Teams from nine Central Ontario Region and two Saint Lawrence-Ottawa Valley Region Pony Clubs have entered the Central Ontario Tetrathlon, being held on Saturday, June 26 and Sunday, June 27 in the Peterborough-Bobcaygeon area.  

Central Ontario Branches competing are (in alphabetical order) Brooklin, Centaurus, Kawartha, Maple, Pine Ridge, Simcoe, Toronto & North York, Uxbridge-Scugog and Victoria.

Saint Lawrence-Ottawa Valley Region will be represented by members of the United Counties Branch, and the Kingston and Region Branch.

Tetrathlon is a very demanding competition with four parts: swimming, target shooting (with air pistols), running and riding. Scoring varies with the phase. In swimming, points are given for the time taken to complete a fixed distance (50-200m, depending on level). In shooting, the points are given for the number of shots in the target and their position in the target, similar to darts. Running is scored by time taken to complete a cross-country course. Riding is scored like the cross-country phase of eventing, with penalty points for refusals, falls, and taking longer than the optimum time to complete the course.

Boys and girls compete in separate divisions in Tetrathlon, at five levels for each: Junior A, Junior B, Senior A, Senior B and Novice. The "A" and "B" splits are determined by the competitors' levels of riding skills as measured by the Canadian Pony Club testing system.

The winners of Regional competitions at the Senior and Junior "A" levels have a chance of being chosen to represent the Region at national and international competitions. This year's National Tetrathlon will be hosted by the Nova Scotia-Newfoundland Region in the Truro area, from August 1st to 6th. The International Tetrathlon competition follows August 16 to September 1, co-hosted by England and Ireland.

The riding phase of this Regional competition will be held on Saturday, at Killusty Farm near Bobcaygeon. The shooting, swimming and running competitions will take place on Sunday. Shooting is at the Peterborough Fish and Game Club, swimming at the Trent University Pool and running at Trent University. Spectators are welcome at all phases of competition, without admission charge.

For more details e-mail Bob Inglis, Central Ontario Regional Communications Chair, or call him at 416-493-1223 (office) or 416-491-4230 (home).