25. March 2008 by admin.

As we search for the answer for a user friendly database, the caches are now being hosted on a new database. The Filemaker hosting was not as user friendly as was hoped. The drawback to this new database is (right now) the links to google maps and geocaching listings are not clickable. You can copy and paste while this bug is being looked into. Play with it, and let us know what you think or would like to see.

Keep looking and keep hiding and we hope to post a new and improved solution shortly!!

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19. February 2008 by admin.

The discipline is known generally by its French name, Techniques de Randonnee Equestre de Competition (T.R.E.C.) and has grown up quite separately from the mainstream equestrian disciplines, within the equestrian tourist sector.

History

The sport began its development about 27 years ago in France where they have a highly organised equestrian tourist industry. A need to focus the training and development of professional guides working within the sector had been identified, and the concept of TREC was born as a suitable way to test their expertise. The competition very quickly appealed to the equestrian tourists themselves and by 1996, twelve European Championships had already been held. Countries principally involved to that point had been France, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Belgium.

The sport has its own international governing body, the Federation Internationale de Tourisme Equestre (F.I.T.E.) and by the time of the 1996 European Championships, membership of FITE had expanded to include the United Kingdom, Argentina, Quebec and Tunisia. The United Kingdom joined to gain international recognition for its newly developed Equestrian Tourism Qualifications and membership of FITE is via the BHS. At those championships it was decided to attempt the first ever World Championships in 1997, planned to take place in France in the September of that year.

The World Championships duly took place with all member countries being represented with the exception of Argentina. By the time of the competition the United States of America, with the encouragement of the BHS, had joined FITE and were able to enter a team in the Championships.

The competition was an outstanding success - bringing together riders from three continents and it was won, not perhaps surprisingly, by the French.

The Competition

The competition is designed to test a horse/rider combination through a whole range of activities rather than focusing on one particular discipline. The competition combines the requirements of trail riding, with jumping and riding school flat work. It tests the horse/rider’s ability to find their way across country using map reading skills and to deal with all types of terrain; to show a safe degree of control and riding ability; and to deal with the sort of obstacles and problems that can be encountered by a rider on their own in the countryside.

The competition is conducted in three phases, and at Championship level takes place over two days. Even at the lower levels, competition is usually conducted over two days as there is great emphasis placed on the social opportunities the competition affords. Riders see themselves principally as equestrian tourists/recreational riders rather than as competitors.

Phase One - Orienteering

Parcours d’Orientation et de Regularite (P.O.R) is orienteering on horseback. Riders must follow a route on a map, at speeds predetermined by the organisers. They must be able (and equipped) to deal with most difficulties and mishaps on their own, although suitable emergency procedures ensure the safety of riders and horses. The POR is not a race and the majority of the course is conducted in walk and trot. Although the course can be up to 45 kms long at championship level, generally the very high degrees of equine fitness associated with endurance riding or horse trials are not required.

The scoring is based on accumulating the most points, and one of the major appeals of this discipline is that if a horse or rider is unable to perform any part of the competition, they are not eliminated; they merely lose points. It recognizes that the demands of the competition are so wide and varied that not all riders or horses can be good at everything. Injury, cheating or losing equipment can result in elimination but in practice eliminations are very rare giving the sport considerable appeal to the less than perfect rider on the less than perfect horse.

Significant Issues

The attractions of this sport are obvious, but it is worth emphasizing the accessibility of the sport to the ordinary recreational rider. TREC is environmentally friendly; and stresses individuality and personal development while offering enjoyable social opportunities. The educational benefits go way beyond the boundaries of riding, stable management and horse welfare, and include knowledge of terrain, understanding of topography and a true appreciation of the countryside.

A very significant issue is one of insurance, particularly as competitions tend to take place over private land. In France the 36,000 individuals registered in 1997 all had to carry their own public liability insurance, personal accident insurance and insurance for the horse and equipment that they use.

In promoting TREC as an inexpensive sport for all riders, the BHS decided not to create another separate competitive discipline along the lines generally established in this country, which would increase costs for individual competitors. Any individual who is a member of an organiszation affiliated to the British Equestrian Federation, which provides personal accident and public liability insurance, is able to compete in open affiliated competitions. BHS members (including British Riding Club members), the sporting disciplines and the Pony Club all fall within this category.

For restricted affiliated competitions, only BHS and BRC members are eligible to compete. All championships will fall in to this category, and only results from these competitions will count towards selection for international competitions.

There is no requirement to register horses so the sport is affordable and accessible to the ordinary, recreational rider.

General Points

The sport is demanding in that it requires a wide range of basic skills from both horse and rider, but is also highly flexible. It can be run on a single day, if that suits the venue and the competitors. It is quite possible for the sport to accommodate Western Riders, Side Saddle (with some slight modifications to one or two of the PTV obstacles), and any breed of horse. More than a quarter of the competitors in the British Premier were non-horse owners. There is provision for pairs (or more), to give those less confident with map reading an opportunity to practice and develop their skills under supervision or to allow a young person to compete with an adult.

One of the other attractions of the sport is that most people ride in their everyday riding gear, so there is not the requirement to spend large sums of money on specialist clothing or equipment.

Our thanks go to the BHS for this article

The American home for TREC is located at: http://www.trec-usa.org/

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14. February 2008 by admin.

An Arizona newspaper article on Geocaching. Of interest to those wanting to Equicache as well:

http://www.dcourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=52416

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7. January 2008 by admin.

There is a new link where EquiCachers can download an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of labels or ID cards. Print onto label paper or plain paper to identify your cache as an official Equicache.

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9. December 2007 by admin.

Show the world you love EQUICACHING! New items sporting the Equicaching logo are available here!
http://157442.spreadshirt.com

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8. December 2007 by admin.

As an expansion of Equicaching, the new Ride My Trail archive is being created. After all, “the true treasure is our trails!” Please write about your favorite trail(s) and share with our readers. If you have a favorite GPS route saved, please send your files to the webmaster@equicaching.com to share your trail with other trail explorers. Check back often to find new trails and caches or subscribe to the newsletter to receive monthly updates.

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5. December 2007 by admin.

On the Equicaching games page, we have added a survey link. The  question is: Have you ever used a GPS while trail riding?

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1. December 2007 by admin.

Welcome!

We’re glad you found us. Updates and ideas about developing the game (or sport) of Equicaching will be found here. Feel free to offer suggestions, ideas, games, warnings, you name it!

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