Riding Clubs - teams

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I’m currently joining 3 or 4 riding clubs to take advantage of the training they are offering that has caught my eye - each club has particular people I’d like to try

Each club is keen to know whether I will be prioritising them when I decide which team I will be riding for, but to be entirely honest, it has never occurred to me to want to ride for a team or for a club!

Am I missing the fundamental point of joining a club or am I normal? :D
 
Some like teams, some don’t it’s completely up to you!
You can only compete for one club though.
There is plenty of choice for competitions, it might be worth considering
 
Im in the RC predominantly to be on teams. Its quite a low level club, the clinics are always full to the brim at the lower levels but we generally struggle to get enough people together to form a team for any competition!

It does mean though if there is a team, you are guaranteed to get on, a friend of mine is in another RC who are very successful but the team places are fierce and she doesn't often get on as they pick names out of a hat!

We managed to get a team together for the Blenheim Eventers challenge this year though which was great fun, we're getting there and have a couple of teams going to the Area SJ'ing which is a first, last year it was just me and one junior!


I'd say take advantage of the clinics for as long as you want, and see if you prefer one bunch of people over another if it comes to picking teams - i chose my riding club because the people were much nicer, no, they don't often have teams going to championships but i really enjoy going out with them when we do! We are slowly getting there and hopefully will be more competitive at areas as we go on!
 
Ooh I loved being on RC teams!! I wasn't enough of a diva to make the dressage team but I was on SJ and horse trials teams and I really loved going to the nationals.

I joined the RC for the lessons primarily and never thought about teams until I was asked, but it was great fun.
 
Lévrier;13703403 said:
Nobody has mentioned help days at all? I don't mind doing them in the least, you get out what you put in, but interesting that no club has suggested there will be a requirement
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Yup, basically if you compete you have to help (or provide a helper) another day. You could volunteer your OH :D
 
RAOFPMSL Rowreach you wit :D :D

that would be fine with me (to volunteer not ask my OH to volunteer I hasten to add!) - seems quite fair if I get the chance to ride on a team (if I’m interpreting that correctly)

I’m still not sure I’d want to be on a team though, just think of the pressure of letting your team/club down :o
 
Tiddlypom said:
Maybe it's just round here, but it's normal to do 2 or 3 help days annually at your RC.

RC teams are good fun. I did the dressage for a few years inc the championships twice, and the equitation jumping once when they were desperate!
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We have the same, minimum of 1 x help at an rc event each year and if on a team also to provide a half day helper each time at most outings for sj or xc. That's for 5 of most local riding clubs.
 
Lévrier;13703436 said:
RAOFPMSL Rowreach you wit :D :D

that would be fine with me (to volunteer not ask my OH to volunteer I hasten to add!) - seems quite fair if I get the chance to ride on a team (if I’m interpreting that correctly)

I’m still not sure I’d want to be on a team though, just think of the pressure of letting your team/club down :o
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When I was doing horse trials teams I was basically told that they were expecting my dressage to be rubbish. I beat the lot of them :D :D
 
When I joined two riding clubs to take advantage of the lessons etc. the dates always clashed so I ended up having to choose between them.
I have done Riding Club teams, one club was very pressured and I only managed to compete as an individual as I was nowhere near good enough for the actual team and the other club had so few team players, the teams kept falling through and to be honest I got a bit hacked off planning to compete to be let down at the last minute( I know horses will be horses!)
However when we did manage to get a team together, for some showjumping once and it was great fun.
My understanding is that if you do decide you want to compete, you can only compete for one club per year.
 
Lots of people join clubs and don't compete. Don't feel pushed. Tell them you just want to settle in, you may do teams after a year, but not this season. By next year you may feel more at home with one particular club. Some are more competitive than others.
 
RC is great fun. Plenty of training usually at really good prices.

Teams are fun too, but plenty of our members aren't interested in doing them and simply enjoy being part of the club. There is no pressure for them too take part but the offer is always there.

Fyi, in our club you have to do 2 help days a year. Plus if you are on teams you are expected to help fund raise for championships.
 
I'm a bit haphazard with RC membership but join to do few of fthe clinics and comps. Happy to volunteer but not been asked so far. Might get a bit more involved this year but still likely to do an individual thing.
 
I'm on the committee of my rc. I just joined last year and ended up going to a meeting where I was nominated to be on the committee.

It's all very political and if you don't join a team when they want you to or even if you regularly compete outside of riding club competitions some of the people who are long term members get huffy about it. They also complain about people who just join for training :rolleyes4: Joining multiple clubs would be heresy :lol:

Perhaps it's just the types who are in my club or mabey it's because I'm on the committee. Anyway my advice would be not to get too involved if that sort of stuff annoys you.
 
