Rules

 Our challenges are self paced & completed at home!

Open to horses & equestrians of ALL ages, breeds, disciplines, & ability levels.

What is an EquestriON Challenge?

Put simply a challenge is a required number of activities (riding, driving or ground work) completed within the given time frame.

When you register for one of our challenges you will receive an “activity log”. The challenge is based on the honor system- simply write the date and a brief description of your activity on the activity log. Once completed the activity log is submitted online and your ribbon will ship to you.

Rules & Frequently Asked Questions

Who determines the “activity”?

Participants choose their own activities- as our challenges are open to all disciplines and ability levels we cannot set specific activities-participants are encouraged to work with their trainers/instructors if they need guidance on what their activities and goals should be.

We highly recommend participants choose activities to fit their ability level and to challenge themselves- For example if you are working with a young horse you may count working on holding feet up to be cleaned, tying, trailer loading etc as ground work activities. However, if your horse is older and a seasoned show horse you should not be counting well established basic tasks such as holding feet up, tying, trailer loading etc and be focused on more advanced and often discipline specific activities such as- jumping, trail obstacles, lead changes, side passing, leg yield, turn on the haunches/turn on the forehand, pole bending/barrel racing, trail riding, sliding stops, showmanship, driving etc.

The challenges are NOT A RACE- The goal is not to get done as fast as possible by using “filler activities”-please chose activities that have value for you and your horse.

What counts as an “activity” for Seasonal and Mini-challenges?

• Riding- Any discipline- including bareback/bridleless and trail riding
• Driving
• Vaulting
• Groundwork- including but not limited to- ground driving, lunging, liberty work, showmanship/In-hand training, desensitizing work and hand walking
• Therapeutic riding- both on horseback and as a handler or ground assistance position
• Attending horse shows, competitive events and clinics

What DOESN’T count as an activity?

• • Basic horse care/Chores-
    • Mucking, feeding, watering do not count
    • Grooming/bathing do not count
      
    • Farrier/Vet visits do not count
    • Therapy/Beamer/PEMF do not count unless your horse is injured and partaking under the rehab horse rule
  • Exceptions – you may count basic horse care under the following conditions
    • Your horse is injured on stall rest
    • You are completing the challenge under the lesson rider rule (see below)
    • You are volunteering at an equine rescue

How do I complete my activity log?

It is highly preferred you use the activity log we provide when you register. Our log lists the challenge name, dates and website for log submission at the top as well as contains the correct number of activity lines for the specific challenge so you have all necessary info. The log was designed to print and write on but if your computer gives you the ability to type on it you may do that.

Simply fill in your name and horses name (put lesson horses if you are riding a variety of lesson horses) and then on the lines below record the date of your activity and a brief description.

For Example: “Jan 1- Trail ride” You may include as much detail as you wish such as how long you rode, how many miles if trail riding or any other info you may want to refer back to.

See Example Activity Logs Below

How do I submit my activity log?

We now utilize online submission for our logs- There is an option to upload a file if you hand wrote or typed on the activity log we provided. For those who cant type or print on the logs there is also an option to manually type into a text box.

When will ribbons ship?

All ribbons will ship at the end of the challenge.

Do I have to have/use my own horse?

• No- you may count time on lesson/lease horses or any horse you have permission from the owner to use.

Can I use more than one horse for a challenge?

• YES and you have two options
  • Option 1- Pay for one entry and use both horses for the total number of required activities and receive one ribbon
  • Option 2- Pay for an entry per horse that you wish to use, track rides on separate forms per horse, accumulate the total number of required activities per horse and receive a ribbon for each horse!

How many activities can I do in a day?

• Up to two activities may be done in a day per challenge
• For example
  • If you have two horses entered in one challenge you may ride each once for a total of 2 activities
  • You may lunge your horse in the morning and ride in the afternoon for 2 activities
  • You may hand walk your injured horse and take a riding lesson on a lesson horse for 2 activities
  • You may ride once and work on trailer loading for two activities
  • Under the lesson rider rule you may take a lesson on a school horse and then help a less experienced rider prep for their lesson for 2 activities.
  • You ride your horse and volunteer at an equine rescue for 2 activities
  • There are many combinations that work just be sure to not record more than two per day per challenge entry

Can a specific activity count for more than 1 challenge?

• Yes but we encourage you to run challenges as separately as you can
• You may have noticed our challenges overlap- this is because our participants range from those that take lessons to those with one or more horses at home that can ride frequently. The difficulty we faced was determining a number of activities that would be suitable and fair for everyone- our solution was to run multiple challenge at once and allow participants to customize their use of them to fit their situation and goals
• Here are some examples-
  • Some participants with multiple horses will run one challenge with one horse and the other with another
  • Some will use seasonal challenges for their riding activities and mini challenges for their ground work
  • Participants with limited access to their horse due to boarding distance or because they lease or lesson will double count some or all activities if they want to earn both ribbons- we don’t want to make participants pick and choose their favorite ribbons if they are unable to ride as frequently

Lesson Rider Rule

We want everyone to be included and able to partake in our challenges. We understand not everyone is able to own/lease a horse making it difficult to meet the required number of activities. If your primary involvement in horses is through lessons simply record your lessons as activities and you are exempt from having to meet the required number of activities.

Additionally, if you wish to meet the required number of activities you may count any helpful activity your instructor finds suitable for your experience level including but not limited to- helping a less experienced rider groom/tack for their lesson, helping feed/water, helping with turn-out/turn-in of horses, grooming/clipping/braiding, stall cleaning, tack cleaning, painting jumps, painting fences, etc

Rehab Rule

Injury got you down? We understand the stress and disappointment of an injury inhibiting you from pursing your goals

Any time spent on veterinarian/doctor approved treatment plan for an injury may be counted as an activity, including but not limited to

• Hand Walking

• Cold Hosing/Icing/Wrapping

• Beamer Sessions

• Massage Therapy

• Chiropractic care

• Physical therapy

Who may enter?

• Any Resident of the US or Canada.
• Any age- if you are under 18 years old you do need the permission of a parent/guardian and we highly recommend always partaking in your equine time with adult supervision.

If you are a junior or amateur this challenge is not meant to replace the guidance of a professional. We highly recommend all participants have instructors/trainers with whom they work with on a regular basis and can seek guidance from. Please discuss with your instructor/trainer if this challenge is right for you.

Any entrant under 18 years old must have permission of a parent/guardian to participate. Please only partake in equestrian activities under the supervision of a qualified adult.

Exhibitors participate at their own risk, understanding the potential risks associated with equine activities. By entering, each participant who engages in an equine activity expressly assumes the risk of engaging in and legal responsibility for injury, loss and damage to person(s) or property resulting from the risk of equine activities. By entering participants agree to release and hold harmless EquestriON from any and all liability.