Endurance Magazine Spring 2023

Wessex member

Philippa Verry

Endurance my way

Train for the terrain

The benefits of hillwork

Breed focus

Thoroughbreds in endurance

Endurance GB Board of Directors

Chairman & Sponsorship Director

PHIL NUNNERLEY

T: 07860 323968 / 01761 221561

E: philnunnerley@endurancegb.co.uk

Vice Chair & Finance Director

CHRIS WRAY

T: 07856 500519 / 01600 860938

E: chriswray@endurancegb.co.uk

H&S & Safeguarding Director

AMANDA WOOLCOMBE

T: 07771 362105

E: amandawoolcombe@endurancegb.co.uk

Welfare & Disciplinary Director

JOHN COLDICOTT

T: 07932 140069

E: johncoldicott@endurancegb.co.uk

International, Young Riders, Para Riders, & Coaching Director

PHIL NUNNERLEY

T: 07860 323968 / 01761 221561

E: philnunnerley@endurancegb.co.uk

Sustainability Director and SERC nominee

ALISON SEGGIE

T: 07860 323968 / 01761 221561

E: philnunnerley@endurancegb.co.uk

Marketing, PR, Comms & Groups Director

HEATHER GILES

T: 07587 098079

E: heathergiles@endurancegb.co.uk

Operations, IT, Office & Volunteers Director

SHELLEY BATES

T: 07760 264619

E: shelleybates@endurancegb.co.uk

Directors of Endurance GB are volunteers, so please be patient and considerate with any queries. Most Directors work full time elsewhere and are not always available during working hours. No calls before 9am or after 9pm please.

focus Future

Dear Members,

By the time you read this, the 2023 ride season will be up and running. Hopefully horses and riders have had a good winter and are fit and raring to face fresh challenges in the year ahead.

Our team will also have competed in the World Championships, and hopefully will have represented their country well. Eyes will then turn to the European Championships at Ermelo, Netherlands, in September. With a number of opportunities in the weeks ahead, I hope we will see some more combinations qualifying to provide the selectors with a headache for choice!

One of the themes of the Coronation in May will focus on increasing volunteering. We all recognise that our sport depends hugely on volunteers, so can I appeal to everyone? Yes, we want you to enjoy your riding, but please think about how you can give something back. There are many ways in which you can help us ensure we can continue to offer the range of rides, so please ask.

Unfortunately, we received several complaints last year of riders abusing ride officials, many of whom give their time freely. There were also reports of bad behaviour by a small minority of riders who failed to give consideration to other riders and their horses. Such lack of good manners can, and will, cause accidents. Together we must remind these riders of the behaviour we expect, and we will not hesitate to invoke disciplinary action if that is what is required to stamp it out.

Good luck for the season, and I hope the British weather will allow everyone to enjoy the best of our countryside.

Phil Nunnerley | Chair of Endurance GB

A warm

Welcome to the Spring 2023 issue of your magazine where we hope to inspire you to get set for the season ahead.

As every competitive rider knows, it’s not just our physical ability that brings us success. To be great at anything, a healthy mindset is equally important and Jenny Lee’s insight into anxiety on page 20 is full of tips and exercises you can use to improve your own mental health.

On page 14, Julie Brown talks to riders about the importance of hill work and how to incorporate it safely into your horse’s training programme. Part of the Discover Campaign, this is the first of a series of articles where we embrace the different countryside around England and Wales and understand what it’s like to train in these environments from our members’ experiences. The first feature covers hills and mountains and will be followed by moorland and the downs, flat land and farmland, forests and beaches in future issues. If you’re lucky enough to have hills on your doorstep it makes life a lot easier, but for those who don’t maybe you can box over to a hillier area from time to time, to build up the essential muscle and fitness needed for tackling some of the more hilly rides this season.

We’re also excited to announce our 2023 Discover Freedom photo competition which you can find out more about on page 40. We can’t wait to see all your lovely images, so please do take the time to enter and read the rules carefully to ensure you have all the permission you need to use the images you provide.

Our new breed focus feature, this month on page 18, kicks off with Thoroughbreds, who

are excelling in endurance. Over the coming months we’ll focus on other breeds who have taken well to the sport. If you’d like the chance to be included in future features as a case study, please email me (editor@endurancegb.co.uk) with a photo you have permission to use and between 100-200 words about your horse or pony, with emphasis on the breed and why they took to endurance so well.

I can’t wait to get out to some more rides

Endurance GB Major Rides

Provisional dates for 2023

Haywood Oaks

April 1st & 2nd 2023

Pembrey

April 22nd & 23rd 2023

Windsor, (HPG)

May 12th 2023

Golden Horseshoe Ride

May 19th-21st 2023

Kings Forest Summer

June 2nd-4th 2023

Lavenham A

June 24th & 25th 2023

Rushford 1 (HPG)

July 8th & 9th 2023

this year and meet you all. Please do email me if you have any ideas/stories for the magazine or simply want to tell me more about your own riding achievements, goals and plans. I look forward to hearing from you.

Happy riding until next time.

Nicky

Rushford 2 (HPG)

August 5th & 6th 2023

Well Vale 17th-20th August 2023

Rushford 3 (HPG)

August 26th & 27th 2023

Three Rivers

September 2nd & 3rd 2023

Lavenham B

September 16th & 17th 2023

Lions Tail

September 23rd & 24th 2023

Red Dragon

September 29th, 30th & 31st 2023

The 2023 Ride Schedule will open on December 12 2022

Nicky Moffatt | Editor of Endurance Magazine

What's been happening?

we take a look

Strangles cases on the rise

Equine charity Bransby Horses has issued a warning urging horse owners, riders and yard managers to review biosecurity measures and watch the health of equines in their care following reports of a strangles outbreak in the East Midlands.

The charity’s veterinary advisor Jeremy Kemp-Symonds recently coauthored a research paper which defines the rate Streptococcus equi – the bacterium that causes strangles – spreads. He stated: “We’ve defined the R0 number – that’s a measure of the rate at which the infection spreads – for the first time at just over two. This means that, on average, every horse infected with strangles will infect another two, if no preventative action is taken.

“Although this may seem quite high, we now know that, with the right interventions, it is possible to break the cycle of infection using some simple measures such as strict quarantining of known and suspected cases, good biosecurity and regular temperature checks of equines, to help assess those that may be infected.

“Bransby Horses is challenged by welfare cases arriving with strangles on a regular basis, but because of our stringent biosecurity and isolation measures in our quarantine unit for new arrivals, we haven’t had a single outbreak for over 15 years.” Anyone concerned about their horse’s health should seek advice from their vet.

Dog attacks

Owners of two horses who were attacked in separate beach incidents inside a week of each other have urged dog owners to keep their dogs on leads, stating that things could have been so much worse. On 25 January Heather Evans’ cob Harvey was subjected to a dog bite in Wallasey and then a few days later on 28 January Adrian Geurtjens and his part-bred Shire horse Max were chased for a total of 10 minutes in Anglesey. Thankfully, nobody was harmed, but Heather and Adrian put this down to the fact that their horses are so well behaved and that, with different horses, things could have been a lot worse. Both riders caught the footage on camera.

A fine exhibition

Lucy Kemp-Welch is known for her paintings that feature equines and landscapes but possibly most famously for her illustrations that featured in the original 1915 edition of Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty. Now, her work will go on display in an exhibition called In Her Own Voice at the RussellCotes Art Gallery and Museum in Bournemouth, which was Lucy’s home town. The exhibition will include over 60 pieces of Lucy’s work including those from national and regional museums as well as some of her private collections that have never been on public display. For more information, visit: www.russellcotes.com

© David Messum Fine Art, Bushey Museum and Art Gallery

Aneta Jungerova /Shutterstock

JustToday /Shutterstock

at Endurance GB Awards Dinner

By Caroline Hawes

While others were celebrating the completion of another successful season Martin Leonard and Jess Bright had another reason to celebrate. In addition to winning third prize in the Best New Horse category Martin took the opportunity to propose to his girlfriend Jess just before the dinner started.

While the proposal was not wholly unexpected, as they had gone together to the jewellers to get Martin’s grandmother’s ring resized, Martin still managed to surprise Jess.

As Jess remembers: “As we were driving down, I said this would be a great opportunity to get engaged because we never get dressed up. Were going out and it was going to be a lovely evening. Martin lied straight to my face saying the jewellers hadn’t got back to him so it can’t happen today and it’s such a shame.”

Martin had it all planned out knowing that Jess would not like the proposal to be a big scene in front of a crowd of people. He surprised her in their hotel room while they were getting ready for the EGB dinner. “I turned around and there he was with the ring. It was a really nice personal moment.”

The couple share a love of horses. Former jockey Martin, of ML Horsemanship, met Jess, an Equine Bodywork therapist, when her mother asked Martin to help rehabilitate a horse she had brought over from Ireland which was having a lot of problems.

The wedding is set for October. Jess explained: “We didn’t want to miss any of the UK endurance season. We plan to go out to the States for a couple of weeks after the wedding to work with Western riders and reining horses.”

The couple are also working together more closely professionally. Jess, of Bright Equine

Therapy and Biomechanics, is passionate about the rehabilitation of horses. “I love being able to pinpoint where a horse is weak and to advise the owner how best to resolve the problem. I think that’s really important because otherwise you end up spending hundreds or thousands of pounds trying to fix a horse when there could be a simple solution.” Jess has found her specialism really complements the work Martin does. “If I’m working on a biomechanical problem it can often mean that the horse needs help with behavioural issues,” she says, which is where Martin, a groundwork and behavioural specialist steps in.

They are already planning the 2023 endurance season together. Jess is starting a Novice season with her mare Kaya and Martin has been invited to join the Development Squad and will be working on getting his horse Altivo FEI qualified.

Courtesy of David Saunders Photography

Endeavour, endure, enjoy

Philippa Verry shares her story from discovering a passion for horse riding as a young child, to experiencing the thrills and enjoyment of endurance as an adult.

Ihave always considered myself to be a very fortunate person. Being brought up by my paternal grandmother, Monica, was just perfect. I most definitely inherited her free spirit, determination and lack of willingness to always conform to convention.

She always encouraged my natural independent ways and though she said it was hard at times to watch a child struggle, she knew that letting me find my own solution to a problem would be the best way. It was Monica who arranged riding lessons for me when I

Charterlands Melitta - Wessex Team - at the National Inter-Regionals, Cirencester 2022

was seven years old, and that was the start of my addiction. Counting away every day, hour and minute until that Tuesday afternoon riding lesson came round again, I was incredibly lucky to be taught by the late Honourable Mrs Anne Gascoigne. She was the ideal teacher for me, always ready to try whichever method worked best, regarding all aspects of learning to ride and never mollycoddling which I would have hated.

My first pony

Aged 11, I acquired my first pony. She was possibly not the most suitable being a four-yearold rather hot-headed strawberry roan mare, who took me about a year to master. Not just riding her but also finding independent ways of tacking her up and caring for her. I remember being very pleased with myself when I found a way of putting her crupper on. This involved putting the saddle with crupper attached on her rump, sitting on the ground, threading her tail through and then gradually shifting everything up into place before attaching the girth. I was very chuffed with that!

