NEWS LET TER - Endurance GB

SOUTH EAST GROUP
NEWSLETTER
ENDURANCE GB
2015 — Issue Four
SOUTH EAST GROUP COMMITTEE 2015
CHAIRMAN, CHILD PROTECTION/
SAFEGUARDING and TEAMS &
TRAINING
ROSEMARY ATTFIELD
Rudgwick, West Sussex
01403 822567
[email protected]
RIDE EQUIPMENT
CO-ORDINATOR and HEALTH AND
SAFETY.
PETER DAVENPORT
Chelwood Gate, West Sussex
01825 740347
[email protected]
VICE-CHAIR and PR (WEBMASTER)
MANDY YARNOLD
Hever, Kent
01342 850028
[email protected]
MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY/PR (NEW
MEMBERS/MEMBERSHIP)
CAROLINE LONG
(see before)
&
TRILBY HERRIOTT
Crowborough, East Sussex
07966 136 560
[email protected]
ASSISTANT WEBMASTER
CAROLINE LONG
Chobham, Surrey
01276 485774
[email protected]
SECRETARY
KATE CURRY
Aston Abbotts, Bucks
01296 681137
[email protected]
TREASURER
JANE COOK
Burgess Hill, West Sussex
01444 244487
[email protected]
2
PR (NEWSLETTER/NATIONAL
MAGAZINE)
LINDSAY SPARROW
Uckfield, East Sussex
01825 769364
[email protected]
&
TRILBY HERRIOTT
(see before)
TROPHY SECRETARY
LEO DAVENPORT
Chelwood Gate, West Sussex
01825 740347
[email protected]
CONTENTS
Articles
4 Chairman‘s Message
6 Cairngorm 100 Mile Ride-Sally Toye
20 Ride Day Secretary Duties and Tips
22 Haywood Oaks 160km FEI 3*-Katie Bedwin
26 Christmas Wish-Lindsay Sparrow
36 Christmas Wish-Rosemary Attfield
41 Christmas Wish-Leo Davenport
42 My Lindum Spirit-Hilary Weaver
46 Time Keeper Duties and Tips
48 A Pleasure Ride-from both sides
51 How not to pull on the reins
58 Floyd does Camp
62 Editorial
Notices
12 South East Group Branch Annual Meeting
Details
19 Obituary-Christine White
27 South East Group Awards 2015
30 How to Register for Awards 2015
Ride Reports
15 Ashdown Forest Ride Report
17 Ashdown Forest Helpers
56 Inter-Regionals
61 Berkshire Downs Helpers
Forthcoming Events
35 Pub Nights
Forms
13 BAM Ticket Application Form
14 2016 Newsletter Subscription
Form
32 Trophy Registration Form
40 South East Group Committee
Nominations Form
Classifieds
25 Saddles for Sale
Adverts
18 Rosemary Attfield, Level 3 Coach.
38 Performance Equestrian
57 On the Hoof Distance Training
64 Cliffe Equine Veterinary Practice
3
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
Where has this season gone? As I write this message to you, we are
down to the last couple of rides and we will soon be celebrating our
BAM at our new venue on 6th December.
A huge thank you to the ride organisers Katie Bedwin, Leo and
Peter Davenport and their helpers at Hornshill and Ashdown
national rides and Linda Herriot, Jane Cook for organising and their
helpers for the training rides they have run at Plumpton, Friston and
Firle. Jane needs a special mention for running so many training
rides along with the forth coming national ride at Devils Dyke.
Congratulations to all of you who have been successful at the
national rides and to Sally Toye on Mia who went all the way to
Scotland to do a 160km in twenty four hours over the Cairngorms
finishing 2nd. Katie Bedwin on Layla who was 2nd by a nostril at the
FEI 120km young riders class at Hanslope and winning the FEI one
star Young Riders 80km class at College with Burfield Goodie Two
Shoes along with Christine Smythe on Al Raad bin Jesra winning the
senior FEI one star. The two of them rode the whole distance
together.
The South East Group took a team to Cranwich for the Inter
Regional championships. The team consisted of Katie Bedwin on
Burfield Goodie Two Shoes in the 80km CER who finished 6th,
Christine Smythe on Al Raad Bin Jesra who brilliantly won the 64km
performance formula and Mandy Yarnold on Penhwnllys Samala de
Mons who unfortunately had to retire as Mandy‘s back went into
spasm. Caroline Long on Apollos Tara getting a grade 1 and Linda
Herriott on Zahkira getting a grade 2 in the 80km two day ride.
Debbie Horney on Sparks Will Fly who both a grade 1 and Jessica
Sedgwick on Good Morgan who won the performance formula both
were in the 42km class. Carole Portlock on Kilbeg Flash and Sally
Ann Filtness on SF Ambassador Amir who got grade 1‘s in their
33km class. Commiserations to Kym Cooksley on M&S Apaches
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Blue Eyed Boy who was lame at the finish of the 40km class and
Susan Hawes, Sally Toye and Kate Curry whose horses could not
compete for various reasons. A huge thank you to Kate Curry who
having driven up with Doyenne and finding herself unable to
compete leapt in and did sterling work crewing in the vet gate on
the first day and crewing Jessica out on course on the second day,
without her help I am sure the team would not have come 4th which
was a great result having lost three of our team before the start.
If anyone would like to make a team for Rufus on the 11th October
let me know. All distances are required and if there is enough we
can make up several teams. It is the last ride of the season so
come and have fun.
Finally congratulations to Sally Toye and Judith Yarnold, who have
both made the English squad for the Home International. We wish
our English team all the luck in the world at Red Dragon. We hope
they come back with the trophy again.
I am wondering if you would prefer (or even as well) to have some
training for a day or half day through the winter or if you prefer the
residential weekend at Hornshill. Please email or speak to me how
you all feel and I will try and follow your wishes.
Good luck to all who are going to compete at Red Dragon and the
other remaining rides this season and I look forward to seeing you
all at our BAM and Awards Dinner in December.
Rosemary
5
The Cairngorm
100 mile Ride
Sally Toye
(Photos Roselyne O‟Neill)
This ride first came onto my radar from Becka Northover who
was thinking about it and suggested I look at it too. A one day,
one hundred „miler‟. I have a thing for this type of ride! They
are, for me, the ultimate in endurance. It is the great challenge
of a horse and rider at the extreme end of our sport and the
management of both. Also, again for me, I love that stage you
get to at about 70 to 80 miles where you know you are going to
have to dig a little and if you have managed yourself and your
horse supremely you will find out what is left in the bank for you
and for your horse! At Tevis it is widely thought that endurance
doesn‟t really come into the ride until 75 miles plus when you
find out much about yourself and your mount.
This was a brand new ride run by Clive Pollitt who I knew of as
he is a Tevis buckle holder like myself. My record is 9 starts and
5 finishes Clive has a better success rate of 2 in 2 rides! He has
also been to the Quilty in Australia, which had always been
something I thought about until I realised it was just a loop ride
out of a venue. Clive‟s 100 miler was about getting round and
the welfare of the horse was paramount with the catchy strap
line “One horse one day one hundred miles” and a very snazzy
and pretty buckle for the finishers. It was a linear route none of
this cussed going back into the venue 7 or 8 times. The route
was to be from Aviemore to Glen Cova and it was all sounding
pretty cool. There is something wonderful about actually going
somewhere and the reliance on oneself in the mountains…
I managed to get together a fabulous team. Becka as crew
chief, Lorna Skinner who is an equine and human
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physiotherapist and she brought her friend Julie Smith who was
an able pair of horsey hands and very welcome. We had Mia my
£800 chestnut Arab mare I bought as a project 3 years ago as
no one wanted her. I have gradually been increasing her fitness
and spent the last six months doing training specific to this ride.
I had been working on getting her to do an easy pace of trot at
consistent speed using minimal energy.
We made it to the 4am start having had perfect preparation so I
knew it was just my work now! I remember some of the most
gorgeous views as the sun came up. I have etched into my
brain silver light on a small loch surrounded by black mountains
and the smells of a dawn of pine and peaty earth as we trotted
into the day.
I was lucky enough to team up with Susi Sadler (Mongol Derby
finisher and ex Young Rider) and Les Spark (of saddle fame)
and we spent much of the day in very pleasant company
swopping the lead and helping each other with water (I used
my canvas bucket to get to water when we couldn‟t due to rocks
and watered the horses) and sloshing the horses with sponges.
