Darby Rules and Information

Information:
A Darby is a short competition featuring cones and hazards in a continuous course, driven just for the times. No fancy dress, no dressage test, just seeing how well you can get through a series of short cones setups and through three sets of gates in a couple of hazards. There is a single setting for cones, one for minis and another for everybody else. We will make you work a bit, however, as the idea is to split the group in half, with the first going through the course while the folks in the second man the scoring and judging, then reversing the process. If you haven't done one before, don't worry, we'll show you how it is done that morning. After all, this is for fun and even after it is all over, you are welcome to go back through the course to see how much better you can do the second time.

To keep them affordable and to add to the fun, the entry fee for the Darby is only $20 and other than paying for the host's expenses, all that money is returned to you! How? Well, we have a very complicated formula that gives cash prizes for the top placings in each of the classes: horse, pony and mini. You can also choose to compete as Training or Expert. Your choice. This is basically to let you group yourself with other folk in a similar class. The main difference is that no cantering is allowed in Training.



DARBY RULES
+ The entry fee will be $20 with all the funds going to a pay out for winners, less the expenses (the more entries, the bigger pay out we can afford).
+ Cash prizes will be a distribution of the entry fees. Hopefully, we will have enough entries to give first through third prizes in each of the two divisions.
+ We will begin around 10:00 am and you must checked in by 9:30 so that we can get the morning and after- noon volunteers set out. No late arrivals.
+ Only one horse per entry; we need to keep this simple and fun for the organizers, too.
+ Classes and Divisions: “Training” and “Expert” for horses, ponies and minis. You choose your own level.
+ People competing in the morning  volunteer in the afternoon, and competitors in the afternoon help in
the morning.
+ Grooms (except for VSE’s) and helmets (for everybody) are mandatory. Grooms may be other
drivers, say afternoon drivers can be grooms for morning drivers and visa versa.
+ No cantering for Training  This is a speed contest, but we need to keep it safe.
+ Cones are set at a single setting for the day: 160 cm for VSE and 180 cm for everybody else.
+ Gates are dead in cones and hazards; i.e. you can go back through a gate already done in order.
+ Elimination if you miss a gate in a hazard or in cones (that is, you go through the next gate
without correcting for the missed gate).
+ Taking a hazard gate out of order and correcting counts as a 10 second penalty.
+ A cones ball down counts as a 10 second penalty.
+ Scoring is simply the total time on course, from start gate to finish, plus any time penalties. The
fastest time in each class wins that class.