News in Brief
A series of Health and Safety seminars will take place around the country in the coming months. Each club will be required to send their safety officer or a club delegate to a seminar and details will be published on www.airc.ie shortly.
Stay in touch Have you registered your contact information on your membership online account? If you haven’t you may miss out on email or text updates on riding club activities.
Membership cards reminder
Log onto your membership online account and update your contact information including postal address, mobile phone number and email address to stay in the loop.
Members, club officials and event organisers are being reminded that all riders taking part in any A.I.R.C. activity must produce a valid 2013 membership card.
This service is provided free of charge. Go to www.airc.ie and then select membership online (it’s located in the top right hand corner!).
Under rule 4, c, members are not permitted to take part in any activity until they are in possession of their 2013 membership card. If a member is unable to produce their membership card, they are not permitted to take part in the activity. Any breach of this rule can incur automatic suspension and a fine of up to €1,000. Club officials and event organisers are also reminded to check the grade of any rider on their 2013 membership card before accepting an entry from that competitor.
Link-Up, the publication of the Association of Irish Riding Clubs, is designed and edited by David Abbott.
Health and Safety Seminars
Don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, go to www.airc.ie and click on the links!
Need to contact National Office? National Office is open Monday to Friday between 09:30 to 13:30 and 14:00 to 17:00 by calling 045 854 555 or emailing info@airc.ie. Cover Photograph: Mo Chara’s Claudine Loughrey won the Advanced Intermediate Championship on Mc Keeping Faith at the Connolly’s Red Mills sponsored National Hunter Trials Championships last year. (Pic: Equestrian Photographic Services)
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A.I.R.C. Ltd reserves the A.I.R.C. Ltd reserves the right to amend, alter, rightortocancel amend, alter, any of this schedule should the need arise. or cancel any of this schedule should the need
Members Information
Have you registered your horse yet? Members are reminded to register their horse in advance of entering any national competition or qualifier for a national championship. As outlined in the rules of the Association (D4/12), all horses must be registered with the Association before entering a championship qualifier or national event. This service is provided free of charge but it can take up to ten days to process an application so members are asked to register their horse as early as possible. To register a horse, members complete the horse registration form (F06/11), which is available to download on www.airc.ie, and forward it along with the relevant documenta-
Membership Online, your gateway to online entries & more Each member when they join the Association is automatically allocated a membership online account. This gives you access to your account information, grades, registered horses, previous results at national events and also access to enter national 4
tion to National Office. Change of ownerships will only be recorded once the animals passport has been changed with the Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO) to reflect the new owners details. Members can check to see if their horse is registered by accessing their membership online account and clicking on “Your Horses.� Please remember that you do not have to register your horse on an annual basis. You will not be able to enter a national competition if your horse is not registered in advance with National Office. The Association of Irish Riding Clubs is not a PIO and therefore can only record information that has been recorded with a PIO. events online. Later this year we will be adding additional modules to record your education and training with us. You can also update your contact information such as your postal address, contact telephone numbers and your email address. To access your account go to www.airc.ie and click on Membership Online.
Masters Series
This years Masters Series has already gotten underway. There’s training bursaries worth over ₏1,000 on offer at the final in September for those who qualify. The years show jumping series is open intermediate, advanced intermediate, open and advanced open riders with three divisions. There are three divisions in the series - a) Intermediate, b) Advanced Intermediate and, c) Open and Advanced Open. The top six rider and horse combinations from each division will qualify for the final at each regional qualifier (see below for dates).
In a change from last year, riders may qualify at any of the eight regional qualifiers. Horses must be entered under their registered name as described on their passport. These must also be registered with National Office on the national database.
A.I.R.C. reserve the right to alter, amend or cancel any of this schedule or part there of.
Masters Series is underway!
At the series final, competitors will gain points towards the league table from a maximum of three classes per division, one of which must be the grand prix. Training bursaries will be awarded to the top three in each division at the final on Sunday 15th September. For further information, visit www.airc.ie and go to Events and National Competitions.
Regional Qualifiers 2013 07th April MR Mullingar EC, Co. Westmeath 21st April SER Top Flight EC, Co Kilkenny 05th May WR Tubberbride Stables, Co. Sligo 19th May WLR Kildare International, Co. Kildare 26th May WR West Cork Equine Centre, Co. Cork 02nd June NER Jordanstown, Co. Dublin 23rd June SLR Boswell Equestrian Centre, Co. Wicklow 21st July WMR Tipperary Equestrian Centre, Co. Tipperary Visit www.airc.ie for up-to-date information on these qualifiers.
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Horse Trials Qualfiiers
Qualifiers for the popular TRI Equestrian sponsored Horse Trials Championships get underway next month.
required If a rider and horse combination has already qualified, the next highest placed rider will go forward to the final from the qualifier. Riders may qualify at any of the eight qualifiers.
