Hello, Long Riders!
Have you heard about the equine sport, TREC? It's all the rage in Europe, and is considered the fastest growing equine sport in the U.K. - and perhaps the world! This month's article was kindly written, just for our readers, by the Chairman of TREC Southwest in the U.K., Julie Brand. Enjoy her fun writing style as she teaches us about the unique sport of TREC! You may also enjoy this 3-minute YouTube video featuring a news clip of a BBC reporter experiencing TREC for his first time.
In other news, we'd like to tell you about a fun new feature on the LRG site. Thanks to Google Translate, you can now view the product pages in your choice of over 50 languages! You'll find that handy tool at the upper left side of all the LRG Shopping pages. "Thank you" to our many international customers who inspired us to add this feature!
Happy Trails!
--Julie, "You've Got Trail" Editor
& The Gals at Long Riders Gear
TREC: A Trail Rider's Sport!
by Julie Brand
TREC or Techniques de Randonnee Equestre de Competition, to give it its full name, is a unique equestrian sport developed in France where there is a highly organised equestrian tourist industry. The concept of TREC was born as a suitable way to test the expertise of professional equestrian guides, but it soon began to appeal to the everyday grass root rider.
TREC was introduced into the U.K. by the British Horse Society in 1998. Although still not considered a main stream equestrian sport it does have a growing band of truly enthusiastic riders (and horses). The competition is designed to test a horse/rider combination through a whole range of activities rather than focusing on one particular discipline. The sport requires versatility and training, combining the requirements of trail riding with jumping and correct basic flatwork.
There are three phases of TREC all designed to test the partnership's ability to cope with an all-day ride across varied terrain, route finding, and navigating natural obstacles and hazards.
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A rider plots out her path in the
orienteering phase. Photo: BHS TREC |
Orienteering, or the POR - Parcours d'Orientation et de Regularite, is usually the first section of the competition, and it is worth up to 240 of the maximum 460 points available in the competition. Length of the ride and the difficulty will vary depending on the level of competition. Level 1 (the easiest) will typically encounter a simple ride of up to 8 miles and can easily be accomplished by the weekend rider on a not very fit mount. Where as those at the top level will be expected to travel 25 miles using a variety of navigational techniques. There is usually a section where riders can pick their own route but must get to specific grid references in a given time. Another section at this level will involve having the map taken away from the rider and replaced with a list of distances and bearings requiring the rider to use a compass and know the distance that they have traveled with their horse. Despite it being a competition, the orienteering phase is a really great way to experience some of the very best riding and scenery that a country has to offer. Routes are set with the idea of being “off –road” as far as possible and as a result you can get quite off the beaten track and end up in those special places that only the locals know about!
The other two phases of the competition are usually run together, either on the second day, or after the POR. They are the Control of Paces (CoP, or Matrisse des Allures) and PTV (Parcours en Terrain Varie).
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Control of Paces through a corridor. Maximum marks
are gained for cantering through the narrow planks. |
Control of Paces sounds very simple, but it takes a lot of skill and practice. The horse and rider must canter as slowly as possible along a marked corridor which is about 6 feet wide and up to 400 feet long. They must then turn and walk back as quickly as possible. If the horse should break pace for even one stride, or place a foot outside the corridor the result is a zero score. Each phase is marked out of a maximum of 30 points and is based on a predetermined times standard for any course.
To make this phase even more of a test for the more experienced horse and rider, organisers have become very inventive, setting serpentine-like shapes on very undulating terrain. At one championship the organisers even left a family of carved wooden bears at the side of the track, causing so many horses to spook and break pace/step outside the corridor!
PTV, the final phase, is sixteen obstacles designed to mimic natural hazards you might encounter whilst out riding. They include things like natural jumps, opening and closing a gate without letting go of it, riding or leading up/down steep inclines, navigating a narrow corridor, low branches, or reining back in a straight line. Each obstacle is scored out of a maximum of 10 marks. These courses are set in the countryside and utilise the natural features. The course is timed with time penalties being deducted from the score should you have not gone fast enough.
The horses must successfully pass veterinary checks throughout the weekend as competitions at higher levels will usually take place over two days. This gives the riders a chance to socialise and get to know each other on the Saturday night as nearly every competition has a great social event associated with it! Weekend competitions often work out as a very good value for money weekend away.
In the South West of England, TREC Southwest started six years ago with just four enthusiastic “treccies” who wanted to share their love for the sport. The club rapidly grew from just one competition a year to the 6-7 we now run. Membership varies but is usually about 60-70 members at any one time and most members will support us at just about every event often bringing along new friends. In our club I believe the youngest rider is just eight years old and has a lovely native Dartmoor pony. She often comes and competes with her mum who rides a horse that has previously competed at national level dressage. At the other end of the scale we have several members who would rather not disclose their age but comfortably qualify for a pension. I think the oldest rider we have had at an event was in her eighties. She did a pairs class and won!
The horses come in all sorts of shapes and sizes too. Although the native and part bred native breeds seem naturals at the job we have several horses over 17.2hh competing. We have English and western style riders in the club but have yet to attract a side saddle rider!
With opportunities for pairs of riders to compete together and classes to cater to a range of riders, from those with very modest ambitions, to others with a keen competitive instinct, right up to international championship level, the sport has something to offer every horse and rider!
If you wish to learn more about TREC, the British Horse Society offers an array of TREC information, including a list of necessary TREC equipment and their TREC Organizer's Handbook, a helpful resource if you are inclined to plan a TREC event.
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