There was some lovely banter and happy miles.
7
I knew this ride was going to be different when at Vet Gate 1
Clive got the BBQ out and started cooking sausages and yummy
food. It had a feeling of family. Clive continued to stalk us all
day on a quad bike and was omnipresent checking we were
doing ok on this, his inaugural ride. Our team of three riders
were back markers as we just took it steady with the 10,000
feet of climbs and descents and the, at times, tough terrain. We
also knew the last 20 miles would be the hardest when we
would be most tired, here there was a huge climb then a final
dramatic descent.
All day we nibbled away at the miles in between vet checks, our
crew saw us at all the checks and twice en route. They had
quite a lot of miles to do too, more than us that‟s for sure.
Whenever I came into a check they had set up camp and there
was time for us to re-fuel and rest, Mia loved having her own
physio!
After the last major check there was one crew spot and then
one vet check on course before the finish. It was time to pull it
all out of the bag as here was the big hill, darkness and possibly
some weather. Again silver light and jet black dark mountains
8
surrounding us with just a route that went up into the hills.
Clouds rolled over the mountains and played and lowered in the
lee of the hills. Spots of rain too.
And then there was a light in a caravan? I thought I was seeing
things. It disappeared and I wondered if I was seeing things (a
previous experience from Tevis had me hallucinating from lack
of food and I couldn‟t work out what my brain was doing as I
had eaten loads!!) The light came back and I realised the path
had a curve in it and my tired brain had been unable to work
that out! Here was the last checkpoint. Here was Clive again
and some fascinating people too in this vet check. Here was a
small bothy and we vetted in the bothy with a trot up by torch/
car light. I wanted to stay and rest a bit and get food in the
horses but Clive was pushing us on. He offered coffee…”ooooo
yes please an Americano with an extra shot” and sure enough it
came, it was lush.
We found out why Clive wanted us to move on as next we had
weather and lots of it. Wind and driving rain. Then we came to
the hill. We had climbed for a while then it was the 1000 foot
9
drop into Glen Cova. We all got off. In the driving rain markers
were difficult to see so I tracked the path with the switch backs.
Mia did brilliantly, I fell over several times as it was slippy turf
and boulders and wet. Next we had a biggish stream to ford
with boulders in the dark, that was interesting and after some
encouragement Mia followed exactly my route through, I was so
proud of her. At the bottom Becka was there in her car and we
followed her 3 miles or so into the finish with another car
behind. We were the last to finish and vetted quickly and I was
beginning to shiver! We had made it finishing sound with pulses
46/47 yahoo!! My crew had got a stable ready for Mia and I was
put to bed in dry clothes after lots of fuss about my brave
pony…
Next day we all had Best Condition judging (2nd to a very well
deserved Susi) and second overall to me much to my surprise. I
was given a Cairngorm 100 mile buckle. This ride is not just
about placing but about your vet scores during the day and your
placing! Clive wanted to run a ride where it was not about
speed. He wanted a ride about endurance and a ride about
horsemanship and the challenge of a linear 24 hours route. He
10
also wanted it to be small in numbers. This is a ride where you
apply to ride, your entry is not just a given, you are going into
mountains where you are not going to be seeing crew every 30
minutes so you need outdoor sense too. To me this is
endurance and what I love. Nicely though he wants this ride to
be do-able and it certainly is. We were very lucky with the
weather and I have learnt much and want to go back!!
One of my favourite bits of the weekend was the Sunday
evening meal in the Glen Cova hotel sitting on a long table
swapping stories and giggling with new friends and fellow
riders. This was the best weekend I have had for many years
summed up by “one horse one day one hundred miles.”
For more photos, see Roselyne‘s Flickr page
https://www.flickr.com/photos/an-equine-art/
11
SOUTH EAST GROUP
Branch Annual Meeting (BAM) AND AWARDS
PRESENTATION
Tilgate Forest Golf Centre, Titmus Drive,
Tilgate, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 5EU
SATURDAY 5th December 2015
http://www.glendalegolf.co.uk/tilgate-forestgolf-centre
The BAM will commence promptly at 6pm, followed by a 3
course dinner (vegetarian option available) with a glass of
wine or sparkling elderflower. The speaker this year is Pam
James, on the History of the Golden Horseshoe. Finally there
will be the presentation of the annual distance rosettes and
awards and trophies.
If you are a Ride Organiser, then you are entitled to one free
ticket per ride day.
Tickets are on a first-come-first-served basis, as limited to 80.
There will be the usual Raffle in aid of South East Group funds
— please bring along raffle prizes on the night!
Trophy Cards should be sent to Leo BEFORE Friday 16th
October. Send to: Leo Davenport, Reapyears, Streeters
Rough, Chelwood Gate, West Sussex RH17 7LL
Please see the SE Group Website for more details
www.endurancegbsoutheast.co.uk
12
ENDURANCE GB SOUTH EAST GROUP
BAM & AWARDS DINNER TICKET FORM
Tilgate Forest Golf Centre, Crawley, West Sussex
SATURDAY 5th December 2015
thIs
tear
Please
ticket (s) @ £20 each.
Tick here if you are claiming a Free Ride
Organiser ticket (One ticket per day ride)
Ride Organised :
page
out
Please send me
Please tick here if you require the vegetarian option.
NAME
ADDRESS
TEL NO
CHEQUES PAYABLE TO ‗ENDURANCE GB SE‘
Send to: Jane Cook, 29 Nye Road, Burgess Hill RH15 0JY
To arrive by latest Friday 13th November 2015
Please order your tickets promptly (first-come-first-served)
13
SOUTH EAST GROUP
NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION 2016
£14 (4 issues)
Cheque payable to: ENDURANCE GB SE
Please send to:
Jane Cook, 29 Nye Road, Burgess Hill RH15 0JY
NAME:
_
ADDRESS:
_
POST CODE:
E MAIL:
EGB MEMBERSHIP NO:
14
_ TEL
_
ASHDOWN FOREST
EGB RIDE
25th July2015
It doesn‘t matter how
often you run rides, they always turn up some new little problem
each year to keep us ride organisers on our toes. Our trailer acts as
the Secretary & TS accommodation on the day, but we are not
allowed to bring anything to the venue the day before, so we
carefully packed it with all the ride equipment the night before,
hitched up, locked up and left it ready to go for our early start the
next day. Ride morning started with a quick early morning dash
round our yard at home to dispense picnic breakfasts to our horses
out in the field. Then we jumped in the waiting Landrover and
drove the 6 miles to arrive at the deserted car park on the top of
Ashdown Forest at 6am ready to turn it into a venue before the first
horses arrived. We let down the ramp of the trailer and a voice said
Meow and there was William our ginger cat lazily stretching after a
pleasant night spent in the box of Secretary‘s paperwork! He then
spent some time shut in the Landrover happily watching
proceedings through the window until my daughter, summoned
from her bed, drove over to transport him home again. William was
quite unfazed by it all of course, but Carol did have to hunt around
for some of her Secretary‘s bits and pieces which had mysteriously
been ‗reorganised‘ during the course of the night.
I‘m not sure whether to say the weather was kind to us or that the
weather was unkind to us! It was kind in that ride day came at the
end of a prolonged dry spell so parking at the venue along the
rough forest tracks was easy. It was most unkind to us because the
day before the ride, marking day, the heavens opened and there
was a monsoon for 12 hours. The marking done early in the
morning on dry ground survived the inch and a half of water that fell
on it fairly well. The marking unavoidably done later in the day by
poor drowned helpers onto wet ground was not very visible the next
morning. I spent a sleepless night listening to the continuing
15
downpour imagining streams of orange chalk arrows floating past!
So a huge thank you is due to those kind volunteers who re-walked
miles early on ride morning reapplying them. Unfortunately the
Conservators only allow us to mark on foot, not even a bicycle may
be used on the Forest, so there is no option of a quick fix. They did
a fantastic job and I think only a couple of early riders beat them to
it on some sections of the course. The weather was kind to us in
that the rain stopped at 7am on ride morning and we had a dry
pleasant day, making near perfect riding conditions. The weather
was also semi-kind to us possibly, depending on how you look at it,
in that the following day the downpour recommenced which did
make the arrows easier to scrub out again (as requested by the
Ashdown Conservators), but did make it fairly unpleasant trudging
around crouching down with a scrubbing brush in the rain!! The
conditions did emphasise just how lucky we had been with the
weather on ride day though!!