Up to 4 rider and horse combinations qualify in the Advanced Primary, Intermediate and Advanced Intermediate level at each regional qualifier.
Horses must be registered with National Office on the national database before entering a championship qualifier.
Qualification for the Open and Advanced Open championships is not
An updated list of qualified riders is published on www.airc.ie after each qualifier.
A.I.R.C. reserve the right to alter, amend or cancel any of this schedule or part there of.
TRI Equestrian Horse Trials Championships
Championship Qualifiers: 19th May 26th May 16th June 30th June 21st July 28th July 04th August 25th August
SER SWR WMR NER WLR MR WR
Kilmanahan, Co. Kilkenny Stradbally Hall Estate, Co. Laois Ballindenisk, Co. Cork Kedra Castle, Co. Tipperary Cloncaw Equestrian, Co. Monaghan Marguerite Lodge, Co. Kildare Corbeagh House, Co. Longford Tubberbride Stables, Co. Sligo
Final: 1st September AIRC
Lisgarvan House, Co. Carlow
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Riding Clubs Festival Memorial for the supreme ridden horse. The best of breed is rewarded with the Eddie Fowler Memorial trophy while newcomers to showing compete for the Frank Mangan Memorial.
The Riding Clubs Festival takes place on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June at Stradbally Hall Estate.
There’s also a working hunter championship with performance hunter classes for Primary and Advanced Primary.
From its beginnings at Punchestown Racecourse in 1991, it has steadily grown to what it has now become. Last year almost 800 horses competed in over 70 competitions across a range of disciplines. Every level, from Primary right up to Advanced Open, is catered for with a range of competitions each day. In show jumping there are competitions for individuals, teams and also some novelty classes such as power and speed and accumulator. Dressage aficionados are accommodated with a range competitions from individual, pairs and teams to dressage to music, musical ride, long arena tests and prix caprilli.
Stabling is available from Friday 7th June at 2pm until Sunday at 6pm at €90 per stable.
A.I.R.C. Ltd reserves the right to amend, alter, or cancel any of this schedule should the need arise.
Are you going to Irelands biggest amateur equestrian gathering in 2013?
Entries cost €16 for individuals, pairs cost €32 while team entry’s are €64. Postal entries close on Wednesday 24th April while online entries close on Sunday 5th May. For further information, visit www.airc.ie and go to Events and then National Competitions. The Association would like to acknowledge the following sponsors for their continued support:
The five showing rings are a hive of activity throughout the weekend with a range of championships up for grabs including the Carl Geisler 9
Disciplinary Rules
How will the new disciplinary procedures affect me?
they may be referred to the Referrals and Discipline Committee.
At the recent Annual General Meeting, clubs unanimously agreed to adopt the proposed changes to the Memorandum and Articles of Association.
Warning/Referral cards will be issued as soon as possible after the incident has taken place. A warning card will be issued to the person responsible, a copy retained by the issuer and a copy sent to National Office where it will be recorded on that persons file.
This created a new Referrals and Discipline Committee (RDC) and an Appeals Committee. This also allowed the introduction of new disciplinary rules which are outlined in the current edition of the rule book (D04/12). Warning / Referral Cards (F11/13) Our members are governed by our rules and regulations and also by a code of conduct. A member can be issued with a warning / referral card (F11/13) for a range of offences such as abuse or breach of the rules, failure to adhere to the code of conduct, taking prohibited substances, failure to adhere to the welfare of horses, dangerous riding, etc. The warning card system will operate similar to penalty points for driving offences. If a member accumulates 3 warning cards within a 2 year period,
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Offences of a serious nature can be referred directly to the RDC.
The warning / referral cards only apply to activities at inter club level or higher as Club disputes must be resolved internally. What is the Referrals and Discipline Committee? This is an eight member panel appointed by the National Committee. Five members of the panel may be members of the organisation from the legal profession or qualified mediators. Three members must be independent of the Association. If convened, the Executive will appoint a three member committee from the panel to include 1 independent person to investigate and deliberate on the matter. The Executive Committee will also appoint the chairperson.
Grading Appeals
New grading appeals process introduced This new appeals process applies when a dispute arises between clubs or regions regarding a members grade. Each region will form a Regional Grading Committee which comprises of each club grading officer. This committee will be chaired by the regional grading officer. Step by Step Process: Step 1. Complaint must refer the matter to National Office in writing using the official form with a â‚Ź200 fee. This may not be refunded. Step 2. The matter is then referred to regional grading committee. They may investigate & check external databases such as Eventing Ireland, Show Jumping Ireland, Dressage Ireland, etc. Step 3. If satisfied with current grades no further action is taken. If not satisfied with their grade, the committee may invite the member to a regional assessment day where they can be assessed in all three disciplines. Committee may be assisted by DI judge/EI official/SJI Judge or
senior riders. Grading Appeals Committee of A.I.R.C.: If the member is not satisfied with their new grades, they appeal it to the Grading Appeals Committee. This 8 member panel comprises of DI judge/SJI Judge/EI Senior Steward/professional show jumper or coach/professional or semi professional dressage rider or coach/professional eventer or coach. The appeals process then follows similar steps as outlined in 1, 2 and 3 above. If convened, the Executive will appoint a three member committee from the panel to investigate and deliberate on the matter. The Executive Committee will appoint the chairperson of this committee. This information is provided for guidance purposes only and in the event of ambiguity, the rule book (D04/12) takes precedence.
