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Everything But the Horse Rally (EBTH)

Everything but the Horse (EBTH) RALLY - 2025

Sunday, February 16, Leatherdale Equine Center, Saint Paul, MN

Advance Registration Required, by January 31, 2025

EBTH is the perfect way to practice preparing for a horse show. In Pony Club, we call these competitions Rallies!

  • In EBTH, kids bring a model horse that will fit in a shoe box (e.g., a Breyer sized horse or pony).

  • Members compete in Horse Management, Dressage and Show Jumping Rally with their “model horse”. 

  • Before the rally, teams work together to build “shoe box” stalls and make “rally kits” from cut out pictures or model-sized versions of equipment.

  • Teams prepare stalls with all the required equipment, just like at a mounted rally, but without a horse.  Everything is in miniature size so it fits in the family van really well!

  • EBTH is a fun way to learn by doing, make friends, and prepare for a horse show or Pony Club Rally.

WHO:       New members (Unrated), all D-level and non-Pony Clubbers are invited

WHAT:      Everything but The Horse Rally (EBTH)

WHEN:      Sunday, February 16, 2025

WHERE:    U of M Leatherdale Equine Center, 1801 Dudley Ave., St. Paul, MN

COST:       $30

*Lunch is not included in the entry fee.  Please plan to bring your own lunch.

Ribbons will be awarded in Horse Management & "Riding"

Register Here!

C Advisors are much needed & appreciated!  Please email Alli Icenogle at nlryouthboard2025@gmail.com if you are interested in helping to run EBTH this year.

Parents!! There are lots of volunteer roles you can help out with.  We will train you!   This is a great way to prepare to volunteer at our mounted rallies and understand what Pony Club is all about.

FAQS & HOW TO ORGANIZE FOR EBTH

REQUIREMENTS:

  • “Riders”:  Club or Scramble Teams of 3 or 4 members
  • “Stable Manager” :  1 per team
  • “Horses” :  1 horse per rider (use Breyer or other models, stuffed animals, etc.  Remember, they need to come clean enough for formal inspection)!
  • “Stalls” 1 fully equipped “shoebox” stall per horse

PLUS:

  • 1 feed stall per team & 1 tack stall per team
  • “Required Equipment”.  See the 2025 Horse Management Handbook and Rally Rules (2025 HM Handbook) for the Overnight Rally Required Equipment List.
  • Be imaginative, bring all the required equipment in miniature, life size, or catalog cut out/photo/web image.  Breyer equipment is allowed but homemade equipment is great!

THE COMPETITION:

  • Each “Rider” will “ride” courses (show jumping and dressage) on foot.  (Review Show Jumping & Dressage Rulebooks.)
  • Review the D-manual and study the rules from the 2025 HM Handbook.
  • The Stable Manager will compete in the riding phases, including jog out, tack room inspection, turn-out inspections, "riding" and turn backs.
  • SCRAMBLE TEAMS:  Is your club or team short a member or two? We'll put together a team for you!

 

FAQ's for Everything But the Horse Rally (EBTH)

Q:  What is the expected attire?

  1. Please follow the current guidelines in the 2025 HM Handbook starting on page 15.  
  2. It is recommended that the attire worn for the EBTH is what will be expected for the turnout inspection found in the Horse Management Rulebook.
  3. An exception will be made for anyone who does not own breeches or riding pants, but please wear neat, discipline appropriate long pants or skirt (e.g. no jeans please). Khakis are recommended.
  4. Western boots will be accepted if anyone does not own tall boots or paddock boots.
  5. EVERY Pony Club member needs to wear a medical armband or medical bracelet. (See HM Handbook, page 5)

Q:  Who needs to bring a helmet?

  • Usually only the riding competitors need to bring a helmet, however, for this rally, EVERYONE (this includes the stable managers) needs to bring a helmet so everyone may be checked for proper helmet fit and that the helmets meet the requirements
  • Please refer to the Horse Management Rulebook for what is considered an acceptable helmet

Q:  Which Rulebooks are the competitors responsible to bring and be familiar with at this rally?

  • Teams need to bring a copy of the HM Handbook AND the Dressage and Show Jumping Rulebooks
  • The jumping course will be "based" on a "normal (knockdown) competition."
  • However,  there will only be one course.  Standards, and possibly very small cross rails, will be set up that will have red and white flags plus fence numbers
  • Competitors will be judged by stopping at each jump and answering a question (questions will be based on rally rules and the D-manual)
  • If the questions is answered correctly it will be scored as "clearing the fence"
  • If the question is answered incorrectly it will be considered a "knockdown fault" (see the Show Jumping Rulebook to see the table of penalties)

Q:  Are the competitors creating stalls at the event or bringing them already made?

  • The stalls AND tack room & feed room  (HM Rulebook, pp. 20-25) should be created in advance of the start of the EBTH Rally.  Teams should meet well in advance of EBTH to decide who will be responsible for creating each piece.

Q:  Are there any rules about the size of the horse stall, tack room & feed stalls?

  • Currently, there are no rules about size.

Q:  Does the model horse need to fit into the stall that the competitors are bringing?

  • No, the horse does not need to fit in the stall; this allows the option of bringing a big stuffed horse to a really small model

Q:  Does there need be a separate tack & feed stall?

  • You can choose to make a stack and feed stall, or you can use pictures or models, whatever you think will work. If nothing else, have a pictorial drawing of the tack & feed room and how it would be set up.

Q:  How do Rally Kits get arranged?  Example, a competitor is using small pictures. Can those be attached to one poster board or do they need to be in separate kits that are 'mobile'?

  • Rally Kits can be on a poster board (perhaps the poster board could be the blueprint layout to the tack stall), or, you can also create a kit on paper organized in a 3-ring binder.

Q:  Will scoring work the same way it does in a real rally with teams of 3 having no scores dropped and teams of 4 having the lowest score of the group being dropped? 

  • Yes - scoring will work the same as a rally with a horse in that the teams of 3 will not have dropped scores and teams of 4 will have a dropped score.

Q:  Does the Stable Manager (“SM”) compete and manage the rally equipment and tack stall stuff?

  • Click here for a description of the role of the Stable Manager
  • It is not the intention that the SM manages all of the tack room stuff by themselves, but rather to start developing the understanding of the role of a SM.  
  • Hopefully the SM can be responsible for bringing the tack room box that the team helped organize and set up.  Since Rally is a TEAM sport, everyone helps set up the tack & feed stalls and horse stalls.
  • Since this is meant to be an educational experience, the SM will also be competing as if they are riders in portions that normally would only be for those who are riding (i.e., they will compete in the show jumping and dressage).  These portions include competing with the team for the turnout inspection as well as riding the courses.

Q:  I have more questions that are not answered here, who should I ask?

  • First ask your Team Captain,  Youth Board Members in your club, or C Members in your club who have done EBTH before.
  • Other resources are your DC and Jt DC or other experienced parents.  If we don't know the answer we will find out for you!

 

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