Welcome to DRASA and thank you for being interested in joining our journey into a safe, friendly distance equestrian sport.
The proliferation of “fun rides” currently happening is worrying as these rides are not regulated at all, with no affiliation anywhere or compliance to horse welfare rules. In DRASA there is a place for you, even if you only want to ride for pleasure or fun. We would like to bring these “pleasure/fun” riders into a club base, as well as offering a discipline association with structure, where we can regulate the speed, distance and ensure horse welfare. We also aim to improve and educate riders in the necessary skills to ride long distance with the same horse for years and years.
We promise:
- At DRASA we promise to listen to the needs and voices of our members and by following our constitution we can make this sport grow in the direction the majority of our members vote for…...Teamwork can make the dream work!
- The “draw cards” for riders is the opportunity of recognition by awarding prizes for winners of all categories as well as overall winners of the total distance
- We will always strive to give recognition for the rider/horse combinations that epitomise the longevity of our sport- for example the DECADE Team ward and Kilometre awards for those combinations achieving these milestones.
How does it work?
There are three judging categories
- TIME
- EQUINE and VETERINARY
- HORSEMANSHIP
TIME
The horse and rider combination that completes the accurately measured distance at an average speed closest to their nominated speed within the set minimum and maximum speeds receives the full amount of points allocated to the time category
EQUINE AND VETERINARY
The horse that exhibits the best veterinary condition and scoring based on accredited Veterinary measurements throughout the ride is the winner in the Equine judging section
HORSEMANSHIP
The rider that exercises the best horsemanship throughout the entire ride is declared the winner in this category
As per the Sports Act and the Department of Sport and Recreation organisational structures and the entry level into any equestrian sport is through the club structure.
There are formal requirements to be a club , one of which is having a valid constitution and bank account and Management committee nominated and voted into their positions by the adult members of the Club.
Members may affiliate to clubs that offer the specific disciplines they are interested in competing in their area, district and province. Each discipline has specific criteria for the club to affiliate to them. For DRASA our criteria for club affiliation is to hold one distance ride a year, supply two members to be trained by DRASA as Horsemanship Judges and to nominate and appoint a DRASA representative (paid up member of DRASA) on the Executive of the Club.
The DRASA Representative then will be responsible for the DRASA membership in the Club and fulfil the following duties:
- Have a good understanding of the DRASA rules
- Collate and submit all mandates of the DRASA members to the DRASA Provincial council
- Host and organise the DRASA ride offered by the club
- Submit and sign all documentation and requests sent out by DRASA
- Communicate all DRASA memos and rule changes to the Club’s DRASA members
If no club is currently available in your area which is affiliated to DRASA you may need to affiliate to an existing club in another area, but still within your province.
Please let us know in that case, otherwise we can assist in creating a DRASA affiliated club in your area providing there is enough demand and at least 10 members willing to affiliate to this club.
So once you have found/created a club affiliated to DRASA and had 2 judges trained in the Horsemanship judging you can start planning to host a ride.
One means in which we assist you is through this manual which is intended as a check list for ride managers for them to use uniform procedures in all DRASA sanctioned rides.
How to...