Talking of helpers, we had lots of lovely volunteers this year and
that made our job so much easier, so thank you so much to you all.
Hopefully it also made it more fun for everyone helping as they were
not rushed off their feet trying to do 10 things at once, and it made
everything easy and efficient for the riders.
Hopefully everyone who rode enjoyed the day. We certainly had
some great feedback from many happy riders, so thank you so
much for that. We felt the day ran smoothly, everyone completed
the course in good time and the vast majority were successful at
the vettings. Regrettably we had one complaint about discourteous
riding from a member of the public. Ashdown Forest is a muchused busy public space so we can only reiterate our pleas to ride
considerately and give space to other users of the tracks.
Unfortunately entries were rather low, especially for the competitive
classes, which was very disappointing. Our date did clash with
Lindum (Lincolnshire) but it was a month since the previous SE ride,
so we were surprised to have received so few by closing date. Late
entries and some extra arm-twisting and marketing did improve
things a bit and we just about had sufficient by the day to keep us
out of the red, but it was hard work and stressful not knowing until
the last few days whether we would have to cancel or not,
16
particularly at a time when a Ride Organiser is not exactly short of
things to do and worry about! We are seriously considering just
offering PR classes in future to reduce the expenses if there is as
little interest in the graded ride classes next season. You have
been warned!!
Peter & Leo
ASHDOWN FOREST RIDE 2015 -HELPERS
Organisers
Peter & Leo Davenport
TS
Cindy Russell
Ride Secretary
Carol McLean, Judith Yarnold& Sally Clay
Timekeeper
Kevin & Susan Hawes
Vet Steward
Caroline Sutherland
Vet Writer
Jenny Newman &Steph Allum
Runner
Isabelle Cook & Steve Cook
Parking
Bernie Pridmore, David & Caroline
Hawes
Health & Safety
Caroline Sutherland
CP1 & road crossing
Sue Armitage, Kim Carter, Sue Hyden&
Fi Sanderson
CP2
Erica McQuillen& Vicky Lawson
A22 road crossing
Miranda Kavanagh, Hannah Weeks &
Karen Titterington
CP3
Charlie Davenport
CP4 & road crossing
Jessica, Neil & Claire Sedgwick, Nicky
Lee-Marshall & Trilby Herriott
Packed lunches
Caroline & Callum Sutherland
Route Marking
Trilby Herriott, Nicky Lee-Marshall, Kim
Carter, Steph Allum, Caroline Thompson, Charlie Davenport, Leo
Davenport & Peter Davenport
Extra special emergency route marking on day!
Trilby
Herriott, Nicky Lee-Marshall & Kim Carter. Thank you all so much.
De-marking
Kevin, Susan, David & Caroline Hawes,
Caroline Thompson, Leo, Peter & Charlie Davenport, Trilby & Linda
Herriott.
17
DO YOU NEED HELP?
If you need a Top Class
Qualified Instructor
and a UKCC Level 3
Coach
LOOK NO FURTHER...
I have many years experience and success with Riders and Horses
both Internationally and Nationally in the following disciplines:
Endurance, Show Jumping and Eventing.
Come for a weekend at Hornshill or have a lesson here or at home
Have help with an annual ride plan.
Good Competitive Prices - for more details:
Email Rosemary Attfield on: [email protected]
Or phone: 01403 822567
18
Obituary
Christine White 1935-2015
Christine White died on 3rd July 2015, just short of her 80th
birthday.
She was for many years the British Horse Society’s Regional
Bridleways Officer for South East England and did much to
ensure that rights of way for horse-riders were protected. Her
permanent memorial can be seen by those driving on the M25
north of Sevenoaks, as an elegant high bridge over the
motorway, where she had refused to allow an existing
bridleway to be diverted several miles when the motorway was
built, and had insisted that a bridge be built to keep the
bridleway on its original route.
She was also an accomplished rider herself. She undertook
several long rides, including from her home on the Ashdown
Forest in Sussex to her daughter’s home several miles beyond
Exeter.
This led her to becoming an active member of Endurance GB.
Although she was never successful in completing the Golden
Horseshoe Ride for 2 days over Exmoor, she did succeed in the
one day Exmoor Stag class, and for many years did well in
endurance rides all across Southern England, from the
Cotswolds to the South Coast.
Alan White
19
This is an important job as you are the first person that the riders
(some of whom may be anxious and stressed) will be interacting with.
A cheerful, friendly and calm demeanor will inspire confidence and diffuse possible friction.
Although all stationery items should be provided it‟s a good idea to
bring a few different coloured pens and magic markers as they tend to
go walkabout!
Please arrive in good time, so that the Secretary‟s Tent/Box is up and
running well in time for the early birds.
Find out any crucial details for the day - route changes, hold times,
crew points - any queries refer to the T.S.
Duties:
Checking in riders against the list of classes - checking the horse name
against the rider‟s.
Inspecting master cards, making sure they are filled in fully and correctly with class and distance.
Checking membership cards and horse registration cards - refer any
issue to the T.S.
Collecting any additional or outstanding monies due. Getting signatures on entry forms, if necessary. Collecting the Parental permission
envelopes and keeping them in a safe place for the duration of the
ride.
Making notes of withdrawals and no shows - (bib numbers to be circulated to the checkpoints)
It is best to hand the bib to the rider to ensure they have the right
number - unfold it as occasionally the wrong bib gets in the wrong
pocket!
Downgrading on the day - Make a note on your list that they have
changed class, and re-enter them in the class they wish to ride in - use
a different colour pen.
20
At regular intervals share your list of no-shows, withdrawals, class
changes with Raynet (if present) or the T.S. for distribution to the
stewards around the course.
As the T.S. processes the vet sheets, they and the mastercards come
back to you it is your job to put all the rider‟s paperwork and the appropriate rosette into the correct bib pocket. Return parental permission envelopes.
Ask the T.S. for permission for you to sign riders‟ completed trophy
cards and thus saving him/her a job.
Riders will hassle you for their results - ascertain if they have a genuine reason for haste before bothering the T.S. who will be flat out at
this stage. If it‟s just impatience they will have to wait.
If there is a halfway elimination inform Raynet (or Ride Organiser T.S. will now be snowed under).
All the bibs back! Hurrah! Your work is done J Help pack up your
office and off you go. Don‟t forget to get your trophy card signed.
Thank you for volunteering to do this demanding job and helping with our
ride - its hugely appreciated by both the riders and organisers alike
EGB SE would like to thank the Iceni Group for allowing us to use their
fact sheets as a basis for our own.
Leo Davenport and Mandy Yarnold at Berkshire Downs EGB Ride 2015
21
Haywood Oaks CEI *** 160km
Katie Bedwin and Elayla
The planning of this season for my two horses, Elayla and
Burfield Goodie Two Shoes proved challenging, as I had
big goals to meet, whilst fitting in my A S exams, Gold
Duke of Edinburgh‟s award (DofE) and a volunteering trip
to Tanzania - 2015 was going to be busy!
We decided that Layla would go to The Forest of Dean, for
the 66km and if all went well she would do the (dreaded!)
160km at Haywood Oaks. If we completed it would qualify
Layla for selection for the European and World Elite
Championships, providing we completed at 14kph or more.
However as the rider I would still need to do another CEI
2* 120km to qualify. Like I said, big goals!
Forest of Dean was a great success with a pulse of 39
within five minutes of finishing the 66km at just over
13kph, and my entry for the CEI *** 160km was
(tentatively) sent off the next morning!
After a hard 5 days in Dartmoor for my practice expedition
for DofE, I came back in one piece ready to take Shoes the
following weekend to Graffham Down. She completed her
first 64km successfully and at 13.3hh she is definitely a
pocket rocket pony! Since then she has completed three
80km rides and will do her first CEI * 80km at Keysoe.
We travelled up to Haywood Oaks on the Thursday, to
ensure Layla had enough time to recover from the journey
and miss the bad traffic. We met the rest of my crew team
up there and we settled Layla in her lovely stable at a
private yard and with help from the yard owners, Layla
and I ventured off to ride the way back to the venue. I
was keen to do this so that if we were to make it to the
last loop on Saturday, Layla would know the way home.
