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New to TREC? |
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The BHS has a handy info page HERE,
which
you
may
want
to
browse.
If your question isn't answered on either this page or
the BHS site, please e-mail info@white-horse-trec.co.uk,
who
will
be
happy
to
answer
any queries you may have. Want to come along to help out and see what goes on? Here's a
handy guide for volunteers - all help is
very welcome, no experience required as you will be fully briefed on
the day! Don't feel overwhelmed at
trying a new sport, remember that it's
just a fun day out - a hack with a few extra bits! You could print this guide out for future reference, but the
titles below will let you navigate between the sections of this guide
quickly. How can
I
prepare? Firstly, decide which event you're
going to aim for, send off your
entry and
arrange transport in good time. You don't need to be brilliantly fit, and neither does your horse - if you can cope with a 2-3 hour mixed pace hack you will be fine. Obviously the fitter you both are, the easier it will be - but you'll see all shapes and sizes of equines and riders at BHS TREC events. In the weeks leading up to the
event, take a 1:25000 map (the orange
'Explorer' series and yellow 'Outdoor Leisure' maps,
available from most bookshops and Ordnance
Survey) of your local area out hacking. Keep an eye on
the map and get used to how long a distance on the map takes to ride
while you're out. Perhaps set yourself new routes to ride! If you're
not confident with orienteering, why not pair up with a friend? (At
least that way you can have a laugh while getting lost)! You could also
sign up for some orienteering training and learn the
proper way to do it - see our Diary Dates
page for training sessions.
On many bridlepaths there are
ditches, gates, steps, bridges, logs,
low branches (and quite often flytipped scary rubbish too) that you can
negotiate with your horse to practise for the PTV - be imaginative, but
stay safe. Practise for the control of gaits section on hacks too - you want a really nice very slow canter, and a fast walk. Get used to feeling when the horse is about to break into trot, and catch him before he does so. It may be an idea to get your horse
used to a rustly map being
re-folded while you're on his back. Don't try this for the first time
on a hack - stand in an enclosed space with someone on the ground to
keep the horse steady in case he panics. Handy pony courses are great fun -
set your own up at home, or enter
at a show, as you never know what organisers might throw in. Flappy
tarpaulins to walk past/over, flags, things that aren't seen every day
- the more varied, the better. If you can't practise - don't worry!
Your first time is just for you
to see what happens and get used to how BHS TREC competitions are run.
Don't pressure yourself to do well until you and your horse have got
experience of what's involved.
Tack must be safe
and well-fitting, but
as long as it fits those
criteria there are few limitations other than no fixed reins. You may
find that some pairs are in
co-ordinated or silly outfits,
this is not necessary but can add a little humour to the day!
What
will
happen
on
the
day? A few days beforehand you will have
rung up for, or been sent, your
allocated start time. Make sure you know where the event is and how to
get there. (The
AA can work out a route for you). Pack everything the night before so
that there's no panicking on the
day - just quickly check that you've got it all. A laminated list of
things to tick off is often useful. Aim to arrive about 90 minutes prior
to your allocated time,
especially if it's your first event. Have a look round, go to the loo,
let your horse nibble some grass or his haynet, and relax a little
after the journey. Go find the secretary to sign in and
collect your rider
number & saddle tag details. Have a look at the diagram of the PTV
course,
and the order the obstacles are to be done in. Make a note of whether
inclines, steps and ditches are ridden or led. Some PTV obstacles may
be out on your POR route, so be aware of this. Change your watch to the
same as the 'official time' so that you can keep track of your progress
on the route. Be tacked up ready in good time for
your tack check. Present
your horse to the official, have everything that needs to be checked
easily visible or within reach and remember to keep breathing! When you
are called for the map room, a steward may hold your horse for you or
there may be areas where you can tie your horse up. Before you go in, ensure you have
your pens handy so
that you
don't waste time looking for them while you're in there. You can also
check which way is North, to make orientating your map easier when you
set off. Your record card will (usually) be given out when you're in the map room. Guard it with your life - loss of this means elimination. Either have it in your map case, or somewhere secure in your saddlebags - you don't want the card to fly away when you get something else out of the pocket.
