USPR will be hosting a clinic AT the Willowdale Steeplechase Course this SUNDAY, April 10th at 2pm.  ALL riders interested in riding in the Willowdale Steeplechase Pony and Young Rider races MUST be pre-approved and this is your chance!  You’ll get to test out the course, get to know your opponents, and take a spin on “Sparky” the Equicizer.

Clinic cost: $15 and is payable via PayPal to usponyracing@gmail.com
There will be a discounted entry fee for the races for those who attend and pay their race entry fee at the clinic.

Pre-registration is required.  Email usponyracing@gmail.com to participate.

All riders should have the following at the clinic:
• Approved helmet
• Protective vest
• Yoke or neck strap
• Tack you will wear on race day (silks and racing pants are encouraged if you have them)
• Signed release

Have you read your 2016 spring condition books yet? Wait… you don’t know what a condition book is?  A condition book is a listing of all of the races for the season.  If you are a junior looking to race, the first thing you’ll need to do is get your hands on one of these little babies and see what opportunities lie ahead for you and your mount.  If you are used to horse showing, this would be the equivalent of a collection of prize lists and if are an event rider, this would be similar to an omnibus.  Conditions books list all of the particulars (rules, race options, etc) for the different types of steeplechase races.  Wait, wait, wait… you didn’t know there are different types of steeplechase races?  Well, yes, there are!  Here are the types of race meets:

Hunt Meet:  Steeplechase races at a venue in the country that are sanctioned by the National Steeplechase Association (NSA).  These are not typically an oval track, but more of a 2-4 mile cross country course with timber and/or hurdle fences.  Owners, trainers, and riders participating in a Hunt Meet, must be licensed with the NSA and all horses must be registered with the Jockey Club. Prize money is given for the top finishers in a sanctioned race.  Amateur or professional riders may compete in these Hunt Meets, but only a handful of sanctioned meets have “unsanctioned” races for juniors.  Callaway Gardens, PA Hunt Cup, Grand National, and High Hope are just a few who host pony and/or junior horse races before post time of their sanctioned races.

 Point-to-Point:  More informal than a Hunt Meet, but over similar types of courses.  Horses and horseman do not need to be registered and there are often race options for junior and young riders.  Point-to-points are typically located in the mid-Atlantic region, with a point-to-point occasional found in the mid-west or upper eastern seaboard states.  They are also often associated with a foxhunt and used as a fundraiser for their club.

Races are also held at racetracks where flat horses run. These types of races are typically referred to as a “Race Meet” or “Meet” proceeded by the racetracks name.

Anyway, get yourself a condition book and read it! Read ALL of the rules! Rules may change from organization to organization, so make sure you are prepared for your race day and there are no surprises. Make sure you and your horse/pony are qualified for the race you plan on entering. Some associations require a measurement card for ponies, some require proof of your mount having foxhunted, some require you attend a preparatory clinic, whatever the requirement, make sure you meet it before you enter the race. It would be a shame to get all the way to the races and discover you are not fully qualified to enter the race and are not permitted to run. Yes, that CAN happen!

If you are a junior, there will be a clinic Junior/Young Rider Steeplechase Clinic sponsored by the MSA this Sunday, March 13^th at Pleasant Prospect Farm in Brookeville, MD. Visit www.marylandsteeplechasing.com for the full details of the clinic. Clinicians will be read to answer all of your questions about the great sport of jump racing and help you learn to pilot your own mount around a course! And guess what, everyone who attends will be provided with their very own condition book!

So, you have a really fast pony and want to race? That’s great, but make sure your really fast pony (or horse) is qualified first! Typically, junior and young rider mounts must be a minimum of 5 years old and sometimes the rules even say mounts are not to have started in a sanctioned race in the last x months. Qualifications like these were created keeping the safety of rider, mount, and those around them as safe as possible. Rider and mount may also be required to gallop or school with company before a race organizer and show that they are both behaved and in control.

Okay, so you have checked all those boxes, now what? Time to get the jockey pants and the teanie saddle, silks, goggles and all that jazz, right? Actually, all you really need is your regular riding gear, a yoke or neckstrap, overgirth, a current ASTM approved helmet and a protect vest.

