Horse Back Quidditch

^{the wizarding game adapted for the real world, flying on borrowed wings}

Also known as: HBQ, Equestrian Quidditch

Basic Game

Origins: Adapted by White Lions' Stables (and it's predecessor Skye-Wilde Stables) from J.K Rowling’s fictional game and existing Equestrian sport (mostly Horseball)

Contact: Yes

Mixed gender: Yes

Mixed breed: Yes, although breed-teams can be fun!

Players: 3 Chasers per side.

Pitch: Football pitch, played on short grass or sand.

Equipment: 3 vertical hoops for each team (2 metres, 3 metres and 4 metres off the ground, all with 0.5 metre wide hoops); 1 ball with a Horseball harness (Quaffle)

Tack: Grackle bridle with a Cheltenham gag bit and short closed reins; saddle pad; Wrap around riding sheet for bad weather; English saddle with non-elastic girth and nylon stirrups; breastplate; Leg wraps, splint boots and over reach boots are highly recommended. Manes must be braided or roached, tails must be taped up.

^{why grackle you say? horses new to a contact sport may get defensive of themselves while being tackled so it’s to prevent them forgetting any manners they’ve been taught and it puts less pressure on the face than other bridles with a similar action.
More sensitive or experienced horses are permitted to use a normal Cavesson with a Snaffle.}

Uniform: Polo shirt - with an undershirt (to elbow or full length) in cold weather; Body protectors advised for beginners or young riders; jodhpurs; riding boots with half chaps; elbow and knee protectors; fingerless gloves in colder weather; Riding helmet with faceguard.

The aim is to score as many points as you can by getting the ball through one of the opposing team’s 3 hoops before the time is up. Scoring the bottom hoop is worth 2 points, the middle is worth 4 and the top is worth 6. Players are allowed to tackle for the ball.
The duration of the match depends on the players’ choices and Snitching (see below). Beginner teams may have a set time to play in which will be the be-all and end-all of the match no matter the action of the Snitch (typically 20 mins) or forego the Snitch altogether. Other more advanced organised teams may choose to play until the Snitch action is played, stopping to change riders and horses periodically. Teams playing mock matches for fun may choose to play over longer periods with organised breaks in between. Depending in the formality, a match may not be called off for several days if the Snitch is not put to action.
Horses are permitted to canter, but full gallops are considered a foul due to how dangerous it can be. Junior games are played at a trot.

To begin a game - to prevent a collision - a coin is flipped for the ball rather than throwing it in. Each score returns the players to the centre of the pitch and the team scored against starts with the ball. To prevent the game from being too one-sided, the Quaffle must be passed a minimum of 3 times before scoring each time.

Passing and Chaser's Movement

There are a number of standard passes available to a Chaser. Many are only truly mastered when the Chaser can use the legs to steer the horse instead of relying on the reins and it is a very useful skill for HBQ.
• Lobbing - An underhand pass using the handles to throw the Quaffle.
• Chest Pass - For short passes, pushing the ball away from the chest using either a handle or the Quaffle itself.
• Loop Pass - Throwing the Quaffle high over head to pass over another player.
• Power Pass - Letting go of the reins and using both hands to push the Quaffle as far as possible.
• Ditching - Strategically dropping the Quaffle or throwing it to the floor to be picked up by another player.
• Standard Pick-up - Picking up the Quaffle from the floor by leaning in on it, holding yourself on with your legs and a hand on the breastplate.
• Sweeping - Charging past the Quaffle and picking it up at speed.
• Morning Stars - Holding on to the horse with the legs only and splaying yourself out to either catch a failed pass (Rising) or pick up the Quaffle (Falling).
• Swing Score - Using a lateral lob motion to try to score a point.
• Shoulder Score - Pusing the Quaffle away from you at the shouldler to score.
• Drive-by Score - Scoring to the side while moving alongside the posts.

Specialist Moves

• Flynn's Twist - A pass first made by the owner of Skye-Wilde stables, using the speed of a previous pass to compensate for her small stature. Using a swinging motion and gaguing beforehand where the next player is, the middle player snatches the Quaffle by a handle and continues swinging it to the next person.
• The Renwick Scuffle - A pick-up first made by an owner of White Lions', Alex Renwick. The act of picking up a ball by performing a low rundown at it, making sure the horse basically runs over the ball, protecting it from other players.

