Membership

Membership information

Our club is a member of the Horse Riding Clubs Association of Victoria (HRCAV) who sets all the rules, regulations and guidelines for our operation. Their website will provide information on just about everything you might need to know.

What happens when I join?

After you have submitted your membership form and payment, the Treasurer will send the information to the HRCAV. You will be allocated a membership number recorded on a membership card, as well as a set of 5 cards for each of the recognised disciplines of the HRCAV.

A committee member, usually the Treasurer, will stamp and sign this to indicate you are a financial member of the Yackandandah Riding Club (this needs to be done each time you renew your membership).

Your HRCAV membership financial membership includes insurance for you whenever you are riding your horse in a HRCAV approved discipline (this includes trail riding but not novelties, Parelli work or Team Penning).

How do rallies work?

If you have joined as a Full or Associate member you are eligible to attend our monthly rallies, held on the first Sunday of each month. Our rallies offer 1 hour lessons in dressage (flat riding), show jumping and Le Trec (horsemanship).

You can also nominate that you want a “Back to Basics” class for those who may be nervous or have never had lessons. Classes are a maximum of 4 people in a group who are all at a similar riding ability.

Once you are a financial member you will be included in the email sent out by the rally organiser approximately 2 weeks before the rally. This will contain information about the instructors who will be teaching and how to book in.

All lessons are $20 and can be paid for on the day at the clubrooms, correct money is appreciated. Alternatively, you can pay for your lessons by electronically depositing money into the YRC account, printing the receipt and placing it into your plastic folder.

An email is sent out on the Thursday before the rally with the times you will be riding. Please note; if you cancel after 5.00pm on this day, or do not attend you will still be expected to pay and if you have not done so by the next rally you will not be able to book in.

Medical armbands must be worn at all rallies; these can be purchased at equestrian stores or from the club.

There is a lunchbreak from 12.00 – 1.00pm and the club operates a canteen, at a reasonable cost, with any of the profits going back into the club. We encourage everyone to join us at the clubrooms over the break, even if you don’t need to make use of the canteen, it is a great social time and someone from the committee usually updates members with what is going on.

At rallies you are expected to help with set up and pack away, picking up poles in the show jumping (a great way to watch and learn from others, especially the instructor), give a hand in the canteen or ask what else needs to be done. What else do I receive as part of my membership?

All members of the club can make use of the grounds at any time, except on rally days if you are a restricted or junior member. The large fenced sand arena is for exclusive use by financial members only, not your family or friends, or the general public. A gate on the southern end has a combination lock which requires a code for you to gain access. Contact the treasurer or another committee member to find out the current code as it is changed on a regular basis. Please ensure the gates are locked at all times. It would be appreciated if all users could clean up any manure your horse may leave on the arena, all the equipment you need, including a ‘pooh trolley’ are available for you to use.

A newsletter is put together on a regular basis and our Facebook page is one of the main ways we communicate to our members. Most people will receive Newsletter via email (unless you indicated differently on your membership form). Feel free to contribute to it in anyway, details of the editor are included in the newsletter.