Discovering endurance

I have been lucky enough to participate in many equestrian disciplines through my life, from show jumping and one-day eventing to hunting and winning a dressage scholarship that led to training with John Lassetter for six years. However, it was in 2016 that I did my first endurance pleasure ride at the Golden Horseshoe on my homebred hunter mare Melitta. Then, in 2017 having bought Stilton as a hunter, I found myself doing more and more endurance with him, and thoroughly enjoying it. This culminated in being on the Celtic team at Red Dragon in 2019. Just for Stilton to come home happy and sound was all I hoped for, and he certainly did that, and thrilled me by winning

his class on Performance Formula. I came home totally elated and truly addicted to endurance. Since then, we have up-graded to Open level enjoying many successes. There are, of course, days that don’t go according to plan and on these occasions it’s important to try and stay positive. I feel that I learn something from every ride I do, a helpful little tip or a new and better way of tackling something, even if it’s “well I’m

not going to make that mistake again!”. Perhaps one of those occasions was enduring some very strange looks at a Tesco petrol station and shop that I’d paraded around totally unaware that I was still wearing my Cirencester number bib! I wonder if the staff called the local asylum to say escapee number 10 had been spotted!

Anything is possible

The pleasure I’ve gained from endurance has been tremendous, from the lovely friends made along the way in the friendliest sport I’ve ever taken part in, to enjoying the privilege of riding in some of the country’s most beautiful areas. The relationship and bond that is built between you and your horse spending so many hours together is a very special thing that creates a deep trust and respect for you both.

Another benefit is having a qualified vet checking your horse on such a regular basis, either alerting to a problem or reassuring that all’s good to go. Last season was amazing for my two horses. Bringing Melitta into the sport at 18 while Stilton was on a break and discovering she has as much talent as Stilton was fantastic. I’m so lucky to have two such lovely horses and I can’t wait to start the 2023 season. My advice from Pleasure Ride to Advanced is, ‘go on give it a go. You don’t know what you’re capable of until you try. Feel pride in your effort whatever the outcome’.

“I’m so lucky to have two such lovely horses and I can’t wait to start the 2023 season.”

Learning to ride aged seven with the honourable Anne Gascoigne

Melitta and Stilton - Trophies from 2022 given at the Wessex Awards Dinner

Stilton - Cerne Giant Vetting 2021

Borders 50-miler 2022

All photos courtesy of John and Barbara Austin

Zoe giving a jubilant high five with Francis Bakker

Ever since this ride was first announced five years ago, I knew it was one I just had to do as it ticked all the boxes for a challenging endurance event.

Riding in the Northumberland National Park and the stunning Cheviot Hills is very similar to the riding I have at home here in the Cambrian Mountains, mid-Wales, so, what’s not to like? I’ve walked the St Cuthbert’s Way, so I knew exactly what was in store.

This year I had my chance. Having taken Cherry Cottage Lad (Dylan) to Advanced before lockdown, I knew he was up to the task.

The ride itself

Colin Sykes, a truly smashing bloke, is the creator and organiser of this unique competitive ride. It’s a linear route starting from Akeld near Wooler, finishing in Clennell in the Coquet Valley near Morpeth.

No crewing is allowed during the ride, you only have one helper at vet gates, and you must look after your horse and yourself, so saddle bags, with all the necessities you may need, are a must. There is no route marking, only pink tape on gates you go through, and there are a lot of gates with minimal ground markings at points of options. You are sent the route via GPX file to download to your device. I also printed off the maps and put them in my saddle bag as I knew the mobile signal would be sporadic.

We were given 13 hours to complete the ride, and this included two vet gates with 40-minute holds that started as soon as you arrived, not when you present. Your results are worked out from your horse’s performance at

all the vettings, and announced the next day after the best condition checks and trot ups. So, first across the line is not necessarily the winner. The terrain is tough, very hilly and a good mix of stone and grass tracks, plenty of river crossings and whatever the weather throws at you. We rode through torrential rain, strong winds, mist, and beautiful sunshine, so waterproofs are a must. Trot was our main gait and you really have to risk assess all the time to determine what speed you will ride at.

Great team work

For safety reasons you ride in pairs or your chosen groups. Chris Macmillan and I had already decided long before that we wanted to ride together, and Francis Bakker joined us as her ride partner could not start, so I was in great company.

We formed a cohesive group and all rode to our individual strengths to support each other. We were also fortunate to pass our vettings and continue riding together to the end, and what an emotional end it was for me.

To complete safe and sound would have been enough, but Dylan felt good and strong to the

last and the three of us completed in 11 hours and were first across the finishing line. Passing that final vetting was a triumphant feeling I will never forget, the emotional hugs all round, thanking my husband Chris for all he did for us and sheer pride in my boy Dylan.

Dynamic duo Chris Macmillan and her fabulous Connemara Coolagoree Glen Thunder were the worthy winners. I am delighted to say we came second and to top it all won the Best Condition award, which was beyond my wildest dreams.

Third was Robert Newall with Kambel de Fignols, fourth Francis Bakker and Aratehanes Phoebe and fifth was Julie Banks with Croftys Springtime Frost.

Well worth it

I highly recommend this event for those of you who enjoy this kind of riding. Colin is running it as a three-day trail ride the first week in June 2023 so this will definitely give you a flavour, as the next Borders 50-miler will be in 2024. There is also a 25-mile route and more details can be obtained by emailing borders50ride@ gmail.com

John and Barbara Austin popped up everywhere smiling and snapping away. They say a picture paints a thousand words and their images certainly did. Thank you for my photographic diary of a brilliant ride I will never forget. borders 50-miler

Zoe Powell having an emotional handshake towards the end with Chris Macmillan & Francis Bakker

Zoe shares her experiences of taking part in the 2022 Borders 50-miler ride, a day she’ll never forget for all the right reasons.

“We were given 13 hours to complete the ride, and this included two vet gates with 40-minute holds that started as soon as you arrived, not when you present”

Proud hug for Dylan. & her husband & Crew Chris

Zoe Powell & Dylan,Chris Macmillan & Stinky, Francis Bakker & Phoebe

Discover the Countryside

Train for the terrain

does it enable you to work on straightness and balance, but it also helps develop core strength and stamina while reducing repetitive strain type injuries. Hills enable you to increase the intensity of work without increasing the speed. We have to remember our horses only have so many miles in their legs so work needs to be quality over quantity. Adding in a variety of surfaces, whether it be road, stony tracks, boulders, grass, fern, sand etc, you can help develop their proprioception. No ride is on a perfect surface – they are varied – so it’s important to train our horses on a variety of surfaces to condition them for the job ahead.

Walking up hills is valuable whether it’s in young horses just starting their ridden careers or advanced horses about to tackle a 160km.

Julie Brown, Endurance GB Derbyshire Group Chair

Derbyshire is a county of stunning scenery and is blessed with a wide variety of terrain including hills – lots – from gently rolling to steep and craggy. As a result, most Derbyshire endurance horses are in constant ‘hill work training’ without us even thinking about it.

For me, living in a hilly area, I don't consciously train for hills. I just hack out and ride a 25km Endurance GB local group ride about once a month. However, what I do actively train for is increasing lengths of trotting on the flat. I’m a Novice on a Novice and my horse Dylan is a 14.1hh Welsh who is very sure-footed and nimble. I don’t feel the need to upgrade either of us as I only compete lightly, having completed 370 competitive kilometres, on rides between 22km and 40km, in the last seven years, but over 2000km on local group rides.

I hack out about two or three times a week for one to two hours on routes which include a couple of steepish inclines/declines, stony tracks, uneven bridle paths and lots of country lanes. The elevation changes about 150m from lowest point to highest. There’s lots of walking, a moderate bit of trotting but the terrain offers very little canter opportunities. For a change

We talk to endurance riders about the benefits of hillwork and how they consciously – or subconsciously – train for the more undulating rides.

Georgina Vaughan

Georgina Vaughan

Living in the Black Mountains in Wales, the one thing I have guaranteed in my training are hills and lots of them. The benefits of walk work up hills is underestimated because not only

At the top of the hill on the Highways Over Hope.

of scenery, I go to a multi-user, all-weather trail which has been developed from the old train tracks that connected five coal pits, as the terrain here is mostly flat. About two weeks before a competitive ride I change to going out about three times a week to this trail where I can trot for about one hour uninterrupted. This regime of hacking up hills, using the flat trails and local group rides works for me and Dylan.

All Derbyshire local group rides could be classed as ‘fittening’ and have distance options so riders can choose which suits their own fitness level best. In acknowledgment that some are far more challenging than others, we have a special annual award that Derbyshire riders can aim for, the Derbyshire 3 Challenge. One of the bridleways we use on the Barbrook Ride has a name that is quite impressive and descriptive too - The Devil’s Elbow. You certainly get a real sense of achievement when you get to the top of that and if you can do it without huffing and puffing then it confirms your training has paid off!

eventing as well so we can work on some faster pace work.

If we really want to focus on sustained canter work, we’d tend to have to trailer to the beach and factor this into our training as our nearest public gallops are about a 90 minute/2 hour drive so it’s not something I can incorporate into regular work. The hillier rides on the calendar are our bread and butter but we love a flatter ride to mix it up.

Julie Jones, Mid and North Wales Group

I live in a very hilly area of farmland and tracks in mid-Wales. There are a gazillion gates (I have a 32k loop but there are 50 gates) so I do a fair bit of roadwork. It gets the fizz out before getting off-road and as the surface is smooth, it helps to get fit without the worry about anything twisting. An average ride (about 10k) will have approximately a 300m ascent/descent

Emma Harris

I’m very lucky to live just outside the Lake District where we have the gorgeous fells, the beautiful lakes and, of course, the glorious rain! We have plenty of hills to train up and steadier hill work has been the basis of much of our training which includes quite a lot of gates (hill farming), so the horses soon learn how to do them, even the awkward ones and will (mostly) let me mount from odd places if I do have to get off.

Although a lot of the steeper climbs and tracks are slower, steadier work, we do have some fabulous hills for faster hill work. There is one I used to hate running up for cross-country at school, but is great for some uphill canter work as I can go up and down easily several times before continuing onto a circular route. This is particularly helpful if we are fittening for

the rest long up and downhill stretches. The only flat bit of my rides is my arena which we go in once or twice a week for 20 mins after a shorter ride.

I’m not a believer in going over farmland when it’s deep – I wouldn’t like it, even if it’s a bridleway (I have one through my land) – so during winter it’s road, tracks and forestry –we are close to Hafren Forest and there’s a 24k undulating loop that is excellent training. In summer we go for longer rides over hilly farmland and we tackle the gates. Raf also lives out on a steepish hill in winter.

I use an Enduro Equine heart-rate monitor and even though we only ride about four times a week for an hour to an hour and a half (with one longer ride if we can), his heart rates never go too high and come down pretty quickly. I do lots of walk and trot with some canter depending on the surface I’m on, but I do try and vary it as much as I can.

David Saunders

Julie Jones and Raf

Emma Harris and Jack

Emma Harris's Jack on Corpse Road Loweswater

Golden Horseshoe

A new era dawns

What can you expect from this year’s Golden Horseshoe Ride on Exmoor? We talk to the new organisers Maggie Pattinson and Shelley Bates to find out.

It’s probably fair to say it’s always a challenge to take on something new, but even more so when it’s an iconic piece of endurance in Great Britain and, in fact, the world. Certainly, when I first heard of endurance (many moons ago) it was all about qualifying for Golden Horseshoe – endurance team hopefuls needed to be able to show their stuff at that event. Sadly, with the advent of the fast, flat endurance goals, Horseshoe has lost some of its sparkle – we, the new custodians, are pretty determined to remedy that!

