What is Minimus?

The Minimus is a triathlon competition.  It consists of swimming, running and riding. It takes place over a weekend. There are points awarded for each phase and the winner has the most points after the three phases.

What age do you have to be?
You must be Under 12 on the 1st of January of the current year to be eligible to take part.

When is it held?
It is usually held in June each year. 

Where is it held?
It is held in a different venue each year.  
 

Do boys and girls compete against each other?
The Minimus Championships are a team competition.  It consists of One Overall Competition for teams of four (3 scores count) made up of any combination of boys or girls.  Within the overall competition there are two competitions for the teams made up of all Boys and all Girls.  

Is there an individual competition?
Yes, all boys and girls on a team are also placed individually. The score they get as part of a team is also used to make an individual placing. There is an individual boys competition for ALL the boys taking part and an individual girls competition for ALL the girls taking part.  There are also individual placings for the best in swimming and the best in running.

 

 

How far do you swim?
You swim for 2 minutes. You get points according to the distance you can swim in this time.  You can use whatever style you wish and may change it during the swim. For instance you can start swimming with the front crawl and then change to backstroke if you wish. You swim in heats and you don't have to be able to dive, you can start in the water. You score 8 points per metre you swim.   For instance if you swim 125 metres (5 lengths of a 25m pool) in 2 minutes, you will score 1,000.

How far do you run?
Boys and girls in the Minimus triathlon run 1,000 metres. The course usually takes takes advantage of the natural country, with some ups and downs, but not steep hills. Competitors run in numerical order and are dispatched at 1 minute intervals and timed from the the moment they leave the start until they cross the finishing line. The faster you run the 1,000 metres, the more points you get.  For instance if you run the distance in 4 minutes, you get 1,000 points (this would be a very fast run). If you time is 5 minutes, you would get 640 points. If you time is 7 minutes, you would get 211 points. (The organisers have a special chart to know how many points are given for each time run).

What sort of riding is it?
The riding in the Minimus Championships is cross-country riding over solid fences. There may also be ditches, banks and drops.  However, it is scored very differently from other cross country riding competitions such as horse trials or hunter trials. The course will also include a gate and a slip-rail.  The rider must open the gate, go through it, and then close it, WHILST MOUNTED ON THEIR PONY.  At a Slip Rail, the rider dismounts, opens the rail, goes through, closes the rail and remounts. You are given 60 seconds to negotiate each of these.  If you take longer or need assistance, you will be given penalties.

How high are the fences?
The fences are Max height:- 0.75m, Spread only:- 1.50m,Height and spread:- 0.60 at highest point, 0.90m at base Important things to note are: If you FALL off you are ELIMINATED If you get ANY OUTSIDE ASSISTANCE you are ELIMINATED If you leave out a fence or obstacle you are ELIMINATED Only SIBLINGS may share a pony.

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How is it scored?
If you have a clear round in the time allowed you score 1400 points.  However points are deducted from this if you have problems on the course.   You should read the information on Positive Scoring on the Irish Pony Club webpage. The following is a summary of some of the penalties.
First refusal, run out or circle at obstacle = 60 penalties
Second refusal, run out or circle of horse at obstacle = 60 penalties
Third refusal, run out or circle of horse at obstacle = 80 penalties.
Therefore, if you have 3 refusals at one fence, you get 200 penalties, but you can continue on.

 

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