The competitions consist of dressage and show jumping, on horses provided by the host university, so you are at an advantage at your home match. At each BUSA competition, each rider has 7 minutes warm up before the dressage test, and only 2 practice fences before the jumping. In the initial league, the dressage test and jumping are pretty simple, but get harder and bigger if the team progresses to the BUCS Regionals and Finals. One person from each of the four unis rides the same horse, so it is up to the team captain to sort out which member of their team rides which horse.
We try to train a bit before each match, especially before our home match, so that we are used to the horses we are going to ride, but the training is arranged when it is convenient for the whole team. The training is really for a brush-up and to run through the test; so all the riders should be quite established both on the flat and over fences.
Costs are kept to a minimum, and the club pays the entry fees. The team has a pay for its own training, and petrol costs are shared. We also buy a small amount of team kit, which the team is expected to pay for.
Being on the riding team does not take up a lot of time, but the members must be committed and ready to compete whenever the competitions come up.