Where do you get all that stuff? You should always have your own helmet, but everything else you could most likely borrow for the first go round to make sure you like racing before you commit to investing in the full kit. Oh yes, and I almost forgot! Silks! There are several places you can have custom silks made, but a consignment tack store, or ebay are great resources until you have enough babysitting money to purchase your own. Or, you can always use a colorful windbreaker or compression shirt. There is no rule saying you have to have silks.

How do you use all of this “stuff” that you just borrowed and how do you learn about racing? Aligning yourself with a professional jump trainer is one great way to start learning the ropes. Who doesn’t love free labor, right? Becoming a working student at a steeplechase barn is a great way to get going. You’ll spend mot of your time on the ground scrubbing water buckets, but you will learn tons about the sport! Keep your eyes and ears open and make every moment a learning opportunity.

Getting your mount out foxhunting is a great way to see how she/he will be in a group running and jumping. If you live in the mid-Atlantic area, why not attend a clinic! You can check out the nationalsteeplechasefoundation.org or usponyracing.com for educational opportunities for junior and young riders. There are two clinics coming up in Maryland. The first is a Steeplechase 101 Clinic on March 6^th in Monkton, MD. Instructors will be accomplished amateur and professional jockeys. This clinic is open to anyone who is comfortable schooling cross-country. The clinic costs about $40 bucks if you register in advance and it is quite lengthy. Students will have mounted and unmounted sessions. Young riders are highly encouraged to attend this clinic. There is also a clinic specifically for juniors and young riders on Sunday, March 13^th in Brookeville, MD. Talks are in the works for a clinic hear Lexington, KY in early April, so stay tuned and keep checking our calendar!

At a clinic, you should expect to learn everything from the standard race day procedure, to race course navigation, to how to prepare your mount for the races. If you are interested in racing this spring, shoot an email to usponyracing@gmail.com and we will help connect you with a resource in your area! Stay tuned for our next blog…

“Condition Books”… What Are They and Why You Need Them

So, you want to be a jockey when you grow up? How does one go from “up down” lessons on a portly Shetland pony, to whizzing over hurdles and under the wire at full speed on a Thoroughbred? The answer lies in the handful of organizations that foster racing for young and amateur riders.

If you are a young rider with race riding aspirations and live in the Mid-Atlantic, you have a major advantage!

While steeplechase racing takes place mostly along the Eastern Seaboard, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia host the bulk of what are called Point-to-Point races, which typically host races more suitable for amateur riders and races that serve as prep races for the sanctioned steeplechase horses. These point-to-points also often host pony and junior horse races, where race riding dreams start to become a reality.

In the last 14 years, junior racing has taken a huge surge thanks to the vision of former amateur steeplechase jockeys Mason Lampton, George Strawbridge, and George Sloan. These three amigos came together and formed a non-profit called the North American Pt-to-Pt Association (NAPPA) in 2001, which set out to promote and preserve the sport of steeplechase racing by creating racing and educational opportunities for young and amateur riders. With programs formed by NAPPA, junior racing gained a slow and steady momentum.

NAPPA closed it’s doors in 2013 and passed along its mission to the National Steeplechase Foundation (NSF), who teamed up with U.S. Pony Racing to keep junior racing alive and well.

In 2000, pre-NAPPA, the Maryland Steeplechase Association spring series of races attracted 33 junior entries. This year, that same geographical area attracted a resounding 210 pony and junior horse entries! If you can straddle a pony, chances are there is a racing opportunity for you! Opportunities typically carded for young riders consist of multiple divisions of flat and jumping races for ponies and juniors on horses, and there is even a Lead Line Trot Race for pint-sized jocks who aren’t quite ready to do it on their own yet.

If you are a young rider looking for information on how to get involved, visit www.usponyracing.com or www.nationalsteeplechasefoundation.org for more details. Join in on the fun!

US Pony Racing, in conjunction with the  Maryland Horse Breeder’s and the Maryland Jockey Club, will be hosting flat and Shetland Steeplechase pony races on Friday, August 28th and Saturday, August 29th at the Maryland State Fair!