61 young riders from 12 Central Ontario branches - Ajax, Brooklin, Durham, Kawartha, Oshawa, Pickering, Pine Ridge, Simcoe, Toronto & North York, Uxbridge-Scugog, Victoria and Whitchurch - have entered the 2005 Regional Show Jumping Finals, to be held this Sunday, August 21, at Audley Road Stables near Ajax.

In this show, three divisions of Pre-Entry level riders will compete in two classes each, a medal class and a Table AM5single round plus jump-off, plus a warm-up round. Some of these riders are under ten years old, and the jumps are set accordingly (1'9" to 2'0").

Medal classes are new to Central Ontario show jumping competition this year; in these, riders are judged for equitation or riding skill only in two phases, i.e. with and without fences. Everyone does the first phase, but the judge usually invites only the better riders to do the second.

The higher divisions, Entry, Starter, Beginner, Novice and Intermediate, compete in three classes each, a medal class, a Table AM5 single round with jump-off and a speed class, to determine a Champion and a Reserve in each division. The Table AM5 class includes a timed jump-off if more than one rider gets through the first round without any knock-downs, refusals or falls. In the jump-off, clear rounds count ahead of those with faults, and the fastest clear round wins, just like at the televised shows. Speed rounds are against the clock, with no jump-off. Jump heights increase for each division.

Pony Club is an international organization to promote riding and horsemanship skills among young people. Nearly all of Canada's international show jumpers got their starts in shows like this. Show jumping is the most familiar of Pony Club's activities to most spectators, but there is also competition in dressage, mounted games, rallies (including dressage, cross-country jumping and stadium jumping), tetrathlon (swimming, shooting, cross-country jumping, stadium jumping and cross-country running) as well as "academic" competition in quiz format.

Audley Road Stables are at 777 Audley Road, between Rossland Road and Highway 2. The show starts at 8:00 am and spectators are welcome without 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).