Watch
out
for
direction
arrows,
carefully
mark
which side of field
boundaries you're to ride on, which side of buildings to go around, and
where to turn off paths. These are usually the sites of ticket points
and
checkpoints, so accuracy is essential! IF you have time after marking the
route, use a different colour
of pen to roughly mark each km on the course (one side of a blue-line
square is a kilometre), and then use small but bright circles or
triangles
to draw your eye to any anomalies like field crossings (so you don't
miss them), and landmarks to watch out for. Be careful not to obscure
your route with the notes & symbols. Make a note of the first set speed
which will be displayed in the
map room
too. When your ten minutes are up, gather
up your pens, map and record card. Put them away safely, collect your
horse (remember to thank whoever held him!) and mount up. Your time
starts as soon as you've left the map room, so don't hang around! The
Ridden
Sections The three parts of a BHS TREC
competition
may
not always
be run in the following order. The PTV and/or CG may be in the middle
of the POR
route at checkpoints.
Don’t
worry
at all about the speeds on your first POR. Do a ‘best guess’ instead.
Generally 6kph = walk, 7kph = fast walk with a bit of trot, 9kph =
mostly trot, some walk, 12kph trot with canter. This obviously depends
on your horse's height and length of stride, but it’s a
good starting point. The most important thing is to concentrate on
finding and taking the
correct route - as Rob Jones says, "it's no use going at the right
speed in the wrong
direction!" After you
have
completed a
couple of BHS TREC competitions, and you are more confident, you will
probably
want to start making speed calculations. You may find it useful to
print out this
table, and use it to
work out how much time you should take between your marked kilometres
on the map while you're on the move. You can then see whether you
should be speeding up or slowing down in order to keep up your speed,
and hopefully reduce your time penalties at each checkpoint. Read up on some
helpful hints about looking after your horse and yourself while out on
a hot day or long ride here. Checkpoints
They
generally
comprise of white (left) and red (right) flags on the ground, with an
official, a chair, and a 'holding area'. When you see
the flags or official, keep going in the same pace you already are - a
break of pace in sight of a checkpoint equals 30 penalties. Keep going
and ride right through the flags. Once you've
stopped, give your record
card to the checkpoint official, who will mark it up with your time and
tell you how long you're holding for - at least 5 minutes. Move into
the holding area out of the path of others behind you and wait until
your time to go. Use this time
wisely. Let your horse graze, have a drink and/or a quick bite to eat,
and
identify exactly where you are on your map. Look at the route ahead and
identify any turns off your current path, roads or landmarks, so that
you're not having to study the map in great detail while you're on the
go. Make a note of the set speed for the next part of the route, which
will be clearly displayed. If you are
confident enough to try to monitor your speed (rather than guess) and
have marked each km on your route, then work out roughly how far it is
to the next km mark from your current position (and how long it should
take at the next section's speed) When your
number is
called again, thank the official, make sure that
you've got your record card and then away you go! Ticket Points Other
devices to check that you're on the right
track are ticket points. These are usually lurking where there's
a gap in the hedge that you've to cross through, or a
turning from a road into a field. Double
check
the correct route with your map, stamp your record
card if you need to
then go on your way again. Don't assume that because there's a gap with
ticket point, you've
to cross through it - there are both 'good' and 'bad' ticket points
with penalties for missing good ones or getting bad ones. Control of Gaits - Slow
Canter, Fast
Walk
You will canter away from the start, and walk back. Time
starts and
ends between the pairs of flags at each end
of the corridor. Don't stray out of the corridor, and don't break into trot. If you feel like you are doing well in the
canter then don’t be afraid
to kick on for the last few strides, to ensure that you finish in
canter, rather than break pace 10 yards from the end to score zero!
Give it a go!
This is a timed obstacle course, the
speed
will be clearly displayed but it is usually designed to be done at
canter. Time penalties are deducted from your total PTV score if you
are over the optimum time, at
the rate of 5 for the first minute
(or part thereof) over the time, 10 penalties for the next
minute or part, and another 15 penalties for third minute or part of.
So 3 minutes over the time = 30 penalties, after that no further time
penalties are incurred. There will be 16 obstacles, to be done in a certain order (for a list of the usual obstacles, see the BHS TREC Rulebook). Generally, you should aim to canter between the obstacles, then come back to walk or trot in good time to present your horse correctly at each one. Red flags to the right, white flags to the left. Once you've passed through the flags at the start of an obstacle, if you then break pace/stop/fall, you will have points deducted from the 10 available for that obstacle. See the BHS TREC Rulebook for the scoring systems for different types of obstacle.      If you don't want to attempt an obstacle then you don't have to do it! If your horse never loads in a trailer, won't go through water at home, or has never jumped before, he's unlikely to do it well in competition, so you can opt out of any obstacle you don't like the look of and you will just score zero for that one. You must STOP at the obstacle, and clearly inform the judge that you're not attempting that one. If you don't tell the judge, or if you just career past at a canter and shout across to the judge, you will be eliminated for taking the wrong course.
