All affiliated British Riding Clubs are allocated an Area when they join and become an official club – Alvechurch is Area 5 which is classed as Midlands. This is a level above Mercian Teams and is for horses and riders at an established level of competition.

Dressage & Dressage to Music is from Prelim to Medium level, and Show Jumping, Combined Training, Hunter Trials and Eventing is from 80cm – 1M+

A number of members have competed at Area for others clubs before we affiliated and some have qualified for Nationals – so it is achievable and a great opportunity.

There are 2 types of Area competitions:

Qualifiers – These are competitions to qualify the club team or individual for the National Championships in that discipline.

  • Dressage – Novice and Intermediate Levels
  • Dressage to Music
  • Show Jumping
  • Eventing
  • Show and Style Jumping

Dressage and Show Jumping have both Summer and Winter Championships. Only two teams from each Area qualify for the National Championships at each qualifying event.

All qualifiers have two age brackets; Juniors (up to 18yrs of age Jan 1st ) and Seniors (18yrs and above).

Points – Area 5 also runs points competitions across the year where riders and clubs can gain points towards rosettes and prizes at the annual Area Awards night held in December.

See Facebook Area 5 page or Alvechurch Riding Club Page for up to date entries and results.

Riding at Area level

There are many rules and regulations surrounding competing at Area level which are there to protect horse and rider and ensure a level playing field. If you’re interested in riding for the club at Area competitions, please have a read of the BRC Handbook and our own guide to Area here.

Two key requirements are

  1. Your riding helmet must provide a minimum level of protection, as set out by BRC in their Rulebook. Helmets must be checked and tagged at an Area event before being worn in an Area competition. Tags are valid for a year.
  2. Your horse’s vaccinations must be up to date. This information is checked before you can compete and is held on file by the Area.