I didn't do teams at all last year as my horse wasn't ready but the two years previously we won the Winter Novice SJ Nationals and then the following year we won the regional finals so as a club we're pretty competitive :) Our dressage teams tend to be the hardest to get on - we regularly send 2 teams + individuals to areas, SJ and HT less so.
For ours you're asked to do 1/2 day per year volunteering but we always need extra people for areas/nationals /whatever :)
A lot of people in ours just join to go to camp in August - you don't even see them at training but they come out fo the woodwork for camp :D so joining to not do teams is common, but some of our training will be specifically aimed at people who want to be on a team and you have to do it if you want to be considered.
 
Dont do the teams if you dont want to, theres no demand you have to. If you did decide to then just try to find out how each club works. Usually there'll be one club whose teams do particularily well currently - so if you wanted to try and qualify for the champs etc. then see about joining their team (but they might be selective), whereas a more fun club might be mmore laid back about teams and just let anyone in. Depends what you want to achieve I guess. I joined a club specifically a few years ago as they generally did the best at events so I went on their teams, but now Im with a club who are more into their training but still do send teams, they'll just put together teams from whoever wants to do it.
 
I rode on my first ever Riding Club Team for the Dressage Qualifiers in November - It was on my horsey bucket list to do it, and do it on my own horse. We placed mid - list but I had a great time and really benefitted from the extra training offered before hand.

I joined the Riding Club in the first place just because the girls at my yard were on the committee and I was keen to be part of it... its been a massive support in my first year of having my own horse, the points leagues gave us something to work towards, and the seven trophies I'm picking up at the AGM next week are certainly and incentive to stay and do more!
 
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mule said:
I'm on the committee of my rc. I just joined last year and ended up going to a meeting where I was nominated to be on the committee.

It's all very political and if you don't join a team when they want you to or even if you regularly compete outside of riding club competitions some of the people who are long term members get huffy about it. They also complain about people who just join for training :rolleyes4: Joining multiple clubs would be heresy :lol:

Perhaps it's just the types who are in my club or mabey it's because I'm on the committee. Anyway my advice would be not to get too involved if that sort of stuff annoys you.
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Sounds like an awful club to be honest! Why on earth would they be upset about people joining the RC for training?! Would be interested to know what an acceptable reason for joining is :wink3:

I have been in an RC where I was very involved, on the committee and also the horse trials team manager. I am now just a regular member of a local RC (different one as now in a different county and area!) and they seem to be happy for people to do as much or as little as they like training and team wise, which is how it should be IMO. Although the RC does have a stipulation to do one days help per year.
 
I teach for a couple of RCs and they have plenty of members who just want the training/social side of things and have no interest in teams or competing, this is not a problem at all. I have more experience of teams with one club than the other, and the teams are brilliant, so positive and encouraging, and just so much fun, if you had a nightmare test, no one would be upset at all, you'd be hugged and given chocolate!

So i think its absolutely fine to join a few just for the training, and if you do decide to do teams, make sure you do them for the nicest club!
 
If you do want to it is worth asking how each fund it if it at all, some will pay all comp fees, some will pay part, some will pay none at all ;) we used to do half as otherwise it could be a lot of money for not many peoples benefit for the size of the club.
 
AandK said:
Sounds like an awful club to be honest! Why on earth would they be upset about people joining the RC for training?! Would be interested to know what an acceptable reason for joining is :wink3:

I have been in an RC where I was very involved, on the committee and also the horse trials team manager. I am now just a regular member of a local RC (different one as now in a different county and area!) and they seem to be happy for people to do as much or as little as they like training and team wise, which is how it should be IMO. Although the RC does have a stipulation to do one days help per year.
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I am getting pretty fed up with it. Unfortunately I agreed to be on the committee so I suppose I'm stuck with them for the year :frown3:
 
mule said:
I am getting pretty fed up with it. Unfortunately I agreed to be on the committee so I suppose I'm stuck with them for the year :frown3:
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I have been on nightmare committees (Pony Club was the worst!!) but our riding club is very small and very friendly. Our meetings mostly consist of eating cake. We are always very excited if we get a new member or two.

I hope you survive your year and find another club, it is meant to be fun :)
 
AandK said:
That is pants. Is there no way of getting out of it or do you have to do a full years service?
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I don't think I can realistically get out of it. It's a full years service aswell. I'll just spend as little time as possible around the worst of them.
 
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