Endurance Magazine Autumn 2023

Develop your core strength and transform your riding

Breed focus Standardbreds excelling in endurance

Endurance from a crewing perspective We talk to Robert Joppe Autumn 23

Official members' publication for Endurance GB

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section | endurancegb.co.uk

In this

Volume 20 - Issue 3

Issue Endurance GB Office Administration Endurance GB Office, Abbey Park, Stareton, Kenilworth, Warwickshire, CV8 2RP t: 02475 313353 e: enquiries@endurancegb.co.uk

Regulars 26

Vet’s viewpoint Wound management

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Para Equestrian National Endurance Championships 2023

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Sponsor focus

34

Scottish Endurance Riding Club news

42

An update from the office

Publisher

Unit C, Northfield Point, Cunliffe Drive, Kettering, Northants, NN16 9QJ t: 01536 527297 e: info@matrixprint.com Designed by George Eason Design on behalf of Matrix Print Consultants Ltd t: 07438 727762 e: hello@georgeeason.design Production Editor Nicky Moffatt e: editor@endurancegb.co.uk

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Features 06

Using your heart rate monitor when training

08

Member interview The sky's the limit

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The 2023 Home International

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Discover the countryside Train for the terrain

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Discover freedom with our photo competition

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Breed Focus - Standardbreds

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Equine Touch therapy

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Endurance from a crewing perspective

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Retraining of Racehorses

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Alex Powell junior rider 'extraordinaire'

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Bitless in endurance

@enduranceGB

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The Red Gorilla Winter League

EnduranceGB

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The Rider's Core - Part 2

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2023 AGM, Gala Dinner & Awards

Advertising Sales Manager Matrix Print Consultants Ltd Emma Barrett t: 01536 527 297 e: e.barrett@matrixprint.com Deadlines Copy Dates to Editor for future issues of Endurance: Winter 23 copy deadline is 1 November. The views and opinions of the writers are not necessarily those of the editor, Matrix Print Consultants Ltd or Endurance GB. Endurance magazine is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be reproduced wholly or in part without the permission of Endurance GB and/or Matrix Print Consultants Ltd.

Cover Photo Larissa Whiley and Golden Nugget at the Lavenham Ride Photograph by IndiePics

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contents

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A warm welcome Nicky Moffatt | Editor of Endurance Magazine

W

elcome to the Autumn issue of your magazine which I hope you’ll agree, has some fascinating features that will transform your riding and give you an insight into what’s coming up over the forthcoming months in the wonderful world of endurance.

I was overwhelmed with the response we received asking owners of Standardbreds to send in details of their horses. Thank you to everyone who emailed me to tell me about their horses. It was such a joy to read your stories and find out more about your lovely boys and girls. I have done my best to fit all your stories in, so turn to page 16 to see if you’ve had a mention.

On page 20 Robert Joppe shares the highs and lows of crewing for his wife Annie, with some great anecdotes of his encounters over the years.

If you’re thinking of crewing for someone in the future, I’m sure his experiences will inspire you to get started.

Heather Giles caught up with all the Chefs d'equipe from teams taking part in this year’s Home International, to be held at Red Dragon in September. On page 10 you can find out what’s going on at this year’s exciting event.

On a rather gory – but fascinating – note, turn to page 26 to discover all you need to know about wounds – when to call the vet, different wound types and how they affect horses, and long-term prognosis. Word of warning, though, one of the images is a little graphic, so if you’re squeamish, you’ve been warned!

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from the editor

Core strength is an essential part of riding for any discipline and for endurance riders it’s crucial towards adding to your comfort in the saddle. I remember doing 50 miles at Golden Horseshoe 13 years ago and while I consider myself a fit and strong rider, I did struggle to stay comfortable on my second day of riding. On page 40, in the second part of her series, Clare Gangadeen from RiderCise offers exercises to help you build up your core strength in the saddle. The feature gives you an insight into what core strength is all about and why it’s important, then you’ll need to visit the Endurance GB website to see how the exercises are done. What better time to work on your core strength and fitness than right now?

Looking ahead to the Endurance GB Gala Dinner and Awards on 25 November, preparations are now well underway. On page 40 you can discover what’s happening, how to buy tickets and the many reasons why it’s going to be yet another great event. I really hope to meet lots of you there. Darren from the office shares the mouth-watering menu on page 42 and I’ve already chosen my three courses! Don’t forget to book early to avoid disappointment.

Nicky

Endurance GB Upcoming National & FEI rides 2023 Three Rivers Hosting the Riding Clubs Championships (Mid South) September 2nd & 3rd Cannock Chase (Heart of England) September 3rd FEI Endurance European Championships Ermelo, Netherlands September 7th Camelford (South-West) Sunday September 10th The Lion’s Tail (Leics & Rutland) September 23rd & 24th British Horse Feeds Red Dragon Festival of Endurance September 29th – October 1st Concrete Cows Autumn (Cromwell) September 8th Cropton Forest (North & East Yorks) September 8th Talybont Reservoir (de Cymru) September 15th Hardy’s Ride (Wessex) September 22nd Poplar Park Sandlings (Iceni) September 22nd

welcome | endurancegb.co.uk

Endurance GB Board of Directors

Future focus

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

Phil Nunnerley | Chair of Endurance GB

Dear Members,

Welfare & Disciplinary Director JOHN COLDICOTT T: 07932 140069 E: johncoldicott@endurancegb.co.uk

As I write this, I am conscious that most of Southern Europe is suffering sweltering temperatures, much as we did here at the same time last year. While we might now wish for slightly warmer weather and a little less rain, we are able generally to enjoy ideal riding conditions. However, we must recognise that climate change is likely to continue to impact on us in the years ahead and we will have to learn to adapt.

International, Young Riders, Para Riders, & Coaching Director PHIL NUNNERLEY T: 07860 323968 / 01761 221561 E: philnunnerley@endurancegb.co.uk

Talking of Europe, we will be sending a team to the European Championships at Ermelo in the Netherlands at the beginning of September, and we wish them all, individually and collectively, every success.

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.

Perhaps surprisingly to some people, our attention is already turning to the Annual General Meeting at the end of November. Nominations to serve on the Board are being sought. We are three light of our constitutional complement this year. If we are to survive as an organisation, and as a sport, we must have administrators. Without a full strength Board, Endurance GB will fold. I accept time is a precious commodity for us all, but we cannot rely on the few only, to give up their time to serve. I appreciate there are many who volunteer their time to serve in other ways or have done so in the past. Nevertheless, we all have to accept that we must continue to give as willingly as we take.

This year is the four-yearly review of FEI Endurance rules. FEI riders were given the opportunity to contribute to proposed changes in those rules impacting the sport globally. The AGM affords an opportunity for Endurance GB’s full members to have their say, not least in tabling proposals for any rule changes that they think might benefit the sport across England and Wales. The AGM provides an opportunity to share your ideas on how we take endurance forward, in attracting new members which can ensure the future health of the organisation and our sport.

Phil

future focus

5

Training

rate monitor when training

by Esther Groen

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n the Summer issue of Endurance Magazine, I told you about logging distance, duration, average speed, and elevation.

Adding indexes for climb and canter gives a selection of great parameters to compare training and see how you progress, but these numbers don’t tell you anything about how your horse actually experiences the effort during work. In the first article, we talked about the intensity of work and fuel efficiency, and the only direct feedback on how the horse finds the work he’s doing can be seen via a heart rate monitor. The higher the exertion, the higher the heart rate. It's important to know the pulse of your horse at rest, in walk, trot and canter, going uphill (or even steep uphill) and how quickly he will recover to a normal rate, and the recovery after your ride. This is all very interesting and important information about how your horse finds the work and how fit he is. These numbers can be very different depending on the type of horse you have, because of his inherent athletic ability and level of fitness.

Heart rate monitors A heart rate monitor can be a handy bit of kit, but there are so may available! Let’s start with the different types of heart rate monitors on the market. Cost is of course a consideration. The cheapest heart rate monitor would be our hands

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really, as we can count the heartbeats at the pulse, for instance at the inside of the jaw: it is easier to use a stethoscope. You need a bit of practice, but you can easily count the beats. Higher tech is the hand held HR monitor, which gives a reading after holding it to the horse’s side for a minute or less.

These methods can only be used when a horse is standing still, so what we really measure is the recovery, not the exertion, although high exertion would usually give a slower recovery. Measuring heart rate when standing still won’t tell us about the effort the horse has had to make with subsequent fuel use. This is where the ridden heart rate monitor comes in. There are two options for ridden heart rate monitors: •

•

A monitor paired to an app on your phone (to check after the workout to see what the horse has done) A GPS or smartwatch paired to the monitor to see what is going on in realtime. Often these sessions are also recorded to look back later.

Ideally, you would use the option with a watch or another way to see in real-time what’s going on so you can check and learn while you are riding.

You’ll see what’s normal for your horse and what is quite a high value, for instance when you

accelerate or go up a hill. The recordings can help you do comparisons between workouts to have an idea of how your horse is progressing in fitness.

If you only look back at a session, you’ll be less able to make the connection between the moments of harder work and how your horse felt during them, or even what caused the higher heart rate to see if you would change the way you work your horse on future rides. The version with a (smart)watch is a bit more expensive, as most apps on your phone are free to download.

The heart rate monitor hardware consists of electrodes and a sensor that transmits the data to your phone or watch, or both, as some sensors can have multiple connections. Old-type monitors consisted of electrode pads with a wire to the sensor/transmitter. A sports watch gives real-time data such as HR, speed, average speed and distance. This information would be stored in the phone, and some could also be connected to a computer to download the info. This hardware is slowly becoming replaced by belts or sleeves that incorporate the electrodes and a Bluetooth sensor/transmitter, getting rid of the fiddly wires and a dangling transmitter. It can still be tricky to get a heart rate monitor working properly. The belts can shift, sleeves might not always fit your girth quite right and because the electrode areas are bigger and less concentrated, they can become

features | endurancegb.co.uk

Photo courtesy of Shutterstock/Imke Lamsma

Using your heart

less accurate if connectivity is lost because of the contact area drying out, a hairy horse or when a horse makes bigger moves in canter or going uphill. Personally, I have not found a 100% functioning monitor yet that will give a constant reliable heart rate in all kinds of endurance riding.

An interesting side note is that all brands of heart rate monitors (bar one) were devised for humans and/or racehorses. Because of this, they are set up with certain parameters in the back end, geared towards humans or sports horses.

The diversity in endurance horses and their

athletic ability is much greater than that of human athletes and racehorses and we ride in a very different way, so the feedback on your training by the apps is not always that valid. My advice is to not pay attention to any zones or thresholds given by the apps or make your own (with my help), and to focus on baselines, fitness tests and what you see during work.

The first step is to know what’s normal for your horse, a baseline test will tell you that. You will need a flat space to ride comfortably in all gaits to find normal parameters for your horse in walk, trot, canter, and a faster canter if you wish.

Make sure you spend a similar time in each gait (and each diagonal/lead) and keep the same speed in the different gaits. Walk (or halt) in between the trot and canter to see recovery. I always include the HR when tacking up as well as when untacking. When you know what is normal for your horse and you can use the baseline to monitor changes. If you want to compare with a later baseline, be sure to do the same thing, so make a little protocol to repeat.

Know your base rates Most horses will walk with a HR between 6080bpm and this is when, for instance, hill work becomes so interesting. With any ascent, the horse has to put more effort into the work, and you will see the heart rate rising quite quickly, more so for an unfit horse, a horse that has not done hills before and horses with smaller heart and/or lung capacity. The heart rate can easily double or more from the baseline value. I have seen my horses who are reasonably fit, athletic and used to hills have peak heart rates of 140-170 walking up a very steep hill. For them, this is a heart rate equivalent to a fast canter or even a gallop! Hard work indeed.

Hill work effect Any increase in speed or elevation will result in a higher heart rate. When a horse gets fitter, he can put in the same effort as previously, but with a lower bpm. The resting pulse won’t change, the recovery time normally would get shorter. The baseline readings of an unfit horse will drop a little as well, and the ones of a fit or athletically talented horse will stay pretty much the same.

Remember that circumstances like weather, especially temperature and humidity, and ground surface, like deeper going, can influence the heart rates as well, so these might influence your baseline readings, and also how the horse is perceiving a training workout.

Contact Groen Equestrian if you need any help with your heart rate monitor readings or to work on baselines, fitness tests and creating zones of work.

Visit www.groenequestrian.co.uk

training

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Interview Enjoying Foremark in 2022

the limit Defying stereotypes, Heather and her ‘geriatric rascal’ Lochlyn have fallen in love with endurance, and they are making memories while they can.

They completed their first Endurance GB event last year when Lochs turned 23, and the pair are proving that it really is a sport for all. Here, the project manager from Sheffield explains why nothing should stop you from discovering the joys of this unique and inclusive discipline.

“I

first met ‘Lochs’ in 2013 when I started loaning him straight from the field. I’d never owned a horse before but two years later, when his owner offered to give him to me (no payment required), I couldn’t believe it. He would turn out to be, without a doubt, the single best gift I have ever been given.

