Learn more about TREC
TREC Ireland was set up in 2007 by a small number of TREC enthusiasts, who wanted to see the sport of TREC being run in Ireland. Now an affiliate of Horse Sport Ireland, TREC Ireland shares the international TREC licence with AIRE (Affiliation of Irish Riding Establishments), and is governed internationally by FITE. Over the past four years, Irish TREC riders have begun competing abroad on a regular basis, and among the most notable results, Ireland took part in the European Championships held in Austria in September 2010, the Irish team came second in the Nations Cup in the British TREC Championships 2010 and an Irish rider was part of the winning Pair in the Level 3 Class at the 2009 British Championships.
TREC is a three phase sport that encompasses orienteering (POR), control of paces (CoP) and obstacles (PTV). The orienteering phase usually takes place first, on the first day of the competition, if a full two day event. It carries the highest possible points, at 240. The length of the route varies between the levels, Level 1, being suitable to newcomers, is 12kms, all the way to Level 4, which is 40kms. Championships may add 10% to the route, so at European Championships riders compete over 45kms. The orienteering is based on optimum time, so both riding too fast and too slow is penalised. Accurate map reading is imperative at the higher levels, at the lower levels, especially Level 1, the orienteering is a fun hack!
The control of paces is the 'dressage' element of TREC, and is held in a 150m long corridor, along which the riders canter as slowly as possible, and return in walk, as fast as possible. Neither pace may break into trot. Points are directly linked to the time taken to complete the corridor, thus the fastest walk and slowest canter will result in full points - 30 for each pace.
The obstacle course is usually held over a cross country course, and can be up to 5kms in length, and will contain 16 obstacles. These can be a variety of obstacles, and there are currently 38 obstacles recognised in Ireland. A detailed list of the obstacles can be obtained in the resources section of the TREC website.
TREC is a very flexible, fun and relaxed sport that all riders can take part in, regardless of age and ability. There is also no height restriction on horses and ponies, which means adults can compete on ponies if they so wish. All obstacles are optional, so riders only do what they are happy with. It's possible to compete purely for fun, or to aim all the way to the top - the World Championships in September 2012!
There are a number of affiliated groups around Ireland that run training and competitions, and anybody can attend these, membership is not a necessity, as TREC Ireland simply charges a temporary insurance fee per event. Currently there are two groups in Donegal, one in Leinster and five in Munster, with a number of other groups setting up in 2011. These groups obtain help and training from TREC Ireland until they are able to carry out events themselves.
This year, TREC Ireland has held one full phase event, which took place in April in Clonshire EC, Adare, Co. Limerick. This was a very successful event, with 35 riders taking part in Levels 1, 2 and 3. The organisers, Anne Marie Cronin and Bambi Carroll, pulled off a great day, with a fantastic PTV course over the cross country course, and the POR encompassing some amazing off road riding. The CoP corridor proved very challenging and resulted in few riders scoring high points.
Also this year, TREC Ireland has held a number of training such as Nutrition and Fittening that was conducted by Kevin Croke from ILDRA (Long Distance Riding), who shared his wealth of knowledge with all participants. Most recently, Mark Kendrick, from the British Horse Society conducted a training seminar for all Technical Delegates (TDs), sharing his experiences as being a Senior TD.
The next big event this season is the National Championships at Grangeclare Paddocks near Kells, Co. Meath on the 23rd and 24th of July. This event will feature a lot of different levels and classes, more to be announced closer to the date. For further information contact Gwen Bastian, 087-6578307 or by email .
After that, riders will be hoping to compete at the Championships of Great Britain in Dartmoor in September. Riders will have had the opportunity to qualify for the Championships at the Irish Open Championships in Glendalough, or at the Leinster Championships in Gurteen College on the 7th and 8th of May this year. In 2012, the World TREC Championships are taking place in Portugal and Ireland will be sending a team.
Apart from competitions such as these, each group also runs individual training sessions, which can focus on individual phases and/ or elements of the phases, such as orienteering theory evenings, or obstacle leagues.
You can find out about individual groups on the website, facebook and here. For further information on TREC Ireland, please email.
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