So who are we?

I am Maggie Pattinson and my first attempt at GHR was in 1992 riding Kaleigh my first endurance horse. I rode there last time in 2011 (escorting my homebred Sadhira on her first pleasure ride). I have also competed there with my Arab mare Monita and as a coach I have prepared a good few combinations to success in all GHR classes and I am proud of them all. I am a veteran ride organiser from the 90s to present day and my day job these days is as a coach and trainer, fitness specialist across all disciplines.

Shelley Bates’ first introduction to endurance was at GHR when she won a trip to Horseshoe, with a stay at The White Horse. She rode and

completed an awesome first day of 160km on Sadhira, but unfortunately an unplanned dismount about 12km from home meant riding those last 12km with a broken ankle and therefore she wasn’t allowed to start day two. Sadhira looked amazing and the two may well have another bash sometime. Shelley almost has Endurance GB running through her veins now – part of the Board, recently retired as Chair of the South-East region, running rides, and officiating as a Technical Steward and FEI Steward - oh and her day job as a Major in the British Army.

We are also lucky to have a local team on board – Neil Arnold, who has marked many Golden Horseshoe courses, Philippa Verry, who has written a fabulous guide ‘Exmoor Bridleway Rides’. Philippa has competed at Horseshoe on the lovely boy Stilton too. Then there’s Amanda Hamley,

who again lives and rides on Exmoor, and rode at Horseshoe on Lady last year. These three amazing people are our eyes and ears close to the ride. They have planned this year’s route and have taken on the vast responsibility of contacting and staying in contact with all the landowners. In addition, with their combined local knowledge of places and people, they are helping to make sure we stay local with our ride needs.

What’s new?

ZOOMing

We have put together a series of Zoom webinars and have been delighted with so many sign ups and attendees so far:

Z1 The route. This was a run through on maps and glorious photos of the intended routes plus a run through of

Golden Horseshoe

Shelley and Sadhira trotting up in style at Horseshoe

Anne Joppe

David Saunders

qualifications.

Z2 Meet the vets. We were joined by most of our vet panel for a Q&A session, covering ‘what they are looking for’, ‘how they help’, ‘where they are’ and ‘what they do’ and we included Q&As on hints and tips on crewing. After 1.5 hours we had to stop. The vet panel is made up of Jo Woodman, Sarah Coombs, Clare Smith, Paul Jarvis, Kit Heawood and Fi Farmer, and thanks to them all for their time.

Z3,4,5 Will cover ‘tips from veteran riders’, ‘prep and packing’, ‘where to stay’ and more.

Not really new, more revisiting some old

The Route: Exmoor has some amazing terrain and I have to say every single time I drive into the Park I think ‘Wow, there’s some big climbs’, so we can promise those. Philippa, Amanda and Neil are making sure of a great variety taking in Cheriton Ridge, Two Moors Way, Withypool and Winsford Hill to name but a few areas. Our one big criteria for them this year was ‘find us a vet gate back on of course’ and they have not disappointed. Brendon Manor Trekking Centre will be our halfway home and not only that, but they are also sponsoring our halfway vetting – a huge thank you to Brendon Manor!

The maps are available online – complete with ideal crew/viewing spots, check points and distances. Those who joined our first Zoom had a great look at these and talk through from Philippa and Amanda.

The classes

The Golden Horseshoe – 160km over two days, the ultimate endurance challenge here in the UK – we hope to see a good few elite combinations

TOP TIP

Wishing riders well

The ride programme is just the place to wish a rider well and for a token amount we can put your good wishes in print.

This was a requirement in the past and to many EGB riders I have spoken to it was the ‘aim of the first part of the season’. Get your GHR qualifier in!

So we hope to build to that excitement in planning once again but also we want to ensure that those entering the lower distance classes are aware that this is not just a 40km ride –take it seriously!

Other plans in the pot

• We want to keep everyone interested and we want visitors – spectators and those who are just curious.

• We are hoping to have refreshments on site all weekend (please use them).

• Plans are afoot for local demos – dog show/agility and a horse/pony show.

• We’re looking to attract tradestands – not just our endurance type but some local crafts and interests.

• Sunday night is going to be awards night and we are expecting everyone to get their tickets for this evening, celebrating the greatness of horses and riders on The Golden Horseshoe Ride classes. The White Horse, Exmoor, will be the venue and they are very excited to be having us back.

Getting it right

this year. Rumoured already are combinations from England, Scotland and Wales (Brendon Manor Vet Gate both days).

The Stag – 120km over two days – again some top combinations rumoured here, some looking for the final go before a 2024 entry to the 160km.

The Exmoor Stallion – a new class for 2023, 120km over three days. We are hoping for some good entries in this class.

The Hind – 80km over two days. This has become a very popular class and we hope it continues to be. It’s a great taste of two days on Exmoor at a reasonable distance for fit combinations – we hope to see progression over the years from this class.

The Fox – 80km one day – a real test again, a good class for progression.

The Otter & Cub – 40km classes.

The Bambi – 25km PR. We are running this on the Friday and the Sunday. This is traditionally a class often entered by locals and we hope to continue that tradition. We also hope to see some of our volunteers bringing horses down for a ride out and a try-out of Exmoor, and then a little holiday for them while riders join the enormous helpers list needed.

Something new (or old)

We’re expecting all classes (barring the Bambi) to have ridden at least one qualification ride.

Make no mistake it’s a huge task – not just logistically but also financially. By the time you read this we intend to have a good list of sponsors on board – if you want to sponsor it’s not too late!

We need an army of volunteers so please let us know if you want to be on the team. Why not ride the PR on Friday or Sunday and help the other days?

We’re hoping to encourage a whole new generation of endurance riders who want the great challenge of Golden Horseshoe on their list of achievements eventually. We want riders coming along to do a 40km or even the 25km PR getting excited and planning for a few years in the future. Those riders who know that the 160km is not on their plan but enjoying and training hard to one day achieve The Hind!

There will be the weather but we’re not sure what, so come prepared for all (I’ve had hypothermia and sunburn in one weekend) and remember “There’s no such thing as bad weather just the wrong clothing” – Billy Connolly.

We will be delighted to welcome you to the 2023 Golden Horseshoe Ride at The Show Ground, Exford, so get in touch Ghs2023@onthehoofdt.co.uk

Maggie & Shelley

David Saunders

Abby Chisholm

Carri Ann Dark riding HS Drift

Breed Focus:

Thoroughbreds

In our new series, we kick off with the Thoroughbred and why it is ideally suited for endurance. Anna Collins, who has competed with two former racehorses, looks at their track record.

Thoroughbreds can sometimes get a reputation for being hot headed and scatty, but I wouldn’t ride anything else and here’s why. The Thoroughbred, as it is known today, was developed in the 17th and 18th century in England, when native mares were crossbred with three imported ‘foundation’ stallions - The Darley Arabian, The Godolphin

Arabian and The Byerley Turk. Perhaps this is why, with blood of these oriental stallions of Arabian, Barb, and Turkoman breeding, they are suited to endurance.

When they bred with Britain’s native, heavier horses, they produced offspring who were much faster, but still had great stamina, and over the years have developed, by design, into horses naturally better suited to running. Some are built to be sprinters, with bulging muscles and a rapid stride, others are long distance athletes, lean and supple with a long stride – not unlike the differences you would see between human sprinters and marathon runners.

Racing aside, the Thoroughbred has a big

heart, lungs and spleen and few breeds can claim as much influence on modern equestrian sport. Many other breeds, from American Quarter Horses to Morgans, Irish Draughts to Standardbreds, European warmbloods and many more, have been infused with Thoroughbred blood to enhance refinement and athleticism.

Thoroughbreds themselves appear everywhere, from hunting, dressage, eventing, show jumping, polo and, of course, endurance. Their heart, work ethic, intelligence and peopleoriented nature makes them excellent riding horses. Increasingly, they are being used in equine assisted services, mental, physical and

Rita Kochmarjova /Shutterstock

psychotherapy as they can be more sensitive, and less food orientated than other breeds. A study is currently being undertaken by Racing to Relate to assess the suitability of former racehorses as therapy horses with very positive results.

By ‘design’ they can be energetic, forward going and very smart, so are not for everyone. My mare, Diamond Destiny, an Irish-bred 'ginger' former hurdler (so not much going for her on paper if you have any unconscious bias towards chestnut mares) has the kindest sweetest nature in the world who loves a cuddle as much as a gallop.

To conclude, we know that every horse, no matter what the breed, has a different personality and some can be a bit more tricky or opinionated than others, but Thoroughbreds are so easily trainable and don’t deserve the bad press that they get and they are brilliant at endurance.

Kate Mieczkowska retrains

Thoroughbreds

Thoroughbred ex-racehorses come in many shapes and sizes, with different aptitudes and can suit numerous disciplines after racing. When a horse comes to me for retraining, I have to consider all these variables and decide what they are going to enjoy in the next phase of their lives.

Endurance riding and competition offers a huge amount to ex-racehorses who can remain

fully fit, don’t have injuries or wind problems that will flare up if working at a consistent pace for three hours or more, and most importantly enjoy being out and about and have calm temperaments. The sport also provides riders who may not have been in competition before, a way to enjoy taking their new horse off site, enjoy meeting new riders and completing an event without huge competitive pressure if they wish. It also serves as a stepping stone towards building that all-important bond between horse and rider by allowing them to face different obstacles, terrain, working either with or away from other horses in an unknown environment and building trust in one another. In this respect it also offers riders wishing to train their exracehorses for eventing, an option to encounter obstacles and cover distances that will serve as good education towards cross-country. Within the wider endurance community the veterinary attention and checks mean that horse welfare is paramount and is an excellent way for riders new to competition to learn about fitness and competition horse welfare in a supportive environment.

Keeping and understanding how to maintain ex-racehorses can at times be overwhelming to new owners and I believe that the endurance community is an ideal starting point for riders wishing to gain knowledge and confidence to train on further in this sport or later in other equestrian disciplines.

There are of course some of us who wish to develop our own and our horse’s fitness above pleasure ride and novice level. The sport also accommodates the more advanced rider equally and provides a good range of competitive rides with the same veterinary attention.

Thoroughbreds, being descended from Arabian horses, are ideal for endurance competition and can offer a competitive rider the opportunity to compete consistently at a national Level as we have seen with Anna Collins. As with all equestrian

sport, the bond between horse and rider is the most important and Thoroughbreds have the same great sense of camaraderie with their riders as the Arabian horse. I have thoroughly enjoyed competing with Endurance GB with a number of different ex-racehorses new to the sport at Novice level and see it suiting ex-racehorses very well.

Jess Jones has always loved the breed

I’ve always been obsessed with Thoroughbreds since going to the races from a young age and then working at a race yard from the age of 16. I then had my first racehorse at 17 from the yard I worked at. Daryl, my husband, was also an avid horse racing fan but had never ridden a horse. After me dragging him to the stables with me, he decided to get on my ex-racehorse Derrick and was hooked.

I then realised it wasn’t a phase I was going through and I purchased my second exracehorse who was owned and bred by HM the late queen. We then began hacking together, going on farm rides, and decided to enter a local endurance pleasure ride. That was it – we got the bug and joined Endurance GB!