22
Friday morning came and my nerves were higher than
ever, but we set the vet gate up and my crew went off to
recce the crewing points whilst Layla and I went for a leg
stretch and a chat about what we were going to do the
next day!
Layla was then made smart and plaited up, ready for the
pre - ride vetting. All A's and a pass, we were allowed to
start at least! I also had my first experience of being
weighed in. As this was a senior class, the rider and their
Saddle have to make at least 75kg. Being quite little this
was difficult for me, but I was determined that I wasn't
going to carry any lead weights, so cake and weights in
the gym were my best friends for months before!
After the briefing and dinner an early night was had by all,
ready for the 4am start , or 3am for Granny, who got up to
feed Layla.
As you can probably imagine, eating anything at this time
would be hard, but with my nerves, I'm still not sure how I
managed to eat the porridge that was forced down but I
did and Layla and I were ready to go!
There were three other combinations in 160km class which
started in the dark at 6am. We rode together at about
14.5kph round the first half of the first loop. Unfortunately
this is where we lost the first horse who retired on course.
I then let the other combination, Tricia Hirst go on because
I felt the speed was getting quicker than I wanted to go
and I needed to stick at my rhythm of 14.5kph.
The first vet gate came and we presented to the vet in
under 2 mins. All A's and good heart rates so we then had
our first 40mins hold and got back out on our next loop. I
was very lucky to have such a good crew team that
allowed me to rest in every vet gate, something I was very
grateful for by loop 5!
23
Vet gate 2 and 3 came and both times we presented within
the two minutes with good heart rates and with all A‟s. The
course was still riding well, but we had been on our own
since half way round the first loop and both Layla and I
were feeling the loneliness, but Layla was eating and
drinking well so everyone was happy.
Into vet gate 4 and 120km completed -this was the
furthest Layla and I had ever gone and there was two
vettings to pass this vet gate - I was worried! But once
again Layla was quite happy with all A's and good heart
rates. She ate and drank well and was ready for her reexamine 15mins before we left on loop 5. We were given
the all clear and left for the penultimate 20km loop. By
now I was getting tired and was counting down the
kilometres!
Another lovely 20km despite the distance we had already
completed and we were into vet gate 5 - only 2 more
vettings to pass! Yet another clear vetting with Layla's
amazing heart rates still staying low and all A's. We were
allowed to go out on the last loop!!!
Now I'm not going to say it was a nice last loop...it was
the hardest 20km of my life! But I think someone told
Layla I needed the help because the little mare just kept
cantering. After the first crew place we had to have our
torches turned on because it was going dark - very scary,
and was very grateful to see the car escorts on each of the
road sections. We kept going and I just kept talking to
stop me thinking how dark it was!
We finally came into the finish, just 6 mins behind the
winner! I couldn't watch any of the vettings all day but
even I turned round to watch my little opinionated
chestnut mare trot back sound on the trot up after
completing 160km. Yet again good heart rates and to be
24
told we'd finished 2nd in our first CEI *** 160km....well I
thought I was dreaming!
Layla and I were tucked up in bed, both of us too tired to
eat anything!! Then we were up the next day ready for the
fit to travel inspection. Layla was given the full clear and I
was told that she didn't look like she had been anywhere This meant more to me than anything!
I must say a huge thank you to my crew of James, Paula,
Alex and Sarah who couldn't have done more for me or
Layla all day. My family and friends who put up with the
endless weekends away! My sponsors, Derrière Equestrian
and team of professionals that keep Layla and me in
working order, and last but no means least Layla, who I
owe everything to!
Katie Bedwin
SADDLES FOR SALE
Wintec Isabelle Synthetic Dressage saddle
Black, 17.5 inch, Blue Gullet (Medium wide) with CAIR.
This saddle is the 2006 model so is before the design
changes.
It is in good condition as was only used as a spare.
£350
Meadow Creek black leather saddle.
17.5 inch medium wide gullet.
In good condition hence £300
Hilary Weaver, Bexhill on Sea 07703367919
25
All I want for Christmas...
Lindsay Sparrow
A HorseHealth Lemieux Four Seasons Rug!
I don’t need one, as have a perfectly good, functioning
Thermatex, that I have had for nearly 20 years,
but the Four Seasons rug from Horsehealth just
looks so lovely...!
And they do neck covers as well...!
www.horsehealth.co.
26
uk
27
ENDURANCE GB SOUTH EAST
GROUP AWARDS 2015
To participate:

RIDER must be member/associate member of South East Group
of EGB.
RIDER MUST CARRY OUT A HELP ONE AND A HELP TWO AS DETAILED BELOW. This is compulsory to qualify for Group Awards.
These are ANNUAL awards with points/kilometres for current season only
counting.
GROUP TROPHY RECORD CARD. Obtainable from Membership Sec. Use
separate card for each HORSE. Card to be filled-in by rider and signature of
Ride TS/Organiser/Secretary obtained for each ride successfully completed.
Helper section of back of card also to be filled-in by rider and signature of Ride
TS/Organiser/Secretary obtained each time the rider helps.
COMPLETED TROPHY RECORD CARDS TO BE SENT TO TROPHY SECRETARY (LEO DAVENPORT) BY FRIDAY 16th OCTOBER 2015 TOGETHER
COMPLETED
2015TROPHY
REGISTRATION
FORM
(downloadable from SEG website, issued with autumn SEG Newsletter, or sae to trophy or membership secretary).
HELP ONE. To be at a SOUTH EAST GROUP COMPETITIVE RIDE
omnibus schedule) ON RIDE DAY.
(in
2015: Tilford, Graffham Downs, Southdowns, Primrose, Berkshire Downs,
Hornshill, Ashdown Forest, Devils Dyke.
HELP TWO. To be at a SOUTH EAST GROUP COMPETITIVE RIDE ON RIDE
DAY OR BEFORE OR AFTER (e.g. marking, demarking, setting up venue, etc),
OR AT A SOUTH EAST GROUP PLEASURE RIDE (2015 SEG PR: Tillingham Valley, Plumpton. Friston Forest, Church Farm Coombes, Firle,) EITHER ON RIDE
DAY OR BEFORE OR AFTER, OR AT A SOUTH EAST GROUP SEMINAR, TRAINING EVENT, TRADE STAND, PROMOTIONAL EVENT.
ORGANISING ONE SOUTH EAST GROUP COMPETITIVE OR PLEASURE
RIDE WILL BE CLASSED AS A “HELP ONE” AND A “HELP TWO”.
BEING ENTRIES SECRETARY (taking entries before the day) FOR SOUTH
EAST COMPETITIVE OR PLEASURE RIDE WILL BE CLASSED AS A
“HELP ONE”.
28
„HELP ONE‟ MUST BE MADE BY THE RIDER, NOT CREW OR OTHER NOMINATED PERSON.
„HELP TWO‟ MAY BE CARRIED OUT BY THE RIDER OR THE RIDER MAY
NOMINATE ANOTHER PERSON TO CARRY OUT THE „HELP TWO‟ ON THEIR
BEHALF, IN WHICH CASETWO „HELP TWO‟ MUST BE CARRIED OUT BY
A NOMINATED PERSON.
If a horse is ridden by more than one rider, then EACH RIDER must
fulfil the helping rules.
If a rider rides more than one horse, the rider only needs to fulfil the helping rules („Help One plus Help Two‟) but must enter the details on the cards
for each of the horses ridden.
HELPING AT ANY RIDES RUN BY OTHER EGB GROUPS THAN THE
SOUTH EAST GROUP DOES NOT QUALIFY.
The Committee will publish a list of events during the year as they are decided
upon. It is at the discretion of the Committee as to which events are to be
included. The Committee also reserve the right to include additional events
during the course of the year.
ANYONE HELPING FOUR TIMES OR MORE IN A SEASON AT SOUTH
EAST GROUP RUN EVENTS WILL RECEIVE A £5 VOUCHER FOR EACH
HELP FROM HELP NO: 4 UPWARDS. THESE WILL BE TOTALLED AT
THE END OF THE SEASON AND VOUCHERS ISSUED WHICH CAN BE
REDEEMED DURING THE 2016 SEASON AGAINST ANY PAYMENT TO
ENDURANCE GB SE (e.g. SE pleasure ride entry fees, SE AGM dinner
tickets, SE merchandise bought, SE training event entry fees, SE
newsletter subscription).
