The SEIB Search for a Star team is delighted to announce an exciting new showing championship for Pony Club members in 2022. The Search for a Star Pony Club Championship will be held at Your Horse Live in November and be an introduction to showing for members of all ages.
This new championship will enable members from lead rein through to young adults to learn about ring craft, turnout, and way of going, and then showcase these skills through qualifying, to compete on the centre stage at Your Horse Live.
Pony Club CEO, Marcus Capel said: “This is a great opportunity for our members to learn more about the world of showing, with a fabulous final at Your Horse Live in front of a great crowd. I am very excited to enable our members to enjoy different experiences with their horses and ponies and the Search for a Star series provides a fun, supportive structure to help them achieve.”
The Search for a Star Pony Club championship will offer a lead rein and first ridden championship for children under 10 years old. There will be an open class for older members that will be judged on suitability for all round Pony club activities, conformation, way of going and temperament open to any type of horse or pony that is both athletic and correct enough to be a show horse. Each of the five Search for a Star qualifying shows held across England, and for the first time in recent years, in Scotland, will include the Pony Club classes.
Head of Marketing at SEIB, Nicolina MacKenzie said: “We are delighted to be offering this Search for a Star opportunity for Pony Club members. We have been keen for some time to provide classes for younger people and offer education, training and support. Older Pony Club riders are also very welcome to come along to our qualifiers and in addition they can enter the other Search for a Star classes – or even take part in the Racehorse to Riding Horse series. Showing teaches so much that is relevant to other disciplines, including turnout, way of going and of course showing the horse or pony off for a judge when it is not feeling at its most cooperative, a very useful skill when producing a dressage test!”
The new Search for a Star classes will be open to any horse or pony ridden by a member of the Pony Club. The animal should be athletic and capable of doing all round Pony Club activities. The horse or pony will not be ridden by the judge but the competitor will be asked to give a show. For each class there will be a best rider award.
The SEIB Search for a Star judges and stewards will be on hand to help and mentor competitors at qualifying shows. In addition to this Search for a Star has two ‘Weekender’ events planned for 2022. These will include a day of training followed by a full qualifying show for both Horse of the Year Show and Your Horse Live, one in Scotland and one in England.
Your Horse Live Event Director, Emma Bedford said: “We are so proud and pleased to continue working closely with SEIB Insurance Brokers and expand the Search for a Star Championships at Your Horse Live with the launch of The Pony Club Search for a Star. The Pony Club is an amazing institution that we are excited to welcome into our stable and look forward to welcoming the qualifiers into our 3,000 seater arena.”
2022 is an exciting year for Search for a Star, in addition to the new Search for a Star Pony Club Championship, the Search for a Star Open Veteran Championship and Search for a Star In-Hand Championship, most of the Search for a Star classes that ran in 2021 will take place; also with finals at Your Horse Live are mountain and moorlands, open veteran horse or pony and part-bred traditional gypsy cob. Search for a Star classes with finals at Horse of the Year Show (HOYS) include; hacks, hunters, working pony, working horses, riding horses, traditional gypsy cobs – of any colour, show cobs, and the longstanding SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse final.
Further to the HOYS and Your Horse Live Search for a Star championships, 2022 sees the return of Riding for the Disabled (RDA) Search for a Star. Open to riders from RDA centres, this popular and inclusive event will run at the RDA Championships at Hartpury College in July.
Search for a Star first took place back in 1996 and over the years has allowed thousands of amateur riders the chance to compete at championship shows. Championships for the series are held at both Horse of the Year Show and in the main SEIB arena at Your Horse Live.
Other than the open veteran class the Search for a Star series is purely for amateur riders and this rule is strictly enforced. The ridden SEIB Horse of the Year Show Racehorse to Riding Horse class is open to professional and amateur riders. SEIB support ethical showing and testing for prohibited substances and tack inspections may take place. The Search for a Star full schedule including classes, times and rules will be released in due course on the website at www.seib.co.uk/competitions.
Leading equine Insurance brokers, SEIB Insurance Brokers set up Search for a Star nearly 30 years ago so they could offer a unique competition opportunity to many of their amateur rider customers. SEIB has a long association with the showing world and is renowned for ‘putting something back’ by supporting many equestrian events and activities in addition to Search for a Star.
For full details on all Search for a Star, virtual Search for a Star, Racehorse to Riding Horse and SEIB competitions, including the SEIB Burghley Sponsored Ride this is a different website, please visit www.seib.co.uk/competitions. The website will be updated as class times, dates and venues are confirmed.
In the meantime - if you need to insure your horse, horsebox, trailer, yard or business - SEIB are here to help so please give us a call on 01708 850000 or visit www.seib.co.uk. #SEIBlove2help
SEIB Search for a Star and Racehorse to Riding Horse Dates and Venues 2022
24th April 2022 at Vale View Equestrian Centre, Vale View Equestrian, Old Dalby, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire LE14 3LX
22nd May 2022 at Bury Farm Equestrian Village, New Bury, Farm, Mill Road, Slapton, Buckinghamshire LU7 9BT
11th & 12th June 2022 at Netherton Equestrian Centre, Netherton Farm, Aberargie, Perthshire, PH2 9NE, Perth, Scotland. Search for a Star Weekender including training, competition on Sunday 12th June
23rd & 24th July 2022 during SEIB Trailblazers Championships at Stoneleigh Park, Coventry CV8 2LZ
Search for a Star Weekender, competition on 24th July (Stabling will be available via a link that will be published in due course).
15th July 2022 at the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) National Championships at Hartpury College, Hartpury GL19 3BE (RDA Riders Only)
7th August 2022 at Science Supplements Onley Grounds Equestrian Centre, Willoughby, Rugby CV23 8AJ
13th August 2022 NAF Five Star International Horse Trials, Hartpury College, Hartpury GL19 3BE. (SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse only)
4th September 2022 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, Burghley House, Burghley Park,
Stamford PE9 3JY. (SEIB Racehorse to Riding Horse only)
ENDS
