1. The sport of BHS TREC (Techniques de Randonnee Equestre de Competition) was brought to the UK by The British Horse Society in 1998.

2. TREC originates in France and was developed nearly 30 years ago as a way to train and assess the competence and ability of professional horse riding guides.

3. The British Horse Society is the governing body for the sport in the UK.

For all the latest information, visit the BHS Trec website:
http://www.bhs.org.uk/Riding/BHS_TREC.aspx

17 Feb 2010:

Britain’ top BHS TREC riders recognised

The achievements of some of Britain’s top BHS TREC riders were celebrated at The SEIB BHS TREC Annual Awards, held at The Woodside Conference Centre, Kenilworth, Warwickshire.

The ceremony recognised all riders that have competed in the BHS TREC League throughout 2009. Prizes were presented to the top finishers in each of the league divisions – Novice Individual, Novice Pairs, Open Individual and Open Pairs.

The SEIB Novice Individual title was won by Jane Chivers with 59 points. In the Novice Pairs league there were joint winners – Rachael Wilmot and Jan Oldham, and Di Skippon and Ali Large. The Open Pairs title was taken by husband and wife combination Dave and Sheila Rogerson.

Open Individual title winner was Current GB TREC Champion, Anna Weston who was awarded a bespoke Endurance Combination bridle, donated by the Worshipful Company of Saddlers.

Past Master David Snowden of the Worshipful Company of Saddlers presented the prizes, which included a Horseware Ireland Corrib Jacket donated from their Autumn/Winter range for the winners, and rosettes to tenth.

There were also several special awards presented on the night including the J.F Brammer “Unsung Hero’s Award”, donated by the Brammer family in memory of John Fredrick Brammer. This award is presented in recognition of the unsung heroes and volunteers who help out at events all over the country and this year’s recipients were Vanessa Warren and Richard Curtis, for their hard work both home and abroad.

The BHS also recognised sportsmanlike behaviour for the first time at this year’s awards. The first BHS Sportsmanship award went to Julian Brown for his assistance in helping riders at the BHS TREC Championship of Great Britain negotiate the soft ground, despite the fact that he incurred penalties for doing so.

BHS TREC appeals to all sorts of riders, with all sorts of horses. Basically, if you enjoy riding in attractive countryside, with a reasonable amount of challenge and a competitive element, you'll enjoy BHS TREC. It has many attractions and advantages over other forms of equestrian competitive sport.

1. It's fun - and you can push yourself as hard as you like, or take it easy and enjoy it.

2. It's inexpensive - and will be even less expensive as the number of events increases and there are more opportunities closer to home.

3. It doesn't require high quality horses, expensive clothes and tack - or a high level of fitness (of horse or rider) - to enjoy BHS TREC and to do well.4. You can compete in pairs - with a friend, a partner, or a child.

Each event uses local natural 'hazards' to test horses and riders.

What's Involved?
The usual event consists of three parts: (they are not always held in this order)

Phase 1 - POR - is basically orienteering on horseback. ou start with a map and a record card and must find your way around the course, via a number of checkpoints, at pre-determined speeds. It is not a race, and the majority of the course (usually between 12 and 0 kms at the novice levels) is in walk and trot.

Phase 2 - Gaits - this phase is designed to demonstrate that the rider can exercise a degree of influence over the horse first in canter, then in walk, on a straight line course - usually 150 metres long and 2-2.2 metres wide. The concept is that the slower the horse travels in canter, and the faster in walk, the greater the marks awarded.

Phase 3 - the cross-country phase. Even at Championship level, the size of the jumps remains reasonable (2 ft. at the most novice level to a maximum of about 3ft 3 in. at Championship level, with a maximum length of about 5 km.) It also includes some exercises, mounted and dismounted, designed to test the horse/rider's suitability to cope with the obstacles and difficulties that might be encountered whilst riding n the countryside.

The scoring is based on accumulating the most points, and if a horse or rider is unable to perform any part of the competition, they are not eliminated - they merely lose points.
You will find the BHS TREC Rulebook very useful. To order a copy, please send a cheque or postal order for £5 (includes postage), made payable to 'The British Horse Society' to Competitions Office, The British Horse Society, Stoneleigh Deer Park, Kenilworth CV8 2XZ. For queries about any aspect of BHS TREC please email: competitions@bhs.org.uk

Competitors must be BHS Gold Members, or members of an Affiliated British Riding Club, otherwise they must submit documentary evidence with their entry that they hold suitable third party liability insurance.

This sport is accessible - not only to the leisure rider but to the average pleasure horse. While the mainstream competitive disciplines require well bred, expensive mounts, BHS TREC is very suitable for cobs, working hunter types and and the native breeds of Britain. These animals are hardy, cheaper to buy and look after, and often easier to ride.
BHS TREC - even at national and international level - is not limited to riders of great expertise (or courage.)

A knowledge of terrain, and understanding of topography and map reading are important features of the sport, which provides access to excellent riding country and fosters a real understanding of the countryside. The competition is designed to test a horse/rider combination through a whole range of activities, combining the requirements of trail riding, with basic cross country jumping and flatwork. It tests the horse/rider’s ability to find their way across country using map reading skills and to show a safe degree of control and ability to deal with the sort of obstacles and problems that can be encountered by a rider on their own in the countryside.