Membership
Ready to join a friendly club that has lots of opportunities to further your riding goals?
Join Fig Tree Pocket Equestrian Club, the premier equestrian club in Brisbane! Located on 40 acres of premium riverfront land, only 11km from the CBD: 717 Fig Tree Pocket Road, Fig Tree Pocket.
Check out our member benefits below:
Unlimited access to grounds including 80 x 120m all weather, floodlit sand & Treadlite arena, show jumps and extensive cross country course up to CCI3* plus yards.
Exclusive access to weekly members-only clinics with a variety of coaches including former Olympians and World Cup showjumpers.
Exclusive access to Dressage Protocol (‘Meet the Judge’) days to practise ride your test the day before the competition.
Exclusive access to a variety of educational, horsemanship clinics throughout the year.
Special event entry conditions including discounted entries for Dressage and Showjumping competitions.
Special event entry conditions including early access (yes, BEFORE the public) to enter events.
Special event entry conditions including being able to receive a FULL refund (less Nominate fees) for any scratchings.
Free yards at all Dressage and Showjumping competitions.
There are two non-agistee membership options:
1) Adult Riding Member - individual over 18 years of age
$160 annual membership fee plus $150 refundable bond for 10 hours of volunteering
or
2) Junior Riding Member - individual under 18 years of age
$160 annual membership fee plus $150 refundable bond for 10 hours of volunteering
or
3) Family Riding Members - individuals under 18 years of age that require a parent/guardian to also be a member + families (unlimited amount of family members)
$210 annual membership fee plus $300 refundable bond for 20 hours of volunteering
* Membership runs for the calendar year (1 January to 31 December unless otherwise specified).
* Bonds are reconciled twice a year, all hours required to be logged in Sign Up in order to receive back the bond. Check for Volunteering opportunities.
* Bonds can be donated in lieu of volunteering.
* EA membership number required to complete Club membership.
* Please become familiar with Member Terms & Conditions below.
Member Terms & Conditions
1. Code of Conduct
a) All FTPEC members have a right to expect good manners and courtesy from each other, and a responsibility to give it in return. Bullying and harassment of any kind will not be tolerated.
b) Members should refrain from using bad language while on FTPEC grounds, or while representing FTPEC at outside events.
c) Driving of vehicles by unlicensed drivers is strictly forbidden on FTPEC grounds.
d) Smoking, or the use of alcohol by junior members (under 18), is not permitted at any time on FTPEC grounds. Smoking, is not permitted in the yards, canteen area, or around the horses at any time, or any other areas as dictated by government legislation.
e) While using FTPEC grounds, junior members must accept directions from FTPEC officials and coaches cheerfully and courteously.
f) As one of the primary objectives of FTPEC is to foster good horsemanship, ill treatment or neglect of horses is a serious matter, and cruelty in any form is forbidden.
g) All members should recognise their mutual responsibility for all FTPEC members’ horses, and if any horses are suspected to be injured or ill, should regard it as their duty to bring it promptly to the attention of a responsible adult.
h) At all times on FTPEC grounds, or at outside functions and competitions, all members should remember their responsibility to uphold the good name of FTPEC, and to refrain from behaviour that might in any way reflect badly upon it.
i) Property, whether that belonging to FTPEC or to individual members, will be treated with care and respect. No personal property should be borrowed or used without prior permission being granted and it should always be returned.
j) Periodically, FTPEC will enter into sponsorship arrangements with various 3rd party organisations for the benefit and promotion of the club. It is the Management Committee’s prerogative to arrange sponsorship through whichever organisation it sees fit for this purpose. No individual member, group of individuals, or sub-committee shall be entitled to approach or engage any organisation for any form of sponsorship whatsoever, without first obtaining the Management Committee’s express permission.
k) The FTPEC name and logo, or any other publicly identifiable club branding, may not be used or or reproduced without the consent of the Management Committee under any circumstance.
l) FTPEC upholds Equestrian Australia’s Social Media policy and asks that members do not post content to FTPEC’s social media that presents the Club in a poor light including horse/rider falls.
2. Membership & Volunteering
a) All riding members of FTPEC must also be riding members of Equestrian Australia (EA).
b) A parent or guardian can be nominated as a family member under the membership. The non-riding family member does not need to be an EA member.
c) Volunteering Bond: A minimum of 10 hours of volunteering per year is expected per Riding member and a minimum of 20 hours of volunteering per year is expected per Family membership. These hours can be completed by assisting at events or by attending working bees throughout the year. A ‘volunteer bond’ is paid as part of the membership fees and will be refunded when the volunteer/s has completed and logged their volunteer hours in Sign Up. See Volunteering for opportunities. Should the member choose not to complete all the required hours, the bond will be retained by FTPEC at the end of the year. Alternatively, members may wish to donate their bond and not complete any volunteering.
d) Agistee members are required to complete 16 hours per quarter per their agistment agreement.
e) FTPEC wishes to advise applicants that it maintains public liability insurance.
f) The FTPEC Management committee reserves the right to reject a membership application.
