Pony Club - bit of a rant really......

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susan_w

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Yesterday I was judging and course building at our local branch of the pony club's interbranch team jumping competition. In addition to the team jumping we also had a Dengie qualifier, which has very specific rules about minimum fences/type of fences which have to be adhered to.

I went out to build the course, with help from other voluntary parents. Whilst we were course building, several children came into the arena and started "playing" and jumping over fences, until I asked them to leave until the course was built - it took about 20 mins to build the course as we had quite a few changes to make, however the local DC from another branch, made a complaint to our assistant DC telling her that she should come out and take a bit of control and boss us all into speeding up.

Now although I am not a qualified course builder, I am a BSJA judge, Two things really, I gave up my whole day to do this voluntarily for the pony club, as I could've been judging elsewhere (and being paid for it).

Secondly, my daughter no longer jumps for the pony club, so it isn't like I have to volunteer out of obligation.

What I object to, is that everyone seems to forget that all the people working at these shows are volunteers, and it isn't just the day that involves the effort, it is the lead up to it as well - from meetings to discuss how it's going to run, to organising everyone, the course, getting up early, working from 8am to 7pm, with no break and all you get is a hard time for trying to do a good job.

Shame really, as I don't think that I'll be giving up my time quite so freely in the future - this is about the 8th time I've done this for the PC so think I've done my bit now.
frown.gif
 
I was helping at our RC jumping yesterday, not competing but volunteering, I was there from 8am til 7pm too.

Mainly nice competitors, the odd snotty one but mainly good.

However, it seems our RC tends to stick the newbie helpers on the collecting ring as its the worse job, then they leave them there all day!!!

I shall be making a mention of this at the next committee meeting for sure!
 
Without volunteers we wouldn't have a sport at all.
Sometimes we forget to thank people, which is unforgivable.
I hope they write and apologize to you.
I always write to sponsores and my daughter always tries to thank organisers but it is the back room people that need thanking. I would write to headquarters and complain
 
You have my profound sympathy! Many years ago, I was a District Commissioner of a branch of the pony club, and had agreed to hold an event across our land. we went to a lot of trouble in building suitable fences (I was also a PC parent) The night before the event, I saw a person attacking a fence with an axe, I rushed out to ask what the hell she thought she was doing, the answer, she thought the fence too big for little 'Willy' to jump, so decided to lower it! We walked away, waited until she had left, and moved the markers six feet to the right. The fence jumped perfectly. After six years of practical experience, the children were fine, but the mothers, the bane of my life!
 
You have had your answer really, dont bother again, and i would write and complain to the other pony club to. I taught for the pony club for 12 years and most of the organisers were so far up their backsides it made me sick, also were very elitist...
 
I helped with PC for years while my daughter was a member and afterwards. For a short time I was DC and I always said it would be wonderful if all the children were orphans! Some of the parents could be a nightmare and they were always the ones who never, ever even offered to help.
 
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