PLEASE ENTER ALL HELPS ON YOUR TROPHY RECORD CARD AND
SEND IT TO LEO DAVENPORT AT THE END OF THE SEASON EVEN IF
YOU HAVEN‟T COMPLETED ANY/MANY RIDES SO THAT THE VOUCHERS CAN BE CALCULATED. WE ALSO HAVE HELPERS TROPHIES THAT
YOU MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR.
29
CALCULATING TROPHY WINNERS.
All trophies are ANNUAL AWARDS and only points & kilometres from 2015 EGB
rides will count.
Points are calculated as per EGB Rules. They are awarded for completing GER
and CER classes. Points are awarded for distance completed with a higher
number of points per kilometre being awarded as the distance increases. In
addition bonus points are awarded for grading level in GER and placing in CER
classes. CER placing points are also based on the number of competitors in
the class. See omnibus schedule for full details.
No points are awarded for PR classes. However the kilometres ridden in these
classes will be counted towards some of our trophies where the winner is
based on highest number of kilometres completed, rather than highest points
awarded – see individual trophies for details.
For the majority of the trophies, your highest points from TEN competitive
rides run by ANY EGB GROUP will be used.
Some trophies are more restricted – see individual trophies.
All competitive rides run under EGB/FEI rules in GB count.
Pleasure Rides count kilometres towards certain trophies only – see individual
trophies.
For Breed Trophies, it is rider‟s responsibility to ensure Trophy Sec has copy of
the horse‟s breed certificate on file.
In event of tie on points for highpoint trophies, the horse with highest kilometres will win.
In event of tie on kilometres in highest distance trophies, horse with highest
best ten points will win.
30
IMPORTANT – ANNUAL SE GROUP TROPHIES &
MILEAGE ROSETTES
Presented at our Branch Annual Meeting & Awards Evening on Saturday 5th December 2015
TO CALCULATE THE WINNERS, I NEED
YOU
TO DO THE FOLLOWING PLEASE:-
PLEASE COMPLETE 2015 TROPHY REGISTRATION FORM ASAP
SEND
1.
COMPLETED TROPHY REGISTRATION FORM
2.
COMPLETED TROPHY RECORD CARD (YELLOW CARD)
TO: LEO DAVENPORT, REAPYEARS, STREETERS ROUGH, CHELWOOD GATE, HAYWARDS HEATH RH17 7LL
Scanned documentation can be emailed to [email protected] if you prefer, but it
must show all the required details, including helps, and must reach me by 16th October
at the very latest.
PLEASE SEND AS SOON AS YOU HAVE DONE YOUR LAST RIDE OF THE SEASON
IT MUST ARRIVE BY FRIDAY 16TH OCTOBER 2015 TO BE COUNTED.
This is the absolute deadline as otherwise we cannot get the rosettes
made in time for the B.A.M.
Remember that each rider must have helped at two South East Group
run events in 2014. “Help One” must be at a SEG Competitive ride on
ride day and must be done by the rider in person. “Help Two” to be at
a SEG Competitive or Pleasure Ride or other SEG event & may be on
the ride day, before or afterwards. If wanted the rider may nominate
another person to carry out their “Help Two” on their behalf; in which
case the TWO “Help Two” must be carried out by nominated people.
If a horse has been ridden by more than one rider, each rider must
have helped twice for the mileage to count. However, if a rider has
ridden more than one horse, then their two helps will count for every
horse they have ridden. Being the Organiser of a SEG competitive or
pleasure ride will count as both your helping requirements. Being Entries Secretary (taking entries before the day) for a SEG competitive or
31
pleasure ride counts as your “Help One”. [Helping at rides run by
other EGB Groups does not qualify].
We have all sorts of different awards so do please take the trouble to
send me the details even if you have not done many rides this season.
There are rosettes to 6th place for each trophy. There are trophies for
novices, shorter distance rides, PR, different breeds, veterans and
many more as well as for advanced horses. There are also annual
mileage rosettes for each horse which count all un-vetted Group PR,
plus vetted PR, GER & CER distance completed successfully during the
2015 season.
We also have awards for helpers, so again please send me the details
of your helping even if you have not ridden at any rides or just at a
few.
There are also crew awards, so don’t forget to send me details of your
trusty crew too.
Can we also have your written nominations for suitable candidates for
The Margaret Montgomerie Trophy awarded to the person considered by the Committee to have been an ‘unsung hero’ during the
2015 season.
Plus your written nominations for our ‘To Finish Is To Win’ Award
awarded to the person considered by the Committee to best fit that
criteria in 2015.
We want as many people as possible to go home with a rosette or
trophy, but I need to know what you have achieved, so please blow
your own trumpet and send me the details!!
Many thanks
Leo
30
32
ENDURANCE GB SOUTH EAST GROUP - Trophy Registration Form 2015
Please return this form at the END of your season (OR BY FRIDAY 16th OCTOBER 2015 AT THE VERY LATEST) with your completed SEG TROPHY CARD to: Leo Davenport, Reapyears, Streeters Rough, Chelwood Gate RH17 7LL, or scan & email to me:
[email protected]
H O R S E D E TA I L S
Horse Name: …………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Horse EGB Registration No:…………………………………………………………………………..
Horse’s First Competitive Season?
Yes / No
Veteran Horse (18+ years on 1/1/15)?
Yes / No
Pony 14.2hh & under?
Yes / No
Horse Registered with a Breed Society?
Yes / No
If so, which Society: ........................................................................................
Please enclose a copy of the Breed Certificate if not already held by the SEG Trophy Secretary (check with the Trophy Secreta ry if not sure
[email protected]).
Horse Upgraded to Open during 2015?
Yes / No
Horse Upgraded to Advanced during 2015?
Yes / No
Was this horse ridden by another rider/s this season?
Yes / No
If YES, Complete Rider Details below for each rider (use separate sheet for each please).
PLEASE REMEMBER EACH RIDER MUST HAVE HELPED TWICE AT SE GROUP RUN RIDES
see trophy rules for exact details – www.endurancegbsoutheast.co.uk
R I D E R D E TA I L S
Rider Name: ..................................................................................................
Rider EGB Membership No: …………………………………………………………………………..
Novice Rider in First Competitive Season?
Yes / No
Novice Rider at end of Season?
Yes / No
Male Rider?
Yes / No
Veteran Rider (55 years & over on 1/1/15)?
Yes / NO
Veteran Rider on Veteran Horse (age on 1/1/15)?
Yes / No
Junior Rider (8-13 yrsinc on 1/1/14)?
Yes / No
Young Rider (14-21 yrsinc on 1/1/14)?
Yes /No
Did you compete any other horse/s this season?
Yes / No
If YES, Complete Horse Details above for each horse (use separate sheet for each please).
IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR CREW TO RECEIVE A CREW AWARD, PLEASE INCLUDE SHORT DESCRIPTION ON SEPARATE SHEET AS TO WHY YOU THINK THEY ARE THE BEST CREW OUT THERE.
YOUR NOMINATION FOR THE UNSUNG HERO AWARD:
……………………………………………………………………………………………………
(Current committee members are not eligible for this award)
YOUR NOMINATION FOR “TO FINISH IS TO WIN AWARD 2015”:
………………………………………………………………………………………….
IF YOU HAVE HELPED BUT NOT RIDDEN MUCH/OR EVEN AT ALL, PLEASE SEND DETAILS OF HELPS ON TROPHY
CARD OR SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER. WE HAVE TROPHIES FOR HELPERS AS WELL AS RIDERS & HORSES!
33
Watch This Space!
Ride the Wight is coming back for
2016....
Karen Whittington is busy planning a National EGB
ride for the Isle of Wight in 2016 in August.
Dust off your buckets and spades and consider
having your annual holiday with your horse on the
lovely island-no passports required!
Interested in finding out more about this
exciting Sport?
Keep in touch with updates to the rides and other
events in the South East by visiting our website:
www.endurancegb.co.uk/southeast
Please feel free to email us using the Contact Us page.
