Balnarring Equestrian Club Inc.

23rd of August - Grid and show jumping rally with Mark Griffiths at Peninsula Park.
We have plenty of spots available, poles (9am class) is booked. Lessons will run from 9-1pm. Contact us to book.

🌟 Exciting News for Bitless Riders! 🌟

After listening to member feedback and engaging in extensive discussion, the HRCAV Executive is excited to announce that we are in the planning stages of introducing an Unofficial Bitless Dressage Competition Trial.

This initiative aims to better support our members and their horses by providing a wider range of gear options to enhance training and competition experiences.

To help guide this exciting new venture, unofficial bitless competitions will be overseen by the newly established Bitless Bridle Working Group.

The trial will see unofficial Bitless Dressage Classes offered at selected dressage competitions. As interest in bitless riding continues to grow, these classes will provide riders with the opportunity to compete in a dressage environment while using bitless bridles.

The bitless classes will run as separate sections within existing competition day programs.

Whether you're already riding bitless or simply curious to learn more, this is a fantastic opportunity to get involved and contribute to this exciting initiative.

We are currently seeking expressions of interest from existing HRCAV judges and clubs who would like to be involved in or support this initiative. If you are interested, please contact the HRCAV Office [email protected] for further information.

Photo credit to Grain & Mane, thankyou.

We have 1 spot available at our rally with the fabulous Rachelle Wilson, 11am.

Frequently Asked Questions – New Helmet Standards 2029

When do the new helmet guidelines come into effect for HRCAV riders?
1st January 2029

What helmet can I use between now and the 1st January 2029?
You may ride in any helmet that meets the current Australian standards, but if you are looking to purchase a new helmet, please make sure it complies with the standards that will come into effect from 1st January 2029.

What are the new standards?
Please see table attached. Ensure your helmet meets two of the new standards and carries at least one of the quality testing marks.

Are the HRCAV helmet standards the same as the EA helmet standards?
Yes, however EA & FEI have a different timeline for rolling out the new standards. The new helmet standards for HRCAV events come into effect on 1st January 2029.

Do the new guidelines apply to all helmets?
Tagging is only required for the jumping disciplines and Nav Riding however members must ensure that they ride in a compliant helmet that meets current Australian standards regardless of if it is tagged or not. It is the rider’s responsibility. If you’re unsure please contact your local helmet tagger https://hrcav.com.au/helmet-tagging/ or the HRCAV office.

Which HRCAV disciplines will need their helmet to be tagged?
Horse trials, Show jumping, Navigation, Combined Training.

What colour will the HRCAV tags be?
Green.

Do taggers need to request the new tags, or will they be sent some automatically?
Taggers will be sent green helmet tags automatically.

When will HRCAV taggers get the new helmet tags?
Within the next 3 weeks.

What date can taggers begin tagging under the new guidelines from?
New tagging can begin as soon as tags arrive if the helmet in question meets the new standards that will be effective from 1st Jan 2029.

Where can I get my helmet tagged?
Please contact your local helmet tagger, to arrange your helmet to be tagged. A list can be found at https://hrcav.com.au/helmet-tagging/

Is there a cost to tag a helmet?
No these will be provided free of charge.

Will HRCAV accept an EA tag?
Yes, if the helmet meets the current approved Australian safety standards.

Will EA accept a HRCAV tag for competitions?
Unfortunately, No.

Does this mean I need x 2 tags on my helmet for both EA and HRCAV?
No because HRCAV accept EA tagged helmets.

In a new study, researchers sought to investigate whether domestic horses prioritise the emotional quality of interaction with humans over the immediate benefit of obtaining a larger amount of food.

Drawing on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and more recent ethological and affective neuroscience perspectives, the authors asked whether, in real decision making, horses might sometimes treat social bonding with humans as at least as important as, or even more important than, maximising food intake.

This question is relevant because horses are highly social animals and their welfare is strongly influenced by both social environment and relationships.

To address this, the study tested 15 domestic horses that had already passed a screening phase demonstrating a reliable ability to discriminate and consistently choose the larger of two food quantities.

In the main experiment, each horse repeatedly chose between two unfamiliar human demonstrators: a “friendly” person who showed positive engagement, maintained eye contact and displayed an inviting attitude while offering a smaller food reward, and an “unfriendly” person who avoided eye contact, appeared bored and emotionally detached, but offered twice as much food.

The procedure was carefully controlled in a familiar paddock, with standardised distances, timing and repeated trials to ensure that choices reflected stable preferences rather than random variation or learning during the test.

The researchers also examined motor and sensory lateralisation as potential indicators of emotional processing, recording which forelimb the horses used to initiate movement towards a plate and which eye they used more often to look at each demonstrator.

While no strong population-level motor bias emerged, horses spent more time looking at the unfriendly demonstrator with the left eye and at the friendly demonstrator with the right eye, suggesting differential hemispheric involvement when processing negative versus socially rewarding cues.

Across test trials, horses chose the friendly human significantly more often than chance, and this preference remained stable, indicating that many horses were willing to “sacrifice” the larger food amount in favour of a more positive social interaction.

Taken together, these findings suggest that, for domestic horses, socially rewarding contact with humans can outweigh a seemingly optimal feeding choice, at least under moderate motivation and controlled conditions.

This has important implications for how human–horse relationships are understood and managed, emphasising that the emotional style and engagement of handlers may be as crucial for equine welfare as the quantity of material rewards provided.

Turco, R., Malavasi, R., & Miletto Petrazzini, M. E. (2026). Challenging horses’ hierarchy of needs: Less food from a friendly human is preferred. Animal Behaviour.

Spots available at our poles and show jumping rally with Sarah Schroder:
3 spots in poles class 10-11am
1 spot in low level show jumping 11-12
3 spots in show jumping level 3 and above 12-1pm

What happens if you “point up” during a two-day competition?

Great question—and one we get asked a lot!

If you’re currently riding at e.g. Level 4 and enter a two-day competition, but you only have 1 or 2 points left before moving up, here’s what you need to know:

👉 You must enter the competition at your current level (Level 4).

👉 If you gain enough points on Day 1 to move up to the next level (Level 3), your points will revert to the base points for that new level.

👉 See “Event Rules 22.4” for how to update your card with base points.
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👉 For Day 2, you are required to ride at your new level (Level 3).
So what should you do next?

✔️ Notify the organising committee as soon as possible
✔️ They will try to accommodate you in the new level
✔️ If that’s not possible, you can request a refund or
✔️ Ride HC (hors concours) at your original level

We hope this helps clear things up! If you’re close to pointing up, it’s always a good idea to plan ahead 😊

Dressage lesson: 3x spots available
Protocol: 1x spot available

Saturday, 18th of April
No 3PE competitions around on the peninsula 😞 But we are offering a 3PE protocol day to practice style and speed and accuracy rounds. Get some practice under your belt and join us.

We also have flat and 3PE lessons on offer.

Calling all show jumpers - we have 3 spots left in the grid class this coming Sunday.

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Today we had a XC lesson with Mark Griffiths at the club grounds with a few of our members ☺️