Beaters

Here, the term ‘Beaters’ is nothing more than a hang-on from the original game. A Beaters’ job is still to be as disruptive as possible but there are restrictions on what they can do, although the more direct types are available to the Beaters only. A Beater may only handle the Quaffle as part of a tackle or grabbing move. Common manoeuvres are:
• Jamming - The player rides their horse into another. To be a legal move, the angle of collision must be no more than 45 degrees and connect at the rider's knee. The faster the horse travels, the smaller the angle must be, although it isn’t very precise.
• Hooking - The Beaters are allowed to pick up the Quaffle from the floor the same as the other players, but the player must pass it to a Chaser since Beaters must not run with the ball.
• Bricking - Blocking off another player from moving forward is allowed as long as the bricked player is not moving faster than a trot, otherwise this is an illegal move.
• Lifting - The player swipes a pass intended for the opposite team. This must be very precise to actually catch the Quaffle, but just allowing it to drop due to the distraction works just as well.
• Standard Tackle - This move is performable by any player, by drawing alongside the player with the ball and trying to take it from him. This works best when the tackled player isn’t aware of the tackling player approaching. Grabbing the player himself is illegal and may result in an instant 2 point score to the opposite team or being removed from the match for a while.

Specialist Moves

• The Varanasi Sandwich - A move first divised by the two SWS players from Varanasi, India. Both beaters gang up a single rider of the opposing team, and ride in at a low angle to double-jam the player, and ride along side him, forcing him into a straight play with nowhere to pass or recieve a ball from, but from behind.
• Miller's Slide - Ahote Miller of WLO's predecessor SWS performed this move out of frustration in the first match ever. This is the act of Bricking another player with a sliding stop rather than just getting in the way.
• Trucking - A move first performed by Liz Blake (one of the farms sharing a main ground with Skye-Wilde) to spite her close friend Charlie Fenimore (an owner of WLO). This is the act of reversing your horse at another player while they aren't moving, forcing them to move away, or back-track. Named for bad truck drivers.

Beaters are not included in all games - particularly the beginners’ matches - but are part of the competing standards. As with fictional and Muggle Quidditch, 2 Beaters are on each team, although softer versions have been played with 1 per side (nicknamed the Jokers).

Snitching

Due to the complexity of Horse Back Quidditch in comparison to Muggle Quidditch, the Snitch and Seeker pose a little bit of a problem. Depending on the type of match, three methods are available.

Hunter Snitching

This is the most common type as it is suitable and safe for children. A space, preferably wooded is set up to hide a Snitch. The snitch is usually a tennis ball in a yellow bag or sock, and a referee or umpire hides it beforehand. The first Seeker to find the snitch brings it back to the referee.

Rope Snitching

A large separate ring is set aside for two opposing riders to attempt to catch a specific livestock animal from a group, first to capture or pen the animal 'catches the snitch'. This is a form of Snitching developed by the Western riding specialist Ahote Miller at Skye-Wilde to cater to the Western disciplines.

Chase Snitching

This is the method used in official tournaments and is the more complex of the three but also the most true to the game. A skilled extra pair is added to the game, bound by no rules, and carrying the ball-in-sock set up from before. They are given a 2 minute advantage over the seekers. The seekers must then chase the snitch pair until one of them has taken the snitch away from them and given it to the referee. All three of these players may leave the pitch and the best games happen when the chase itself goes on in the surrounding countryside.

As ever, there is one Seeker per team. Upon ‘catching the Snitch’ the match is over and the catching team is awarded 10 points.

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Variants

There are a few different versions of the game catering for different ideas.

Pegasi Quidditch

This is a variant of the game specifically for winged animals. It is played in the air, up to a height of 100ft. It is much more dangerous than normal HBQ due to the fall risk so it is generally played without beaters until achieving Champion's league status.

Rhythm Quidditch

This is the equivalent of Dressage for Quidditch horses, where a single rider, a team, or two teams perform a set of moves demonstrating their control and ability. The moves listed on the lists can be performed legally for points, including the specialist invented ones. It is typically played at a pace to showcase all sets moving at once, incorporating Dressage or Reining movements, and one specialist move at a time to highlight them against the moving players.

feel free to make up more and tell us !

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Roleplaying

Roleplaying a match is an interesting business, so it has been condensed to its essence here.