3. Riding Rules
a) Only members and individual hirers are permitted to ride on FTPEC grounds. Ground hire and competitions are exempt from this rule.
b) Riders under the age of 16 must be under the supervision of an adult whenever mounted.
c) Only FTPEC members are permitted to use FTPEC equipment, not withstanding scheduled events such as competitions, open days and ground hire.
d) It is expected that all members will ride their own horses or horses leased by them. For any other riding arrangement the written agreement from the executive committee (President, Vice Presidents, Secretary and Treasurer) must be obtained via email.
e) Where individual FTPEC members arrange private coaching on FTPEC grounds, the coach must have been approved to coach by submitting a Register to Coach form. The coach then will be required to book the relevant facility they wish to use for the lesson/s. See Coaches for more information.
f) Members who wish to utilise the grounds for horse sale purposes must receive permission from the Management Committee prior to doing so via email. Non-members are not allowed to ride on the grounds without consent of the Management Committee at any time and if permission is granted their name, EA number and a non-member fee (if applicable) is required.
4. Manure, hay and yard cleaning
a) Please ensure all manure is bagged, free of hay, tied off with baling twine and left in the communal area by the gate to the yards complex.
b) Washbays must be cleared of any manure.
c) Please do not leave manure piled up around fence posts or in wheelie trolleys.
d) Please do not throw manure under trees or on the ground near the front gate or behind the wash bay.
e) Any hay and hard feed is to be taken home by members or disposed of in rubbish bins on site.
f) Individual yards must be cleaned after use of all manure, hay, bedding and shavings.
5. Safety
a) Helmets
Helmets must be worn by all riders when on horseback at all times.
Helmets must meet current Australian standards and must be yellow tagged before a rider can ride.
A rider may void an insurance claim if they were not wearing a helmet that meets current Australian standards.
b) Falls
The committee must be advised of any fall of a student or coach from a horse via email within 24 hours’ of the incident.
A mandatory EA incident report must be completed for any fall. Incident reports can be completed HERE.
Call QAS on ‘000’ if a rider appears hurt or injured in any way.
c) Concussion Protocol
The committee will not allow any student/clinic attendee who is currently following the concussion protocol set out by EA, to ride on FTPEC grounds. As a rider it is your responsibility to advise the committee if you are affected by this protocol.
6. Arena
a) Please ensure the take-off and landing areas in the arena are raked after using the show jumps.
b) All manure must be removed from the arena and placed into feedbags.
c) Do not use standalone pole wings for upright/vertical fences. Standalone pole wings are to hold the back rail of an oxer fence only.
d) Upright/vertical fences and the front rail of an oxer fence should be held up by jump wings only.
e) No galloping in the arena.
f) The last rider in the arena each night, or feeding in the yards, must turn off the lights in their respective area. The last person to leave the grounds is responsible for ensuring all lights have been turned off and that the gate to the club is locked behind them.
g) During busy training times, priority for use of the arena and any of its equipment is given to any official lessons conducted by an approved coach. When multiple coaches are simultaneously teaching, they must come to an equitable agreement as to the shared use of the space.
h) Equipment cannot be 'reserved' or fixed to a specified location. Each rider is responsible for the set up and removal of the training equipment as required. As soon as a rider leaves the arena, they immediately forego the use of their training space and equipment.
7. Cross Country Course
a) A body protector manufactured to the EN13158 or BETA standard must be worn (and visible) by all riders on cross country who are jumping fences, regardless of experience level and fence height.
b) Fences must be jumped in the direction that they are ridden in competition. Please check the position of ground bolts should you require clarification. Ground bolts are positioned at the front face of the fences.
c) The rider must notify FTPEC via email if any MIM clip is activated on a frangible jump. The jump should not be used until the MIM clips are replaced.
d) No bitless bridles or hoof boots on cross country.
e) Rider’s are expected to ride to ground conditions including being respectful of other riders, sensible around agistee horses and considerate of the quality of the ground.
g) When riding cross-country with loose horses, if the herd or individual horses are within 50m of any jump, that jump must not be attempted. In the event that a loose horse is bothering a rider on the cross country course, the rider must dismount and move to a different area, or return with their mount to the yards.
8. Parking Area
a) Please remove all hay and manure from the parking area. All areas utilised for parking must be left clear of hay and manure.
9. Toilets and rubbish bins
a) Toilets must be left in a reasonable manner.
b) All litter and rubbish must be placed in the garbage bins. General waste and recycling must be separated and put in the correct garbage bin.
10. General Rules
a) Dogs must be kept on a leash at all times.
b) All members using the grounds must abide by the terms and conditions of FTPEC. In addition to this, Agisting Members are required to abide by the agistment rules and by-laws.
c) Unless written agreement from the committee is obtained, no member is permitted to use the FTPEC grounds or FTPEC equipment for any purpose other than for recreational use. The committee will consider any request for non-recreational use of the grounds, having regard to, among other things, it’s council lease which prevents conduct other than those presently performed by FTPEC management committee, other than with council's consent.
d) Professional service providers (such as farriers, coaches, chiropractors or similar) who are engaged by members or non-members to provide a service to riders or their horses, must carry the appropriate qualifications and business insurance to conduct that business.
g) Any damage to grounds or property (eg damage to yards, broken taps/ fences etc) should be reported immediately to the committee via email.
11. Failure to follow rules
a) Should a member fail to follow the protocols clearly set out above, the committee reserve the right to disallow any future ground use by that member for a set period or indefinitely. FTPEC has a three-warning system in place to enforce adherence to its rules and bylaws. Warnings are issued at the discretion of the Management Committee, but must be issued in writing and state the reason for the warning. The warning system works as follows: a) At the first written warning, membership is placed on probation for up to 3 months from the issue date. b) At the second warning, membership is placed on probation for 6 months from the issue date. c) After the third warning, membership (and any associated agistment) may be suspended or terminated at the Management Committee’s directive, which is final.