APPROVED HAT STANDARDS PAS 015 (1998) (BS) EN 1384 ASTMF 1163-95 ASTM Snell E95 (SEI) 11
Dressage Championships
Changes to Dressage Championships A number of major changes are being introduced to this years National Dressage Championships, sponsored by Connolly’s Red Mills. They include changes to the structure of the team championship while introducing a qualification system for the individual championships. From this year, clubs will now be permitted to enter teams of three or four riders. These must contain no more than two riders from any one grade representing no less than two grades. Reserves must also be nominated in advance of the qualifier. The number of teams qualifying at each regional qualifier will depend on
the number of teams which start on the day of the qualifier. One team for every four teams, or part thereof, will go forward to the championships. Teams, however, may only qualify at their respective regional qualifier. In the individual classes, the top four rider and horse combinations from the Advanced Primary, Intermediate and Advanced Intermediate classes at each qualifier will go forward to the championships. Individuals, however, may qualify at any of the regional qualifiers. If an individual rider and horse combination has already qualified at a previous qualifier, the next best placed rider will go forward. For further information, visit www.airc.ie and go to Events and National Competitions.
Championship Qualifiers 2013 19th May MR 19th May WR 02nd June WLR 23rd June WM 23rd June SER 30th June NER 07th July SWR 21st July SLR
Kilrainey Equestrisn Centre, Co. Kildare To be confirmed Punchestown, Co. Kildare Birr Equestrian Centre, Birr, Co. Offaly Ballinaclough, Co. Waterford Jordanstown, Co. Dublin Skevanish Equestrian Centre, Co. Cork To be confirmed
Visit www.airc.ie for up-to-date information on these qualifiers
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Team Show Jumping Championship
Dublin calls for annual showdown! Last year over 120 teams sought qualification for the final of the Horseware sponsored Team Show Jumping Championship at the Discover Ireland Dublin Horse Show. This makes it undoubtedly the most sought after title of the Association’s six national championships. Eight qualifiers take place each year and teams may only qualify at their respective regional qualifier. Teams of 3 or four members (and at least two nominated reserves), made up of two riders who will jump a 0.90m course (these could be made up of two Intermediate or one Intermediate and one Advanced
Intermediate) and two riders who will jump a course not exceeding 1.00m (these could be made up of any of the following grades: Advanced Intermediate, Open or Advanced Open with a maximum of one Advanced Open. There must always be one Intermediate rider on the team. The team that wins the regional qualifier goes forward to the final. The second placed team from each qualifier will go forward to the Wild Card Qualifier at the Riding Club Festival. The winner of this competition will go forward to the final on Sunday 11th August at the Dublin Horse Show.. For further information, visit www.airc.ie and go to Events and National Competitions.
Championship Qualifiers 2013: 05th May 12th May 12th May 19th May 19th May 26th May 26th May 26th May
WMR MR WLR SLR NER SER WR SWR
Clonshire Equestrian Centre, Co. Limerick Mullingar Equestrian Centre, Co. Westmeath Coilog Equestrian Centre, Co. Kildare Boswell Equestrian, Co. Wicklow Keran's Equestrian Centre, Co. Down Wexford Equestrian Centre, Co. Wexford Tubberbride Stables, Co. Sligo West Cork Equine Centre, Co. Cork
Visit www.airc.ie for up-to-date information on these qualifiers
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Around the Regions
Your photos from around the Regions
on our facebook page over the coming weeks. Below: Killcarricks John Wiseman.
We were deluged with photos from events throughout the country. We’d like to thank everyone who contributed and we’ll be posting some of the rest
Above: Dan Breen makes a splash at Blackwater Riding Clubs OneDay Event.
Above: Warringtons Jane Gaffney and Jolyn Byrne enjoying their spring show. Left: Letterkenny riders enjoy a hack out at Carrickfinn with Mt. Errigal in the background. 16
Above: Members from Kilotteran Riding Club enjoying a trek on Tramore beach last June. Left: Hillcrest’s Ruth Byrnes riding Cullen Frodo.
Right: Killossery members Susan Cusack Finn and Mary Harkness at Greenvalley’s Christmas Show Jumping League. Below: Members from Lakelands Riding Club at the Riding Clubs Festival last June.
Compiled by Kerry Creaven
Dressage Tests
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