everington and Thistledown All Spice from North Shropshire. In the Branch and Centre league, North Herefordshire currently leads the way on an impressive 136 points.
Entries for Nottingham are now OPEN via the link below.
Tetrathlon
Centre Have-A-Go Days, Success in Australia, Qualifier Reminders, The Minis take on the Home International
Centres X Tetrathlon Have-A-Go Day
The first of the Centres Tetrathlon and Triathlon Have-A-Go Day took place on the 29th of May and what a truly fantastic day it was!
The Isle of Wight was home to the event and was led by The Pony Club Centre Coordinator for Area 13, Sally Blackmore, with two of our Pony Club Linked Centre’s taking part in the days activities.
Members from Linked Centres Kilbridge Hollow and Fairfield’s Riding School experienced a fun filled day where they showcased their running fitness, tetrathlon themed colouring skills, a ridden showjumping round and educational activities themed around The Pony Club sport of Tetrathlon and Triathlon. Members even had the opportunity to try some shooting under the expert supervision of Andrea Hurley!
A fun day was had by all with burgers supplied by Vivid Catering and even some of the parents showing some interest in becoming coaches – showcasing that Pony Club really is something everyone can get involved in.
Thank you to everyone who took part in the event, we hope you all had a brilliant time and learnt a lot about these Pony Club sports.
We are already busing planning the next Have-A-Go Day so watch this space for the next one taking place at Ebony Horse Club, located in Brixton.
Do you want to get involved with the fun, by attending a Have-A-Go Day as a Member or by hosting a session at your Centre for local Members? Reach out to us! Please email tetrathlon@pcuk.org with your details and we will help organise a session in your Area.
Success in Oz
Are you following the Tetrathlon International Exchange Team’s adventures in Australia? We certainly are! So far with a first place for the Girl’s team and a second place for the Boy’s team, they certainly are making a splash! Check out their antics on instagram at @tetrathlonpcuk.
Thank you to Akuma for kitting them out for their trip!
Pop back for the August edition for all the details of the trip!
Qualifiers Reminder
Have you secured your spot at The Pony Club Championships for Tetrathlon? Remember, you must compete at your own area and receive a 1000 ride score at any qualifying event to qualify. If your ride didn’t go your way at your own area, why not have a crack at any of the remaining areas?
12th July – Area 8 at Horseheath
19th July – Area 2 at Todburn Equestrian
19th July – Areas 5, 7 & 18 at Berriewood
19th July – Area 6 at Buckminster Park
19th July – Area 9,10 & 14 at Oxstalls
19th July – Area 17 at Hazledene Equestrian
7th– 9th August – Senior Home International at Pontispool (Seniors only)
Any rider who cannot attend their own area MUST apply for an Out of Area Qualification to the Tetrathlon Chairman by email ONLY at tetchairman@pcuk.org AND tetrathlon@pcuk.org via their DC & Area Rep.
Stepping Stones will be by selection by the Regional Team Managers only. All Stepping Stones competitors must have achieved a minimum ride score of 1000 at either area qualifiers or the Mini Home International.
Mini Home International Sponsored by Bedwell Bedding UK & Akuma Sports
June means the Minis are back!!
Thunder storms may have welcomed the Minis to Breckonbrough, but that didn’t stop the fiercest under 12s in the UK and Ireland. Area 2 hosted a wonderful competition, undeterred by the heat and the thunder. Boys and Girls, teams and individuals, a special first year Juniors competition and a triathlon competition all featured on the programme, bringing a total of 113 competitors to The Paddocks & Catterick Leisure Centre.
The venue was kindly provided by Helen & Tom Bell using their lovely site which is home to Breckenbrough Horse Trials.
Saturday morning dawned a little fresher but not much. Fortunately, the run heats started before 9am to beat the heat and the field was awash with the technicolour of regional vests thrashing it out over 1000m (Minis) and 1500m (Juniors). Notable runs were recorded by Archie McCartan (Co Limerick/Ireland) who clocked Best Mini Boys Run on 3m 13s and Harriet Thomas (Polden Hills/South West) Best Mini Girls Run on 3m 26s. Hetty Martin (Vine/Southern) ran even a little faster but was handicapped by a technical penalty. In the Mini Tri class, Rosie Emerson (SOHS/Central) topped her class with 3m 47s. Paddy Lees (Cumberland Farmers Hunt South/Northern) was easily the best First Year Junior runner on 5m 31s while Thea Aubrey-Fletcher (SOHC/Central) took similar honours for the Girls Run on 5m 57s.