The club will often organise other instructional days to cater for member’s needs. For instance we have had a Dressage Protocol day to teach people what to expect if they want to do a dressage test and a “Pimp my Ride Day” to teach people how to plait and present their ponies. Feel free to discuss what you might like to do with a member of the committee. Saddleworld Shield  One of the most popular activities of the club is an in-house dressage competition called the Albury Saddleworld Shield. This is held over 4 rounds throughout the year and is only open to YRC members so it is an opportunity to compete amongst friends at a familiar ground and is a lot of fun.  The tests are performed under proper competition conditions in front of a judge. The first test is taken for your score however you have the option of riding additional tests or at one level higher than your assessed level. It is a great confidence builder if you have not competed before or if you are about to point out of your current level and want some feed back on the higher movements.  Shield competitor’s scores can also go towards a team tally. You may organise your own team or the Shield Co-ordinator can add you to a team. What if I am interested in competing?  If you are interested in competing there are a number of competitions held locally, regionally and across the State in any of the 6 disciplines recognised by the HRCAV. These are; 1. Dressage 2. Show jumping 3. Combined Training (dressage and jumping) 4. Horse Trials (eventing) 5. Showing 6. Navigation rides 7. Le Trec  Details of these and how to enter are advertised in Chaff Chat (monthly magazine published by the HRCAV) or on the HRCAV website.  Before you can enter a competition you and your horse as a combination have to be evaluated by an official level assessor. These people are listed in Chaff Chat and on the HRCAV website; we have 1 in our club and several others in the area. You will need to take your cards (including membership) with you to present to the host club officials at the event. (Hint: Don’t necessarily get all your cards signed and graded with the one horse – for instance your pretty Thoroughbred might be perfect for the show ring or dressage but don’t show him a jump! – Keep your horse trials, jumping and Combined Training cards for the horse you get that can jump rather than have to buy new ones)  A Top Teams Trophy (TTT) competition is held each year in all disciplines (except Le Trec). Clubs from across the State are able to enter teams of 4, from any level to represent their club in a competition usually held over 2 or 3 days. These events are well attended and while being a great competition they are also a lot of fun. One of our committee members helps organise YRC teams for these events so keep an eye out in the newsletter for this information.  At all Official Events, Competitors must be identified by a number. Numbers are to be displayed on both sides of the horse except in Showing where a breast plate number may be used. All competitors must supply their own numbers. Number holders can be purchased from saddlery stores. Is there a uniform?  YRC official colours are navy blue and gold. We have several different clothing/uniform items you can purchase from Border Lifting and Safety, Mint Street, Wodonga or Finer Embroidery, Wigg Street, Wodonga. Is there anything else I need to know?  The YRC is run completely by volunteers and there are many ways you can do your bit to help out. As mentioned above there is always something to be done at our monthly rally. Throughout the year we hold several competitions, including the Saddleworld Shield, and there is always a need for manpower before, during and at the end of the day. You can also come along to a working bee or even join the committee – any help makes a difference to the club, and it is a great way for you to get to know other members. Appendix 1: Club Uniform The information below is based on the rules of the HRCAV and how they apply to the Yackandandah Riding Club. All Clubs whose members wish to compete at Official events must register two main colours. The main colours are to be used as the principal colour/s of the uniform and may be interchanged. At the discretion of the Club, other colours may be used in trimming, logos or similar embellishment. A neutral or light coloured shirt or saddle blanket (not registered as a Club colour) may be worn as part of the uniform. In hot weather, the Ground Jury may allow competitors to remove outer layers of clothing and ride in shirt sleeves. Hacking or riding jackets are not permitted to be worn at Official events. Our dominant colour is navy blue with gold as a secondary colour Jodhpurs can be navy, beige or white Polo top/t-shirt is navy blue with gold trim and logo Vest is to be navy with gold logo and light/neutral coloured undershirt (yellow, cream, pale blue, white) Stock or tie in complimentary colours Rugby tops and spray jackets are also available in club colours, as are caps and bucket hats Registered Club colours must be worn at official events. Club colours must be worn on the rider’s upper body with the Club name or logo displayed on the upper body garment and/or saddle blanket. Saddle blankets can be navy or white Although not compulsory members are encouraged to wear their club uniform to rallies and the Saddleworld Shield. Other information An approved equestrian helmet with a fixed harness MUST be worn at all times whilst mounted. The required standards for helmets at HRCAV competitions will be: AS/NZS 3838 EN 1384 ASTN F1163 Long or short riding boots MUST be worn at all times whilst mounted. Enclosed footwear with ripple soles, including running shoes, may be worn in Led classes. At Horse Trials Events Competitors must wear numbers on their front and on their back for the Crosscountry phase. Competitors are required to provide their own Cross Country number holders. The Organising Committee is to provide printed numbers for insertion in the number holder. The type of identification for the Dressage and Showjumping phases of Horse Trials Events shall be determined by the Organising Committee.

Due to full capacity, please note that we are currently unable to take new members. If you wish to become a member, complete the form below and you’ll be added to our waitlist.