Inter Hunt Relay Competition 2023

Show Description

The competition will be held on all three days of the 2023 Royal Cornwall Show in the Main Ring. Heats will be held on the first two days with the final on the third day. Entry is by invitation.

Course Builder: Mr Stephen Williams (Chief Course Steward) & Team

RULES - TEAM QUALIFICATION

1. Teams of four, all mounted.
All must hunt regularly with the Hunt they represent and be Masters, Subscribers or Hunt Servants of that Hunt.
The Team must run in the following order & must include :-
One Master, Regular Field Master or Hunt Servant (professional or amateur).
One Lady Subscriber (may be ridden Side Saddle).
One Junior Subscriber (aged 12 -17 years of age).
One Farmer/Landowner Subscriber.

NB Each team member may represent only one qualification.
All team members (other than the Junior) to be 18 years of age and over.
Junior Member not to be under 12 on 1st June 2023.
Open to Cornwall and Devon regularly hunted packs and invited packs from outside Cornwall or Devon at the discretion of the RCAA.

2. Teams must have a Manager, who is not one of the four riding members.

3. Team Managers will be required to attend a briefing earlier on the day of the competition and to accompany their team in the ring while they compete.

4. Two teams per Hunt may be entered, however, the second team may be balloted out, depending on the overall number of entries received.

5. There will be a ballot for Teams to compete in the Heats on either Thursday 8 June or Friday 9 June, with the Final being competed for on Saturday 10 June. All teams will be advised of the day on which their Heat is to be held.

6. Heats: Pairs of teams will be drawn on the day. The two fastest teams, after penalties are taken into account, will go forward to the Final on the 3rd day.
Final: Pairs of teams will be drawn on the day. The Final will be run as a Knockout. The two heat winners will compete for the 1st and 2nd places. Those placed second in the heats will then compete for the 3rd and 4th places.

7. Application for substitution of a rider or horse will only be allowed if accompanied by a medical or veterinary certificate or with the permission of the Departmental Steward.

8. Teams to be correctly dressed for a day’s hunting. After the Turnout Judging safety headgear must be put on and only one hunting crop carried per team, but NO other changes of tack, dress or equipment are allowed. Judges of the turnout will be asked not to penalise teams whose horses are wearing boots and snaffle bridles instead of double bridles. (Horses do not need to be ridden in double bridles unless that is what they are normally hunted in). Boots may be worn for Jumping phase but NOT Turnout.
Note: For the purpose of this competition the correct dress for Juniors will be either tweed jacket, tie or coloured stock, jodhpur boots and relevant headgear or navy or black jacket with white or cream stock, jodhpur boots or long boots and relevant headgear.

9. The fences will be of Working Hunter type and obstacles are likely to include water (to be walked through) and a bullfinch. The two courses will be identical and set side by side. Choice of course will be decided between the two teams by the toss of a coin.

10. Competitors must be responsible and it is their responsibility to ensure that there is no outside assistance at any time during the competition. NO-ONE IS TO TOUCH THE HORSE EITHER TO CALM OR ASSIST.

Team members must go in order as stated in Rule 1. A hunting crop (the lash may be tied up), must be used as the baton and passed from one team member to the next. If a competitor from the team jumps the last obstacle and then passes the whip to the next competitor, who drops the whip, the competitor who is handing it over may dismount, pick up the whip and may, from the ground, give it to the next competitor. If the whip is dropped during the round, the competitor must dismount, pick up the whip and remount before continuing the round. At the Judge’s discretion a team member that has three refusals at any one fence or after a fall has to be rescued by the next team member (rescue rider) who completes the round and then does his own round and the whip may be handed up from the ground at this time.
Knock downs will incur time penalties of 4 seconds for each knock down. Failure to pass the whip will incur elimination.

Any team which is eliminated cannot compete again in the competition.

11. Participants must not at any time put the good name of hunting and the entertainment value of the event at risk by riding in a thoughtless manner. Acts of indiscipline (including late arrival at the briefing!) by a team, team member or team manager may result in disqualification.

12. All teams must declare their intention to compete. Declarations must be made by a team member no later than 12 noon on the day of the relevant Heat and also for the Final, if qualified, to a specified Horse Steward at the Main Ring Collecting Ring Office.

It would be of great help if the commentator’s notes could be filled in as completely as possible with details of the Hunt and members of the team.

Any changes to information given on the entry form in relation to actual team members or horses must be handed in, in writing, at the time of declaration, or preferably notified prior to the show date to the Secretary’s Office, Tel: 01208 812183 (Main Switchboard) or 01208 814489 (Horse Enquiries) email: livestock@royalcornwall.co.uk.

Normal show rules, as published in the 2023 Prize Schedules, apply except where special rules are stated, as above, for this competition. Also we ask that each team member reads the Association’s Privacy Policy & Animal Welfare Code which can be found on our website www.royalcornwallshow.org.