Garmin National Championships
Season 2021/2022 will see the launch of the Garmin National Championships where horsemanship will be judged across two disciplines – dressage and show jumping. Eight competitions – four in dressage and four in show jumping – will be held throughout the season. Horse and rider combinations will be awarded points for placings in any of the Garmin National Championship competitions.
Points for each horse/rider combination will be visible on a leader board available and updated after each competition.
At the end of the season, the horse/rider combinations with the most points will be eligible for cash prizes. Riders are encouraged to compete in both dressage and show jumping with the largest prizes being offered to competitors showing promise in both disciplines. Prizes for those riders who only participate in dressage or show jumping will also be awarded.
A new class, From Track to Arena has been set up to encourage horse owners who have given an ex-racehorse a second chance in life. While not many of them can compete with the extravagant strides of a warmblood, rehoming a horse can be very rewarding. Riders will ride the same tests/courses as everyone else, but they will also be eligible for prizes in a class of their own.
Classes
Adult Classes
Overall
Dressage
Show Jumping
Track to Arena (Overall)
Junior Classes
Overall
Dressage
Show Jumping
Track to Arena (Overall)
Points
Riders will be awarded points as follows:
1st place – 5 points
2nd place – 4 points
3rd place – 3 points
4th place – 2 points
Age Groups
Riders may ride in junior classes up to the end of the year of their 18th birthday.
Young riders may opt to ride in adult classes from the beginning of the year of their 14th birthday if they so choose. They may also opt to remain in the junior classes.
Any riders below the age of 14 must ride in junior classes.
Prizes
Adult Classes
Overall
1st – €500
2nd – €250
3rd – €100
Dressage
1st – €100
2nd – €75
3rd – €50
Show Jumping
1st – €100
2nd – €75
3rd – €50
Track to Arena (Overall)
1st – €100
2nd – €75
3rd – €50
Junior Classes
Overall
1st – €100
2nd – €50
3rd – €30
Dressage
1st – €40
2nd – €20
3rd – €10
Show Jumping
1st – €40
2nd – €20
3rd – €10
Track to Arena (Overall)
1st – €40
2nd – €20
3rd – €10
Dates
6th November - Dressage
20th November - Show jumping
11th December - Dressage (postponed by a week)
18th December - Dressage
12th December - Show jumping (postponed by a week)
19th December - Show jumping
5th February - Dressage
19th March - Show jumping
28th May - Dressage
29th May - Show jumping
The dates set are always weather permitting. In bad weather, or where the ground is considered dangerous, the event will be postponed to a more suitable date. Because of the way in which the Garmin National Championships has been set up, all eight of the competitions must take place. Should it be necessary, the season will be extended into the early summer.
Dressage
Competitive classes
Prelim
Novice
Elementary
Medium
Advanced/Medium
Advanced
Prix St-Georges
Inter 1
Inter 2
Leading rein (walk and trot), Riding Class 1 (walk and trot), Riding Class 2 (walk, trot and canter) and Introductory dressage will be held on the day of the Garmin National Championships but riders competing in these classes will not be eligible for points. These classes will form part of the Pony Club Challenge, with special prizes awarded to riders taking part in these events at the end of the year.
Tests
Riders competing in classes Prelim to Advanced will ride British Dressage tests and compete according to BD rules. Riders competing in PSG and above will ride FEI tests and compete under FEI rules. Click on the date to find tests for all classes.
Entries
There is a €25 entry fee for each horse and rider combination.
Entries for Leading Rein and Riding Classes are at €15 for each horse and rider combination.
Entries are only open to paid up competitive members.
Riders must fill in the entry form.
Entries can be sent in via email or Facebook Messenger. They will be confirmed only upon payment. Payment can be made in person to Tommy or Gina in Maghtab or Lucienne or Lara at Montekristo or digitally via BOV mobile banking or Revolut to 79421756 or by bank transfer to:
BANK: BOV
Account name: Astrid Camilleri
Account number: 16306175021
IBAN: MT27VALL22013000000016306175021
SWIFT code/ BIC – VALLMTMT
Please add your name and class to the notes on the payment.
Closing date for entries is the Sunday before the competition.
Refunds will not be given after the closing date unless the competition is cancelled by the MEF.
Rules
Competitions will be held in accordance with British Dressage rules for classes Prelim through to Advanced and FEI rules for PSG and above. Anyone who does not conform to any of the rules will be disqualified.
Horse/rider combinations will be allowed to compete in whichever class they choose in the first year. A rider can compete on the same horse in two classes, but these must be consecutive. (A rider can compete in Elementary and Medium but not in Prelim and Medium.)