You
can't score minus points at obstacles for getting them wrong, just
zero, so if you and your
horse are
feeling happy and confident then do try the ones that maybe you weren't
sure about at the start. The only time a judge will award a score of
less than zero is if brutality or dangerous conduct is observed at an
obstacle. Don't waste time at 'sticky' obstacles - if your
horse is saying no, then leave it for another day and work on the
issues at home. Similarly, if you
feel yourself getting anxious or angry with your horse at an obstacle,
just take a deep breath and tell the judge you'll bypass it! Each
obstacle is only worth
2% of the total marks available in the
whole event. This is a tiny amount, and it's perfectly possible
to get
placed even with some low or zero scores on your card as everybody has
different strengths and weaknesses. Safety is always paramount. Remember
to
stay out of the way of the horse if he could jump
up/down/over an obstacle while you are leading. When leading your horse, unless he
wears a
running martingale, you must take the reins over his head. If the horse
wears a running martingale, secure the reins behind your stirrups and
lead from the lead rope. Always secure your stirrups so that they do not flap around. Just crossing them may not be enough if your horse tackles an obstacle exuberantly, as they may bounce back down - it's recommended that you run them up fully. The water, footbridges, S-bend and
trailer
MUST be negotiated at walk. On inclines, make sure you go in a
straight line between entry and exit flags. Jumping obstacles must be jumped,
rather
than stepped/climbed over - though if your horse is inexperienced and
the jump is small enough, have a go for experience and just be aware
that the score for that obstacle may not be very high. Ditches can be jumped or walked
through -
it depends on you and your horse's preference!
You will ride the CG and PTV
separately. Bear
in mind that your horses need to be ok about being parted from each
other so it may not be the best idea to ride with your horse's pair
bond.
Once the results are out, give yourself
a
pat on the back no matter how you've done - the variety of skills
needed to be successful in BHS TREC is huge, and everyone has their
individual strengths and weaknesses. Look at your score sheet and
identify the things to work on for
next time! If you have any more questions, feel free to email info@white-horse-trec.co.uk. Want to join WHTG? Click here. For website queries, comments and
suggestions,
please contact Evie at webmaster@white-horse-trec.co.uk. Copyright of White Horse TREC Group 2006. |
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If
you'd
like
to
have
a
go
at BHS TREC, but don't really
know the
first thing about where
to start or what will be expected of you, look no further! We've
compiled a first-timer's 'absolutely everything you might possibly want
to know' guide, with hints and tips to make sure
you're
prepared on the day. There is a lot of information here, but TREC
really isn't all that complicated, especially at the lower levels. Many
people do well at their first time out without much specific
preparation (and sometimes none at all!), just a little confidence and
a willingness to enjoy a nice day out with their horses having a go at
something a bit new and different. 
Buy
the BHS
TREC rulebook from the 
Take a look at the 
In here, you will find a table
and chairs, a
map with a
route marked
on it sellotaped to the desk, and an unmarked map. Sit down,
turn the unmarked map to the same way round as the master map, find the
start
point which will be marked with a triangle, then quickly, but
most of all CAREFULLY, copy down the route in one colour onto your
unmarked map. 
Checkpoints
aren't
marked on your map, they are designed to make sure you're doing the
correct route at the right speed, and give the horses and riders a
short break on the way round.
This
section is a simple test of
how slowly your horse
can canter
and how quickly it can walk, without breaking into trot from either
pace. It is measured through a
corridor of up to 150m in length, and between 2 and 2.20m in width. See
the rulebook for the points scored for canter and walk times
respectively.
Let
your horse chill
out and have some hay or grass, offer him water and brush him off, then
get changed and relax! Results will be available as soon as possible
once you've finished, but it's a big job so be patient! The waiting
around provides a good opportunity to
socialise with your fellow competitors -
something that TRECcies do very well. There may be a BBQ or tea-making
facilities available, depending on the weather.