“For most of the 10 years that Lochlyn has

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been in my life we have stabled on farms without riding facilities and, in fact, until 2016, he had never even been in a trailer. Our life was mainly just hacking around local roads and bridleways.

“In 2016, I managed to get him in a trailer, and we tried our hand at a few hound exercises.

They were great fun, but blew his brain, and on too many occasions we ended up overtaking the hunt master and doing laps of honour around fields to rejoin the back of the group.”

Discovering new things “In July 2020 I moved to my current yard, which has the luxury of arenas, and Lochs and I finally started having regular lessons. In 2021, we entered a series of dressage competitions held at the yard, and I couldn’t believe it when, at the end of the season, we were awarded both champion and reserve champion. However, we were only able to compete in intro classes –

A special partnership

features | endurancegb.co.uk

All event photos courtesy of Ruth Saunby at Indiepics

The sky’s

Our favourite Endurance GB moments so far

Feeling they were born to do this, at Foremark in 2022

Getting their first grade 1, at Pikehall in 2023 which are walk and trot only – because Lochlyn literally cannot do a ‘normal’ canter. This meant progressing in dressage simply wasn’t an option.

“Lochs has always been a bit of an acquired taste and people never understand what I mean when I say he can’t canter. Hackney x Welsh D doesn’t give him the best conformation and, combined with his age, meant that despite persevering with lessons, a nice controlled and collected canter just wasn’t going to happen.

“We did try some pole work, thinking jumping may be a possibility, but leaping six feet over a pole on the ground didn’t bode well.”

Embracing Endurance GB “Our happy place has always been out and about exploring the countryside, discovering new paths, studying maps, and planning ways to get out and make memories. But I had never considered endurance riding. When a good friend, Shez Hides, asked me if I wanted to come and crew with her for Bella Fricker, (current Chef d'Equipe for the England Home International Squad) I was curious. Shez then invited me to join her and her mare at a 24km event, and Pikehall in the Peaks in May 2022 became my first ever endurance event. I was hooked.

Heather and Lochlyn in numbers

10 22 24 20 23

The years they have been together Lochlyn’s age when he completed his first EGB event The number of kilometres completed during their first ride The year the pair got their first Grade 1(Pikehall in the Peak, May 2023)

Foremark, May 2022 “The photographer was towards the end of the ride, and we were galloping up the side of the field with a picturesque backdrop, the sun shining down and Lochs just feeling free underneath me. I know it sounds cheesy, but I had a moment where in my head it felt like we were born to do this together.”

Winning Champion and Reserve Champion, end-of-season Hazlehead Hall Equestrian dressage league “The route was fantastic, the atmosphere was relaxed, and even though Lochlyn was a bit of an excitable handful, it felt amazing to be exploring new countryside with him. I felt like we had finally found something we could be good at, and he seemed to love it as much as I did.

“In the last year, we’ve completed seven events, grading in some and not others. But unbelievably, 12 months after our first outing in the same place, we achieved a Grade 1 at the 2023 Pikehall in the Peak ride. I love that I can fetch my 24-year-old Hackney x Welsh D (no Arab anywhere in him!) and take part alongside younger more stereotypical breeds for the sport.

I love that the competition is really me against myself. It’s about riding my own ride and knowing my own horse, his fitness, and his capability.

Really, I just aim to complete the ride in one piece and for us both to have a great time. At his age that feels like a win in itself, and if we manage to grade, then that’s an extra special bonus.”

Counting our blessings “The reason I love doing this on Lochs is mainly due to trust. I trust him implicitly and I know there are rides where he gives me absolutely everything he’s got. He’s my escape from work and life stresses, my adrenaline rush, and it helps that I absolutely adore him.

“I feel so grateful every time we finish an

Getting their first Grade 1, at Pikehall in 2023 Pikehall, May 2023 “Upon handing back my bib and being congratulated and handed back a Grade 1, I was absolutely overwhelmed. I walked back to my trailer in tears and congratulated an oblivious Lochs, happily eating hay, on his amazing achievement. I hoped that we could get graded but I never, ever thought we’d get a Grade 1. It was a very proud moment.”

event; grateful for the new memories that we’ve made together, and I’m just super proud of him, whether we grade or not.

“I’m doing this on a veteran horse who had been left in a field for a large portion of his life and had never been in a trailer until seven years ago.

“I’ve lost count of the number of people who have written Lochs off as ‘too old’, or who have said he won’t be able to do something. But with endurance we can, and we are. And what’s more, we’re loving it! Lochlyn might not be youthful, and we may not be doing the big distances, but we’re showing up, and sometimes even being graded, and that’s more than I ever could have wished for a few years ago.”

interview

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Home International

international

T

he Home International (HI) is a team competition between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales that takes place every year. The venue for the HI this year is the Red Dragon Festival of Endurance which takes place at the Royal Welsh Showground, Builth Wells from Friday 29 September to Sunday 1 October. Lindsay Wilson, Chair of the Endurance GB International Committee, talked to Heather Giles about the history of the event.

What was the aim and the ethos behind the creation of this event?

“The competition was the brainchild of two endurance stalwarts – Pat Conn and Margaret Montgomery, sadly both no longer with us.

Margaret rode successfully for several years and was enormous fun and fiercely competitive. Pat Conn, best known as the original organiser of the Red Dragon ride, was a great team tactician.

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Like Margaret, she was able to rally folks to her flag with ease and many of her protégés went on to achieve great things in endurance. The aims of the Home International were simple: to encourage endurance riders at all levels, to be non-elitist, to encourage and develop team spirit.”

What ride venues have hosted this unique competition?

“Various venues have hosted the Home International in recent years, such as Wicklow Hills, Ludlow, White Rose, St Patrick Coast, Kelso, Longnewton, Evanton, Huntly and now Red Dragon, so most of the large ride venues in each country.”

How has the competition evolved over the years?

“In the early days, the competition was comprised of teams of six and it then evolved to include the Celtic Challenge which Scotland, Wales and Ireland contested with six in each team. Now it is the Home International with 12 horses in each team and two reserves. This is much more inclusive because obviously England was never able to take part in the Celtic Challenge. Cornwall took part on a couple of occasions, as they are deemed ‘celts’ but haven’t been able to field teams recently.”

What do you feel is the HI’s place today among all the many competitions and championships in the endurance calendar?

“HI plays a crucial part in getting folks into the team scene – the composition of the teams is wideranging from 40km classes up to a two-day 160km and there are also places for Junior and Novice horse & rider combinations. There is great camaraderie and the event gives team experience to members who are not necessarily interested in being part of team GBR, alongside the kudos of being able to say that you represented your country.”

features | endurancegb.co.uk

Photo courtesy of David Saunders

The home

“The Home International has given riders a chance to be part of a team at all levels”

Fiona Henderson – Chef Team Scotland “I joined the Scottish Endurance Riding Club (SERC) away back in the 1980s and from the first ride I was totally hooked. My horse Autumn Fern (Arab X Highland) and I went up through the gradings and became Gold series. I then entered my first 160km at the Red Dragon and was privileged to be asked to ride the first 160km at the very first Home International for Scotland.

My connection with the competition has been of many years either riding, crewing or cheffing!

The Home International/Celtic Challenge for me is the friendly competition, although all countries want to win. It is the first ‘big’ competition that most riders take part in and what better way than to be part of your own country’s team having the support from the whole squad. Friends through this competition are made for life and we all meet up year after year.

I think that for me the most important thing about being Chef is to encourage riders to be the best they can be and give them confidence to believe they can succeed, even when the Chef asks them to go up a class – we only do that because we believe in them!”

Bella Fricker – Chef Team England Bella Fricker has been endurance riding since 2009 but started earlier than that crewing her granny, Carol Fricker, from her car seat! Bella has gone on to represent GBR on three occasions

and made a career out of the sport, riding professionally for two seasons. Now the owner of four horses, Bella has settled into her career in marketing but still keeps her hand in horses professionally as she works for leading feed brand, Spillers.

As well as riding at top level, Bella is passionate about giving back to the sport and sat on the committee for her local group, Cromwell, for some 10 years. Bella has also organised countless rides including several FEI events.

Outside of horses, Bella is a bit of fitness fanatic and plays netball for two teams, runs, cycles and attends the gym.

Bella says: “The Home International embodies the essence of teamwork, sportsmanship, and the indescribable connection we have with our horses. It’s a chance for riders from different nations to come together, showcase their skills, and create unforgettable memories. It is an honour to lead the England team and be part of this incredible celebration of the horse.”

Steve Smith – Chef Team Wales “I became involved in endurance as a longsuffering crew for my wife Nicola. I enjoy working with our horses on the ground, but you won’t catch me on the back of one.

I have had the honour of being selected as Chef d’Equipe for the Wales endurance team for the last five years. Taking on the role was not something I’d envisaged – it was more of an accident or being in the wrong place at the right time and being ‘volunteered’. Having taken on the role I have enjoyed it – it has its ups and downs with considerable pressures and stresses, but the ups by far outweigh the downs. Winning the Home International and Celtic Challenge last

year and seeing the joy and excitement of the team (riders, crew and supporters) certainly gave me a terrific buzz and renewed enthusiasm.

I have been involved in team sports forever – particularly rugby as a Welsh Rugby Union referee – and have been lucky to be involved in rugby all over the world, having organised rugby tours both at home and abroad. This background helps me in putting the team together for the Home International – where the aims of the team outweigh the aims of the individuals.

It is Wales’ honour to host the Home International this year and we look forward to welcoming England, Ireland and Scotland at the Red Dragon Festival in September.”

Terri Moore – Chef Team Ireland Ireland has had a great affinity with the Home International, going back to the 1990s. The sport of endurance has always had a great following in Ireland given the size of the country.

“The Home International has given riders a chance to be part of a team at all levels which is why it has always been seen as such an inclusive event. It opens, to riders, the possibilities out there to go the distances and maybe, branch out and have the support that a team gives people.

It also gives the riders and their crew a chance to bond and meet new people with similar goals and interests and possibly see the sport from different angles, as well as seeing new country and venues they ride. Ireland is looking forward to competing this year after missing out due to Covid.”

Terri has ridden on the Irish team before so knows all about what is required being part of a team, and this year takes on the part of Chef alongside Hannah Catteral as assistant Chef.

Terri runs a riding school just outside of Carlow called Galeshill Stables which has produced several endurance riders and horses, including her son, daughter and grandson. Terri herself has competed up to FEI 2* and therefore understands the requirement in fittening both the horses and riders and bringing about the right mindset of riders to be able to produce the best results.

home international

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Training Larissa Whiley

Discover the countryside

train for the terrain

I

n this issue we talk to riders who keep their endurance horses fit by riding across farmland and flat land.

Virginia Rider I’m based in Kent and I keep my horses King’s Future and Dream Farr stabled in a predominantly flat urban area in the South East. Our bridleways are mainly stony tracks on the flat through farmland.

Increasingly, the farmers get a grant to set aside land which means we’re not allowed to set a hoof on the grass, or they lose their subsidies, so gone are the days of racing through the stubble. The stony tracks set the horses up for the rides on the South Downs and Welsh forests, or any with a lot of roadwork, as most of my daily training is on roads.

I use an aqua treadmill weekly to increase the

Virginia Rider

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workload to avoid concussion from trotting on the roads. We also do a lot of schooling with lateral work, poles and gates. As we approach a competition (I am riding Novice Foundation/Novice GER up to 40k), we do more canter laps in the school. We have a few short hills, so we walk up and down those with purpose to the stride. The horses want to trot up, but we make them walk. I compete my horses mainly in trot at around 13kph rather than canter, so I don’t feel the need to go to the gallops and my lack of off-road canters hasn’t affected our results.

Vanessa Woodhouse I am Vanessa and my horse is Sparkle, a five-year-old Welsh Section D. He’s a new pony to me so not yet competing, but in training for his first Endurance GB PR by the end of the season. I am based in

Vanessa Woodhouse's new ride Wizard

Northamptonshire, which has gentle rolling hills, with the odd steep one which is helpful for walk work.

We have a school and hacking loop at the livery yard and from here there’s access to a wide variety of terrain to train. This includes private set aside, country lanes, bridleways, stony tracks and by-ways and is connected by a busy main road – although busy it’s a great tool for de-sensitisation. Oh, and we have lots of gates!

I use a combination of schoolwork for suppleness and education, using the school gates for mounted gate practice, and poles for core development and mental stimulation. I also jump. Out hacking I use the steeper hills for development of the walk and build up my distances using lots of transitions through the paces across a selection of varied circular routes to build up the distances. I often box to different local areas too for a change of scene.

Larissa Whiley I am honoured to have been asked to write a few words about how I train on farmland and flatland but first, let me introduce myself. I have been competing in endurance for 40 years now on various horses, some of whom have been 160km and international horses. I was the British National Champion with Sundance Boy in 1987 and have always lived within 12 miles of our current home in Leicestershire. My current horse is called Golden Nugget and I am competing at Open/Advanced level.