A horse can compete in a maximum of two competitive rounds (with the same rider or different riders). Horses competing in the Grassroots Classes (Leading Rein and Riding Classes) may enter four times. Horses doing one competitive round can also do three Grassroots Classes and horses competing in two competitive rounds may also enter in two Grassroots Classes as long as there is sufficient rest for the horse in between Grassroots Classes and competitive classes.
In the event that horse/rider combinations compete in more than one class, competitors will only accumulate points from one class. They will keep the scores from their best round and discard the results from the remaining round.
Horse/rider combinations will only be eligible for accumulative points if their scores are above 60% in adult classes and 55% in Junior or Track to Arena classes.
In an individual event, if the winning two riders have the same score, they will both be awarded points for first place, but no second place points will be awarded. The rider with the next highest score will be given third place points.
Riders failing to turn up with their horse to the presentation of rosettes at the end of the class will forfeit points with the next rider to show up taking their place.
In the event that two riders have the same score in the accumulative points at the end of the season, the rider with the highest average score across all dressage tests will be awarded one extra point.
Show jumping
Competitive Classes
50cm
60cm
70cm
80cm
90cm
100m
110cm
120cm
130cm
Poles on the ground and 30cm classes will take place on the day of the Garmin National Championships but riders competing in these classes will not be eligible for points. No jump off will be held for these classes. These two classes may be completed on the lead or off. These classes will form part of the Pony Club Challenge, with special prizes awarded to riders taking part in these events at the end of the year.
Entries
The entry fee for horse and rider combinations competitions in the first round is €20, with a discounted rate of €15 for consecutive rounds. Riders can only compete on one horse twice.
The entry fee for riders competing in the poles on the ground and 30cm is €15.
Riders must fill out an entry form for every horse and rider combination and every class. The entry form is available here.
Entries are only open to paid up competitive members.
Entries can be sent in via email or Facebook Messenger. They will be confirmed only upon payment. Payment can be made in person to Tommy or Gina in Maghtab or Lucienne or Lara at Montekristo or digitally via BOV mobile banking or Revolut to 79421756 or by bank transfer to:
BANK: BOV
Account name: Astrid Camilleri
Account number: 16306175021
IBAN: MT27VALL22013000000016306175021
SWIFT code/ BIC – VALLMTMT
Please add your name and class to the notes on the payment.
Closing date for entries is the Sunday before the competition.
Refunds will not be given after the closing date unless the competition is cancelled by MEF.
Rules
Competitions will be held in accordance with FEI rules. Anyone who does not conform to any of the rules stipulated by FEI will be disqualified.
Horse/rider combinations will be allowed to compete in whichever class they choose in the first year. A rider can compete on the same horse in two classes, but these must be consecutive. (A rider can compete in 100m and 110cm but not in 100m and 120cm.)
A horse can compete in a maximum of two competitive rounds (with the same rider or different riders). Horses competing in the Grassroots Classes (Poles on the Ground Class or 30cm) may enter four times. Horses doing one competitive round can also do three Grassroots Classes and horses competing in two competitive rounds may also enter in two Grassroots Classes as long as there is sufficient rest for the horse in between Grassroots Classes and competitive classes.
In the event that horse/rider combinations compete in more than one class, competitors will only accumulate points from one class. They will keep the scores from their best round and discard the results from the remaining round.
In order to accumulate points, riders must stay under 12 faults. Riders with 12 faults or more will not be eligible for points.
Riders failing to turn up with their horse to the presentation of rosettes at the end of the class will forfeit points with the next rider to show up taking their place.
In the event that two riders have the same score in the accumulative points at the end of the season, the rider with the lowest accumulative faults will be awarded one extra point.
Track to Arena
The Track to Arena class is designed for horses coming off the racetrack. We appreciate how hard our equine partners work to learn a new job and how difficult it is for them to achieve the same results as the warmblood breeds who have been practising equestrian sport from the very beginning. Riders will compete in the same classes as everyone else, with the exception that Introductory dressage will count as a competitive round with points allocated as in other classes. Horse and rider combinations entering this class will also be eligible for dressage, show jumping and overall prizes.
Overall prize
The prize money for the Overall Garmin National Champion will be calculated on both dressage and show jumping competitions.
In the event that riders have the same cumulative score at the end of the season, one extra point will be awarded to riders with highest average dressage score and lowest average show jumping faults.
If there are still horse and rider combinations that are still tied, half a point will be awarded to the combination participating in the most competitions, even if they did not gain points or were eliminated in that competition.
If there are still horse and rider combinations that are still tied, the combination that has participated most evenly over both disciplines will earn and extra half a point.
Disclaimer
Riders participate in competitions at their own risk. Neither the Malta Equestrian Federation, sponsors nor the operators of facilities will be held liable for accident or injury.