Horse followers in shock as interest horse championships launched | UK | News | EUROtoday

For many, it will need to have been presumed to have been an April Fool. But readers of Horse & Hound quickly realized that the British Show Pony Society (BSPS) actually have been introducing interest horse driving competitions.

The transfer is the most recent try and encourage a wider age group to get into the game. Under the system, courses will likely be divided into two age ranges – three to 6 and 7 to 11.

Those participating within the BSPS’s summer season championships will every carry out a freestyle present of not more than 120 seconds.

Competitors will likely be scored out of fifty for coordination, steadiness, power and physique management.

The “overall performance of the show with energy and appeal” will likely be marked out of fifty too.

Although plaits are going to be non-obligatory, judges will likely be searching for riders’ toes to be pointed outwards they usually wish to see performances with “elegance and energy”. The better of the bunch will make the ultimate.

A BSPS spokesman stated: “The BSPS wanted to embrace the hobby horse craze as an addition to our fabulous children’s entertainment programme, which sets the society apart from others in providing all-round family fun.”

According to the principles, every participant should put on sneakers and be mounted on a interest horse.

Although there’s no particular gown code, rivals ought to put on sneakers that allow their toes to be clearly pointed.

The guidelines states: “Your hobby horse can be plaited or unplaited”. Meanwhile younger riders are reminded that “the judge’s decision is final”.

In every part, the highest three will likely be eligible for the summer season championships, and a £300 voucher is on supply for the winners.

The BSPS stated: “We are a children’s society and, as such, it is important to ensure that we make sure our championship shows are fun for all our smaller members.

“We hope that this will raise awareness of our extensive children’s entertainment programme at both the BSPS summer and winter championships.

“All the children’s entertainment is free and includes a playbus, craft room, iBox bus, football competition, fancy dress, disco and fashion show, and parties for the adults, and enables the BSPS to stand out against other major Society shows.”

Horse & Hound’s readers have been so puzzled by the information that the publication, which is the oldest equestrian weekly journal in Britain, relationship again to 1884, needed to publish a clarification on its web site.

It stated: “This year, our April Fool story was about the earliest example of ‘matchy-matchy’ horse and rider gear, dating from about 35,000 BC.

“While most readers correctly identified this as a spoof story to mark the day, some assumed that the story published later the same day about the BSPS introducing a hobby horse championship was also an April Fool, when it was not.”