Or for National Rides and events from
The National Office:
Endurance GB
Abbey Park
Stareton, Kenilworth
Warwickshire CV8 2RP
Tel: 02476 697929
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.endurancegb.co.uk
The Endurance South East Group
now has its own Facebook page. To
find us search for Endurance GB
South East (official) and click ‘Like’.
You will find all of our events listed
here plus any other relevant news.
34
“PETE’S” PUB NIGHTS - SUSSEX
Please give Peter a call on 01825 740
347 if you wish to eat, so the pub can
be advised of numbers and reserve a
table, or just come along for a drink.
Everyone welcome. All 7pm onwards.
Thursday 19th Nov: The Anchor Inn, Hartfield
Thursday 21st Jan2016: The Cricketers, Duncton
Thursday 3rd March 2016: The Cock Inn, Ringmer
PUB NIGHTS - SURREY
Always the last Thursday of each month from
8.00pm.
The Castle, Brox Road,
Ottershaw, Surrey KT16 0LW
PUB NIGHTS - KENT
Does anyone in the Kent area want to
set up a series of pub nights? Please
contact Trilby if you are interested.
35
Rosemary’s ‘All I want for
Christmas’ Wish
I would love some Ice Vibe Boots,
made by Horseware Ireland.
‘The ICE-VIBE boots are
rechargeable vibrating
boots that help to boost
circulation in horse's
legs by creating a
massage effect. They
combine the effects off
cooling and massage
therapy to effectively
treat strains, ligament
and tendon damage. The
massage effect helps to
stimulate the lymph
system to remove
soreness and swelling as
well as improving
circulation. Everyday
wear and tear on joints
can be managed with
daily use of the boots
and rehabilitation
through injury can be
achieved more
effectively’
Description and picture taken from from
Horseware Ireland Website
www.horseware.com
36
BAM PROPOSALS
Please submit any proposals which you would like to be
discussed and voted upon at the BAM to Rosemary Attfield by
Friday 13th November 2015
Please note that proposals must be submitted in writing
accompanied by your name and EGB membership number
and seconded by another South East Group member.
Also please note that these proposals should relate to the
running and organisation of the South East Group,
we cannot alter national EGB rules.
The Endurance South East Group
now has its own Facebook page. To
find us search for Endurance GB
South East (official).
You will find all of our events listed here plus any other relevant news, in
addition to the information posted on our group's website:
www.endurancegbsoutheast.co.uk.
Please ‘like’ the page when you visit it. You will be able to post photos,
videos and comments. Those of you with smart-phones can download the
Facebook app and will then be able to get updates quickly without
needing to visit the South East Group's website.
To have an endurance event put on the page please email full details to
Mandy Yarnold at: [email protected]
Additionally, as the page will be open to everyone to view, we hope to be
able to reach a new audience of potential members and associates.
37
We are a leading mail order/internet distribution company,
specialising in products and equipment for riders who love the
thrill and excitement of long distance riding.
Whether for pleasure, competition or riding holidays we have a
large range of great products, all carefully developed and selected
to ensure both you and your horse can enjoy the great outdoors in
comfort and safety.
How can we help? We are totally passionate about the products
we supply and manufacture, if you're looking for something a bit
different, or can’t find the product which is just right for you, then
do give us a call on 01933 624624 or email us at
[email protected] - We love to try and help you.
PerfEQ Water Repellent
Riding Tights
Manufactured in the UK by
Performance Equestrian our new
PerfEQ riding tights have been
styled similar to the popular
“Carousel” riding tights from the
U.S. that has stopped
manufacturing.
Manufactured without inner seam
and designed to provide maximum comfort when riding, our tights
provide a 4 way stretch fit that eliminates the tucks and creases usually
associated with jodhpurs and breeches that can cause painful friction
burns.
The tights are manufactured from Meryl/Lycra a European fabric used
extensively in the sports and dance industries which is
• Water repellent.
• Excellent moisture management performance keeps riders cool and dry
38
• Fully Breathable
• Quick drying
• Outstanding protection to both UVA and UVB rays from sunlight
• Superb stretch and recovery properties
• Extremely soft with excellent prowashing properties
Anti-wear Patch
The tights are supplied with a thin aqua suede, anti-wear patch stitched
on the outside of the tights by the inner knee. Should this
Stripe Options
Single (on each leg) or double (on each leg) stripes are available in a
large selection of colours to match riders tack or riding colours, Side
stripes are approx 1½” wide per stripe.
Padding Options
PerfEQ tights can be supplied either plain or with a soft, thin, fleece inner
padding on either the inner knee or seat area or both.
Branding Options
Printing on the legs of the tights is available for Rider, Horse or Team
Name. You can select the colour and printing type: script or block letters.
Easy Care E-Z Ride Soft Tread Stirrups Non Caged
Manufactured by Easy Care in the states from a robust, lightweight
moulding the stirrups are supplied without safety cages. There is
also a safety caged version.
With a 20mm(¾") thick shock absorbing foam
the large 100mm (4") x 125mm(5") foot pad
gives increased foot support and weight
distribution and helps deadens any transmitted
shock.
Further shock absorption is achieved via a shock
deadening top bar system.
The stirrup fits all standard leather, synthetic and
webbing leathers or Fenders with the top header bar available in widths
to suit standard English leathers of 1-1½" or Western Fenders of either 2,
2½" or 3" widths
Colour Black or Brown
39
SOUTH EAST GROUP
COMMITTEE ELECTIONS
Two members of the committee are up for re-election this
year. Lindsay Sparrow and Rosemary Attfield. Lindsay is
retiring from the committee, but Rosemary is happy to stand
for another term.
Therefore, please send in your nominations for a new
committee member, and for Rosemary.
Please complete the form below and send it to Rosemary
Attfield by Friday 13th November 2015
NOMINATION FOR EGB SE COMMITTEE
Election to take place at the South East Group BAM
on Saturday 5th December 2015 at Tilford Forest Golf
Club, Crawley RH10 5EU
NAME:
ADDRESS:
TEL NO:
EGB MEMBERSHIP NO:
PROPOSER:
SECONDER:
EGB NO:
EGB NO:
Send to: Rosemary Attfield, Hornshill Farm, Hornshill,
Guildford Road, Rudgwick, West Sussex RH12 3BH.
By Friday 13th November 2015
40
Leo‘s Christmas Wish!
A necessity rather than a wish in fact , as all my
usual day-to-day riding gear seems to be wearing out
at the same time, so a few wishes....
Ariat Terrain Boots
Performance Equestrian Airmesh Chaps
Performance Equestrian Polar Tec lined jods for
winter riding
Racesafe body protector
Tipperary Helmet.
www.racesafe.co.uk
www.ariat-europe.com/uk
www.performance-equestrian.com
41
My Lindum Spirit
Experience 2015
Hilary Weaver
A large envelope arrives in the
post, what can it be? Ooh yes! It‟s
all my ride details for this years
„Lindum Spirit‟-pages and pages of
it. Lindum has something for every
endurance rider, with classes from
a 5km lead rein to the 170km over
3 days and 121km single day class
Hilary and Scrumpy ready to
set off from the racecourse
stables.
and some interesting fun classes,
demo‟s, talks, fancy dress,
dressage, handy pony, treasure
hunt, dog show and more. It is all organised by Thay
Stephenson and her team. I have been a few times before with
Independence Day (Indie) and loved it although I have never
managed to complete more than three days. So a few months
ago I decided to enter Scrumpy and I for Lindum Spirit and try
to compete on all five days.
It took me a couple of days to pack the trailer and car with
enough “stuff” to cover every eventuality and weather condition
for horse and rider leaving enough room ( about a square foot!)
for Derek ( my husband) to pack his clothes into.
Wednesday 22nd July arrives and at 7:00 am we promptly set
off and arrived at Market Rasen racecourse at 13:00pm. I got
Scrumpy settled in his rather splendid racecourse stabling and
then Derek and I set up the tent and registered. I had decided
42
to enter Pleasure rides for this visit to Lindum and my first
vetting was at 16:10 in the Parade ring. Derek, my trusty trotter
upper assistant did the business and I went back to the stables
to tack up and find my riding partner for the evening. We had a
lovely 13km ride through some woods and lanes @ 9.06 kph.