We enjoy training and competing as a couple. It’s the only equestrian discipline where we can compete at the same time, which works well as our horses Derricks Dotty and Fleeting View are so attached and hate to be separated. This means we get the best out of them as they are happier travelling, training and competing together.

We love Thoroughbreds due to their athleticism. When they hit that gallop there’s no other feeling like it – it really does take your breath away. Over the years we’ve done showing, dressage, jumping and now endurance and they just take it all in their stride. We also love their personality. As a physiotherapist I treat lots of Thoroughbreds and each one is so unique and has its own quirks!

David Saunders David Saunders

This image and right of Anna Collins & Diamond Destiny

Kate Mieczkowska

Understanding

integrated awareness

Part One

Jenny Lee MMCP explains how to understand and train our minds so we can support our horses to perform at their best

In her book ‘The Human Herdawakening our natural leadership’, Beth Anstandig introduces the Four Channels of Integrated Awareness model which provides an interesting lens through which to view the relationship between endurance horse and rider. The Four Channels of Integrated Awareness are:

1. What is happening with me?

2. What is happening with my horse?

3. What is happening between us?

4. What is happening around us?

This first part of a two-part series considers Channel 1 and the psychology of the rider. We turn a spotlight on the challenges we face with our human analytical minds, our tendency to overthink and how our nervous systems can get stuck in elevated states of arousal. It can feel uncomfortable to focus on us, rather than our

horses, but it’s a critical part of reaching our full potential as riders. We work hard to train our horses for endurance rides but training our minds is equally important and could be the marginal gain that makes all the difference.

Channel 1 What’s happening with me?

As we go through life, we process our experiences and establish core belief systems that impact our behaviour and how we view the world. The reality is that life is challenging and the scars that many of us carry can cause us to develop thought patterns, experience feelings and exhibit behaviours that hinder our ability to connect as meaningfully and as positively with our horses as we would like.

Often the symptoms we experience at certain life stages such as disturbed sleep patterns, negative thought patterns or feelings of either a thread of agitated energy running through us or conversely a feeling of overwhelming fatigue can be linked to experiences in childhood. Childhood trauma causing anxiety into adulthood can have quite subtle causes and is dependent on how the boy

“Holding Space” is an original creation displaying a girl experiencing grief in the presence of her horse. All of us can relate to this feeling. Animals have the power to hold space for us in ways humans cannot.

or girl perceives their level of safety, love and support. Genetics do play a role with some children predisposed to more sensitivity to adversity than others.

The Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) quiz asks a series of questions and scoring one or above can indicate the presence of childhood trauma. While this quiz needs to encompass the extremes of physical and psychological abuse, it also includes questions covering more common issues, within the endurance community, such as parental separation/divorce, death of a parent, poor mental health of a parent including depression, problem drinkers and/or drug abusing parents. There is also a question about whether the child felt that they were loved and important and that the family were close to each other and looked out for each other.

Tools such as the ACE quiz can help people identify and process early trauma in order to

Maggie Justice Leverett

Bella Fricker

Bella is a leading endurance rider who competed for Great Britain under 21 squad. She has raced and crewed in endurance nationally and internationally. Bella has a loving family, but some circumstances of her childhood have caused various trauma symptoms. These manifest themselves in Bella being highly driven, high energy and enjoying multitasking and keeping busy, but struggling to slow down and have focused concentration. Bella’s sleep pattern has been impacted and was especially bad in her teenage years. She keeps highly physically active to manage her anxiety but when injury strikes, without the protection of exercise stimulated endorphins, Bella can suffer with depression. Bella has been honest and open with her mental health challenges and has sought the help of performance psychologists within endurance and through wider athlete programmes to manage her anxiety. This takes hard work and a great deal of courage but can transform sport performance and indeed greatly enhance how life is experienced.

Esther Groen

Esther of Groen Equestrian has bravely shared her experiences of menopause which left her with low energy and feeling drained from 10 years competing at top level, on limited funds, against a backdrop of moving countries, recession, Covid and re-establishing her coaching business. Esther understands the importance of being present around her horses and will not ride if she feels that she will not be mentally there. Menopause made her feel shut down and depressed and she struggled to find enjoyment from riding. Horses had previously always provided a grounding and calming mechanism for Esther and a way of finding focus and endurance had been the mechanism by which Esther coped with some traumatic childhood experiences. In the end it was the poor sleep patterns and the resulting stress that led to Esther using HRT to manage her symptoms.

deal with problems such as underlying anxiety or depression that are impacting their adult lives. The ACE quiz can only cover so much and does not include the difficulties faced by children growing up with neuro diversity and having to navigate the world through a raft of conditions including ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome and other autism spectrum disorders. Clearly neuro diversity brings many unique skills and advantages but can be very tough for children growing up within a set education system, and just wanting to fit in.

In addition to the emotional upheaval of teenage years the menopause can also cause those that have been previously managing underlying stress or unprocessed trauma to hit a ‘wall’. This is because when hormone levels drop as a woman goes into perimenopause it’s the job of the adrenal gland to step in and produce hormones that can be converted into oestrogen. However, if current or built-up stress has depleted the adrenal glands, as they focus on stress hormones such as cortisol, then their ability to produce sex hormones is compromised. Furthermore, high cortisol production due to chronic stress is linked to bone loss. Not helpful in the event of an unscheduled dismount!

It is crucial that all women in this stage get their oestrogen and testosterone levels checked when they are at their lowest levels. The oestrogen low point, as most women can feel, is on day one of their cycle. Even without the added burden of historic trauma the hormone changes during menopause can impact mental

and physical health and feelings of anxiety, stress and depression are not uncommon. Robyn Schiller, a top-level reining rider, has done several podcasts covering menopausal anxiety which can be accessed at warwickschiller.com.

It's almost impossible for men and women to go through life completely unscathed so how do we as riders do a ‘psychological muck out’ so we can give our horses the best possible version of

ourselves? How do we identify the root causes of our behaviour and core beliefs and how do we process any trauma that we find along the way? In situations where there are symptoms such as a disturbed sleep pattern, feelings of anxiety and low mood then having a chat with a therapist can be a good place to start. You may then wish to introduce tools such as hypnotherapy, cognitive behavioural therapy, eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing, emotional freedom techniques and others to help reset long-term thought patterns.

There is a growing body of research looking at how long-term tension and trauma is stored in the body and can lead to chronic pain and degenerative disease such as arthritis. Specialist physiotherapists work with myofascial release and somatic release experience to remove long-held tension patterns from muscles, organs and connective tissue. The physical release will then give rise to the person feeling an emotional release. There are also several yoga specialists who teach trauma-releasing yoga and have achieved outstanding results with PTSD victims.

In addition to using therapies to reset our nervous system there are many tools that can be used to keep daily stresses under control. These can help with routine challenges and with times of more elevated stress such as mass starts of endurance races. These techniques allow us to control our minds and our bodies and move us from the sympathetic nervous system into the parasympathetic nervous system.

Within the autonomic nervous system, we have the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems that regulate involuntary body

The Soul Abyss - Original artwork created by Maggie Justice Leverett (www. mjsequineartstudios.com).

functions…

• The parasympathetic nervous system slows down certain responses, bringing about a state of calm and allowing the body to rest, digest, relax and repair.

• The sympathetic nervous system gets the body ready for fight and flight through increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, elevated respiratory rate etc and shuts down many parasympathetic responses including the reasoning part of the brain!

Dr Stephen Porges in his work on Polyvagal Theory has also identified a third state of freeze. This occurs at the extreme level of arousal beyond fight/flight and is characterised by immobilisation. Think of prey pinned down by a predator or a shut down horse enduring undiagnosed and untreated pain. A deeply depressed human may also be existing in this state. In human terms, depression is the body’s way of keeping itself safe by shutting down and immobilising.

It's important to achieve balance between the nervous system states as overstimulation by the brain of the sympathetic nervous system can cause health consequences and impacts quality of life. It also puts quite a heavy emotional burden on your horse. So what then is the best way to move into parasympathetic?

Put it into practice

Stanley Rosenberg in his book Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve has developed several exercises that short circuit you back to parasympathetic. Here is one to try…

1. Start by lying down comfortably on your back with your face up.

2. Interlace your hands behind your head.

3. Resting your head on your hands, let your head gently rotate all the way to one side, back to centre, then rotate to the other side.

4. Now take a minute to really let your head settle in the middle, just resting on your hands, eyes open.

5. With your head staying in the centre, let your eyes only travel all the way to one side, and stay there for 30 to 60 seconds.

6. Let your eyes return to the centre, rest and repeat on the other side. You’ll feel a sigh, a yawn, or a swallow as you return to parasympathetic.

7. Once you have got used to this exercise you can do it standing up and facing forward and just looking to the right (3060 seconds) and then left (30-60 seconds). It’s a useful exercise to do just before you mount your horse.

Tactical breathing

There are numerous breath work exercises that are highly effective in bringing the body back to a calm state and the Neurocentric Rider (theneurocentricrider.co.uk) even offers on-line Breathwork for Riders workshops. As a starting point this Navy SEAL technique below works simply and effectively and after a while you will find yourself yawning and feeling calmer. Ideally breathe in through your nose and out through the mouth:

• Inhale for four seconds

• Hold your lungs full for four seconds

• Exhale for four seconds

• Hold your lungs empty for four seconds.

Meditation

This can feel almost excruciating for those that ‘run on adrenaline’ but that’s the point! There are various forms of meditation to experiment with including mantra-based meditations and mindfulness. Audio books and apps such as Calm are a good place to start. Mind Hacking by Sir John Hargrave is also a great guide to taking control of a busy, frantic or self-critical mind.

Cold therapy

Cold therapy such as the Wim Hof Method works by putting your body into a sympathetic state and then using your breathwork to get control of your mind even in this state of arousal. It also makes you feel great afterwards and is well suited to the more hard core among us.

Horses

Many of us are instinctively drawn to horses as a form of self-regulation of our nervous system. Spending time around horses without asking anything of them or us can provide a refuge from busy lives. Techniques such as The Masterson Method Bladder Meridian (You Tube) can serve to enhance that feeling of calm and connection. There are also several equine assisted therapists achieving remarkable results in prisoner reform and PTSD victim rehabilitation programmes.

Credits

Thank you to our contributors Bella Fricker (www.bellafricker.co.uk), Esther Groen (www.groenequestrian.co.uk), Jenny Lee (MMCP Masterson Method Equine Bodywork) and Maggie Justice Leverett (www.mjsequineartstudios. com).

Read Part Two

Channel 2 – what is happening with my horse? Will be featured in Endurance Magazine Summer 2023 and is due out in June 2023

Entangled - Original artwork created by Maggie Justice Leverett (www.mjsequineartstudios.com). Maggie Justice Leverett

EGB Cromwell Group Concrete Cows

By Sarah and Ziggy Cameron

Sarah Cameron talks us through a lovely route and reveals why she’ll be returning to this ride in 2023.

On a beautiful morning on 26 October 2022, Ziggy and I set off to have a go at The Concrete Cows Ride, a Novice 33K. Jane Gibbs had very kindly offered to crew for us and I have to say she is amazing at this job.

We arrived to a very sunny Bella Fricker who put so much work into this ride, a route that takes you all around Milton Keynes. You are literally parked up in the centre on a hill in a park with a John Lewis warehouse directly behind you.