My training has varied according to the horse and

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POSTAL WORM COUNTS & TESTS ASSOCIATE MEMBER

ASSOCIATE MEMBER

level at which I have been competing, but it has always had elements of long and slow, schooling, gymnastic work and interval training. Schooling and gymnastic work is usually done in an arena, so the terrain around you makes little difference, except perhaps on the amount you need to do.

Living in a massively agricultural area, both animal and arable, most of our riding is on bridleways linked together with quiet lanes. My horses have to be great at gates therefore regularly practising some elements of gymnastic work, they must be good in traffic as there’s a lot of large machinery in farming now, and they need to deal with herds of animals running up and down the fence lines or playing in adjacent fields.

I also live in the middle of the motorway and canal network, so handling bridges over and under major roads and riding adjacent to canals is quite important.

I think that our horses have to be pretty good at most things just to hack out safely. This means that I don’t worry about what we might encounter on a ride. I wouldn’t say we live in flatlands, but we definitely don’t live in a hilly area, so making the most of our hills is also a must if we intend to go off to The Red Dragon, down to Exmoor or even up into Yorkshire.

The soil around is clay, so in the winter it’s heavy going with lots of streams or puddles that become more like lakes, and in summer it’s rock hard. My horses learn to be careful over boggy and rutted going and often breathe a sigh of relief when they get back to the roads.

It can be difficult to get into a rhythm due to all the gates, so for canter work or rhythm training I tend to box up and travel. We are lucky to have the amazing facilities of Park Farm Chasers just under half an hour’s drive away giving us eight miles of off-road, gate-free grass tracks with hills. I use this regularly for canter work and interval training when it’s open.

During its closed season (October-April) I travel to Sherwood Forest. The sandy tracks and lack of gates allows for a more consistent pace. Nugget needs a lot of gymnastic work and flexion training due to his conformation, so we do a lot of polework and lateral work both in-hand and ridden, even on days when we’re not schooling. These days, his training programme consists of ridden work 4-5 times a week, and at least two of these are full schooling sessions. We also go to the Chasers a couple of times a month, increasing before a hilly ride or a faster flat ride.

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13

Competition

Discover freedom with

our photo competition

W

e invited you to send in your images with the chance of winning a gorgeous rosette for your efforts. Last issue we showcased the entries so far and here are just a few of the others we’ve received up until now.

Submitted by Heather McGarry Owner and rider: Heather McGarry Horse: Lochlyn Ride: Pikehall in the Peak 2023 Photographer: Indie pics

How to enter Email your favourite photo to editor@endurancegb.co.uk. Make sure to include your name, the name of the horse(s) and rider(s), the ride and photographer.

14

competition

features | endurancegb.co.uk

Submitted by Nicole Hadley

Submitted by Julia McAnish

Rider: Nicole Hadley Horse: Floresco (Frank) is an exracehorse and has just completed his 50km series 7 award (see page 24), with more rides to go soon.

Ride: Royal Cornwall Wadebridge Ride, 34km Grade 1 Photographer: Farlap Equestrian Photography

Owner and rider: Julia McAnish Horse: Tannasg Galaxy Ride: Tentsmuir 31km, April 2023 Photographer: Kris Clay

Submitted by Kathryn Ellis

Owner and rider: Kathryn Ellis Horse: Talavary Mystic Ride: Foremark, 20/5/2023 Photographer: IndiePics

Submitted by Caroline Le Butt

Owner and rider: Caroline Le Butt Horse: Ethaar Ride: Cheshire Frolic, May 2023 Photographer: IndiePics

Submitted by Angie Oliver

Owner and rider: Angie Oliver Horse: Missy Ride: The Fleet Ride Photographer: Nicky Wood Photography

Submitted by Mike Mills

Owner and rider: Mike Mills Horse: Moonshine Just the Business, aka Bali Ride: Long Mynd 42km, a first for us venturing over the Welsh border.

Photographer: David Saunders

Submitted by Sue Wilcockson

Mum and daughter riders: Sue Wilcockson and Annabel Wise Horses: Cherrycottage Princess and Elly Honey Noble Ride: Ranskill Pleasure Ride Photographer: Chris Barrett of CJBarrettPhotography

Submitted by Katie Sales

Owner and rider: Katie Sales Horse: Kingsmeadowhouse Lomu Ride: Interregionals, 2022 in Scotland Photographer: Kris Clay

Submitted by Penny Pearce

Owner and rider: Penny Pearce Horse: Tannasg Dancing Diva Ride: Golden Horseshoe Photographer: David Saunders

Submitted by Grace Johnston

Owner and rider: Grace Johnston Horse: Ludo at our first graded ride, showing his true excitement at the vetting.

Ride: Avon Valley Photographer: Indie Pics

competition

15

for a little reassurance, he quickly gains confidence and continues on happily. I’ve also been able to work with him going barefooted. At the time of writing this, I was hoping to do my first GER, 31km, with him at Elan Valley in August and if nothing else I know he will give it his all.

Alice Denham

Breed focus

Standardbreds Alice Denham and Archways Lovada Ada Archways Lovada Ada belongs to Alison House from Somerset. Who says “she is a Standardbred X Trotter, and while she’s not the fastest or the most streamlined, she is awesome at endurance and will just keep on trotting, taking every challenge in her stride. She’s like an overgrown Labrador and loves people and food. Early in her career it was difficult to get her to leave a crew point, but now she’s got the hang of it, she loves her job.” This mare has taken at least three young riders on their first steps into endurance, two of them to get their advanced qualification, including an 80km in 34-degree heat at Cirencester (we used a lot of ice that day). Ada has completed rides all over the south of England including the challenging terrain of Exmoor at the Golden Horseshoe Ride. She can have her cheeky side and has, on occasion, had to be led to the start as she has been bucking so much with excitement to get going! Everyone who meets her adores her and everyone who rides her gets addicted.

16

breed focus

Amanda Hamley and Lady I started my endurance journey on my lovely Standardbred mare Lady. I’d been thinking about doing endurance for a while and by chance moved next door to Barbara Wigley. I had no idea who she was, but when I told her I was thinking of giving it a go, she rubbed her hands together and said ‘Oh good!’. The picture attached is of us at our second ever competition at The Golden Horseshoe.

A brave move in hindsight, but as we live locally, I didn’t think too much of it at the time. Barbara grabbed hold of us on our arrival back at the venue and gave me the quickest crash course on how to cool down your horse, helping us get a Grade 2. On more than one occasion I have thought Lady would be retiring from competing, but she is the ultimate come-back queen. Lady and I have enjoyed many other rides together up to 65km, and she really does not care if anyone joins the party. She is 100% selfmotivated, and strong (in more ways than one). If I needed to go and climb some rocks on horseback, this is the horse I’d take. She is just fabulous over Exmoor. They say if you get a good mare, you get a good mare and they are so right!

Jane Lapping Jayne Lapping and Duke of Mearas I’ve had my 10-year-old, 16.2hh Standardbred, Duke, since January this year, and he’s everything and more.

He’s a Swedish-bred Trotter who finished his harness racing career in Malta which is where I rescued him from. RMJ are the amazing charity based over there that gives these horses a chance in life after their racing careers are over. Duke was on truck one coming across this year, and they are now, incredibly, working on truck five under RMJ - Project Back to the Green. I’ve taken it very slowly with Duke and spent many hours at the beginning just working inhand mainly out on the roads. Not knowing what language he operated in, he very quickly picked up my English instructions! The breed all seem to have a common thread of beautiful natures, very willing and quick to learn, and are the friendliest horses going.

Duke had never been ridden and when I got to the stage of getting on board, it was like a walk in the park! He has gone from strength to strength, nothing fazes him out on the roads and when he does look

Sylvia Kiegwin Sylvia Kiegwin and Cedar Keryvon Cedar is an 11-year old gelding who was bred and raced (harness) in France until he was eight. Then he was sold to Malta where he raced for a year and was rescued as a nine year old by the fabulous RMJ Horse Rescue. He came to me aged nine and nine months later we did our first ride with Endurance GB Derbyshire. Despite having spent most of his life being driven not ridden and having a successful racing career across two countries (he has career winnings over €100,000), he is the most chilled horse under saddle. At Endurance GB rides I regularly have people comment on his lovely temperament and he really enjoys exploring new places.

features | endurancegb.co.uk

Photo courtesy of IndiePics

I

n this issue we talk to competitors who take part in endurance on Standardbreds, a breed that’s truly excelling in the sport

Photo courtesy of S Denham

Amanda Hamley

Photo courtesy of Ian Wigley

Breed focus

Maria Angilletta Maria Angilletta and Royal Return Royal Return (aka Radge) is 18 years old and is a 15.2hh Standardbred Trotter. I’ve owned him for eight years and while he’s laid back at home, he likes routine. I was looking for another horse and was sent a link for Radge, who started his career racing in

Photo courtesy of IndiePics

Kathryn Ellis and Brywins Tonto This season I’m competing with two Standardbreds and have competed successfully at endurance with Standardbreds for many seasons. The two I’m riding this year are Talavary Mystic and Brywins Tonto.

Sarah Walker and Ithon Nero My lovely 10-year-old, 15.1hh Standardbred gelding Ithon Nero is known as Rodney Trotter to his friends. I bought him in May 2022 as a skinny, wormy horse with one shoe on and fearful. Rodney had been passed about since finishing trotter racing, I felt sorry for him and bought him as a spare hack for my teenagers. After the sudden loss of my beautiful Arab mare, Rodney and I were good for each other and spent early spring riding on the moors de-stressing. I thought I’d see if he liked endurance and he loved it! Rodney is a super chilled character around the venue but loves to get moving in a selection of gaits once we’re on course. He’s gained several grade 1s this season. Rodney and I are planning to have a fun filled Novice year exploring some new venues and meeting new friends.

Jane Howard and Comet Jane Howard My mare, Comet, now 27, has spent many years taking part in endurance with me, mostly in Scotland. After a taster ride this year, I have accepted

Photo courtesy of TopGearPhotos

Photo courtesy of IndiePics

Sarah Walker

she’s only serviceably sound, so she’s retired from official events, but she still likes an outing supervising the youngster. Standardbreds are amazingly tough little horses. So many come out of racing and can make excellent riding and, more specifically, endurance horses. We were lucky enough to achieve a SERC longevity award a few years ago which is, to me, our greatest achievement. We might not have done mega high mileage rides but we blooming well kept on at it! Here she is in splendid semi-retirement. Comet has completed 3,841 endurance kilometres in total! After an interesting time with her as a youngster which set me on path of exploring an ongoing horsemanship journey, we enjoyed many seasons of pleasure and competitive rides. We managed to gain one Silver Thistle qualifier (60km) but by then she was 18 and I felt that was enough trying longer distances. We just kept on moderating our ambitions as the years rolled on. She enjoyed outings to accompany my young horse at ‘taster’ rides in May this year but mostly spends time being in charge of everyone at home.

Photo courtesy of Jane Howard

Kathryn Ellis

Photo courtesy of IndiePics

Fiona Holland and Gambling Man Although I no longer ride him as he’s moved to Scotland, Gambling Man, aka Bob, was my 17hh Standardbred retired from racing and his prospects weren't good. A friend of mine took him on and rode him for a number of years, until an accident (on another horse) meant she felt more comfortable on her cob. I took on Bob as a project and used natural horsemanship as an approach to help him gain better balance and more ‘rideability’ (he was very stiff and heavy on the forehand, and strong in the mouth), and more strength and fitness was developed by lots of hacking. He turned out to be a great pleasure ride/endurance horse, and we enjoyed many miles of Derbyshire’s best terrain, such as Chatsworth and Hope Valley. His trot could eat up the miles, and he retained fitness really well.

Our one challenge was doing gates as he was such a tall horse, so we were grateful to the marshalls at the organised rides in opening these for us. Bob has now semi-retired in the north of Scotland.

Photo courtesy of IndiePics

Fiona Holland

harness before I bought him in 2015. I went to see him and after a quick hack put a deposit down, picked him up a week later and took him home. The first week was an absolute trauma. Riding a Standardbred was a wake-up call from riding any other horse I’d owned and getting used to his trotting was hard. After chatting to my friend Julie Cooney and hacking out with her safe horse Foxy, we started to get the hang of a Standardbred Trotter and things got better as the weeks went by. Six weeks later I put Radge in his first 20km endurance ride and he only went and won it. In 2016 it was Radge’s first full season at endurance and he became National Champion. I retired from competitive riding that year and Julie Cooney took over the ride on him. 2022 was Radge’s first year with Endurance GB and he achieved eight Grade 1s, won the Novice Championship with the Heart of England Group, and was third in the National Novice Championship. Looking ahead, we want Radge to become Advanced and hopefully Julie can complete 160km in the not too distant future and I’ll crew them. The Standardbred is a kind, trusting, versatile horse who can turn their hooves to anything.

Lorraine Hollings Lorraine Hollings and True Fact True Fact aka Tom (Control Factor x Saunders for Sure) is a 15.1hh Standardbred who came into my life at the age of five just after retirement from racing. He was a skinny horse with no tail and too much mane, and I fell in love as soon as I saw him. He didn’t like me at first but 20 years later we’re getting along fine.