The shoot began as the run was finishing, using the large marquee on site. Two Mini Boys scored a near-perfect 980: Harry Thornton (Hurworth/Northern) and Robert Melia (Tiverton/South West). Two Girls achieved a similar feat: Eliza Barker (Middleton/Northern) and Isla Vickers (Morpeth/Northern). Paddy Lees headed up Junior Boys with 900 while Lottie Smith (West Warwickshire/Central) shot 980. In the Mini Tri class, Beatrice Finlan (Rufford/Eastern) led her class with 960.
Akuma Sports brought their stand with some lovely merchandise featuring The Angel of the North on the back. Thank you to Akuma for their very kind sponsorship and for creating a great line of clothing for the event.
Horses were tended to & the swimmers set off on the half hour drive to Catterick Leisure Centre. It was even more sweltering at the pool where there was a scuffle to stand next to the Air Con unit! Everything ran like clockwork, finishing up with the usual hysterical excitement of the swim relay. It was as close as it gets as Northern pipped Ireland by a whisker. Hats off to both teams, who swam superbly.
Archie McCartan added to his excellent run with a fabulous swim of 6L 17 to top the boys’ scoreboard. Hetty Martin went 4 metres better to win best girls’ swim on 6L 21. Best Mini Tri swim came from Ted Walker (Mill House/Eastern) on 5L 24m.
In the Junior Class Rory Johnstone (OBHN/Central) took best boys swim with 9L 9m while Jasmine Wakeham recorded the best Junior Girls distance on 8L 19m.
Lasagne and Macaroni Cheese were on offer from the food stand and we all took the chance to refuel before.…..THE PARTY! The Minis have not previously been asked to do more than Fancy Dress. This time the brief was “The Circus”, with the expectation that one or two of the braver ones would offer some modest juggling. Oh Lord! The Effort! Honestly the Juniors had better look out as the Minis were bold, bright and confident. There were Clowns, Ringmasters (custard pies), Elephants, Stilts, Zebras, Bicycles, Zebras on Bicycles, Hula Hoops, Crash Mats…plus a LOT of water pistols. The Strictly Judges were spoilt for choice as the rain hammered down on the roof! It was nip and tuck between Northern and South West for Entertainment honours. Northern clinched it after a somewhat split vote. A special mention went to Oliver Thomas (Polden Hills/South West) for his outstanding individual clown performance.
THE RIDE
From 97 starters in the ride phase, there were thirteen 1400 Clear rounds and just a couple who received clear round rosettes with no refusals. Trouble really was spread all over the course. The first 5 fences included some tough questions which caught out those not firing on all cylinders from the off.
It was great to see all the L fences being thoroughly well used (162 times) but many would do better to use them BEFORE stopping at the harder options. Under new qualifying rules for the Tet Championships, you need to achieve 1000 ride and over half did not achieve this at Breckenbrough because they didn’t use Ls quickly enough. You can take 5 x L fences @ 70 and still earn over 1000 ride points, so this needs to be taken on board when making your plan of attack.
On to the prizegiving at which many thanks were given to the wonderful organising team of Liz Wilkinson, Emma-Kate Darnton & Heather Tweddle with tireless support from their local branches. Tet Chairman Mandy Donaldson gave out the hard earned prizes as follows.
Mini Boys
1st & Open Winner – Alex Walch (Galway Mid-County/Ireland) 4501
2nd – Archie McCartan (Co Limerick/Ireland) 4447
3rd & UK National Winner – Devon Turner-Clarke (Beaufort/Central) 4429
Mini Girls
1st & UK National Winner – Harriet Thomas (Polden Hills/South West) 4427
2nd Darcey Buitelaar (Ireland) 4418
3rd Eliza Barker (Middleton/Northern) 4335
Mini Teams
1st Irish Gold
Lucy O’Connell, Molly Jean Clarke, Jamie Cronin, Alex Walch & Archie McCartan
(Note than Irish teams also finished 2nd , 3rd & 4th!)
Best UK Team
5th Wales Red Dragons
Catrin Morgan, Amber Kinsey, Zoe James, Georgie Blythe & Ben Francis
First Year Junior Boys
1st Paddy Lees (Cumberland Farmers Hunt South/Northern)
First Year Junior Girls
1st Fiona Smith (Bedale & West of Yore/Northern)
Mini Triathlon
1st Ted Walker (Mill House/Eastern)