INTERPACIFIC RALLY
The Interpacific Rally is held bi-annually and is contested between Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Japan, United States and Canada. Members 17 and under 21 years as of the 1st January in the year of the competition are eligible for selection to attend. Teams compete in a scrambled One Day Event and a Nations Cup Showjumping Event.
INTERNATIONAL MOUNTED GAMES EXCHANGE
The International Mounted Games Exchange is held annually between Australia, Canada, Great Britain and the United States America. Riders must be under 16 years of age on 1st January in the year of competition.
International Quiz
The International Pony Club Quiz is a trivia competition testing Pony Club member knowledge on general horsemanship, horses and riding (can include pieces of tack or equipment, from any discipline, farrier's tools, veterinary utensils, bits, feed, etc).
The International Quiz is held by a host Pony Club country, Pony Club Australia will send a team of 4 - aged 16-24 years. Team members must hold at least a C certificate and will be selected based on achievement in a selection test. The written selection test will be sent to a shortlist of 10-15 applicants.
2019 International Teams
Tri-Nations Cup Showjumping will be held at the 2019 Nationals Championships the Australian team of 4 for the 2019 event will be B Certificate riders and nominations will be called for by Pony Club Australia in early 2019.
China - PCA is welcoming a visit from China Pony Club riders for the Australia - China Youth Challenge in January 2019 to be hosted and held in Melbourne. Travel plans for visits to China are still to be determined however PCA expect to receive an invitation to send groups of riders as per 2018.
PCA is seeking experienced coaches interested in visiting China in a variety of roles including coaching riders based at a single centre for 3 months, coach instruction and assessment at a range of centres over 3-4 weeks, please contact Dr Catherine Ainsworth on ceo@ponyclubaustralia.com.au or follow the Pony Club Australia Facebook page for more information.
Parents of team members
Some parents might elect to travel at the same time as the team. Parents are not part of the tour group and must not interfere with their child’s participation, or the authority of the team Coach and Manager.
Parents are required to:
- Inform PCA if they will be in the destination country at the same time as their child
- Sign the parent’s code of conduct
Team Coach and Manager
It is a big responsibility and privilege to accompany a PCA team. Responsibilities commence from the date of your appointment and conclude some time after your return. The Coach and Manager roles are awarded to Pony Club members with the requisite experience, personal attributes and skills. PCA is committed to selection based on merit, and to succession planning in these national leadership roles. A person cannot fulfil an international team role more than 3 times. Applications from across Australia are encouraged.
The direct costs of your travel (airfare from closest capital city, tour costs, uniform, insurance) will be covered.
The Coach or Manager cannot be related to a team member (e.g. parent, step-parent, guardian, sibling).
The Coach and Manager work as a team, to ensure that the riders/competitors have the best, safest and most successful experience possible, whilst upholding the impeccable reputation of Pony Club Australia.
Duties and responsibilities include:
- Liaising with team members from the date of appointment, to build team cohesion, assist with pre-departure training plans
- Communicating with and becoming known to the parents of team members prior to departure
- Collating orders for uniforms and liaising with suppliers and PCA
- Using the network of past Coaches/Managers and PCA to ensure that all queries about the role are answered prior to departure, and that there is continuous improvement for the international team program – i.e. make suggestions for the future
- Keeping track of and returning all PCA items such as flags, bibs, helmet covers etc
- Purchasing supplies for the team if needed whilst on tour
- Posting to a dedicated Facebook page daily whilst on tour so that a record of the tour and the team’s experiences are shared with the Pony Club community
- Taking and providing to PCA a series of quality, high resolution photos suitable for print and social media, and as a historical record of the event
- Writing a formal tour report suitable for inclusion in the Annual Report
- Writing a report for the PCA board detailing issues, observations, risks and areas to be addressed in future
- Communicating directly with PCA and the team member’s parent in the case of emergency or incident (in accordance with the Emergency Management Plan). Assist the parent to make an insurance claim if needed.