Tom loves endurance, which we didn’t start until he was 15 as I wasn’t really sure what to do with him because of his unusual gait. You just get used to it – you have to really.

Standardbreds seem to excel at endurance and Tom knows his job. A lot of ground can be covered especially if I ride in front. Starting with pleasure rides, then excelling in my Novice year, an accident put us out of the Scottish team two weeks before Red Dragon, and I was devastated.

I took Tom to 50km to get my Bronze Thistle Final award but only ever covered 30km distances. Tom has very low heart rates too which is a bonus, although vetting is sometimes a problem because of his gait - I often have to trot up more than once at a vetting. In 10 years I was only vetted out once. Standardbreds are loving, loyal, kind natured and very underrated. The one thing Tom loves most is attention. He’s now 25 and we are growing old together, but we will carry on with pleasure rides until he tells me he’s had enough.

breed focus

17

Equine Touch

Equine Touch

a special kind of touch Equine Touch and Nerve Release Practitioner Suz Crichton-Stuart explains why learning some horse bodywork is the endurance secret weapon you might never have thought of

A

s endurance riders, I feel we spend more time than most competitive disciplines looking after every single aspect of our horse’s care.

We are just in the saddle too long for anything to be more than a little bit out of balance. Hoof care, veterinary care, balanced feeding, saddle fit, the right saddle pad and bridle, all these things can be make or break to our success. Generally, we need to rely on professionals to help us with most of these things.

The physio/osteopath/bodyworker is also an essential member of the endurance team. They provide valuable insight into our horse’s

18

equine touch

movement patterns and relief from the inevitable issues which arise during our many miles of competition and training. Becoming a professional bodyworker in whichever specialty takes years of study and dedication. Trust me, I know! 17 years into my career as an equine bodyworker, I have gone back to school and am

two years into a degree in equine osteopathy As with all things in horses and life, if you are passionate about it, the learning can be never ending. However, I’ll wager that, as an endurance rider, you have learned your fair share of bits of these professions along the way; how to tell if the saddle fits, even though you can’t necessarily

Courses are held in small, informal groups

features | endurancegb.co.uk

Equine Touch – what’s involved?

The first bodywork modality I trained in, seventeen years ago, was Equine Touch. The introductory weekend totally blew my mind, and I was so hooked I completed the professional training, as fast as I could. Even now as a student osteopath I was delighted to be told in class that one of the best things that could happen to a horse following an osteopathic adjustment is a session of either Masterson Method or Equine Touch. And yet somehow, Equine Touch remains one of the most obscure, little known ways of helping horses. Lots of people have heard of TTouch and assume we are the same thing. In fact, Equine Touch is its own unique modality.

The practitioner uses a very light, vibrational move which affects the muscles and fascia and helps to release pain and tension. Generally, people find after an Equine Touch session that their horse is more forward going, moves more easily and is happier in his work, much like after a massage. The big difference is the lightness of touch used to achieve these results. It is so easy on the person’s body, requiring little strength, while being profoundly effective on the horse’s body. This makes it accessible for those of us with stiff, achy hands from years of fittening competition horses through the early spring chill.

The magic thing about Equine Touch is its simplicity. In the early stages of learning you follow a prescribed pattern of moves in set places over the horse’s body. By faithfully following this pattern you can be assured that all the major muscle groups and most common areas where niggles are found will get attention.

This makes Equine Touch an ideal modality for horse owners to learn.

The initial course is just two days and in this time, you learn to confidently apply the foundational pattern, known as the basic body balance. No, of course I am not saying that after two days you will be able to give up your regular professional bodyworker visits. However, after two days you will be able to confidently keep your horse more comfortable between professional visits. You’ll be able to spot bigger

Nuccia Lipscombe and Aurora

issues sooner and bring relief to your horse in the short term. And, as an endurance rider, most excitingly, you will be able to help your horse feel tip top the day before a competition; you will be able to help your horse feel softer during a vet gate; and you’ll be able to help your horse recover better the day after a ride or in an overnight hold. Clearly, if your horse is injured then nothing should be used to paper over the cracks and keep them going. But if they are a little fatigued, tight or just a niggled by something, it feels amazing to be able to help them right there and then.

Photo courtesy of True to You Photography

re-flock it. How to know when an injury is superficial and you can nurse it yourself, or when you need the vet for diagnostics and prescription medications. Endurance really attracts or creates great all-round horse people with a real depth of knowledge. Did you know that the same generalist learning can be true for the soft tissue, bodywork part of your horsemanship? Without spending years of study, you can learn enough bodywork to be able to help your horse yourself.

Before competitions, after big days training, as often as every week if you like!

As we all know, horses are prey animals and despite the trappings of a modern domesticated life, still their brains continue to function as if they are roaming the steppes and plains they evolved on. One of the fundamentals of being a herd living prey animal is the knowledge that predators pick off the weakest animals first. So, it is essential – even if you are injured, aging or compromised – to never show it. Horses often develop a myriad of compensatory tension patterns before something becomes so restricted or painful that it shows as a lameness or serious resistance in training.

You may be asking yourself exactly what I mean by bodywork as it’s not a word everyone uses. I use this word to encompass all the different ways of helping your horse’s body using hands-on means. Physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, and massage are the best known.

Bodywork also encompasses the valuable but less known Equine Touch, T Touch, Masterson Method, Acupressure, Myofascial Release and many more.

Cinnebar Moth belonging to Susannah French enjoying some wither releases.

Photo courtesy of Viki Herbert-Coulson

No previous anatomical knowledge is required

Try it for yourself Personally, I don’t know how to do endurance without Equine Touch to boost us along the way, and I hope that you can see having read this, how Equine Touch can become a serious tool in your competitive tool kit. By learning some entry level bodywork skills, you can help your horse recover faster, spot issues before they become a ride failure and help your horse between professional visits.

Courses run throughout the year and there are instructors all over the country. I teach Equine Touch and am based near Hay on Wye. Here I have a lovely yard of appreciative teaching horses who are always thrilled to see a bunch of new people holding their manuals ready to start practice.

Courses are held in small, informal groups with an emphasis on learning and fun, sunny skies not guaranteed. No previous anatomical knowledge is required to learn to be an effective horse owner bodyworker.

Nuccia Lipscombe, who completed a course, says: “Learning Equine Touch has given me the tools to help my horse Aurora before, during and after our training rides and even during hold times. It has been well worth the small investment in time and money to know I can help keep her feeling great.”

For more information Check out www.theEquineTouchUK.com for more details and to find a course near you or email me suz@aholisticsolution.co.uk

equine touch

19

A crew’s perspective Crew stop Chi

Endurance from

a crewing perspective

I

want to say straight away that I am not a ‘horse person.’ I was born in Holland on an island and if you couldn’t swim and sail, you would drown.

I crew for my wife, Annie, and her various equine partners, the current one being HS Chiara. Chiara is a prima donna and needs to be admired and have every whim catered for (a bit like Annie).

Annie and I have been together for the last 40 years and 20 years ago, she introduced me to endurance (crewing). Annie used to event but after our son Ben was born, we moved into endurance which was much more family orientated. We could bring young Ben to rides

20

a crew’s perspective

(part of the crew) and even started him off doing graded rides while still quite young.

What’s involved?

Crewing takes lots of very precise planning, especially the longer rides. The more you do, the better you become at it. The planning starts days before we leave our yard with checking the crew kit, making sure we have everything we need for that particular ride. We then identify how much help, if any, in the form of additional crew we might need. The next step is doing the route planning for the crew car way in advance so that on the day I know exactly where to go for each crew point on each loop and the distances and routes between the crew stops and back to the venue. Crewing in some way has become easier as there are usually fixed crew spots to go to. It’s important to arrive at the crew points in plenty of time to make sure that the sloshes, water,

Crew stop

features | endurancegb.co.uk

Photo courtesy of Marco van Zelst Photography

We catch up with Robert Joppe as he takes us behind the scenes of crewing for his wife Annie and reveals the highs and lows this role entails

special horse drinks, food for horse and rider are all ready for them.

Vetgate crewing is probably the most intense and important part of my role as it’s essential here to get everything right. This can be challenging or straightforward depending on the weather. Hot, cold, windy, or wet weather can affect horses differently and with some horses, the amount of cooling or even keeping warm can be a very fine judgement. I do all the timekeeping from the minute the horse arrives, the minute they present to the vet and then ensuring that they are ready to go out ‘on the dot.’ Annie and I have been lucky with horses in the past as they had naturally low heart rates and could present within a minute (record is 22 seconds) but with Chiara it’s completely different. I remember very well at one Windsor ride (her first 2*), she got so excited that she managed to wipe out most of the crew plus a brand-new orange dustbin. Hard work, patience and lots of practice has improved her outlook immensely.

The pros of crewing are numerous. I meet loads of different people and have wonderful chats with them while waiting for Annie. I get to go to some lovely places off the beaten track (crew points) that I would never know were there. The camaraderie after the rides is second to none. I’ve shared many a bottle of wine after rides with some interesting people from all walks of life. If ever any help is needed, the endurance family is always there to provide it. We have made many good friends over the years who we see regularly away from endurance. We even ski with some of them! The main con for me is the very long drives needed to the FEI events which are mostly held in the east, and we live in Cornwall.

The graded and pleasure rides we do are somewhat relaxed until you go a bit further and then the vetgate comes in. Vetgates are fun but you need to be organised and there is some pressure before presenting to the vet and getting the pulse down as quickly as possible. The final trot up (especially after a long ride) is really not good for the blood pressure!

“I sat down a few rows back from Royalty and had some interesting chats with the bowlerclad nobility. Thankfully, nobody seemed to notice my attire” Last crew point

my ancient and rather dirty crew trousers and the shirt I had crewed in the day before. I sat down a few rows back from Royalty and had some interesting chats with the bowler-clad nobility. Thankfully, nobody seemed to notice my attire!

Intense crewing at Windsor

A story to tell Over the years there have been many amusing incidents. Breaking down in Holland and Fantom having to spend the night in the company of a goat who he fell in love with. Dutch crew, Kiwi, doing an inadvertent commando-type roll in her first FEI trot up where nobody looked at Fantom – all eyes were on Kiwi’s gymnastics. This last weekend disappearing down a hole with the crew car with the back wheels waving to the other waiting crew. Probably though, the most bizarre was at Windsor last year when Annie went to receive her prize from Prince Edward in the main arena. Previously at these ceremonies the crew were nowhere to be seen but this time I was ushered into the Royal Box complete with

Want to get involved?

To be a good crew member, ideally you need to be a non-stressy, calm person who is well organised and is a positive thinker. However, we don’t live in an ideal world so I guess almost anyone can be a brilliant crew. For anyone thinking of giving it a try, I say go for it! It’s a wonderful sport and crewing can be extremely rewarding. You meet lots of people in the friendliest equine sport you could possibly imagine.

My advice to others depends on the length and type of ride, but here are a few tips…

•

• •

Chi drinking at last

Photo courtesy of Marco van Zelst Photography

•

•

Crewing in vetgate

Ensure that you have enough crew with you (you can easily fly solo up to about 64km).

Make sure all your equipment is in good order and that you remember to take it.

Ensure you have plenty of food and drink in the crew car and that the crew remembers to drink plenty as well as the rider; it can be a long day.

One top tip we learned from Dr David Marlin at a squad session several years ago was to offer the horse a bucket of water immediately after it stops, before untacking or cooling, as this is when they have an automatic drink reflex.

Generally, the key is to be organised and plan everything out (lists are good).

In conclusion The last 20 years have been a blast. Crewing for Annie with a variety of horses at a variety of competitions from pleasure ride to 160km, both in the UK and overseas, has been at times almost an adventure and so, so different to my life in yachting as a racing skipper.

a crew’s perspective

21

RoR

RoR news

Sam and Art Mauresque

Former Grand National winning jockey rides the Golden Horseshoe RoR were delighted that Amanda Hamley arranged for Sam Waley-Cohen (winner of the King George VI chase 2011, Cheltenham Gold Cup 2011 and Grand National 2022), his brother Marcus Waley-Cohen and their friend Hannah

Sam and Art Mauresque with owners Hayley and Martin Gilmore

22

retraining of racehorses

Redmayne to compete against one another at the challenging Golden Horseshoe this year. They were promoting the Retraining of Racehorses Endurance series and highlighting what great lives former racehorses can move onto after their retirement from racing.

The team competed against each other over a 25km route on former racehorses and the three faced a new challenge as a team which navigated the varied and tough terrain of Exmoor.

Sam said: “I was delighted to be taking part in the iconic Golden Horseshoe Ride this year, to support the Retraining of Racehorses Endurance Series. Endurance is a great way to show how versatile Thoroughbreds are and how retired racehorses can move onto wonderful new homes and successful alternative careers.”

Amanda, who was Sam’s crew at the Golden Horseshoe ride, added: “I am very excited that we could partner Art Mauresque (Art), owned

by Hayley Gilmore, with one of the most successful jockeys ever over the Grand National fences. The pair made a great team.”