The only universal rule is if an attached story contains gore, swearing etc then label it as PG13+ in the comments above, just to make sure everyone knows what they're getting in to!

Teams

Teams may come from one stable or be a combination of affiliating bodies willing to participate. To register a team to the league table you will need:
1. Your team name and colours. A line art is provided for easy designing (see comments), feel free to customise it or feel you need to colour the linings differently, or make your own logo etc. Name your team whatever you feel like too, whether it's after a mythical beast, the stables, the captains, the location, it doesn't matter as long as you think it looks cool and is PG13 or below!
2. In the artists comments of the team, you have to state the level your team will be playing at; Junior (playing without beaters and at a trot) or Standard. To get from Standard to the Champion league, you will need to win at least 3 matches and provide at least 5 training images for the team, then note the group with the links.
3. Add a list of all players and horses involved in pairs; 3 Chasers, 2 Beaters (omitted for Junior), a Seeker and 3 reserve players.
You will be added to the league table as soon as possible!

Matches

The league table records all available teams and you may declare or challenge a match at any point in time.
1. Challenging
When you challenge another team, please ask them nicely. If they accept your challenge, decide what rules you want to play (Snitching, Level, Beating etc), where you will play and - if your team is from more than one stable - who will be participating; you’re more than welcome to do a team collaboration on your images if you all want to be involved.
2. Preparation Work
Practice matches, meetings, training images etc are very much encouraged and may be a good chance to get some art trades! Tell us the match will be taking place too; we like to know who is competing and when
3. The Match
Each team will produce an image of the match itself, and (if applicable) a Snitching image. These can then be submitted to the group and judged (see parameters below). Your match image has to include at least 2 horses and riders.
4. Judging
Your match will be judged and the winner announced on the public matches roster, and you will all be noted about the outcome!

In Your Own Events

You may choose to include HBQ as an option in one of your events, and you’re more than welcome to - Submit said journal to the group and inform us of matches!
Ways to involve it are, but not limited to:
• Having teams compete against your own and seeing who scores highest
• Using a tree-league to pit teams against each other until everyone has a placement
• Run a contest based solely on the art/aesthetics of the entries
• Having a Rhythm Quidditch show
You're perfectly welcome to judge your own contests and use these rules. You don't have to use the official league judging criteria either, especially if you're doing something a little different or want to keep a whole Event running the same rails, just tell us!
If you choose to host your own HBQ event, or within another Tourney, 1000 thanks and more will be in order ♥

League Table

The league table is to track all of your winnings and who is the top team!

^{Winning the match earns you: 2 league points.
Drawing the match earns you: 1 league point.
Catching the snitch earns you: 1 league point.
Winning a Rhythm Quidditch Show earns you: 1 league point.
Winning any HBQA Event earns you: 2 league points.
Placing in a HBQA Event earns you: 1 league point.
Being the HBQA Annual Grand Champion earns you: 5 league points.
Being the HBQA Annual Reserve Champion earns you: 3 league points.
Practice matches and training earns you: 0.5 league points per image.}

Judging Parameters

The judging table was made to look like the scoring of an actual match so the main image judging is a little different from most events. Don’t worry though, you won’t be penalized harshly!

+0 to 6 points on Anatomy
+0 to 6 points on Tack
+0 to 6 points on Effort (compared to the rest of your gallery)
+0 to 6 points on following Game Rules
+0 to 6 points on Backgrounds
+0 to 6 points on overall Aesthetics
+2 points for showing each horse/rider pair shown beyond the compulsory two
+2 points for including the opposing team at all
+4 points for depicting and naming tackling moves.
+2 points for training images
+2 points for meeting images
+2 points for practice matches
+5 for including a Story
+10 for winning the Snitch round

Out of 65

Snitching images are judged on the usual kind of show rules and the highest scoring catches the Snitch. Depicting the catching of your chosen Snitch makes you instantly forfeit the Snitching for god-modding, but showing your Snitch is perfectly fine - especially if you Brush Snitch.

0-10 on Creativity and Aesthetics
0-10 on Effort (compared to the rest of your gallery)
0-10 on Backgrounds
0-10 on Tack and Anatomy
+5 for showing the opposing Seeker
+5 for including a Story




Anyway, now you know what’s going on, just have fun!