I met up with a good pal from years back on her new young horse George. Lesley Ann Parker greeted me with a hug and laugh of expectation of ‘this is going to be some ride’!

We set off together after the vetting. First, we had this amazing hill and park to ride through followed by a couple of road crossings and large roundabouts. The horses just got on with it with Ziggy’s usual face of ‘okidokie let’s rock’.

We then rode through the subways (there were several). As we went through the first one, I sang to him rather loudly to help him keep calm with the thundering noise above. The subways led to yet more beautiful parks and tracks, steps, high bridges, over the motorway, around a huge lake and underneath a railway line.

Our crew Jane, driving my Land Rover through Milton Keynes, managed to find us. She was a total diamond giving our horses plenty of water and yummy snacks.

The whole ride was so unusual and a fabulous challenge. Both horses were superb and well

mannered. There is so much to look at along the route, from robots to a dinosaur, and the route was excellently marked by Bella.

I would highly recommend this ride if you want to have a go at something different. It was well organised and jolly good fun and the caterer on the day was my favourite so far – chips, bacon, avocado and cheese! After all, fun is what it’s all about isn’t it? A huge well done to all on the day. We did well with a good Grade 3, which is the icing on the cake, but so is a happy, healthy, good, obedient horse. Will I go back and ride this route again? You bet I will! Hope to see you all next year.

David Saunders

Laminitis Low-down

With spring just around the corner, better weather and longer days will be welcomed by horses and owners alike, but unfortunately the risk of laminitis increases sharply at this time of year and careful management is required to prevent susceptible animals suffering from this painful disease. Joanna Palmer, nutritionist for Allen & Page Quality Horse Feeds offers advice on how to prevent laminitis whilst ensuring your horse’s nutritional needs for health and performance are met.

To prevent laminitis, it’s important to ensure that every horse and pony’s diet is reflecting their nutritional needs, most notably in maintaining a healthy weight. Spring grazing is likely to lead to significant weight gain, particularly in good doers, and it’s well recognised that overweight and obese horses and ponies are more at risk of developing laminitis. Therefore, it is important to implement weight loss/control measures as early as possible this spring to prevent weight gain and laminitis, particularly in horses who are coming out of winter already carrying a little extra weight.

By maintaining your horse at a healthy weight and body condition score, the risk of laminitis developing or recurring in the future can be lessened. Regular use of a weightape and

undertaking hands-on body condition scoring will help you to notice changes in your horse’s weight and condition at the earliest opportunity. You should be able to feel your horse’s ribs easily when you run your hand lightly across the ribcage and there should be no fat deposits or signs of a crest developing on the neck. Do not over rug, instead allow your horse to use his fat reserves to keep warm through the colder night-time temperatures of spring and help keep his bodyweight in check.

Reduce energy and sugar intake from grazing

During the spring and summer months, grass will be the largest part of most horses’ diets and the biggest contributor to their energy (calorie) and sugar intakes. Alongside obesity, consuming a high sugar diet is a major risk factor for developing laminitis and for this reason lush, fertilised grazing should be avoided. Unproductive, poor quality grazing is best for all horses that gain weight easily, and restricting grass intake is an effective way of helping to prevent laminitis.

Strip grazing, implementing a tracked grazing system and using a grazing muzzle can all significantly reduce your horse’s grass intake while helping to maintain natural grazing and herd behaviour. Where possible, if your horse is at risk of laminitis, he should be turned out at night when sugar levels in the grass are at their lowest and brought in again by mid-morning when the sugar levels rise again. Using a dry paddock (e.g. a bark chipped pen) as a turnout area is a useful alternative to stabling when trying to restrict grass intake.

Choose a low starch, low sugar bucket feed

While grazing and forage may satisfy many good doers’ energy needs, it will not provide a balanced diet and a suitable supplementary

bucket feed should be fed. To help prevent laminitis, feed a high fibre diet that is low in starch and sugar. A horse’s hind gut is populated with millions of bacteria which break down fibre by fermentation. Starch and sugar are normally digested in the small intestine, but when too much is fed some passes into the hind gut where rapid fermentation by the bacteria causes lactic acid to be produced. This acid production alters the pH of the hind gut and disrupts the careful balance of gut bacteria. The acidic environment can also damage the gut wall and allow dead bacteria and other endotoxins to enter the blood stream; this causes an inflammatory response in the body resulting in laminitis. Feeding a high fibre diet, particularly one which utilises ingredients such as beet pulp, oat fibre and alfalfa will not only supply the horse with essential nutrients but will also help to maintain a healthy hind gut microflora as well as providing anti-inflammatory properties.

Fast Fibre is an ideal choice for good doers and those at risk of laminitis as it is free from molasses and whole cereal grains, making it low in starch and sugar – falling well below the combined starch and sugar level of 10% that is recommended for laminitics. When fed at the recommended amount for your horse’s size and workload, Fast Fibre will provide a balanced diet with all the vitamins and minerals needed for all-round health and a low-energy level to help

Did you know?

avoid unwanted weight gain. Veteran Light and L Mix are other feeds that are suitable for good doers and those prone to or at risk of laminitis.

Provide safe calories from fibre and oil

Laminitis doesn’t just affect the typical overweight ponies we usually associate with the condition; poor doers and hard working horses can also be affected. For these horses that require a higher energy diet, ingredients like beet pulp and alfalfa are particularly useful. Not only are they high in fibre but they are also excellent calorie sources, containing as much energy as many cereal grains but without the high starch content. However, as straight ingredients, these feeds are not nutritionally balanced, so it’s important that they are fed alongside a suitable balanced feed as a calorie boost rather than the main component of the horse’s diet. It is also important that these feeds are unmolassed to keep the sugar level of the diet as low as possible.

Oil is also an excellent source of extra calories that is low in starch and sugar; in particular linseed meal or oil would be a useful addition to the diet for any horse requiring an energy/calorie boost to fuel work or aid weight gain. Linseed is high in omega 3 oils and well known for its excellent anti-inflammatory properties within the body.

• in 10 horses and ponies are affected by laminitis each year (according to the British Horse Society).

• 90% of laminitis cases occur in horses and ponies with an underlying endocrine disease that results in insulin dysregulation (ID) i.e., equine metabolic syndrome (EMS) and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID; also known as Equine Cushing’s disease).

• Horses and ponies at risk of laminitis should only be fed feeds that have a combined starch and sugar level of less than 10%.

Watch out for late frosts

Frosted grass on a sunny day can be particularly high in fructans (sugar) as it’s not able to grow when temperatures are low. Instead, fructans created through photosynthesis in sunlight accumulate in the plant and if grazed by a susceptible animal can significantly increase their risk of developing laminitis. As some parts of the UK can experience overnight frosts well into May, keep a close eye on your local weather forecast and avoid turning out any at risk horses or ponies when grass is likely to be frosty.

Feed a low energy forage

To maintain essential fibre intakes, provide your horse with supplementary forage when stabled or on very restricted grazing. For horse that are overweight or at any increased risk of laminitis, feed hay with a known low sugar content or, if necessary, soak hay for 12 hours. Soaking hay leaches out the water-soluble carbohydrates making it much lower in sugar and calories than unsoaked hay. Being lower in sugar means more can be fed to satisfy the horse’s need for a near constant supply of fibre without increasing the risk of laminitis. Feeding low sugar or soaked hay before turnout will mean the horse goes out with a full stomach and is then less likely to gorge on the grass.

Increase exercise

Endurance horses in training and competing will usually be in a high level of work at this time of year and not as susceptible to obesity as other less active horses and ponies. If you have horses in a low level of work, at rest or retired, any small amount of additional exercise you can do with them will use calories and help prevent unwanted weight gain. Although laminitis is common in horses and ponies with Equine Metabolic Syndrome (EMS) or Insulin Disregulation (ID), regular exercise helps to stabilise blood insulin levels which in turn can reduce their risk of developing laminitis. While regular exercise is important for all-round health, it’s vital that your horse is fit enough for the work you are asking him to do. Ensuring exercise intensity is gradually increased during training and avoiding fast work on hard or stony ground will limit excess concussion to the hooves and help prevent laminitis.

For more information

For further advice on preventing laminitis, contact our friendly, awardwinning nutrition team on 01362 822 902 , email us at helpline@ allenandpage.co.uk or visit our website www.allenandpage.com

RoR news

Retraining of Racehorses Introduces New Recognition Awards for 2023 thanks to the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Trust

This year, alongside the usual pathway awards for pleasure rides, competitive rides and RoR Elite Endurance awards, Retraining of Racehorses (RoR) and EGB will again be running the Teams Championships as part of the British Horse Feeds Red Dragon Clubs Championships.

Following the success of the inaugural Teams in 2022, this year we are hoping to enter regional RoR teams which will qualify at a local competitive ride and compete at the final at the Dragon later in the season. The Festival will also be awarding the usual Bronze, Silver and Gold awards for RoRs.

New for 2023 is an RoR pairs class, where two horse and rider combinations will register at the beginning of the season as a pair with EGB and the duo with the most points at the

end of the season will each win a coveted saddle pad.

We know that building up to competitive levels can be daunting and in recognition of former racehorses in endurance, we are introducing the Endurance Seven (E7), a play on ITV Racing 7. This is an opportunity to

‘collect’ ride distances on a card signed by the Ride Organiser at SERC, EGB, Charity and Bridleways Rides. At seven key points, eg 50km, 100km, 150km etc…. each rider can claim a prize. As it’s rider distance that counts, distances may be accumulated on more than one horse and only completed rides will count.

Dan Abraham

Sam Tomlinson riding Lilborne Prince at the Red Dragon

David Saunders

Anna Collins, RoR Endurance Series Coordinator said: “We wanted to find a way to recognise the achievements of riders who have retrained former racehorses to simply enjoy the countryside. This is why the E7 starts at zero and may take several seasons to collect all the rewards. It allows different horses to experience good hacking and the more they do, the more they enjoy it. It’s a brilliant way to keep fit and enjoy the company of your horse.”

a prestigious evening held at the Newmarket Jockey Club Rooms. Sam won with her nineyear-old Lilbourne Prince, a bay gelding bred in Ireland out of two racers from the USA.

He was trained in Wales by David Evans in Monmouthshire at Pandy and raced 26 times under race rules in flat racing. His total earnings (prize money) was £11,263. He enjoyed a win at Ffos Las under Jockey J Egan, a six-furlong race at 5/1 odds on 30 July 2015.

Sam has owned Prince since he finished racing at just two years old. Sam is a seasoned endurance competitor and to get Prince fit for long distance competitions she works predominantly on distance training interspaced with a lot of schooling, working on balance, speed and stamina in trot.

All of the awards this year have been kindly supported by the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Trust to whom we are very grateful.

Horses must be registered with RoR to compete (£10 per year). This includes Thoroughbreds who have trained or raced in the UK or abroad. The only exception to this rule is the RoR Elite Endurance Award in which horses must have raced under Jockey Club rules in Great Britain.

Worthy winner

Clare Balding CBE presented the Elite Endurance award to Samantha Tomlinson at

Sam has worked with former racehorses for a long time and said: “They are ideally suited for the endurance discipline, they are intelligent and given a job to do, they just want to please. Sometimes you have to rein in their naturally competitive nature, but they will give you everything, you just have to ask, and that is what attracts me to this discipline of endurance riding on an ex-racehorse.

