HOME INTERNATIONAL AND CELTIC CHALLENGE 2012 21st and 22nd July at Donard, Co. Wicklow CONTACTS: Kirstie Graham - chair international Selection committtee Email: kirstiejgraham@gmail.com
SELECTION 1. Prospective Team Members must be active within SERC during the year of selection. To be considered for 80km+ classes the rider must have completed at least one 80km ER. Novice class – CTRs must be kept to a distance (not class) no greater than 50km . 2. They must put their name and the name(s) of their intended horse(s) forward to the ISC before the first viewing ride and state which class they wish to be considered for. 3. Riders and horses must attend one assessment day. This will cost £30 per horse. Each horse will be assessed by the team vet (Graeme Swanson) and the team physio (Catriona Goulding) and advice will be given as appropriate. There will also be an informative talk from an endurance expert as well as a question and answer session for riders. Viewing rides are just normal SERC rides and are entered in the usual way. 4. Riders must ride their horses at one viewing ride prior to selection for the short list. This is to allow ISC to view potential team members on how well they ride together as a combination. Viewing rides will include timings, speed, heartbeats, time of vet presentation etc. Assessment day (North): Saturday 31 March at Logie Viewing ride (North): Sunday 1 April at Logie Assessment day (South): Saturday 14 April at West Fenton Viewing ride (South): Sunday 15 April at West Fenton The team short list will be announced a few days after the West Fenton ride. Riders on the short list will be given advice on their chosen distance and will be expected to ride at the Final Viewing Ride: 26/27 May at Eildon The decision on the final team selection will be made after Eildon and the riders will be informed by 30 May. 5. Riders should be prepared to ride if selected. (They should be actively building fitness towards the event and have ensured that the event dates are vacant) 6. They are to notify selectors immediately if any circumstances change and they (or their horse) become unavailable for selection. If more applications are made than team places available then selection will be based on: 1. The horse and rider meeting the criteria in 1-4 above. 2. The outcome of the viewing ride. 3. The past history of the horse and rider combination over the previous year. 4. The back up and support of the horse and rider team. INFORMATION In 2012 the HI&CC will be held at Donard, Co Wicklow, Ireland on the 21st and 22nd of July. Team horses will travel to Stranraer on Tuesday 17th July where they will stay overnight then travel to Belfast by ferry on Wednesday 18th then by road to the venue (approx. journey time by road 3-4 hours). On Thursday they will be checked by the team vet and physio before the final presentation to the event vets on Friday. Classes take place on Saturday and Sunday. The horses begin the journey home on Monday 23rd July. All horses must be stabled on site at night and corralled during the day in the designated areas. Horses may NOT be stabled/corralled off site as the team vet/physio/official vets must have access to them at all times. Horses should be used to this routine (stabling at night, out by day) at home so that it is not a shock to them when they get to Ireland. They should also get used to drinking sugar beet/flavoured water at home so that the different taste of the Irish water can be masked. Although it is a good idea to bring some water from home with you, especially for travelling, it is not possible to carry enough for a week and some horses do not drink well if the water tastes different. Riders should, if possible, be accompanied by an experienced crew. If none is available at the very least they should have a friend with them to give help and support. The days will be very full, hard work and tiring – corrals to put up, horses to feed/water/exercise/muck out/groom as well as vet checks, routes to recce, crewing points to be established, meetings to attend, meals to be prepared etc etc… A lot of pressure/stress can be eased by having a supportive friend to share the load. Help and advice will be available from the Chef and assistant Chefs so lack of an experienced crew is not an obstacle to selection, but the Chef should be told in advance if no crew is available. Selection Process The first step, after applying for team selection, is that horse and rider will be put on the long list. If insufficient names are put forward the selectors reserve the right to approach other riders. However this will only be done when the place concerned cannot be filled from within the list of applicants who submitted their names on time. Once the horse and rider are selected for the long list, the rider should send a report on every ride done to the Team Manager. We need to know – venue, date, distance/class, speed, final heart rate plus any other relevant information. The Team Manager will compile a data base of ride results to aid the ISC in their selection process. After the ISC has seen the horse and rider in action at a viewing ride and considered the results from other rides, a short list will be compiled. The rider should then start to keep a horse log (which will be issued and explained) and send copies of that to the Team Manager weekly. After the final viewing ride the teams will be declared. Riders should be aware that team positions are subject to change right up until the final declaration on the Friday. Any changes will be done in full consultation with the rider, vet, physio and Chef. Communication. The Team Manager is the riders’ point of contact with the ISC. All communications will be passed on to the ISC asap. Riders should be open and honest and communicate any concerns to the Team Manager at the earliest opportunity Costs Riders will be responsible for paying for their own transport to the venue in Ireland (ISC will make a block booking for the ferry, hopefully at a discounted cost) but their stabling and ride entries will be paid by ISC. Riders are free to look for sponsorship once they have been selected for the team. A letter confirming the place on the team will be sent out so that there is an official document to show sponsors. Classes Classes are as follows. These may change. Home International 1 x 160km over 2 days 1 x 120km over 2 days 1 x 80km ER 1 x 80km over 2 days 1 x 50km (Junior) 1 x 40km Novice Horse & Rider (neither horse nor rider ever to have completed a distance greater than 50km NB distance, not class) Celtic Challenge 1 x 160km over 2 days 1 x 80km ER 1 x 80km over 2 days 1 x 80km over 2 days Junior 1 x 50km 1 x 40km Novice (Horse) Horse not to be qualified beyond BTF
Interested in a place on the team? Please complete the application form attached below and return to Nancy Murdoch. Please contact Nancy by email nancy@clarifeye.com or mobile 07974 270050 for her address or for further information about team selection. ELIGIBILITY Home International Riders must be members of SERC Entitlement to ride for a country is by birth or residence. If the choice is residence then the rider must have lived in the country for a least 12 months prior to the ride. Once a rider has competed for a country they may represent another country, if they are eligible, but may not represent different counties in consecutive years. Only one change is permissible. Junior - Maximum age 16 years on 1st January in year of competition Celtic Challenge Riders must be members of SERC Junior - Maximum age 16 years on 1st January in year of competition
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