Dodson & Horrell Hunter Trial 22nd March 2020
We know you are all desperate to know if this event will go ahead – thank you for your hopeful facebook posts! Sorry for the forthcoming essay but here goes….
At the moment our plan is to proceed with the hunter trial, but on a scaled back basis. If Coronavirus guidelines change we may need to review this.
We have decided to remove the competition element from the hunter trial so that in effect what we are offering is a schooling round. We hope that by doing this we will mitigate the risk of accidents as the last thing we want to do is put further pressure on our health service.
This should mean that participants are not clock chasing, and if they encounter a problem at a fence they have the option of jumping the lower obstacle or passing it by completely. We will have a number of experienced monitors/first aiders around the course who can also provide
assistance should anyone need it during the course of their round. Anyone seen to be riding dangerously will be stopped immediately as they would be normally.
By removing the competition element we aim to also remove the risk to volunteers, scorers, etc. The café will be closed so please bring your own refreshments. There will be a starter as people will still be given a start time, and numbers (for identification purposes only) will be provided on a self-collection basis. All numbers will be disinfected prior to stacking. We would ask all participants to bring as few people with them as possible, to respect the social distancing guidelines that the Government has put in place, and not to attend if they feel at all unwell. The only breach of the 2m distance rule will be in the event that a participant requires first aid and in that case guidelines will be followed to mitigate the risk of infection both to the injured person and the first aider. Please note that there will be no paramedics in attendance and if you decide to retain your entry your acceptance of our first aid provision is assumed.
If you wish to withdraw your entry please be advised that you must do so by sending an email to kirsty@ianstarkequestriancentre.co.uk BY MIDDAY ON THURSDAY 19TH MARCH 2020. All withdrawals PRIOR TO THIS TIME will be given a FULL REFUND. We will not be accepting any late entries so if you would like to enter the closing date is still MIDDAY ON WEDNESDAY 18TH MARCH 2020. We recognise that people may feel that £26 for one hunter trial schooling round is too much, so to ensure value you for money you will also be able to do a rustic clear round at the same height as your hunter trial for no extra charge. Numbers will be put on the board as people come to the warm-up arena, so please ensure you are there in plenty of time to do your round before going down to the start of the hunter trial course. No clear round rosettes will be given. Second rounds of the clear round will be charged at £5 on the door. The clear round is only open to hunter trial participants during the course of the hunter trial – we may open it up later on Sunday for schooling.
We understand that some people may feel we should not be running this event. We have given those people the opportunity to withdraw with a full refund so please vote with your feet. If guidelines change we may be forced to cancel but like everyone we are trying to navigate a difficult situation and we hope that the measures we have taken strike a balance between keeping our clients and volunteers safe, keeping our business and employees working, and not putting extra pressure on our emergency services.
Thank you for your continued support of the Ian Stark Equestrian Centre.