Horse riding is a potentially dangerous sport. It is most important that you feel safe and in control of your horse when riding. Safety of all at the grounds is a priority, if your horse is not behaving, we do not want it to affect other horses, so please calmly remove your horse from the situation. For this reason and also for our insurance, we have a few standard rules.

  • Approved ASA standard helmets and safety footwear must be worn at all times whilst mounted. (Runners/Blundstone boots are not permitted while mounted.) Insurance cover is voided if an accident occurs whilst mounted and the rider is not wearing an approved equestrian helmet with a fixed harness. Approved equestrian helmets must comply with the following standards: AS/NZS 3838 (AU), ASTM F 1163 (USA), PAS 015 (UK) and/or VG1 (Europe). The EN 1384 (Europe) standard is only acceptable for helmets that were manufactured prior to 2016.

  • Riders are responsible for ensuring their own and their horse’s equipment is in a safe condition fit for its purpose.

  • No smoking while mounted.

  • Medical armbands should be worn while jumping.

  • The front gate and hand gates are kept closed at all times. When entering and leaving the grounds please close the gate behind you so a loose horse cannot get out on to the road. If you are last to leave you must lock the gate, even if you were not the one to unlock it.

  • In the event of an accident, an incident report is to be completed. These are found in the club room in a red folder marked First Aid. The report is to be handed to a committee member.

  • If your horse is prone to kicking other horses, please keep a safe distance from other horses and riders, and tie a red ribbon on its tail.

  • Lunging in the arena prior to/during a lesson can be a hazard to other horses and riders. If your horse is not calm, please stop and remove the horse from the arena so not to upset other horses.

  • If your horse is sick or infectious, please do not bring it to the club.

RECOMMENDATIONS

For safety, we recommend that members;

  • have ambulance cover.

  • consider wearing a protective vests and medical armbands when jumping.

  • arrive at rallies early so there is ample time to check and safely prepare your horse.

  • check your gear regularly to ensure that stitching, buckles, girths and leathers are in good safe condition

  • familiarise young (all) horses to the club grounds and environment before participating in a mounted lesson.

  • park floats in a thoughtful manner leaving space for horses to be tied safely without damaging vehicles

  • be considerate using the yards if your horse is known to kick or bite other neighbouring horses tie it up. If it breaks or chews the yard rails let committee know, if they need fixing.

  • read and respect the “Arena Etiquette and Safety” sheet as published on our website – treat other riders and instructors politely at all times.

  • ensure you and your horse are calm and under control if lunging near other horses.

Riding at the club ground unavailable during club rallies

Our grounds are available for your use except when club rallies are being held:

  • every Wednesday during school terms
  • the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month (except January)
  • generally from 10.00am to 12.00pm.

It is always a good idea to check with the relevant rally coordinators, as sometimes extra lessons are required and the rally may finish later, or lessons may start earlier during the summer months.

When a rally is being held, members are to refrain from using the arenas for private riding. Please schedule your private lessons for outside of the set rally times.