Wednesday, 09 November 2022
Horseball is the equine equivalent of basketball, netball and rugby rolled into one, and the British Horseball Association (BHA) has an ingenious way of seeking out young talent with no previous experience needed. On Saturday 22 October, alongside their Open Championships at Onley Grounds Equestrian Centre in Rugby, the BHA held introductory sessions that doubled as trials for the under-16s squad to represent Great Britain in Lake Garda, Italy in August 2023.
The trials were open to anyone from any riding background. All they required was a pony and a competitive mindset, with the ability to work within a team. The 60-minute session consisted of some short training activities with top coaches to learn the basics of horseball, followed by a fun game to test out participants' newly developed skills.
Jamie Gibson, Chairman of the BHA commented, “To grow this sport in a sustainable way, we must build the base of young riders and ensure they have the opportunity to stay involved in the sport, have fun, learn and develop. We plan to link up as many of the kids involved in the trials as possible with their local horseball club and create new clubs where there are currently none.
“Starting horseball as an 11-year-old novice, I have made many lifelong friends and feel a real sense of belonging. Horseball helped me massively improve my riding, build up sets of new skills and constantly evolve in my knowledge and understanding of the sport, all whilst having fun competing with and against my close friends.
“Ultimately, as part of the team competing for Great Britain, I have been able to travel all around the world to showcase this amazing sport and represent my country, something that I am incredibly proud of and will always remember.”
Jenny Hughes, part of the organising team, said, “The first of the under-16s trials went better than we could’ve ever hoped! We had 20 riders and their ponies booked onto the event. I'd hoped at least half would show and was absolutely ecstatic when the full 20 turned up! I was even more impressed with the ability of every single rider – 80% of them had never even seen a horseball before and, by the end of each session, every person was joining in the game play. I saw balls being picked up and goals being scored at speed as if the riders had been playing for months!
“Running the first training event at the Open Championships has really stirred up a lot of interest from other clubs, coaches and players who are eager to be involved, which is amazing for the future of the sport. I’m really excited to see what unfolds over the next few months with the upcoming training events, those hosted by the BHA and clubs and coaches running their own events too.”
The coaching team who supported the event were inspired. Ben Berry said, “As coaches, we were extremely impressed with all riders who took part in the trials. I'm hopeful they will all continue to train over the next few months and that we will have a good selection to choose from for the team next year.”
Alexandra Oldbury-Davies echoed Ben, “All players showed significant improvement of both skills and confidence during the sessions. It was great to see such a variety of ponies and riders all coming along to have a go and getting really involved and competitive in the game play too.”
Reece McNamara added, “The enthusiasm shown by all who took part in these sessions made it a joy to coach! They were all willing to have a go at whatever was asked of them and asking to do more, an enormous success for their first session of horseball!”
Alex Ford of the BHA went on to explain, “Like many sports, horseball lost a lot of momentum during Covid and, being a team sport added to the difficulties. BHA managed to send a great U16 team to the World Cup, but we realised we needed to attract more young players for the coming years.
“Many of our top-level ponies started their careers in mounted games or show jumping, then moving to this sport for a change, riders seem to pick up the sport easily and often find their ponies gain a new lease of life.”
The coaches and organisers were thrilled at the positive feedback received from parents, with them finding the sessions enjoyable and feeling welcomed from the moment they arrived, the only criticism was that the sessions weren’t long enough! The trials have left all participants eager to come back for more, an exciting outcome for the future of horseball.
Throughout the weekend, the championships were also taking place, consisting of some new up-coming teams and some teams returning from years out of the sport. An exciting sport to watch, with the spectators getting more excited and supportive by the minute. In between the serious competition, the next generation of horseball players, the under 10s along with their ponies, came out in their best Halloween outfits!
No matter what horse you have or your riding experience or age - anyone can get involved!
Future dates for the trials:
It looks like an exciting future is ahead for the fast, furious and friendly sport of horseball, with hopes to reach more areas across the UK, so keep your eye out for updates and get in touch with the BHA to let them know your interest, visit British Horseball Association or contact TeamGBR@BritishHorseball.co.uk and to keep updated with new dates via their Facebook page.