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North Carolina T.R.E.C. Competition

T.R.E.C. stands for Equestrian Trail Riding and Trekking Techniques Competition. TREC is designed to encourage the development of the skills necessary for the horse and rider to be safe and effective while riding in the countryside.

There are Four Phases: Orienteering or POR (Saturday) 240 Max Points Mastery of Gaits or CP (Sun Morning) 60 Max Points Cross Country Trials Course or PTV (Sun afternoon) 160 Max Points Equipment Inspection & Turn Out (Friday/Saturday) 10 Max Points

Orienteering or P.O.R.

The Orienteering Phase is also known as Optimum Speed and Orienteering Course or P.O.R. It is the first phase and it usually starts early Saturday during a two-day competition.

Scoring This phase carries 240 points out of a total of 470 points. Points are lost for:

A -1 per minute of vet-imposed halt
B -1 per full minute if faster or slower than optimum time
C -30 for not moving straight and foward to check point when in sight of it
D -30 for arriving at a check point by a route other than that intended
E -50 For any missed check-point. The two stages each side of the missed check-point are counted as one stage to be completed at the speed set for the first stage
F -1 per full minute rider is late from check-points, new start time and penalty points marked in record book Penalties incurred in any stage cannot be won back on other stages.

Map Room/Start: Each competitor marks the route to be ridden on a 1/25,000 or 1/50,000 scale map and is given 20 minutes to do this immediately prior to starting. A target speed of between 6 and 12 km/hr will be posted prominently at this point and at every check-point. The slower speeds will usually indicate that the terrain is difficult or the route is tricky. No two stages will have the same target speed. Start times are staggered and sometimes more than one route is used so that competitiors really are finding their own way and not just following each other. Some harder competitons have a stage where a route is followed only with a compass and co-ordinates.

Check Points Competitors will be given a record card for each check point judge to sign and write in the arrival and departure times*. Competitors are unaware of the number and position of the check points which must be ridden in order. When within sight of a check-point, competitors must go directly to it by the shortest possible path, at the same pace and without stopping(see C above). If there are flags riders must pass through them, red on right. Check points usually have a waiting period of 5-10 minutes. There will be a vet inspection (15 minutes) on longer courses to check the condition of the horse as well as one at the finish of the orienteering. The vet may temporarily hold the horse (see A above) or may even eliminate it from the competition.

Elinination

Competitor giving or recieving assistance
Losing record card or illegibility of record card (* above)
Vet imposed elimination at inspections or if horse is found to be doped
Competitor voluntarily retiring (if a rider, for other reasons, is unable to finish a phase, the rider may still finish the competition and be placed)

Competitors are expected to carry the following equipment which may be checked at any time: Compass, Water, Pen/s, Horse boot, Flashlight, Whistle, Saddlebags, Rider and horse ID, Waterproofs, First Aid for horse and rider, Money & telephone numbers.

Mastery of Gaits

The Mastery of Gaits Phase or Control of Paces is the second phase and is conducted on Sunday morning after the vet inspection if there is one. There is a maximum of 60 points.

The course is a straight or curved corridor 150 m long and between 2-2.20 m wide preferably on level ground. Usually the same corridor marked in chalk, line, paint, boards, poles, etc. is used for both the canter and the walk back.

The horse first canters as slowly as it can and then returns walking as fast as possible. A neutral zone of 10m before the start line is available to establish the canter and the 25 m neutral zone to establish the walk before returning. The horse must cross the start and stop line at the required pace.

Cross Country or P.T.V.

The third and last phase is conducted immediately after the Mastery of Gaits on Sunday.

The Course

The course of approximately 16 obstacles may be up to 5 km long and there is a maximum optimum time for completing it. The course route will be displayed showing: the start and finish, the route, the distance, maximum time allowed, name and number of obstacles, whether obstacle is ridden or led, the gait and the penalty zones. Stewards will open the course for competitors to walk. Competitors should note where there are penalty zones before and after an obstacle. Obstacles must be ridden in order with red flags on right and white on left. A rider not wanting to attempt an obstacle must nonetheless present the horse in front of it before continuing on his/her way*. The course between obstacles may be ridden at any pace except where indicated otherwise.

Scoring
Each obstacle carries 10 points and an uncorrected error of course means elimination from the phase. Points at each obstacle are awarded for Effeciveness 7 to 0, Style 3 to -2 and Penalty -1 to -3. The overall mark cannot be less than 0.

In the instance of breaking gait while an obstacle is being tackled involving several options (canter, trot, walk) in addition to the incurred penalty mark (for effectiveness), the lowest gait is taken into consideration for the style mark.

Exceeding the maximum optimum time will result in time penalties of 5 for the first minute, 10 for the second and 15 for third. No more than 30 penalty points can be incurred for exceeding the time allowed.

Three refusals at an obstacle results in 0 points but the competitor is not eliminated from the phase. The same applies for riders choosing not to attempt an obstacle (*above).

Applications, Rules, Descriptions of Each Obstacle and U.S.N.E.T.O. Release can be obtained from Cam or Amy at Camp Rockmont (828) 686-7370 or 669-2407
Click here to go to T.R.E.C. Website for more information