“What other equestrian sport allows you to see parts of the country that no one else can unless on horseback, it’s a truly magnificent sport.

“Endurance riding is so well organised by Endurance GB, especially the vetting process. The safety and well-being of the horse is paramount, as it should be.

“Winning the ROR elite endurance championship is incredible, the early mornings

and all the training paid off, I’m thrilled.”

Sam competed in 10 rides (339km) in the 2022 season. They achieved two grade 1s and had heart rates in the low 40s or less than 40. At just one ride, Sam wisely retired on course. Sam and Prince were also members of the inaugural 2022 RoR Endurance Team which was kindly sponsored by the Peter O’Sullevan Trust. After qualifying at the Cirencester 32km ride in the summer, the team were placed third overall at the tough and challenging British Horse Feeds & Golden Paste Company’s Red Dragon Festival of Endurance. Sam was the overall individual winner in the class against all the other competitors in the team event. The combo completed the 34km distance at an average speed of 10.5kph with a finishing heart rate of 38bpm. This meant that she also scooped the RoR Endurance Bronze Award, having won silver in the two-day Dragon’s Egg class in 2021.

Dan Abraham

Dan Abraham

Fancy a piece of silver?

Do you have empty shelf space? Not sure what would look nice? Perhaps it’s the perfect spot for some Endurance silverware, says Endurance GB’s Operations Director Shelley Bates.

We have a range of trophies and awards available to aim for each year and there really is something for everyone. Here’s what’s on offer.

Championship trophies

These are our ‘major trophies’ worked out on the accumulation of points collected by attending rides and succeeding. How trophy points are calculated is described in the rulebook, so you can easily see what you need to be doing to score points. Many of the trophies only consider a set number of rides or distance, so it’s good to have a look and work out which ones you might want to aim for so you can shape your season accordingly. The

Championship trophies award every level and age of endurance rider and horse.

Distance awards

These are available for horse and rider career accumulated distances. They must be claimed through the EGB shop by 5pm on 20 October 2023. They are either posted to you directly (on payment of a small fee) or can be collected from the AGM, with the exceptional distances being read out at the Gala Dinner. The horse distance

awards are free; the claimant pays for the rider distance awards.

Breed awards

We have lots of different breeds and types of horses taking part in endurance and we want to celebrate that diversity. There are breed awards for Arabs, part-breds, Anglos and Thoroughbreds, as well as pure-bred Native ponies and unregistered horses.

Team awards

There are three team awards – with one specifically for Pleasure Riders in the Pleasure Pairs award. So team up with some friends, think of a fun team name and get your registration in via the Endurance GB web shop. This must be done by 1 May 2023 to be eligible for the competition. You do not have to ride together, so friends from different parts of the country can have a common goal if they join together in a team – although it might be fun to meet up at one of our larger rides and have a team party!

Volunteer awards

There are six volunteer awards available, including one for best crew, to recognise the support and help you receive at rides and events throughout the year. So if you feel someone deserves a special mention you need to send in a nomination to the Chair of Endurance GB by 20 October 2023.

Milestone awards

These awards can be collected at any stage throughout your endurance career and they recognise ‘firsts’ for the horse.

• First 80km CER – awarded a gold medal and a certificate.

• First 120km ride in one day – awarded a competition plaque and certificate.

• First 160km ride in one day – awarded a buckle and a certificate.

• These awards must be claimed through the Endurance GB web shop once you have successfully completed the relevant ride. There is no cost to you.

Upgrading awards

When you progress from Novice to Open, and Open to Advanced, you can request to be ‘upgraded’. This can be done at a ride by speaking to the Technical Steward or through the Endurance GB web shop. Once the office has received notification of your upgrade they will update the database and send you a medal and a certificate to celebrate your success. You are then ready to ride at the next level. There are also numerous trophies for combinations of rides, distances, and ages –individual and accumulated – just go take a look!

For more information

All the details of the trophies including the eligibility criteria, can be found in the Rules area of the Endurance GB website (under National Trophies). So whether it’s your first season or your 20th, take a look to see what you could aim for this year!

Westgate Laboratories

Fuel efficiency

By Esther Groen

There are many similarities when it comes to running our horses and our cars efficiently, as Esther Groen explains. Follow her top advice to make the best use of your own horse’s ‘fuel’.

I(well, really my hubby and I) bought a new car. Our older (very fuel-efficient) diesel needed replacing and we got a hybrid. Not one of those plug-in ones, but one that will load up its own battery when you are driving and braking. You will even drive electric at times when you are not too heavy-footed on the accelerator. So, it’s cheap when using the battery, and not so cheap when it’s using the petrol. I had already become a little obsessed with driving the diesel as efficiently as possible but now it’s become a sport on its own to drive electric as much as possible and I’m utterly disappointed in myself when the economy goes down (winter days were particularly bad… bring back summer I say, for loads of reasons). I know, this is an endurance magazine, not a car magazine, so why am I yapping on about my car when I should be saying something useful about endurance?

I’ll tell you why. While driving and thinking (as you do on autopilot) about writing my coaching tutorials about how muscles are utilising fuel, I realised there are quite some links between the fuel efficiency of a hybrid car and that of an endurance horse. There are actually loads of links between fuel use of cars and horses, so you’ll have to stick with this metaphor I’m afraid.

Fuel types

Like the hybrid car the horse has two (main) types of energy sources: ‘expensive’ glycogen and ‘cheap’ fatty acids – you can sort of see it as the equivalent of petrol and electric driving on the battery. Like petrol, we actively need to add glycogen (which is really the animal equivalent of starch) into our horse by feeding him higher energy foods. The carbs and glucose in the food will be used in daily work, but the excess will be

stored in muscles (and liver) to use when there is a higher demand in higher intensity work. And, like petrol, we can run empty if we have depleted our resources.

Another source of energy in the horse is fatty acids, and these are derived mostly from digesting fibres (from grass and hay) by the bacteria in the gut. A horse has loads of these fatty acids stored in his body. So, for many it will never really run out, even when a horse is super skinny. We can compare the stored energy in the battery and driving electrically to these fatty acids, as both are used for low-intensity work. These are pretty much non-depletable systems, both in the

(hybrid) car and the horse. Who needs petrol (or glycogen) you might think, we’ll all just use the fatty acids and have that non-depletable cheap fuel!

Who needs what?

This is where it gets a bit tricky, but I’ll try to keep it as clear as possible. Like different brands and models of cars have different fuel efficiency (both petrol/diesel as the hybrid battery), so do different breeds (or individual) horses. Each horse has a different ability to use their fuel based on their genetic athletic makeup. Some horses will be able to do a lot on their battery (fatty acids)

and can go for long distances at moderate to even reasonably high speeds. Yes, you guessed it, the top-level Arabs would fall into this category. Other horses would be able to do a good bit on fatty acids but would need to top up more (and quicker) with glycogen, but they should still be able to have plenty in the tank at the end of a ride. A lot of part-bred Arabs and sporty warmbloods or lighter native types would fall into this range of slightly less fuel-efficient types. But some horses (and breeds) struggle more with using fatty acids as energy, either because they can only use them when they go very slow (our heavier types that tend to be more coldblooded in origin) or when they are really bred for high-speed 'gas guzzling' work like racing. These horses will default to using glycogen a lot more and will risk running low much quicker than horses who can run well on fatty acids.

The bad news

Now, there is good and bad news. Let me start with the bad as I always like to finish on a positive note. The bad news is that the deeper we press that accelerator and the more often we press it, the less fuel efficient we will be, both in our car and our horse. When we ask higher intensity work of our horse he will always need more fuel. So, when we go for a faster canter a lot of horses will start using their glycogen resources. Going up a hill is also higher intensity work, which will have nearly all horses fuelling their muscles on glycogen, especially at the beginning of the hill and at increases in incline. And like any car will use more petrol when it’s just starting and not warmed up, so will our ‘equine engines’. Poor warm-up gives poor fuel use. We all know that stopping and starting a lot with our car is less fuel-efficient and the same goes for our horse. With every upward transition the horse has to fire up his glycogen pathway for a moment to give the muscles the extra power they need. Therefore, if higher intensity work like a fast canter or a gallop will use a lot of glycogen and going uphill does as well, you can imagine what going up a hill fast can do to our fuel efficiency, yet I see so many riders doing just that.

The big difference

This is where we see a very important difference between our cars and our horses. If we go up a hill fast with our car all we do is use a lot of petrol. Besides a lot of noise from the engine and a dent in our bank balance we have no ill effects, but the horse does. Going up a hill at speed is depleting the glycogen stores fast. We cannot top them up fast as we do with our car either, as it takes a few days to have all the glycogen back. When there is a very high demand for fuel for the muscles, the horse will have to switch to anaerobic fuel use, which is extremely inefficient as they use loads of glycogen and only provide a little energy in return. This fuel use is also creating lactic acid which will make the muscles acidic and fatigued, sometimes even stopping them from working properly for a while (if you’ve had that vague lameness at the end of a ride that has disappeared after about an hour, there’s

a good chance there was some muscle fatigue happening).

The good news

So the positive message then? We can optimise fatty acid energy pathways in every horse. By training them correctly for their type of breed and for their required work, we can increase the intensity of work within the ‘battery mode’ and we delay the moment the horse needs to tap into the glycogen. If we add a good warm-up to that, and sensible riding, like keeping a nice steady pace throughout the ride and slowing down when we have to go up hills, we can save valuable fuel for when we really need it.

In our cars we have lovely displays that show us what is happening, but this is a little more difficult in our horses unfortunately, so we need to invest some time and effort into knowing what is happening inside them. Logging can certainly help you become aware of what you are doing and we have an indicator for intensity: a heart rate monitor. A good few of you use one, but do you use them to their full potential? In my next article, I will tell you more about optimising the use of your heart rate monitor to become more aware of the fuel gauge within your horse and learn about your horse’s individual boundaries.

About Esther Groen

Esther runs Groen Equestrian – endurance coaching. Visit her website below for more information.

www.groenequestrian.co.uk

Discover freedom and enter our 2023 Photo competition

Photography Credits

With thanks to Farlap Photography, West End Photography, IndiePics. Matthew Turner and Jade Ligus

If you’d like to see yourself and your horse in print and be in with a chance of winning a gorgeous rosette, look no further. We’re excited to be announcing the 2023 photo competition. In every 2023 edition (Summer, Autumn, Winter) we will showcase the final images up to that point (every three months) and these images will go forward to the final. The Spring 2024 edition of Endurance will announce the top three photos with rosettes

going to the person sending the photo in and to the photographer.

How to enter

Simply email your favourite photo that encapsulates the freedom of endurance, either of yourself (or others with their permission) to editor@endurancegb.co.uk including your name, the name of the horse(s) and rider(s), the ride and photographer.

Competition rules

• You also need to provide written confirmation from the photographer that you have permission for the image to be entered into the competition and printed. If you can’t confirm this, then we cannot accept the photograph as it’s their intellectual property even if you bought the image.

• Low-res images are acceptable at this point. However, if you get to the final, we will need high-res images (which we hope the photographers will be able to deliver at that point).

• The judges’ decision is final.

• No alternative prizes will be offered.