Last year Art had the prestigious opportunity to parade at Newmarket with other former racehorses to showcase endurance as a second career for these incredible horses. The team of three were kindly sponsored by the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Trust.

National Horse Racing Museum to host endurance horses Dream Farr and King’s Future have been taking a break from endurance for three weeks and residing at The National Horse Racing Museum while Virginia Rider was away on an adventure holiday in the Far East. If you visited this amazing place over the summer you will have seen them raising the profile of endurance for former racehorses.

Palace House offers a great service to the racing community as Sue Malloy and her team offer full boarding and schooling to ex-racehorse owners ranging from a few days to four months at a very reasonable daily cost.

features | endurancegb.co.uk

The horses’ daily schooling sessions at the museum form part of demonstrations to the general public. In turn these sessions help to educate the public that these marvellous horses have a great and varied life after racing.

Virginia said: “The facilities at Palace House are second to none and I am sure the boys will enjoy their ‘holiday’ while they are there.”

Dream Farr, stable name Poppet or Pops, is a 10year-old gelding by Dream Ahead (ex French Lady).

He ran 21 times with two wins and six placings and was trained by Ed Walker. He finished racing in 2018 when he was kicked in the face and had nine months in the field to recover from his fractures before he found Virginia via Cheveral Racehorse Rehoming. He doesn’t like riding close behind anyone but the giant egg on his face has totally disappeared.

Virginia added: “Pops was quite difficult at first as he used to rear a lot and refuse to go forward. I realised that if I turned him round, he would cheerfully reverse backwards past whatever he took exception to. I still use that technique in his endurance rides, and he’s known as Poppet the reversing horse.

“This is his third season of endurance and in his first season he clocked up 191km (lots in reverse).

Last year he moved up to competitive graded rides and we completed over 300km, winning the southeast novice trophy (and second nationally in the team of four with Henry). He represented the southeast team at the Cirencester Inter Regional Championship.

“He’s also good at dressage, Pony Club games, agility and polocrosse. He does jump but is not that bold without a lead. Pops also did many legs of their pilgrimage across Kent raising money for the KSS Air Ambulance.

“He’s known as the Golden Child and is best friends with Meeko the Alsatian who he trains with.”

Kings Future’s, stable name Henry, is a 14-year-old gelding by Kings Best (ex Las Beatas). He ran 21 times, mainly at Lingfield, and had four placings, trained by Lee Carter in Epsom. He finished racing at four and Virginia gave him his fifth home out of racing four years ago.

Virginia said: “Henry is a very versatile chap and not many endurance/hunting horses are learning flying changes and piaffe. He also has a strong winning mentality, which can make him quite strong, but he does respect a contact. He can also jump, and he has hunted with six different packs.

“I compete up to Elementary level with him at dressage but he excels at endurance. Last year he

Who’s missing from the elite endurance hall of fame?

Endurance GB and RoR have been working in partnership since 2006 to celebrate the Elite Endurance Champion of the Year. This is the only award which attracts prize money and culminates in a prestigious celebration alongside elite riders in other equestrian disciplines held at The Jockey Club Rooms in Newmarket. The evening sparkles with big players from across the equestrian and racing world and the awards have been presented by Clare Balding MBE and former jockey and ITV Racing and Sky Racing presenter Luke Harvey.

RoR members whose horses have raced under

rules and are registered to compete and also have full Endurance GB membership are eligible, and the award is based on the top 10 ride results each year. The winner is excluded from entering the competition once it has been awarded in the interest of welfare and competition. This has reduced the field of eligible riders over the years, and we encourage anyone who is competing in GERs with a former racehorse to register to compete with RoR, it only costs £10 per year.

We are also embarrassingly missing records of the winners from 2008 and 2009. If it was you or you know who won it, please email endurance@ror.org.uk so that we can celebrate all the elite combinations.

Year 2006

Horse Malthouse Maiden Ray

Rider Mrs Karen Whittington

Points 281.5

Based on Performance Formula

2007

Ginger Spice

A Harrison

227.6

Performance Formula

2008

???

2009

???

2010

April's Comait

Val Camock06

1523.0

Trophy Points

2011

Quercus Maximus

Lizzie Livingstone

1640.0

Trophy Points

2012

Thea's Lass

Victoria Ham

1991.5

Trophy Points

2013

Jack Dawson

Lorna Kidson

1605.0

Trophy Points

2014

Coralkov

Juliet Jacob

728.0

Trophy Points

2015

Beth's Choice

Lynn Harvey

1810.5

Trophy Points

2016

Arabian History

Claire Freeman

2052.0

Trophy Points

2017

Karactacus Potts

Anna Collins

1245.0

Trophy Points

2018

Against The Rules

Elaine Wadebridge

1110.0

Trophy Points

2019

Abseil

Tracy Sieminski

425.0

Trophy Points

2020

Not awarded

2021

He's a Charmer

Lynn Harvey

325.5

Trophy Points

2022

Lilbourne Prince

Samantha Tomlinson

490.5

Trophy Points

was RoR Novice endurance champion and with Poppet, second nationally in the team of four horses.

He won all his competitions last year, winning best new horse and Intermediate champion in the southeast. He has won all his competitions this year to date.

“Henry also enjoys agility and is pretty bombproof. He completed all the main road and city centre legs of my 178km charity pilgrimage finishing with riding through Canterbury to a blessing at the Cathedral. He has also done RoR racecourse parades representing endurance.

“In 2022 Henry made the final 10 for Jockey Club/RoR ex-racehorse of the year celebrating his versatility. His other name is Grumper as until he starts working he is pretty grumpy, especially in the stable.”

Endurance Seven Series Anna Collins, Co-ordinator of the RoR Endurance Series, reports that there has been an impressive number of people claiming distance awards in the Endurance Seven Reward Series.

The 250km milestone had been reached by the end of June by two or three riders and plenty more are climbing and claiming their recognition awards. The series is open to everyone competing on a former racehorse registered with RoR, even if they are not in their first endurance season. Anna said: “I think it’s really important to recognise the dedication and commitment it takes to retrain a Thoroughbred for another discipline, especially when their race training is imprinted at such a young age. We wanted to recognise achievement at all levels and give people something to aim for. I was delighted that the Sir Peter O’Sullevan Trust was willing to sponsor the series so there are some great rewards on offer. Visit the Retraining of Racehorses Endurance Series webpages for information about how to claim. Happy endurancing!”

RoR teams competition At the time of writing, we have one team of RoR riders known as the RoR Legends who qualified at Cirencester to compete in the Clubs Championship at Three Rivers later in the year. Further team qualifying rides are to follow in the season and we will report on how they got on in the next issue.

Well done to Virginia Rider on Dream Farr, Saskia Wetherley on Society Secret, Isobel Kellerman with Indubitably and Rebekah Maxwell and Captain Lara who all got round sound. Special thanks to Virginia who organised the team.

For more information For more information about former racehorses in endurance visit www.ror.org.uk or email endurance@ror.org.uk

retraining of racehorses

23

Interview At Windsor doing 1*, text book ride and first Brit home

Junior rider ‘extraordinaire'

by Julie Jones

24

interview

features | endurancegb.co.uk

Photos courtesy of David Saunders, Gemma Louise Thomas and Sam Powell

Alex Powell

W

hen interviewing Alex’s grandmother Fiona Griffiths about Alex’s achievements, I was struck by two things. The first is the hard work that Alex has put in since a toddler and the second is that her endurance career is a whole family endeavour. We all know that our sport is inclusive and down to teamwork, and this is one of the finest examples.

Alex turns 14 this year which means that she can compete in CERs (‘race rides’). She rode in her first endurance ride at three years old, a 5km lead rein ride round the racecourse at Lindum while her mum Sam and Fiona were competing there.

Her endurance was encouraged at home, and she competed in all of the Pony Club classes and championships, winning the Novice at Milton Keynes in 2017 and the Open after that at The Red Dragon. She has competed all around the UK, representing Wales at the last Home International competing in Scotland.

Alex started graded rides at eight years old, riding with Fiona as she needed to be

“Her sights are firmly fixed on FEI next year and qualifying for the Junior Championships. An amazing achievement for a rider just into her teenage years”

Fantasia at Pembrey winning the Novice Welsh Championship

Grandmother, mother and daughter at Pembray

Alex doing her first 50km with a vet gate in the New Forest

Alex and Echo doing her 80km at Rushford to upgrade to Advanced

Alex aged three. Riding at Lindum

accompanied. She started with the 30k rides (2018) but because Fiona needed to do 40k to qualify for her own endurance, they moved to 40k in 2019 when Alex was approaching her 10th birthday. Jelly Babies and being crewed by her mum stopped her getting bored, as did dropping behind Fiona (who was keeping up a steady rhythm) and galloping to catch up!

She rode her pony Brohedydd the Duke (aka Lightning Dash) and then moved onto a grey part-bred Arab called Missy. However, Alex grew too much during Covid and outgrew her, going onto Katmando ready to start her FEI qualifications, aged 13, last year.

Unfortunately, they lost him over last winter after she had completed 80k for Wales in Scotland on him the previous summer.

This meant Fiona giving up her horses – first Echo who unfortunately was spun at Hayward Oaks this year with Alex, and then Hope. To qualify for junior FEI championships Alex needed to do 2 x 1* (on any horse) and 2 x 2* (on the same horse). However, there are not enough rides left in the UK for her to qualify this year so she will now have to do her 2*

next year. She did a 1* at Lavenham back in June, which she won, averaging 14.95kph.

Her first 1* success this year was on Hope at Royal Windsor, the first British rider home, averaging over 15kph. She rode exactly as told, letting faster riders past and riding her own race. This is quite an achievement in itself for a youngster in her first ride at this level.

She now has her own horse, Fantasia, previously owned and ridden by Tricia Hirst.

Fantasia has to be re-qualified, and Alex has done this to Open with a 3 x 40km rides and an 80k at Kings Forest (coming second in the Eastern Championships). At the time of writing this, she has just completed 65km at Cirencester, moving to Advanced again, ready to compete in the CER Junior Championships at Well Vale in August.

Her sights are firmly fixed on FEI next year and qualifying for the Junior Championships.

An amazing achievement for a rider just into her teenage years who also show jumps and events when she’s not doing endurance. She is certainly one to watch for the future. Well done and good luck Alex.

interview

25

Wounds

wound management Vet and keen endurance rider Antonia Milner talks all things wound related.

Antonia Milner BSc BVetMed Cert AVP MRCVS is an equine ambulatory veterinarian based in Devon at Summerleaze Equine Vets.

She has a keen interest in endurance, competing her own horses and others up to FEI. She vets at various endurance competitions and is an FEI treatment vet. She is also the Welsh team vet.

26

wounds

U

nfortunately having horses means at some stage you will likely be required to deal with a wound on your horse. Wounds are also one of the most common issues we treat at endurance rides. So it is important to know which ones matter and some of the potential complications that commonly arise. Over the last five years treatment vetting, I have bandaged far more legs than anything else, with horses going down on their knees, getting loose and running through fencing or those going through debris on

course. And there’s also the odd horse who has had a fight with their companion on the trailer over to the venue. I have also treated injuries to eyes (please bear in mind where trees are when galloping into the finish).

Wounds that require urgent veterinary care • • •

Wounds close to joints Wounds associated with a horse’s eye Wounds with uncontrollable bleeding

regulars | endurancegb.co.uk

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock/CameraCraft

Vet’s viewpoint

• • • • •

While waiting for a vet If it is safe to do so, you can start cleaning the wound with water and if bleeding, pressure can be applied to the wound with a clean bandage. If there is a penetrating object, do not remove it as it’s important that the vet sees where it is located. If a penetrating object is unlikely to stay in place or has to be removed (for example an object that the horse is also panicking about) then try to obtain a photograph of the object in place before it is moved. It cannot be over stressed how much easier it is to work out whether a nail was in a dangerous place in a foot if it is has been imaged before being removed.

Ideally, it should not be removed.

To stitch or not to stitch Not all wounds require stitching. They may be too shallow, the skin could be under too much pressure, if the wound is over somewhere highly moveable or if the skin flap is already dying. I have always been taught the more experienced the vet, the less they stitch, as they have already seen what fails first hand!

The ideal time to stitch a wound is within six hours of the wound occurring, but there is still potentially an option up to 12 hours. If the wound is older than that it is unlikely to be a candidate for suturing. We may choose to do a secondary closure later, on an older wound to aid healing, but this would be on a case-by-case basis. If there is a worry that the wound may be heavily contaminated, it would also not be a candidate for suturing. Some wounds may also require closure under general anaesthetic.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock/Brastock

•

Wounds where underlying structures are visible such as bone or tendon Penetrating wounds for example with sticks or nails Wounds associated with lameness Wounds near to eyes Wounds associated with significant bleeding Wounds associated with swelling Any other wound you are concerned about!

Cellulitis Cellulitis is a frustrating bacterial infection that results in a painful swelling, heat and lameness of the horse’s leg. It can also cause the horse to become in-appetent and to have an increased temperature.