The next day my riding partner had withdrawn but luckily my
next door tent neighbour, Ann, was also riding on her own and
doing the same distance so we buddied up to ride 15km around
some of last nights route plus some super tracks in Willingham
Woods. We achieved 10.97kph, the best speed I have achieved
on Scrumpy, due in part to the lovely flat terrain.
On Friday Derek did the trotting up duties with Scrumpy who
lived up to his name and scrumped an apple from the parade
ring hedge. Who plants apple cordons on a horse parade ring??
I again rode with Ann on a 12km ride starting from the opposite
side of the racecourse heading through Willingham Forest at
10kph. In the afternoon Lou Wilkes, a horse agility trainer did a
demo on how to introduce your horse to this fun activity. In the
evening we attended the Top Spec reception – Silver Party, and
evening of fun and games including building a domino run and a
deck of cards house. I think our South East group did well…..but
South East
Group
Members
catching
up at the
Top Spec
reception
43
of course I am biased and Su
Middleton has the video
evidence that the domino run
worked.
It rained very hard on
Friday night but thankfully
the tent held up. Another
early trot up and Ann was
doing a different distance
today so wouldn‟t be riding
with me. However I had
heard that a young lady
called Millie needed a
companion and was doing
12km today as well so we
decided to ride together.
Now, on Thursday evening
some riders did a class called
Hilary heading to the stables
with Scrumpy‘s tack
“Twilight Trot”. Thay thought
that as today‟s route was the same as yesterdays we might like
to do the Twilight Trot instead so we did. It was a great route
through forestry but the rain had washed some of the markers
away and we got lost a couple of times. The ending was special
as we were able to ride around the racecourse. 8.47kph today.
Later in the day Top Spec did a good talk on feeding to
minimise gastric ulcers (with lots of freebies), followed by a fun
dog show and the Lincoln Supper Celebration Ball.
Finally Sunday dawned and it was the last ride, which I did
with Ann again, at 10.84kmph and Scrumpy trotted up sound. I
was so pleased to have completed all five days. Scrumpy was
44
amazing. He didn‟t put a foot wrong and wasn‟t fazed by
anything. We decided not to travel home until the Monday as
we had a long way to go.
This really is a ride not to be missed. You get into a Lindum
bubble and forget about what is happening in the outside
world. Helped of course because 3G didn‟t work on the mobile
phone and there was no internet. The aim is to have fun and if
you have fun Thay is happy.
Hilary and Scrumpy heading across the racecourse to the finish on one of their rides
45
This is a demanding job, but at least you get to sit down and you will more
than likely have an experienced assistant with you.
You should be given a start list, clock, timekeeper cards, vet gate cards, finish
cards and distance and speed charts. Hopefully, your ride organiser has
provided the different cards in different colours which will help both you and
the vet steward to not get muddled.
Time cards are with you and not the rider before they start - this saves you
having to approach them and saves the rider having to remember to bring it
with them.
You will need to write on the card the rider number and the distance they plan
to ride - check with the rider the distance/class they plan to ride rather than
refer to your start list as they may have changed classes last minute - note
any changes on your start list. Tell the rider their start time in case they
cannot see the clock.
Use your common sense and allow a bit of a gap between riders.
Distances 30-50k without a vet gate are very easy to calculate. You ascertain
the hours and minutes between their start and finish times and refer to the
relevant chart for their distance to work out their speed.
When a rider has finished, hand them a card with their number and finish time
on and remind them to take it with them to the vet within 30 minutes. The
completed timekeeper card then goes to the technical steward.
If a group of riders come in together do not let them overwhelm or pressurise
you. Be polite and firm. Give them all the same finish time but do not be
rushed or panicked. The crew can return for the final vetting card if the rider
does not want to wait.
With riders coming in halfway or for their first hold, you give them a vet gate
card with their time written on it. If there is a race ride on there may be
someone else doing this job.
When it is time for a rider to go out again, they will bring you this card. Check
the „earliest time out‟ they have been given (sometimes mistakes are made but ultimately it is the rider‟s responsibility to check they have been given the
correct time out - and do not allow them to go any earlier. If they choose to
46
give themselves a few extra minutes before starting that is their decision - but
their ride time/time out starts from the time written on the card. There is a
space on the card for you to write their actual time out if it is later.
At the finish of the longer distances you will need to deduct the hold times
from the total riding time. Generally they are 30 minutes for a 65k ride and
one hour for an 80k ride with two holds, but the technical steward will give
you these times on the day.
You will be shown how to fill in the time card and vet gate card so please don‟t
be concerned that these instructions seem terribly complicated.
At the end of the day, please stay for a few extra moments to help clear up
and put things away - we know you have had a long day from the first rider
out to the last rider finishing, but the ride organiser‟s day has been even
longer and harder - so give them all the help you can. Don‟t forget to get your
trophy card signed before going home.
Thank you for volunteering to do this demanding job
and helping with our ride - its hugely appreciated by
both the riders and organisers alike
EGB SE would like to thank the Iceni Group for allowing us to use their
fact sheets as a basis for our own.
Happy Timekeepers at Berkshire Downs 2014!
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A PLEASURE RIDE –
FROM BOTH SIDES
Ooh how lovely another pleasure ride on the calendar, let‟s go
for a lovely relaxed day out with our horses… You fill in your
form for the Friston Pleasure Ride, send off your entry and wait
for the day of the ride – your work is done.
The day of the ride you turn up, grab a bib, follow the map and
all the lovely arrows and signs, chill out for a bit then pack up
and go home.
Now let‟s look at the other side of the coin. The Herriott Family
led by Linda Herriott stage the Friston Pleasure Ride.
Autumn 2014: Emails and phone calls juggling dates to fit in
with the national calendar, the venue owner and the ride organiser‟s personal life. Finally a date is agreed upon - 30th August.
Due to problems with the route in the maze of tracks in Friston
forest the previous year Linda took the sensible decision to just
use bridleways through there and incorporate more downlands
bridleways to make up the distances. This also meant not having to faff around with day passes for the forest.
Linda organises and books the toilet, the medic and the photographer.
Beginning of June to end of July – Linda starts route finding/
checking. Two or three trips down with the dog (1 hour drive
each way). We both spend hours on our ordnance survey software calculating distances for all the different route options and
trying to make sensible loops which are both nice to ride and
manageable to mark. Linda then goes down with Mother and
they ride around on Harley and Lily with my headcam as a Dictaphone – they left at lunchtime and got home again at 8:30pm.
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Linda then goes down again a week later on Lily as we had to
change the route due to her and Mother finding a string of gates
totally impossible to open from horseback.
Finally the route is sorted, I have a couple of evenings of Blue
Peter „make and do‟ producing the map and fliers and posters to
promote the ride. With my Entry Secretary hat on I email about
40 non members who have come to previous rides with the details, print out loads of fliers and leave them in our local feed/
tack shops, post packs of the same to 5 EGB members nearer to
the Friston venue to do the same in their feed shops.
I start the entries spread sheet.
Linda starts recruiting helpers.
Entries start coming in. To be fair, most are immaculate. Some
are totally illegible. A few send in the wrong entry fee, a lot forget the SAE for their ride details or put a normal stamp on a
large letter or forget the stamp completely.
The last week before the ride loads of people do panicky last
minute entries, emails are flying everywhere, I‟m dealing with
about 20 emails a day on the subject. I‟m also spending a fair
amount of time printing off aerial shots of the route and plotting
the course on it to make the markers job easier.
Linda drives over to the Davenports and collects all the signs,
bibs, spray paint and general paraphernalia.
I‟m frantically printing and laminating signs and stuff at work
when no-one‟s looking.
Linda washes all the bibs as they smelt a bit musty and copiously fabreezes and airs the bib pocket thingys as they seem to
be the cause of the musty smell.
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Mother starts baking for the helper‟s lunches and totally spring
cleans and disinfects our lorry which will be HQ on the day.
The day before the ride Linda leaves at 10am to drive down and
start marking. The rest of us markers congregate at 2pm in the
venue field and set off to do our designated sections. Linda finally finishes marking at 8pm and starts the hour drive home.
Mother and I load up everything needed for the ride into the
lorry.
Day of the Ride.
Alarm clocks for 5:45am. Whole family at the yard by 6:45am.
Linda leaves in lorry, Mother and I do horses then leave for
venue ourselves arriving 8:30.
Gorgeous weather. Whole family manning checkpoints and
venue all day.
