ONTARIO
SCHOOL’S RIDING TEAMS ASSOCIATION (OSRTA)
General
Information
Mission
Statement
The
purpose of the existence of the Ontario School’s Riding Team Association is
to expose the intermediate and advanced level rider to greater riding
opportunities in order to help him/her to become a “well-rounded
horseperson”, and to make riding more accessible to students of all economic
backgrounds. This is accomplished by establishing a network of Ontario School
Riding Teams which are competitive in nature, and which make accessible
affordable, quality lessons; exposure to clinics and other learning
opportunities; and affordable, confidence-building showing experiences.
MEMBERSHIP
Who can join?
Any
school in Ontario with students ranging in age from 13-19.
(Riders should be 13 by the January preceding the spring show season).
Junior High and High-School Age Students are the focus of OSRTA.
Prerequisites:
-
Students should be riding at a level that is at par with OEF Rider Level One, or Pony Club D (or equivalent) in order for all schools to have a “level playing field”.
-
All students must become members of the OEF in order to become members of OSRTA.
-
During the season, the students should be working towards achieving an OEF Rider Levels.
Cost:
In
order to join OSRTA, each rider pays $10.00 per year.
This money goes towards association membership with the OEF, and helps
to defray the costs of showing, and necessary first-aid personnel at shows.
(Mandatory membership to the OEF costs $25.00 per year, per student.
Many students may have existing memberships.)
ORGANIZATION
The
Barn:
Each
school interested in participating creates its own team, and finds a suitable
barn with a certified instructor who is willing to provide affordable lessons.
Ideally, the barn will be able and willing to host a show. It is
recommended that the barn be a member of A.R.E.
The
Coach:
The
coach should be C.E.F. certified, and have access to suitable school horses
(capable of supporting a ten-member team).
The coach should understand and support the values outlined in the
mission statement, and be open to creating the “well-rounded”
horse-person. In other words, the
coach may be an expert in one particular area of riding, but should be open to
coaching a variety of disciplines, as s/he will have a varied student body.
The coach should have an esteem-building and confidence-building
approach to his or her teaching methods; and should be open to working with a
teacher-supervisor outside of the arena.
The
Teacher Supervisor
The
teacher supervisor and the riding instructor become a ‘team’ which
provides learning and riding experiences for the students, and prepares them
for showing. The teacher
supervisor remains in contact with the association in order to obtain updated
information on group clinics and showing.
The teacher supervisor is also the legal supervisor of the students,
and needs to ensure all legal documentation.
These
include:
-
OEF membership card
-
School release/permission form. (Board-specific)
-
Health and Safety Information Form (Board-specific)
-
Medical Consent Form (Board-specific)
-
(The teacher may also help with the barn’s legal release and permission forms)
-
Any necessary transportation documentation. In addition, the teacher helps to organize the transportation of students to their weekly lessons, and to the shows.
Fund
Raising
Students
and teachers of the team coordinate team fund raising; however, association
fund-raising will hopefully be implemented in the near future.
It is hoped that all teams will become involved in joint fund-raising
efforts, in order to reduce the cost of riding as much as possible.
SHOWING
The
Mount
Showing
will roughly follow the Canadian Universities’ Riding Teams Association.
In other words, the students travel from show to show, but the horses
do not. The barn that hosts the
show provides horses for all. Thus,
the competition is fair, as all students will need to ride an unfamiliar horse
at most shows. This also helps to
support the goal of producing “well-rounded” horsepersons.
Philosophy
The
purpose of showing is to allow riders to feel a sense of accomplishment and
friendly competition. Many
students hope to gain showing experience in a friendly, non-threatening
environment, in order that their confidence level is improved for further
showing in other areas of their riding. Showing
should be affordable and accessible to all students.
Classes
OSRTA
is not discipline-specific, but some shows may be.
Each school chooses to submit riders to the classes that are suitable.
Riders participate in the classes that will ‘best accommodate their
skills and best represent them for their team’.
Awards are team-based. The team with the highest points at the end of
the show season is the winner.
The
classes will vary, and will accommodate intermediate and advanced level
riders. They should contain
aspects of flat work; patterns (for western riders) or dressage; equitation
(on the flat and over fences); jumping (perhaps some x-country, depending on
the location) and perhaps some games classes that can be ridden in English or
Western tack.
Each
location will not be able to offer each of the aspects listed above.
The “show season” accommodates opportunities for students to
compete in an area suitable to their ability levels and interests.
Cost:
The
cost of showing for 2002 is $3.00/ class.
(Approximately $15.00/pp/per show) Transportation costs for horses is
nil, as only the students travel. Schools
arrange the transportation of students to horse shows independently.
Arrangements may vary. Please ensure all legal documentation is
accounted for.
Dress
Safety
is of prime concern. Official
show dress varies by discipline; thus, casual attire is acceptable, as long as
it is appropriate (no sleeveless shirts, please).
All riders must wear certified, approved helmets.
Suitable footwear is mandatory. Ideally,
students will wear a ‘uniform’ that identifies them by school team.
CLICK HERE TO SEE 2002 POINTS STANDINGS
LINKS
Ontario Equestrian Federation (OEF)
For more information contact Web Master
Last Updated: April 12, 2002
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