Endurance GB is delighted to announce that we have been successful in bidding for funding for Para Endurance from the Society of Master Saddlers (SMS) for the next five years. This gives us the security to plan a long-term training and support programme for our Para riders. As in 2022, the SMS are offering similar support to Endurance GB’s Young and Junior Riders, so the Young Rider and Para teams are working together to maximise the impact for both membership groups.

As with all Para training events, escort riders, crew and carers are also invited to attend and participate. We know how important your support teams are to your success and want to ensure that your whole team has access to the training that they need. All training events are designed to be suitable for all levels.

Para Endurance

We have already agreed three dates and locations for events in 2023:

• The first Para Equestrian Endurance training day is to be held on 5 February at the Riding for the Disabled (RDA) Unicorn Centre in Middlesborough, which offers state-of-the-art facilities including an indoor arena and classroom. Robert Blane is coaching and we will also be offering individual assessment and training sessions on ‘Blackberry’, the Centre’s horse-riding simulator. Both mounted and unmounted sign-up options are available.

• Para Camp this year will be held on August 1-4 2023 at Olwen Law’s beautiful yard near Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire. The facilities are superb and set in glorious countryside. We already have Clare

Gangadeen from RiderCise booked to head up a varied and exciting programme of coaching and talks. We will also be able to enjoy rides out on the endurance tracks on the farm. Make a note of the date now – it’s going to be a fantastic four days!

• Last but very much not least, the Southern Para training day is planned for 4 November at Stretcholt Equestrian Centre near Bridgwater, Somerset. The venue has amazing facilities, and we have big plans for a very exciting day’s programme.

We look forward to seeing you all at one or more of these events, which are all heavily subsidised by the SMS grant fund. Further planning to build on what we achieved in 2022 is ongoing, so keep your eyes peeled for future announcements.

transport solutions

In an increasingly difficult economic climate, horse owners might think twice before purchasing their own horsebox or trailer. However, lack of transport can also prevent owners from making the most of their time with their horse and hold back any ambitions to compete.

The solution to this dilemma is to hire, with many horse owners realising the benefit of short- and long-term hire over committing to buy.

• Short-term hire provides horse owners

with the opportunity to occasionally hire a horsebox or trailer for as little as one day to a month, so if you need to get your horse to a vet’s appointment but don’t have your own transport, short-term hire makes total sense.

• Mid-term hire covers anything from two to 11 months and is a great option for those looking to secure transport for a whole season, with March to September being popular months, with the option to extend for a month or two.

• Long-term hire between 12 and 36 months is the fastest growing market with owners enjoying peace of mind knowing their transport is sorted for a set period of time. This type of hire is much like

contract hire with a car where you never own the vehicle but have a fixed lowmonthly payment which includes all the maintenance (excluding tyres), warranty and running costs. Another advantage of long-term hire is that it doesn’t get registered on someone’s credit record so has much less of an effect on what they can borrow compared to a finance option.

What are the vehicle options?

Motorised vehicles are the most popular to hire out as the capital cost is much greater than a trailer, therefore more people can afford to buy a trailer than a motorised vehicle. If you can’t afford to buy you could possibly afford to take on hire as the initial payment is very low

In this issue Equi-Trek explain the growing trend for hiring a horsebox or trailer.

followed by small monthly payments. That said, trailers are becoming more popular to hire as people swap their motorised horsebox for a trailer, as the cost of living starts to bite.

The standard of living in trailers with overnight accommodation is excellent, so many owners now find it much more affordable not to run a horsebox when there are trailers that have everything they need, including a bathroom, kitchen area and bed.

Since the law on towing changed in December

2021, people can now legally tow without having to take a test which has also been a further incentive for people to swap their horsebox for a trailer.

Where should I hire from?

Make sure you choose a reputable company that has a wealth of experience so that you can discuss your requirements and ensure they are met by hiring the right horsebox or trailer for you.

A reputable company will also provide

insurance. Unless it’s a proper hire company, then you will most likely be uninsured and would have a serious issue if stopped by the police or, even worse, had an accident. Also, the safety of the vehicle is a key issue. You don’t want to be hiring an old vehicle and have problems while you are away. Finally, you need to check there is breakdown cover and horse recovery included, just in case the worst happened.

For more information

Hire-Trek was established in 2016 to meet a growing demand for customers looking for short- and long-term hire. Hire-Trek use Equi-Trek vehicles that are less than three years old and they come with full equine rescue.

Equi-Trek also offers Flexi-Tow on Apollo horse trailers which provides you with the ultimate flexibility as you hire on a rolling contract and can cancel with just one month’s notice any time after the first 30 days.

To secure your Apollo on the FlexiTow deal simply pay an initial rental of £200 plus vat and your first month’s hire fee of £200 in advance. Find out more at equi-trek-apollo.com

For more information about the EquiTrek range of horseboxes and trailers for hire visit equi-trek.com or email hire@hire-trek.com.

North Shropshire Pony Club Endurance Intro

By Rachael Chapple

Keen to promote the sport and encourage younger riders to give it a go, Rachael organised a successful endurance rally where everyone had a great time. Here’s what happened.

It was awesome to see endurance among six former racehorses showcasing life after racing. Dressage, polo, showing, eventing and show jumping horses all strutted their stuff in the parade ring in front of ITV Racing and Racing TV.

After my daughter Scarlett became overall Pony Club Endurance Champion in 2021, she has wanted to promote the sport she loves and to encourage other members to give endurance a go. We ran the idea of organising an Endurance Intro by our Pony Club DC who was only too pleased to give it the go-ahead. I opened up the event to all neighbouring Pony Clubs as I knew it was unlikely we’d get enough participants from only one or two clubs. One of the many great things about endurance is there is great encouragement to make teams from

Areas for Pony and Riding Clubs, so regions can group together. I believe Endurance GB's John Hudson will be delivering more information on getting teams together this year.

Helping hands

Endurance in our area is a little-known sport so stage one was approaching Cheshire and northwestern endurance Groups to see if others would help me run this event. I was delighted by the response. Many were totally prepared to

travel miles for the day, with and without their horses, to get this off the ground. We had 15 entries and the 12 who were there were sound and enthusiastic on the day. I had chosen to run the rally similarly to a real ride, we had support from local vets to do the start and finish checks, heart rate and soundness etc. I found a brilliant venue on hardstanding at Fieldfare Farm, Whitchurch who gave us brilliant support (hard standing was needed as it was December) and a 10-mile (17.7 km) route.

A great day all round

I believe it’s hard to understand what endurance is all about from reading or attending a talk about it, so doing an actual ride made it real. We began with a run through endurance basics by Pennie Drummond, then a display of what to do at the vetting was provided. We were lucky enough to have John Black’s super horse ‘Jam’ there with onsite groom, Tamzin Furtado

and they gave a perfect demonstration of how to present and behave, talked through by Jane Stewart. Having experienced endurance riders as escorts (one per two children) meant the kids not only got to ride alongside endurance royalty, but they could fire questions at them en route. The escorts sat behind the children to allow them to self-navigate and gain experience of looking for and following markers.

We placed two ‘on course’ crew stations manned by experienced endurance folk. Riders all had an opportunity to get a slosh and offer horses drinks, the kids were to be given Haribos… oops sorry I forgot that part!

Not only did we get support from our Pony Club, Cheshire, and North-west Endurance members we were donated gift bags from Coolstance Equitek so all riders went home with a wonderful goody bag on the day, as well as their PC Endurance Intro and Achievement badges and completion rosettes. We ran

the ride part with start/finish times under Endurance Performance Formula so there was extra recognition for the ‘winners’.

The supporters (the parents) all stayed at the venue for this rally and were well fuelled with bacon, sausage or Halloumi butties, tea, coffee and hot chocolate. My wonderful neighbours Pete and Gillian Norton helped fund and run the catering for this event. As we all know, standing in the cold isn’t typically fun but with a hot drink and sandwich, horse folk can chat merrily for hours.

The feedback from all who attended this event was awesome. Even the escort riders who aren’t always child friendly fed back what great company the Pony Club members were. The kids all returned with huge smiles on their faces, the ponies, who were hugely varied, were all fantastic and I hope we have inspired several to give endurance a go this coming season.

What did I learn from running a ride? A lot. Get more help than you think you need, advertise as much as possible, get an extra secretary on the day and, most importantly, keep it fun throughout.

Scottish Endurance

Scottish Endurance Riding Club

News

For those of you who don’t know me, I have been involved with endurance riding in Scotland since 1980 or so when I pulled together a group of people in Inverness, who thought they might be interested in the sport, and we constituted the Highland Long Distance Riding Club formally in 1982 as an associate to the BHS Long Distance Riding Group (LDRG) at the time. This group was primarily interested in getting horses fit enough to qualify for and compete in the Golden Horseshoe on Exmoor. One of our founder members was Alison Craig who had taken part in the event previously and Libby Whittome was also a friend from Argyll who had competed in the very first one-day 100mile event run by the Endurance Horse & Pony Society (EHPS) in Hampshire.

Several of our founder members – Al Craig, Lu Boase, Libby and myself – all ran riding centres and did long trail rides over the hills, so our horses were quite fit anyway, and we started out by training our lead horses who were usually our personal horses. At the time I had a lovely little chestnut Anglo-Arab of about 15hh who

was ideal for our type of ground. In those days we ran rides over varied ground, but a lot of it over much tougher hill terrain than we use now. To be honest, the speeds were not much slower, but we did have ‘hill and terrain fit mounts’.

Special horses

Bigger horses were not so ideal as they couldn’t really get into their stride on the rougher terrain, so around 15hh was ideal. Some Arabs were used in our centres but these were also ‘hill savvy’ and used to long days on the hills and getting their feet wet. Basically, we were using what we had, and they did us very handsomely with the right preparation. The first horse I took to the Golden Horseshoe (in 1987) was White Trooper who was a chunky type of partbred Arab. He completed the 100-mile class at his first try when only a handful finished due to the heat. In those days we would have a start field of around 60 horses.

Trooper led rides at home and was taken out to dressage, cross-country and show jumping competitions, Man v Horse and Arab marathon - so loads of cross training. He went on to do 100-mile one-day classes and represented GB in two World Championships in Virginia, USA, and Barcelona. A winning speed over a oneday 100-miler in those days was about 13kph over a varied course with a reasonable amount

of hill work. There were even times when we had to ‘tail’ our horses, which meant walking or running uphill holding the horse's tail. This would be unheard of now.

The same was true for the Horseshoe where Trooper won the Best Condition in 1991 and a Gold award at that speed with a heart rate of 56 or under at vet checks. I doubt if he was an exceptional horse, but he did have basically correct conformation, apart from his feet, which in later years developed sheared heels and required him to run in bar shoes which worked well. However, Trooper did have many hours of conditioning put into him. It was quite

Candy Cameron recalls the process of introducing endurance riding in Scotland and reveals what she looks for in a good endurance horse.

A lovely type showing lightness of step required for running over the top of the ground at speed

Candy and Ell Daam competing at the Scottish Championships in 2022 Ian Cameron

Kris Clay TopGear Photos

the norm for our endurance horses to do two or three GHR qualifiers of 65-80km prior to the 100 miles at Horseshoe, usually followed by an 80km at the beginning of June (Breamore), then the one-day 100 miles at the Solstice. Usually then a short break until our Scottish Champs (with perhaps an 80km prep before it) and finally the Red Dragon. Both of the last two would be two-day 100-mile events. Many miles you might think but the speeds were slower, and our horses lasted longer.

