Blog

In endurance it's all about the team

With not a lot happening at the moment, I thought it would be good to write a piece about the team, the people that keep us going!

Farrier – the old age statement of ‘no foot no horse’ still rings very true. More so in endurance I’d say, than in any other discipline, simply due to the sheer number of footfalls our horses must make both in training and on competition day. The foot is the foundation for the way they move and it is so very important to ensure that their movement is as good as it can be. Whether that’s supporting conformational flaws or just enhancing what they already have, ensuring that you have a good farrier on board will save a lot of heartache later on down the line – trust me I know!

Chip is shod all-round on a five week cycle. We use quite a wide shoe to distribute weight as much as possible and reduce sink, given we do most of our serious training on sand rather than grass. So chat to your farrier about the most appropriate shoe for your training ground.

Physio – I’m so lucky to have a physio who attends races as well as treats at home. I appreciate not all of us will be able to have a physio on the crew team but keeping your horse in tip top condition at home is the very least you can do when lining up at the start line. Chip, my FEI horse, usually has a treatment every three to four weeks. This way any issues or changes in his way of going can be picked up and responded to quickly before they turn into something more serious. He will also have a very decent treatment at the arrival to the venue because we find he picks up tension in his base of neck/pecks from travelling. He’ll have another treatment in the morning before warming up and then throughout every vet gate. Remember, if competing at FEI events you must use an FEI approved therapist only otherwise they will not be allowed to treat your horse.

Saddler – having a correctly fitted saddle for both rider and horse may sound like plain common sense but it’s amazing how many people you see on the circuit scoring poorly on their horse’s back and muscle tone. We spend far too long in the saddle to risk not having this as perfect as we can. All my horses have their saddles checked every six weeks, whether in season or off-season. I always try to have a fit within seven days of the competition as well so that any final adjustments can be ‘tested’ out before race day itself. I had quite a few issues with saddles in 2019 and ended up buying a Thorowgood Dressage saddle just five days before the 120km at Euston Park. As it happened, it all worked out perfectly but I would absolutely not advise sorting the saddle so last minute. Ideally, all training should be done in the same saddle so horse and rider are set to go and both know what to expect.

Crew team – the crew team are crucial to success at the longer distances and the higher speeds. It’s essential to have a division of roles on the day – map reader, driver, drink bucket holder, water bottle passer, HR reader, person with lead rope, person who takes saddle, person to sort feeds, person to change numnahs, person to clean tack, person to put on ice-boots etc. etc. Around a week before the race I will send round a crew plan to my team with timings, locations, crew points, roles for each person. I’ll work out predicted times for coming off each loop, aimed for presentation times, which feeds when, which syringes when + fall back plans should the main plan go awry! This way,

My team are

Farrier – Phil Pearce Saddler – Ruth Wyatt Physio – Kate Scothorne

Crew team

Pheobe Fricker Cameron Burton Shez Hides Kate Scothorne

no one is clambering over each other. We all know where to be and doing what, nothing gets forgotten about and it all runs very smoothly – we hope. When aiming for quick presentation times having this slick team unit is key.

Home team – be it a professional coach or a good network of experienced friends it’s so important to have your team of trusted people at home. Whether it's blips in training or discussing travel arrangements – whatever it is – you really need to be able to bounce off ideas with at least one other experienced person so that you have the support and back up when you need it.

So in essence how many people does it take to get around a 120km – at least 10 and they are all a vital part of the team!

Bella X