While commonly associated with leg wounds, cellulitis can affect any part of the horse’s body.

It can require aggressive medical treatment to get rid of, but typically treatment starts with antibiotics, anti inflammatories, gentle exercise, cold hosing and bandaging may also be advised.

It only requires a small number of bacteria to gain entry through the wound to cause cellulitis.

Blunt trauma can also be a cause, so you may not even find a break in the skin. Unfortunately, once a horse has had cellulitis, they are more likely to develop it again.

To make this condition even more frustrating, in rare circumstances cellulitis can also cause laminitis as the horse is at risk initially from septic laminitis if the bacteria travel to the feet and from weight bearing laminitis in the opposite leg if the horse is too painful to stand on the

affected leg. There is also a risk of dermal necrosis where the skin over the cellulitis dies away due to blood supply becoming compromised or a direct result of toxin production in the area. In some extreme cases, the damage to a leg caused by cellulitis can result in long-term lameness. Colic is also a risk in horses with cellulitis as anything that may stop a horse behaving normally in terms of eating, drinking and moving around can predispose them to colic.

Cellulitis is a great reason to always ensure all wounds are thoroughly cleaned and kept covered (as appropriate for that wound) but even with the best treatment some horses still develop it.

Photos courtesy of Shutterstock/Reimar

•

Proud flesh Proud flesh is the term used for excessive granulation tissue; the skin is unable to grow over the top of this tissue, preventing complete wound closure.

It is most commonly a feature on wound areas that are highly mobile, such as distal limbs and also in wounds, that have had issues with infection. It can occur in wounds that have been left open that, ideally, should initially have been sutured or bandaged. Hence it is important to treat wounds as soon as they occur. Proud flesh is often treated by surgical debridement as there are no nerves present in this tissue, so it is painless to remove. On braver days this can be done on non-sedated horses as in theory it shouldn’t hurt them, so they shouldn’t hurt the vet!

If in doubt with any wound it is important to contact your vet or the nearest treatment vet if you are out competing. The important thing to remember is vets are like horses, they always do a better job if they are well crewed!

wounds

27

Bitless

in endurance Sabrina Stell reveals what she’s learnt so far about riding without a bit and why she’s sticking with it.

I

started my own bitless journey back in 2018, by coincidence, the same year I started my endurance journey. In fact, my first proper test of my very first bitless bridle was at the Golden Horseshoe Ride 2018.

I’ve since owned multiple bitless bridles and swapped all my horses to various combinations along the way.

My journey has taken a step further in the last 12 months when I started training in 2022 as a fitter and transitioning coach for bitless. My eyes were really opened into the bitless world and how I’d inadvertently stumbled across some advantages for my horse in endurance in the process.

I love how popular bitless seems within endurance, as many other disciplines I’ve been part of saw me as ‘hippy’ or even a bit loopy (friendly quote from a fellow competitor) for not having a bit. It goes to show what a progressive sport we are part of, and I wanted to share with you some of the things I learnt along the way.

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bitless

Food and hydration As endurance riders we already know the importance of hydration, and many of us will also feed various combinations at crew points and during vet gates.

Whether you use water, beet-water, wet chaff or offer a bucket of each, many horses are not easily encouraged to drink with a bit in their mouth. I know of a few people who spend long periods of time teaching their young horses to accept food and water while bitted, so they can be confident by the time it comes to the crunch (or slurp should I say).

Even if you’re lucky enough to have a horse who will drink while bitted without much encouragement, this is made more difficult if you’re using a tight noseband, flash, curb chain or grackle. You’re then left with either yourself or your crew undoing buckles to allow your horse to drink easily. Something I’ve learnt in the past few years is that every second counts at crew points and vet gates. Time that could be better spent on other tasks relating to horse and rider welfare, in my case, stocking up on Jelly Babies!

From a scientific point of view, when a horse drinks and eats he relies on both his tongue and

soft palate to manipulate the intake safely.

However, bits lie over the tongue reducing its movement, explaining why some horses are less likely to drink while wearing one. One thing I asked a friend to do was try to eat and drink with a thin pencil horizontally in her mouth. I personally think this should be a game when we’re all staying away at events, because the results were hilarious. Yet they demonstrated how tricky it is to manipulate substances with your tongue if it’s pinned down somewhat by a foreign object.

If we also consider that feed and drink is generally offered from a bucket, most bitless bridles are far safer as they cannot catch on the sides or handles of the bucket. English Hackamore bridles are sadly an exception to this, but let’s remember the market for bitless bridles is now almost as broad as it is for bits, and the majority of bitless bridles are unintrusive and easily slip into a bucket. Although I won’t promise easy cleaning when covered in recovery mash!

Convenience and speed Particularly post ride, you may well find time is not on your side. If you have a horse who needs more help to lower his heart rate, getting your horse to

features | endurancegb.co.uk

Main image: True To You Photography

Bitless

water when you smell your favourite food. It’s natural.

Now compare this to breathing, a vital part of running and a very different action to eating, as horses cannot breathe through their mouth. The soft palate is closed over the oesophagus when breathing, lips create a seal and the horse breathes through his nasal passage. When you introduce a bit into the process the lip seal is broken and cannot be established in full. This causes air to enter the oral cavity, and some horses will be described as ‘roaring’ because of this, and it can even lead to further complications.

Some horses, despite working at speed over a long distance in a bitless bridle will keep their lips sealed, allowing breathing to be at its most efficient. This also means the heart and muscles will be able to work at their best ability, thanks to the effective oxygen supply. Take, on the other hand, a bitted racehorse with a flash noseband to counteract that natural effect of opening the mouth due to having an object inside it, and the horse is basically trying to breathe without a lip seal, allowing air into the oral cavity.

Having said that, I should point out that unlike endurance horses, racehorses don’t have to pass a vetting after the race, nor do they have a timed cool down, nor is their heart rate relevant at the end of the race. In fact, the cool down process is very similar to that of endurance apart from two things.

• eat and drink, especially, is something you want to be as natural and simple as possible.

I’ve seen crews rivalling a F1 pit stop trying to get heart rates down and horses cooled off, so the advantage of being able to quickly change from a ridden bridle to clipping a lead rope on saves much needed time. Of course, most bridle companies have already caught onto this and offer headcollar attachments for all custom-made bridles, but if like my crew you prefer to vet in a headcollar you’re already there with a bitless bridle with one less action by not having to remove a bit. Plus, you have that less intrusive comfort for your horse, which again can aid heart rate.

One personal time saver I have pre-ride is based on the theory of feeding before work, as a layer of chaff can prevent the development or aggravation of ulcers in horses. While my horse has his chaff, if he doesn’t already have his bridle on, the Orbitless bridle can be put on over his head rather than up into his mouth as a bit would. This is true of many bitless bridle designs, not just the Orbitless. I don’t need his head raised, which allows us to multitask while he lines his stomach, and the same can be said in reverse.

Comfort and performance Some of you may be wondering why I haven’t mentioned comfort in detail for the horse yet. My

main reason for this was I wanted you to relax into knowing I wasn’t going to force bitless, based purely on the viewpoint of the horse. However, we cannot ignore the fact that bitless has huge welfare advantages for our four-legged friends.

Before you tense up though, preparing for a heavy subject, let me remind you that I’m not intending to preach to you! I always say I am pro bitless, but I am not anti-bit. Let’s just look at the science instead and you can decide for yourself how you feel afterwards.

Horses are flight animals; they are built to eat most of the day but they are also built to flee in a split second from danger. These are two very different processes for the horse’s brain and body to perform, so for the sake of this we will call them ‘eating’ and ‘running’.

The introduction of a bit into a horse’s mouth triggers the eating part of the brain, causing the horse to chew, lick and create saliva. Some people will say that shows acceptance of the bit and some will say they need a different noseband to keep their mouth still. In fact, this is just a natural reaction from the horse’s brain to having an object in their mouth. Whether you’re putting a finger, a carrot, a bit or dentist tools into your horse’s mouth, he’ll want to chew in the same way your body swallows when food or liquid reaches the back of your throat, or your mouth begins to

•

As there’s no vetting 30 minutes after finishing, the crew can take as long as needed to cool the horse (a vet is always on hand if asked for).

There are generally far more amazing gadgets in use, such as ‘mist fans’ I discovered thanks to friends in racing locally. Now imagine loading those onto your lorry for an event!

Ask for help Many people have tried bitless and found it didn’t work out for their horse. Like with bits, you need to find the right bridle for the horse and have support on hand for transitioning if you’re unsure. I recently did a study as part of my course and found a large percentage of endurance riders were unsure how to fit a bitless bridle or which action would suit their horse, yet were keen to try the swap.

Therefore, if you see me at an event and want to ask anything at all, please come and say hello. I am more than happy to help anyone interested in starting or furthering their bitless journey.

In summary, bitless bridles have advantages not only to your horse’s wellbeing, but also performance, convenience and efficiency in endurance. Each horse will have an individual need, the same as with bits, and it’s important not to feel left in the dark if you decide to start your bitless journey.

bitless

29

Para news

Bryony Parsler

National Endurance Championships 2023

T

he Para National Championships was very kindly hosted as part of the summer Kings Forest ride this year and was sponsored by Livery Live. The event proved popular with our registered para riders, with some travelling long distances to attend.

For those unfamiliar with the Endurance GB para endurance competition rules the basics are as follows: Riders compete at one of four levels (Emerald, Amethyst, Sapphire and Onyx) with differing distances and speed parameters applying to each level. Importantly, all four levels have parity of esteem because the reasons behind a para rider competing in a shorter/slower level are unlikely to have anything to do with their talent or commitment!

Di Luke very kindly offered to put on Championship classes at all four levels but unfortunately, we only had entries at the Emerald and Sapphire levels this year. This does, however, mean that we have two wonderful new National Para Endurance Champions to celebrate – AnneMarie Durno and Lansdown Bosco Boy (Emerald Champions) and Bryony Parsler and Personified (Sapphire Champions). Endurance GB would like

30

para news

to congratulate both the riders and their support teams and escort riders on their success.

We would also like to thank the organising team of Kings Forest ride for hosting such a lovely inclusive event and Livery Live for their generous sponsorship. In particular, it was lovely to see all the ride escorts being rewarded with commemorative rosettes and goodie bags. It’s easy to forget that without the willingness of escorts to forego their own competitive ambitions, it wouldn’t be possible for many of our para competitors to shine.

Sapphire Champions 2023 – Bryony Parsler and Personified Bryony has been unable to compete for some time as her horse Personified (aka Binky) sadly suffered from a series of “unfortunate events” (including being slashed with a knife while in his field) and spent lots of time on box rest between 2019 and 2022. Bryony says: “Our vet, Thorsten Feddern, did a wonderful job whenever he was injured.” She thinks that it is largely due to his excellent care that Binky has recovered and remained sound against all the odds.

Bryony was delighted to be selected as one of

Endurance GB’s Para Endurance Ambassadors in 2022 and has been working closely with Di Green of the Para Equestrian Foundation to rediscover her goals after such a long break. Binky only got the veterinary go ahead for ridden work in February 2023, so she knew that aiming for the 50km Sapphire Para Championships in June was a very ambitious target. However, on veterinary

Bryony Parsler

regulars | endurancegb.co.uk

Photo courtesy of David Saunders

Para Equestrian

Anne Marie Durno with her prizes Kings 2023

Anne Marie Durno and escort Hilary at Kings

2023 Emerald Para Endurance National Champion – Anne-Marie Durno and Lansdowne Bosco Boy Anne-Marie told us: “I joined Endurance GB after Jane Atack encouraged me to. I was looking for a competitive activity that would suit my horse and that I could take part in despite being disabled. I looked at the Endurance GB website and decided to apply for membership in 2023. My first ride was at Elkington, organised by the Lindum group, but we were too slow and failed on that basis.

However, I was hooked!

“I researched the website for suitable rides and decided to aim for the Para Championships at King’s Forest, organised by the Iceni group. I knew it was an ambitious target, as I was new to the discipline, but I made plans for me and my horse to work towards being in top form for the event. I met Hilary Carr at The Three Shires ride.

She rode with me and during the ride was so encouraging and helpful with advice on endurance riding.

“I am lucky to be supported by my husband, Duncan, and my daughter, Sophie. I also have a regular treatment from a therapist to keep my body working! My horse, Lansdown Bosco Boy came from Jack Thomas Watson in Morpeth, and he has been a joy to own. We have a brilliant farrier in Glyn Trundle and regular physiotherapy treatments from Rachel Burton. We are lucky to have gallops nearby, so we used them for fitness training.

“I stayed in touch with Hilary after riding The Three Shires ride with her and mentioned that I’d like to take part in the Emerald Championship 20km distance but didn’t want to ride on my own. She kindly offered to be my escort ride for the competition. Now I had something to get excited about – great company, a ride that is renowned for being fabulous and a competition. I just had to get my crew ‘engaged’ in the idea as he was not showing the enthusiasm that I required!

“On the day we set off early, found the venue and prepared ourselves for the farrier and vetting. I felt a bit overwhelmed by the scale of the event. As is so typical with Endurance GB,

someone came to help with the trot up and then we went off to tack up and get on board. We went through the start gate and were off.