It was also quite common to step up directly from an 80km to a 160km in a day as I remember doing with several horses, notably quite a chunky part-bred Arab, Dingo de Landas who did his first 80km at Cawdor and two weeks later finished happily at the Solstice in Sherwood Forest. Another horse that completed this same step was a homebred Tersk gelding called Red Rock Adin, who won his first one-day 160km at an FEI ride in Wicklow and went on to represent GB at the rehearsal for WEG in Aachen.

What to look for in an endurance horse

So how should we choose a horse for endurance? What are the most important criteria? What is acceptable and when would you walk away? Firstly, I think, the horse must have a reasonable temperament that you can work with. Even if he is uneducated, he must be trainable and if broken, he must be rideable. The one horse that I would not want to work with is a horse that has serious separation anxiety. This is possibly something that can be improved by building up trust over time with patience, but it causes so much stress to horse and rider when going away to compete.

Another thing that I require of a horse’s conformation is that he is as straight-moving as possible. If horses have serious medial/lateral deviations in their lower limbs then they rarely

stay sound. Obviously, there are exceptions and a really good farrier can help maintain soundness with correct foot balancing and shoeing. One notable case in point was World Endurance Champion, Nobby, whose legs all pointed in different directions.

Another consideration is what type of endurance you wish to compete in. Do you just wish to do pleasure rides? In this case just about any riding horse can tackle this with suitable preparation. Or do you want to compete up to 60 or 80km in slower-paced UK rides with plenty of undulation on the routes?

If so, natives, native crosses and other types are perfectly capable and, in fact, usually have a good engine to power themselves up the hills.

If you prefer to race ride or enjoy flatter courses at speed, then you should look for a lighter frame of horse that doesn’t need the same heavily muscled gluteal muscles as he will be working over the top of the ground. He should have a good length of step, dictated by the length of his neck and he should have a spring in his step. All endurance horses should be kept slim but fit – they are not needing to carry extra weight at speed. My favourite type for the faster type of rides is probably an Anglo

Arab with correct conformation.

For any horse it is a necessary requirement that he should have good strong feet in correct balance – no shelly horn, flat feet, incorrect hoof pastern axes etc. – no foot, no horse. However, there are some things that I am happy to overlook when I buy a horse – after all, no horse is perfect.

I have no problem with splints if they are not reactive or impinging on mobility. They often reabsorb and become smaller anyway.

Likewise, a small nodular sarcoid that is not in any area that would be affected by tack, for me is not a deal breaker, nor are small viral warts on the sheath in geldings, nor a single melanoma under the tail in a grey (after all 80% of older grey horses have one).

Al, who came second in the 80km race ride at the Championships in September and the following day won the 30km Open against horses with fresh legs, actually has curbs on his hind legs which a vet might well have failed him on at a five-stage vetting, but so far he hasn’t failed a ride in his career. (I hope the endurance gods are not listening to this though).

Movement is key to a successful endurance horse – he must move lightly over the ground – he should make as little noise a possible when his feet hit the deck and when viewed from the side his hind leg and front leg on the same side should form a ‘V’ in trot or all four legs should make and upside down ‘W’.

I do not buy horses that are built downhill as they will put too much strain on their front legs and be difficult to ride. However, I am okay with a horse that has a degree of straightness through his hocks if he is built uphill.

I like to see a horse move loose to assess if he is naturally a trotting horse or a cantering horse, does he offer both canter leads as easily and stay in balance or does he prefer to stay in trot? I like a horse who has both a good trot and a light canter, using his engine in his hindquarters to propel himself forward rather than dragging himself forward with his shoulders. A trained horse should have at least five speeds of trot and be able to shorten and lengthen depending on the terrain, but also to pop in and out of canter to use the different muscle set and therefore give himself a rest. Lightness in all paces is key.

It is easier to see the frame of a horse when he’s in poorer condition and, as long as he has no other health issues, I am happy to work at building the muscle sets in the right places. If the conformation is good then the movement will usually be. Conformation doesn’t change – it is the appendicular and axial skeleton that a horse is born with and is the frame on which we hang the musculature developed in the specific way for our discipline – which is probably the topic for another diatribe!

Candy winning the 100km class at the Cumbria Challenge in 2011 on Rumelito de la Boulen

Candy and Ell Daam competing at the Scottish Championships in 2022

Kris Clay TopGearPhotos

Ian Cameron

So it has been a busy couple of months for the office, with new memberships, membership renewals, new horses being registered along with the general day-to-day tasks. This January and February have been the busiest I’ve seen since working for Endurance GB, when it’s usually at the quietest!

As the new season starts, don’t forget if you still have your green mastercard from 2022, and haven’t yet applied for your yellow mastercard, you can do this in the Endurance GB shop. Your green mastercard is only for your first season, while your yellow one can be used until it is full. If your yellow mastercard is filling up, you can also apply for a new one in the shop. You no

longer need to send it back to us in the office.

If you wish to upgrade yourself or your horse before the season starts, you can do this by emailing me – darrenbutler@endurancegb. co.uk. We will upgrade as requested and post out an upgrade certificate and if upgrading a horse, a medal will also be issued.

An update from the office Darren

If you are planning to ride FEI rides this year, now would be a good time to pay your FEI fees for the season. This will help speed up the process for when FEI rides entries need to be made. You can pay for these in the Endurance GB shop, under FEI Services. You can also make your FEI overseas ride entries through here. Did you know, you are able to purchase a host of Endurance GB items through the shop?

This includes car stickers, trailer stickers, goody bags, back copies of the magazine, stallion disks and more.

I am very much looking forward to the season getting underway, and hoping to visit a few rides this year, where I can meet some of you.

In the meantime, if you need anything, you can email or call me, between the hours of 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday.

Liz Finney steps down from duties

Having been involved in Endurance GB for many years, Liz Finney has decided now’s the time to step down and have a little more time to herself. We thank you Liz for all you’ve done.

Liz Finney, former Chair of EGB, who had many successes on the international scene, has recently stood down from her last formal commitment to EGB. The former Chair of the Cheshire Group, which has benefited from her wisdom and experience for many years at local level, has decided that it’s time to put her feet up and has resigned from the Cheshire committee. Liz has been an integral part of Endurance GB and previous endurance bodies, and almost everyone knows her or has at least heard about her no nonsense, but expert, catering skills or has competed against her when she rode to very high levels.

John Hudson has known Liz for many moons

and paid the following tribute to her:

“I first met Liz Finney in the 1990s when she was an international rider. I was first coopted onto the BHS Endurance Riding Group committee in 1996 (I think) because they needed a computer person to help them in the ‘Agenda for Change’, which meant moving away from the BHS to form British Endurance Riding Association (BERA). In 1997 Roger Healey stepped down as Chair and Margaret Miller was elected Chair, and Liz Finney as Vice-Chair. Over the Christmas/New Year period, poor Margaret had a heart attack and sadly died, so, Liz Finney suddenly found herself as Chair. She did a fantastic job until 1999 handling some tricky politics that resulted from the break away from the BHS.”

John succeeded Liz as Chair of BERA in 2000 and was Chair of the newly formed ‘shadow’ board of Endurance GB until we merged BERA and the EHPS into the one organisation. Liz was a huge support to that process.

Liz rode on the British International team and in the '90s they won Gold in Belgium. She was also a hugely successful Chef d'Equipe of the senior squad, leading the team to at least three World Championships and at least two European Championships. John recalls with a wry smile: “I remember in Italy she ticked me off once for not doing my job properly as a crew!”

Liz has been a stalwart ambassador for Endurance GB for many years and will be greatly missed.

Liz Finney

Endurance Great Britain South West (SWEGB) Awards

The Moluq Trophy

The Yakamin Trophy

Here’s who won what at the EGBSW Trophy Awards 2022.

Darkness Shield

Winner: Mountedgcumbe Velveteen - Jessie

Lethbridge

Runner up: Ty Shute Golden Savannah -

Saffron Bishop

Anwar Arabians Challenge Shield

Winner: Nuraletta - Judy Holloway

Runner up: Ty Shute Golden - Savannah

Saffron Bishop

Prince Merlin Trophy

Winner: Yawl Hill Polyanna - Kirsty Wiscombe

Runner up: Yawl Hill Big Yin Kirsty Wiscombe

The Leo Trophy

Winner: Nuraletta - Judy Holloway

Runner up: Yawl Hill Freya - Kirsty Wiscombe

The Shiera Shoe

Winner: Nuraletta - Judy Holloway

Runner up: Yawl Hill Freya - Kirsty Wiscombe

Lailas Reward Top Mare

Winner: Miss Me Kensa - Carolyn Thomas

Runner up: Nuraletta - Judy Holloway

Kernow Award

Winner: Treswarrow Rosco - Carina Kane

Devonian Award

Winner: GS Almeria - Lorraine Flood

The Cheffy Trophy

Winner: Greg Bell

Runner up: Chris Rendle

The Jigsaw Puzzle Trophy

Winner: CS Chimera - Zoe Hyslop

Runner up: Firebird - Lesley Nott

Winner: Judy Holloway

Runner up: Annie Joppe

Associate Member Trophy

Winner: Sarah Coombes

The Young Rider Achievement Award

Winner: Saffron Bishop

Runner up: Jessie Lethbridge

Novice Trophy

Winner: Chris Rendle

Runner up: Claire Golding

Novice Level Challenge Shield

Winner: Sabrina Stell

Runner up: Kathryn Klein

The Peter Hawkey Forage Trophy

Winner: Claire Golding

Open Level Challenge Shield

Winner: Jessie Lethbridge - Mountedgcumbe

Velveteen

Runner up: Ann Jobson - Maximus Meridius

Silver Mistrahl Cup

Winner: Kirsty Wiscombe

Runner up: Sarah Ollis

The Spirit of Westwood Award

Winner: Glenda Smith - Lindance Easter Boy

Runner up: Jessie Lethbridge - Mountedgcumbe

Velveteen

Glory Trophy

Winner: Hia Zimbabwe - Saffron Bishop

Runner up: Alaskars Scout - Emily Nott

Grey Medlar Memorial Distance Rider

Award

Winner: Judy Holloway

Runner up: Saffron Bishop

Advanced Level Challenge Shield

Winner: Nuraletta - Judy Holloway

Runner up: Linance Easter Boy - Glenda Smith

Winner: Judy Holloway

Runner up: Saffron Bishop

Tonne Up Award

Saffron Bishop and Ty Shute Golden Savannah

Crew of the Year Award

James Stell

South West Young Volunteer Award

Zara Golding

South West Volunteer Award

Fiona Barrie

Provisional calendar for 2023

Saturday 28 January - Unmounted Training Day

Sunday 12 February - Colquite Training Ride

Sunday 19 February - Dartmoor PR

Sunday 26 February - Golden Mill PR

Sunday 5 March - Red River PR

Sunday 12 March - Hallworthy GER

Sunday 26 March - Wadebridge GER

Saturday 1 April - Social Evening

Sunday 16 April - Colquite CER and GER

Saturday 20-21 May - Golden Horseshoe GER

Saturday 17-18 June - Boconnoc CER and GER

Sunday 2 July - Dartmoor GER

Sunday 23 July - Elephant Rock GER

Sunday 13 August - Pegasus GER

Sunday 10 Sept - Camelford GER

Further details to follow