“The ride itself was amazing because the marking was so very clear; the tracks were kind to the horses’ legs and the crewing points were perfectly situated. In no time at all we seemed to be back at the finish and I was really delighted with our time. Just the vetting to pass. The FEI vet’s comment was that he thought my horse looked like he was ready to go again, which was great to hear and I felt the hard work in fitness training had paid off.

“I have never won anything like this before and was totally overwhelmed at the presentation. I’d like to thank the sponsors for their kind gifts, Endurance GB for the opportunity to be a member with them, Jane for encouraging me to take part, Hilary for her guidance, advice and company and Nikki Parsler for establishing such an inclusive and friendly sport. Most of all, I’d like to thank my family for their support and encouragement to try something new. Para Endurance has given me new purpose and aims.”

Photo courtesy of David Saunders

advice, Bryony had already been hand walking Binky up and down the Welsh hills for some months and had the support of her Riding for the Disabled branch (United Counties) with flatwork lessons to work on his balance and suppleness.

Getting to Kings Forest from deepest darkest West Wales was something of a mission – Bryony would like to thank Jane Greatorex for accommodating the family and both horses for two nights beforehand, giving everyone a much needed break in the 10-hour journey.

The Sapphire class was run over two days with an overnight vet hold on the Friday night. On the first morning Bryony was very nervous that all the planning and training may not have been enough. It was agreed in advance that Bryony and her escort (older sister Rebecca) would ride conservatively, just aiming to get round safely, and that if Binky wasn’t coping well enough, then Bryony would retire after the first day. Despite all the effort and cost to get to the ride and the months of training and planning, Binky’s wellbeing is always Bryony’s first priority.

Given everything, it was a great relief just to pass the preliminary vet inspection – at least they would get to ride! They were very slow getting to the first crew point, which had the crew panicking as it was only a few kilometres out. Unfortunately, Binky had managed to stand on one of his hoof boots and had broken it, so they had lost a lot of time, but both Binky and Bryony were thankfully fine to continue. After that, the ride went much more smoothly and with a bit of careful strategic riding, they picked up some time. At the mid-way vet hold (end of first day) both horses were able to present in under five minutes and were still looking full of energy, so the decision was made to continue for the second day.

On the second morning Andy from Hands for Horses spotted the family and very kindly offered to give both horses a pre-ride treatment. It’s always amazing just how kind, inclusive and friendly the endurance community is. Binky was a little sore from his exertions (he doesn’t always take care of himself, and the hoof boot incident hadn’t helped) but was soon looking much happier under Andy’s expert ministrations.

Having this reinforcement that Binky was good to continue, really helped Bryony’s confidence and both horses passed the compulsory re-present to the vet with no problem.

The second day went much more smoothly, and Binky flew round, once again picking up some time to finish on an average speed of 10.3kph. As we approached the final vetting the whole team knew that if Binky passed, then he and Bryony would win the Championships – there were some very tense moments waiting for the result!

Bryony, her crew and ride escort were absolutely over the moon to discover that she had passed the ride with a Grade 1 result to become the Para Endurance Sapphire National Champions.

These are the moments that dreams are made of.

Well done, Kirsty We’d like to congratulate Kirsty Wiscombe on winning the Society of Master Saddlers Best Para Rider Award at the Welsh Championships which took place at Pembrey in April. Kirsty successfully completed the 80km class on her stallion Yawl Hill Big Yin. The Society of Master Saddlers has generously agreed to sponsor Best Para Rider Awards at all four of the Regional Championships in 2023.

para news

31

Sponsor focus

Just Chaps

going the distance

I

n 2023, Just Chaps is celebrating its 20th birthday. The story of this family-owned and managed business is closely entwined with the world of endurance riding.

The origins of the idea for the company and the specialist half chaps that it designs can be traced back to Sally Ross, the original owner, who was a keen endurance and TREC rider, based on a small farm amongst the unforgiving terrains of Bodmin Moor and Dartmoor.

Living in Cornwall, it was not surprising that Sally’s sons were keen surfers and seemed oblivious to the cold. Sally soon learned how it was that they could keep warm in icy water while she got cold, wet and miserable in the saddle. The answer lay in the amazing insulation of their neoprene wetsuits, and the idea for neoprene chaps was born.

Sally called on a local wetsuit manufacturer to sell her some rolls of neoprene, and on earlier experience as a seamstress, to produce her first pair of neoprene chaps. These not only kept her warm and dry, but the toughness, softness and flexibility of the neoprene proved perfectly suited for riding chaps that were comfy, snug-fitting and very hard-wearing. Egged on by her riding chums, in 2003 Sally made up a small batch of neoprene chaps to take to a local event where they immediately sold out. Just Chaps had arrived!

Within a few years, the Just Chaps brand had become a firm favourite with distance riders and also had a regular feature in major events around the country. It was at this point that Sally decided to hand over the reins to Helen Salmon, who took over Just Chaps in 2009.

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sponsor focus

Now based in West Sussex, in the heart of the South Downs National Park, Helen and her team have extended the Just Chaps range with multi award-winning brands: Dri-Rider waterproof riding trousers and full chaps are designed to keep riders dry, comfortable and secure in the saddle and have been recognised twice by Horse and Rider magazine in recent years. Helen also designed and launched the Saltos range of premium leather gaiters and half chaps – recently awarded ‘Best value’ by Horse & Hound due to the exceptional quality at a reasonable price.

But the original neoprene all purpose half chaps are still a firm favourite with riders looking for a snug fit, comfort and durability, and have proven their worth in the toughest challenges over the years.

Katy Elliot from the USA (2018) and Kate McTaggart from the UK (2022) entered the Mongol Derby, a 1000km (621 mile) horse race across Mongolia on the backs of semi-feral horses. There is no marked trail, no comfy camp, and no support. It’s just you, your horse, and the endless steppes of Mongolia. Your kit has to

perform – and half chaps from Just Chaps were up to the challenge.

But our favourite story, and the ultimate test, is of Megan Lewis from Wales who rode 10,000 miles over more than four years from the Beijing Olympics to London 2012 wearing the same pair of neoprene half chaps from Just Chaps.

Like any long ride, a company’s progress also depends on planning, preparation and a determination to go the distance. Helen and her team are proud to celebrate their 20th birthday with Endurance GB and look forward to meeting members and riders at the major events this year.

regulars | endurancegb.co.uk

Red Gorilla Winter League

The 2023/24

Red Gorilla Winter League

W

e are very pleased to announce that Red Gorilla are sponsoring the Winter League, which launches on 1 November this year, and will have beautiful rosettes and prizes up for grabs.

All members and supporters will be emailed the details of the League and the form to collect your points.

Just the same as last year, we’re encouraging our members to take part in other equestrian activities over winter, as well as Endurance GB training rides and group activities (both ridden and social). Our groups put in a lot of effort to organise events for our members so please take part and collect points as you do so.

If you don’t get your email soon, please contact Julie Jones by email (jum1@aber.ac.uk) and she will send them through to you.

There are prizes for members, groups and top supporters so please take part and have an enjoyable winter.

endurancegb.co.uk | features

red gorilla winter league

33

Scottish Endurance

riding news Compiled by Jacqui Macmillan

T

ayside’s Tentsmuir ride is a firm favourite among Scottish riders. It’s a flat, fast flowing ride covering a varied terrain of forest roads, grassy tracks and beach.

Featured twice (April and October) in the annual SERC ride calendar, it’s hoped that branch members can help at one and enjoy riding at the other.

Just on the cusp of the East Neuk of Fife the ride leaves from Leuchars, near St. Andrews and takes you onto the Eden Estuary via Reres Wood and into Tentsmuir Forest.

It offers a smooth 13km taster route covering beach, sandy tracks and woodland. There will be

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scottish endurance riding club

two pleasure distances on offer in October of 19km and 25km, allowing riders aiming to progress from pleasure to competitive classes a great opportunity to tackle the latter longer distance.

Competitive classes range from 30kms up to 80kms. Riders are also invited to submit their entry for the Tentsmuir Team Trophy which will be up for grabs in October. Each team, being made up of members from four different distance classes, will have their ride scores collated using the performance formula and the team gaining the most points wins!

The ride has not been without difficulties over the 20 years it has run. With four different

venues used now, ride organisers have encountered a few hiccups. Discovering a 3ft trench dug along 3kms of the route the day prior to the ride for one, trying to ignore the clay pigeon shooting in the nearby field to the vetting (which thankfully did not cause too much horse upset) and the venue field having a surprise visit from several vintage cars and motorbikes. There have been quite a few fallen trees blocking tracks due to recent storms, requiring last minute rerouting and finally not forgetting the discovery of a military artefact, which required ordnance disposal the day after the ride! Despite all these issues, the Tentsmuir ride has survived and will hopefully continue for many years to come.

regulars | endurancegb.co.uk

All Photos courtesy of TopGearPhotos www.topgearphotos.com

SERC

Joelle Russell and Coquet What a fantastic day Coquet (Coco) and I had at Tentsmuir on 9 April. In addition to catching up with lots of smiling SERCies (sunshine had brought out much giddiness), Coquet achieved his long awaited Silver Thistle Final.

He felt great when we set out at Tentsmuir. I was first in the queue for vetting, anxious to set out on our own if possible. I had decided before Tentsmuir that I wanted to stick mostly to a relaxed ground-covering trot and to give him a quiet ride round.

The ride was lovely and well-marked. There was a hazy sort of mist rising off the beach the first time we rode up it, with the scenery wild and beautiful as you’d expect from a nature reserve! We enjoyed our march up and down the forest tracks and as I had no crew on course, I particularly appreciated the static slosh and watering station at checkpoint 2, manned by the McCrickards.

The only thing Coco didn’t like was the beach, but that’s normal for him. He hates the sea and he hates sand, especially the very sinky type that we had to cross to reach the firmer wet sand at Tentsmuir.

The vet gates went smoothly, vetting in less than five minutes after 30km and 60km. The venue was chilled and Coco was delighted to munch on the grass and his recovery mash.

Being our first one-day 80km, I wondered if Coco might drag his heels a bit going out for a third time. Not so, as soon as we were out of the venue field he could hear trail bikes in the distance and he was on his toes looking out for them.

When we got to the beach, the tide was coming in fast which meant the wet sand that was nice to ride on was fast disappearing! So I decided we’d canter much of the beach on the way out. On the way back, we zipped down the wet sand until it ran out and then we had a walk through a long stretch of deep sand.

Trotting through the final piece of woods before the venue, Coquet managed to step on the side of one of his back shoes while having a spook at I don’t know what, and then we nursed a barely hanging on shoe for the last kilometre or so.

When I inspected it back at the venue, the clenches were completely sticking out and it was clacking like a flip flop when he walked. Once I’d untacked and Craig had given me a hand to sponge him down, I decided to head straight in for the final vetting because I figured it was only a matter of time before the shoe came off completely.

All good though and we finished with a gold vetting, Speed Category 1 and Silver Thistle Final – not a bad day out!

And a special Thank You to Kris Clay of Topgearphotos.com for the wonderful photos to help us remember our day.

Robyn Jones and Willow I’ve struggled to put into words how much our success at Tentsmuir Forest in April meant to me. It’s almost two years since we had been in a position to even consider attempting a longer distance and after such a long break, littered with yet more unfortunate field injuries, I had really started to doubt my abilities to bring both myself and Willow back to full fitness.

Nonetheless, I put a training plan together in early January and 13 weeks later, my little pocket rocket absolutely flew round 62km of beach and sandy forest tracks in just under 4.5 hours, and finished with energy left in the tank.

Endurance isn’t a sport for the faint of heart.

After several hours in the saddle your body starts to ache in places you didn’t know could ache and you sweat out of places you didn’t know could sweat. You question your sanity for putting yourself through something that can be so deeply uncomfortable. But on the other side of that discomfort, are the breath-taking views of cantering onto an empty beach at dawn and feeling your partner eat up the miles with so much power, enthusiasm and ease. At the finish line, when the final vetting is passed and you get to take home a happy, healthy, sound horse, this overwhelming sense of pride and fulfilment hits you. It makes all the discomfort, the sweat, the tears, the self-doubt and the endless cold, wet, lonely training miles so worth it. Before long you want to do it all over again… after a few weeks’ rest that is.

A huge thank you to my super crew Susan and Craig Jones and support pup Lemmie.

Thank you Tilly Hepburn-Wright for chumming us round the first loop and also to Alison Wilson for her company on course too. Thank you to our wonderful physio Robyn Dunn (Outline Chartered Physio – ACPAT) and farrier Geoffrey Elphick for keeping us both in excellent shape. And to all the SERCies who give up their time to enable these events to go ahead.

And finally thank you to my darling Willow.

She is, … well, there just aren’t the words. After every setback she comes back stronger, with more fire and more fight in her than the last time. I looked at these gorgeous photos from Sunday (thanks to Kris Clay of Topgearphotos. com) in disbelief that that this is the horse I’ve produced despite all the awful setbacks we’ve had. She is truly outstanding in every way and the absolute love of my life. Here’s to a happy, healthy and sound 2023 season.

Find out more Another ride is planned at Tentsmuir on Sunday 1 October 2023. Find out more at www.scottishendurance.com/Events/ Calendar

scottish endurance riding club

35

Ride report: Tinwald Nikki Brown and Sandy came across the border to enjoy a weekend at the SERC Dumfries Branch ride at Tinwald

S

andy and I had a trip across to Dumfries for the Tinwald ride with SERC at the end of April. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and there were plenty of positives to take away! I got some lovely comments about Sandy and his behaviour – it’s nice to receive these comments as it makes all that work and effort worthwhile when it comes together, no matter how long it comes together for!

We did 50km of hills and a bit of everything terrain-wise at 11.49km/hr, finishing with a horse who wasn't in the slightest bit tired! In his halfway vetting I literally stripped his tack off and took him to the vet with a 52/50 heart rate (worked out at two mins). I gave him a little sponge down after we vetted then got myself sorted out ready for the next loop. The second loop he gave me the most foot perfect ride, I couldn't fault him at all. He was drinking

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scottish endurance riding club

nicely out of puddles and troughs, getting grass when he was allowed, jogging behind me on the downhills and going off the slightest of commands. He came into the finish, had a quick wash off then into the vets after 10 minutes to finish on a 46/44 heart rate. As you can imagine I was super happy!

Now time for his first experience of being corralled away from home.... Sandy has been stabled away from home a few times but this would be his first time corralled. He has a healthy respect for electric fences, but I didn't know if the whole thing was going to be too much, especially at this time of year. Thankfully though he settled straight down to the important business of eating. I got myself sorted out, then enjoyed the wonderful hospitality and friendliness of the SERC people by attending the pre-booked supper. When I went back before bed to give Sandy his tea and change his rugs, it appeared that there were three mares relatively close who were in season and looking longingly in his direction but other than the occasional chatter, his brain was otherwise engaged with food.

I can report in the morning Sandy had stayed put, remained settled (he was actually acting the total pro) and I had remained dry (thankfully the trailer doesn't appear to leak!).

Sandy had a little bit of a dance and shout when I loaded him to go home, but settled down once we got moving and travelled the four hours home well.

We had a great weekend away, plus nothing will top that total feeling of freedom when cantering along the tops on a strong, fit horse.

And fabulous photos of us by Kris Clay of Topgearphotos.com to remember it by.

regulars | endurancegb.co.uk

All Photos courtesy of TopGearPhotos www.topgearphotos.com

SERC

training

37

The rider’s core

The rider’s core

part two In part two of her series, Clare Gangadeen, founder of RiderCise, explains how to correct your static posture to improve your riding

F

ollowing on from Article one, you should now know which static posture type you most resemble. To improve your riding challenges, it is essential that you start to improve your static posture to allow your body to become more aligned and your core to function optimally.

Due to the variation of exercises for the different body types, I have provided Endurance GB with workout videos for each of the body types which you can download via the EGB website.

Overview of workout schedule Improving your static posture, and therefore your dynamic (riding) posture, takes time. You will start to notice that you are more aware and in control of your body after the first week or

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the rider’s core

two but to physically see changes will take 6-8 weeks. It’s important not to become disheartened that it isn’t working. It is.

Just keep going.

Regularity of workouts The workouts are simple, yet highly effective and all under 10 minutes. This enables you to fit them easily into a busy equestrian life. To make progress it is essential that you are consistent so aim to do the workouts as below: Week 1-2

Week 3-8

3x per week

4x per week

You will need a gym ball (or cushion) and a length of resistant band for the Kyphotic and Sway Back Workouts. No equipment is needed for the Lordotic workout. *If you have a forward head posture, do the Kyphotic workout.

What does It feel like when you ride with your core?

Understanding what it feels like to ride with your core, so you can assess whether it is correct or flawed, you need proprioception feedback.

Proprioception is your body’s awareness of position and movement in your environment.

Proprioception is a constant feedback loop within your nervous system, telling your brain what position you are in and what forces are acting upon your body at that given point in time.

If you can experience the correct desired result, your body will feedback to your brain how your body is positioned and how that feels. When you come to re-create that desired result, in this case, ‘core’ engagement you will be able to search for that feel.

When you successfully re-create that feel you will know you have the correct desired result – core engagement.

Below are simple cues of how it should feel when your core is engaged, in each gait. To gain proprioception feedback, ask your coach or a

features | endurancegb.co.uk

friend to read out the cues for the gait while recording you, and they can tell you if you are doing it as per the cue.

How you believe you may be riding is typically different to how you are. Watching the video back will provide you with more feedback.

• •

•

movement and at the top of the rise you have that feeling of taking a deep breath in. Your shoulders feel like they are back and pointing downward slightly.

Your arms are bent at the elbow held by the strength in your shoulders and back.

Your legs feel around the horse, not on the horse (gripping) there is light between your knee and the knee flap, when you sit and light between your ankle and the side of the horse when you stand.

Your ankles feel like weight is being pushed through them, from directly above. You feel the stirrups evenly across the ball of your foot.

• In sitting trot

In walk • •

•

•

•

•

•

Your upper body feels straight and strong.

Your chest feels high (imagine taking a deep breath in and that feeling you have deeply inhaled is your chest feeling high).

Your shoulders feel like they are back, and pointing downward slightly (opposed to lifted and pointing forward at the front).

Your arms are extending and contracting softly from your shoulder, following the movement of your horse’s head.

Your pelvis feels secure, connected to your trunk but moves fluidly. You can feel the steps of your horse beneath you.

Your legs feel long and relaxed, with your hips allowing your legs to move gently with the horse, like they are flexing in a gentle wind.

Your ankles are relaxed, and you feel the stirrups evenly across the ball of your foot.

In rising trot •

•

You feel like you are being pushed from your seat upward by your glutes contracting to create a controlled power.

When you rise, your chest leads the

• • • •

•

• •

•

Your upper body feels straight and strong.

Your chest feels high.

Your shoulders feel like they are back, and pointing downward slightly.

Your arms feel light, bent at the elbow, secured by your shoulder and back and your forearms bouncing lightly with the movement of the horse.

Your pelvis bounces in the saddle and you embrace it (not brace against it) using the strength in your upper body and breathing to control the bounce.

Your hips flex gently as your legs hang around the horse, hugging gently.

Your ankles feel like weight is being pushed through them, directly above as the ankle flexes up and down in time with your pelvis bouncing lightly in the saddle.

You feel the stirrups evenly across the ball of your foot.

In canter • • •

•

•

• • • •

Your upper body feels straight and strong.

Your chest feels high.

Your shoulders feel back but slightly held there as if your shoulder blades are trying to touch each other.

Your arms are extending and contracting softly from your shoulder, following the movement of your horse’s head.

Your pelvis is rocking gently back and forth and bouncing lightly with your horse’s stride.

Your legs are around the horse, not on the horse.

Your inside leg is slightly more forward from your hip.

Your outside leg is slightly more back from your hip.

Your ankles feel like weight is being pushed through them, directly above. You feel the stirrups evenly across the ball of your foot. Your ankles flex up and down lightly with the movement of the horse.

In gallop/two-point/jump position •

• •

•

•

•

Bent forward from the hip you feel like your weight is in your bottom, pushing backward and acting as a base stabiliser for your upper body.

Your chest feels high.

Your shoulders feel back but slightly held there as if your shoulder blades are trying to touch each other.

Your arms feel light, bent at the elbow, secured by your shoulder, arms moving back and forth lightly with the movement of the horse.

Your legs feel tense as if you were holding a half squat position and your knees pointing forwards.

Your calves feel stretched and you feel there is more pressure on the ball of your foot from the stirrup.

In summary It takes time to create the strength and ability to automatically ‘ride with your core’ as you may have spent so long using the wrong muscles, seeking incorrect feeling or mislead desired outcomes. But it can and will come if you are prepared to put in the work. Performing the workouts consistently and using the simple cues with the help of a friend or coach will allow you to start to experience how it should feel when your core is engaged.

Using your core in the saddle has so many benefits. Who doesn’t want to improve stability and communication, boost confidence and improve performance while reducing riding associate pain?

Attend the course I’m running a rider core course in Cheshire, and there's one in September, where you can learn in a fun, practical and interactive way. All Endurance GB members receive £25 off the full six-hour day. To claim your discount, visit: www.ridercise.co.uk, simply sign up for your preferred date and email clare@ridercise.co.uk with your Endurance GB member’s number.

the rider’s core

39

AGM and Gala Dinner

Gala Dinner Night 40

agm and gala dinner

features | endurancegb.co.uk

Photos courtesy of David Saunders

AGM 2023 and

T

his is your invitation to the 2023 AGM and Gala Dinner Night to be held on Saturday 25 November 2023 and we will be returning to the Delta Hotel, Warwick. The Gala Dinner will start with pre-dinner drinks at 6:30pm to sit down at 7pm for food. The annual awards will be presented throughout the evening.

The AGM The AGM will start at midday and will take place in the Warwickshire Suite. There will be teas and coffees available, plus a range of stands including Endurance GB merchandise. You will also be able to join the AGM online. You will need to sign up via the event page on the website and indicate your method of attendance.

Please remember that there is a range of deadlines for the AGM: •

• •

Fri 22 September: No later than 5pm.

Nominations for the Board of Directors and receipt of members’ proposals Fri 20 October: Nominations for special awards (to the Chair) Fri 20 October: Distance award claims (via the online shop).

The special awards are: Unsung Hero, the June

Adams award and the Young Volunteer of the Year Award. Further details can be found on the website.

If you received a trophy last year, please do endeavour to return it to the office before the AGM. This will allow us to account for the trophies, and ensure they are in good condition prior to handing them out this year. Please contact the office if you need details.

The Awards Dinner night

With Christmas just around the corner, this year’s theme is Winter Wonderland, where the room will be decorated for the occasion. Dust off your suits and party dresses as we sit down to a three-course meal, followed by the awards and the disco finale until 1am in the Avon Suite. There will also be a festive quiz on each table with some prizes up for grabs. For those who want to continue the party well into the night, the main bar is open 24 hours! If you plan to attend the AGM and stay for the evening, but do not wish to attend the gala dinner, the restaurant bar is open from 6.30-9pm and offers a range of menu options to suit all tastes.

You will be able to book your places for the AGM and Gala Dinner on the website from 7 August.

Overnight stays The Delta Hotel, previously a Hilton, is a 4-star hotel located at junction 15 of the M40 and on the A46, so is easy to get to from anywhere in the UK. The hotel has a large car park with plenty of parking, plus electric charging points. It has recently been refurbished to a high standard, with plenty of public space to sit and relax. There is a bar and restaurant offering a range of food and drinks, plus a gym which is free to use for those staying over.

Endurance GB have allocated rooms for our members, and these can be booked online. The hotel is set over three floors with 381 rooms. Room prices have been reduced for our members and include a buffet breakfast in the main restaurant. The booking code will be available on the event page.

Raffle This year will see the return of the Endurance GB raffle, where members will be able to purchase tickets through the online shop and on the day. If you would like to donate a prize for this, please get in touch with Darren by emailing darrenbutler@endurancegb.co.uk. More information will be announced nearer the time including prizes and how to purchase tickets.

agm and gala dinner

41

Office update

An update

from the office

C

an you believe we are coming to the end of summer already with autumn just around the corner?

So, the plans for this year’s AGM and Gala Dinner are now in full flow, and you can see more about it in the magazine. This is always a highlight for me, as I love meeting you all and putting names to faces.

You will be able to claim your Distance awards from August 7th 2023 and you can do this via the Web Shop. You can claim for distances from 400km. You can then claim 800km, 1600km, 1400km and so on as they go up in 800km increments. These can either be collected from the AGM/Dinner or posted out to you and you have until the end of October to claim them.

We will be in touch with last year’s award winners to arrange collection of your trophies in the near future, so we can get them cleaned, and repaired if necessary, and ready for

42

office update

this year’s winners.

If you never received your upgrade medals and certificates for you and/or your horse, you can now apply for them. If you wish to drop me an email with who you are claiming for, the dates you or you horses upgraded and to which level, I will sort this for you. This includes Open, Advanced and first CER certificates.

Don’t forget, when the season has finished, to request your continuation Mastercard if you have a green Mastercard. You can do this by heading to the Endurance GB shop, Browse Shop and then Member Services and requesting your new card. You can do the same if you need a new yellow one when yours is full. There is no need to post them back to the office.

Remember to also check out the shop on the website where you can purchase a range of Endurance GB items such as bags, car stickers and more.

Finally, I just want to thank everyone for their patience while I was on annual leave during July.

Thank you to John Hudson and Shelley Bates who helped cover in my absence.

Gala Dinner menu Starter Roasted red pepper and tomato soup Duck and orange pâté Leek and potato velouté Main Braised beef blade Cajun spiced salmon Baked spinach and mushroom filo parcel Dessert Chocolate and orange tart

regulars | endurancegb.co.uk

training

43

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