4pm finally pack up and leave venue – all gathering up various
signages on our way home.
Phew, another year done, all successful, all exhausted! It‟s only
a little tin pot, low key pleasure ride, not much involved then…..
Trilby Herriott
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How NOT to pull on the reins – active vs
passive resistanceWiola Grabowska BHSAI/Int.Teach.
First, let‘s look at an important muscle we all have but not all use
when it comes to ―using the reins‖: the lattisumus dorsi (shown
below in red), otherwise known as ―lats‖ :
―Latissimus dorsi‖ by User:Mikael Häggström – Image:Gray409.png. Licensed
under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
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Why NOT to pull?
Before we come back to the muscle shown above, let‟s look
beyond some obvious answers here. Yes, first of all we want to
stop pulling as it‟s simply painful on the horse‟s mouth but there
are other aspects too. If you use the reins to pull (act directly
backwards on the reins with prolonged pulley pressure) you are
very likely creating a dysfunctional posture in your horse (via
defensive and strenuous use of his/her muscles in the neck, back
and legs). Dysfunctional posture leads to dysfunctional
movement which in time can easily lead to a plethora of
unexplained soundness issues.
Pulling reins will also never let the rider achieve real throughness
in transitions, they act like hand breaks on horse‟s hind legs,
create tension in the neck muscles and generally produce variety
of micro-evasions that the horse employs in order to find some
acceptable comfort.
The “Long” answer
To be able to be independent of the reins and apply their action
without stress/tension or pulley action, the rider needs good basic
balance throughout their seat. In other words they need to be in
control of own frame and not be dependent in it on how the horse
moves. It might seem obvious to say this but it‟s important to
mention that the seat balance is the pre-requisite to what you will
read in „short answer‟ below – if you struggle with some aspects
of seat stability AND tend to pull on the reins in transitions, then
the short answer below might not be for you yet…
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The “Short” Answer
If your seat skills are decent and you can easily go from full seat
to half seat (two point/ light seat) and back to full seat without
altering horse‟s rhythm and feeling out of balance yet you
struggle with correct rein action, this short answer might be for
you. Otherwise, seat developing/improving exercises might be
the ones to go to first. However, even when your seat skills are
yet not up to scratch, you can still practice the below “short”
answer exercise in walk to halt transitions.
To stop or to ride a transition without pulling action on the reins
it‟s important to develop feel for passive resistance. The
difference lies in which muscles you use and how you use them.
To test yourself, you will need someone on the ground holding
the rein whilst you are in the saddle (as shown on picture below):
The person on the ground will need to pull on both reins as if
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trying to pull you forwards. A moment later, they can release the
pressure without warning you. If you were pulling back you are
likely to lose your balance as the ground person lets go. Now,
experiment with engaging your lats muscles together with correct
posture (neutral spine and “standing with knees bent” feeling
through your thighs instead of “sitting in a chair” feeling) in
order to withstand the momentary pull. You should notice that as
the ground person releases the pressure, you stay unmovable and
balanced thanks to passive resistance you created.
This stability producing passive resistance let‟s you regulate the
horse‟s speed and weight distribution with your body/seat rather
than backwards traction on the reins. The reins themselves
transmit this resistance to the horse‟s mouth or nose (if riding
with bitless bridle) but very often, no rein pressure is necessary
as the horse will react to the seat/lats resistance alone.
This passive resistance can be used in half-halts, transitions
within paces, direct transitions – always with forward “thinking”
hands i.e. with no backward traction and no negative tension in
rider‟s joints (elbows, wrists, fingers).
The key with this exercise is to introduce it slowly and develop
feel for resisting in the rhythm of the horse‟s movement. At the
beginning you might find yourself tensing up too much, holding
the resistance out of sync with horse‟s movement, clenching your
buttocks, tensing your arms or fingers etc etc These are all
“normal” mistakes to make so do make them, read your horse‟s
reactions and keep trying until you can isolate the right muscles
and until your timing and feel improves.
(Reproduced by kind permission of the author)
www.aspireequestrianacademy.com
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About Aspire Blog
Aspire Equestrian Blog is an extension to Aspire
Equestrian website and is here to share
everything and anything that might interest
grassroots riders, their coaches or instructors-tobe.
We are passionate about quality coaching for
amateur riders and are on a mission to spread
knowledge and understanding of rider-centred
instruction and horse-friendly training at lower
levels. We also have a few fabulous guest bloggers
from around the world who will share their
equestrian ups and downs with you.
The NewsBook will keep you up to date with events
and initiatives we find newsworthy as well as letting
you know how you can develop your riding with help
from Aspire riding programmes.
We hope you will grab a cup of tea or coffee and visit
us often from wherever you are! :)
All the best,
Wiola Grabowska BHSAI/Int.Teach.
Aspire Equestrian Riding Academy
www.aspireequestrianacademy.com
http://freelanceinstructorsdiary.blogspot.co.uk/
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Inter-Regional Championships 2015
This year the Inter-regional competition was held at the
Cranwich EGB Ride organised by Iceni Group. The Cranwich
Ride venue is in Brandon, situated just over the Suffolk border
and in the Breckland area of Norfolk. Wide grassy rides
through pine forests, with sandy tracks and good going almost
guaranteed. As expected in this area of Norfolk, the terrain is
mostly flat, providing fast times and exciting finishes.
Rosemary Attfield was the Chef d‘Equipe for the South East
Group,.
The team were as follows
Katie Bedwin, Christine Smyth, Mandy Yarnold, Caroline Long,
Linda Herriott, Susan Hawes, Kim Cookesly, Debbie Horne,
Sally Ann Filtness, Kate Curry, Carole Portlock, Jessica
Sedgwick.
The whole team did really well, with Christine Smyth and
Jessica Sedgwick winning their classes and despite some of
the team not completing, the South East Region came 4th
overall.
Well done to everyone for a fantastic team effort, with
everyone pitching in and helping the whole team!
All in all a great weekend, and if you think you would like to
join in next year, contact Rosemary Attfield and register your
interest!
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Floyd goes camping (as told to his human, Anne Gartside)
Floyd is a 6 year old, 16.2 Irish horse of indiscriminate breeding. He
is as green as grass and is the new little (BIG) brother of Izzy, the
endurance cob. He will be making his endurance debut in 2016.
Here are his thoughts about his first riding camp.
Day One:
Izzy said adventures are fun. He never mentioned the terrifying tape
that bites. The deadly stuff is all around me. I only have a small
safe square away from it. There is clover but it is too close to the
biting stuff. My new friend, Sham, says it is ok to move from the
middle of the prison, but I am too scared. I will just stand here,
hungry. I‘m not sure I like this adventure.
Day Two:
The night was very wet and very long and I felt very sorry for myself.
I have put on my best sad face and got extra breakfast. This is
good. Food is always good. Strangely Sham does not eat all his food
straight away. He actually leaves it in the bucket. I am curious
about this. But I am still surrounded by the biting white tape. It is
the stuff of nightmares and I can‘t get to Sham‘s leftovers.
This place is simply too exciting for words. I don‘t know where to
look. We are riding in a big field with horses grazing at one end. I
would like to gallop off but A) I don‘t know how to gallop really and
B) my human thinks it is better to do lots of circles instead and
listen to the Boss Man.
After a haylage break, always welcome, we are now in the school
with all kinds of crazy things. The humans call it ‗Gymkhana games‘.
I am allowed to sniff and lick everything I want, but sadly there is no
food. Though the barrels are quite tasty. I am not scared by the
games we have to play, but I do randomly spook as Izzy says this
keeps our human on her toes.
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I am getting tired but we have to do something called groundwork.
It seems a bit pointless but we do get to eat a bit of the clover while
the humans are talking.
Got extra tea tonight and lots of haylage. My human has put the
haylage and my dinner within my safe zone so I don‘t need to go
near the biting tape. She is a good human and easily trained.
Day Three:
It‘s sunny and my human is bouncing around with excitement;
something to do with a polocrosse lesson. I think she perhaps
needs to do some walking in circles…
Not sure I am ready for polocrosse. I don‘t mind the stick thing or
the ball hitting me all the time (the humans are really not very good
at this), but I don‘t understand one handed steering. Happy to take
over navigation but I am guessing by all the hysterical laughter that
playing polocrosse doesn‘t need me licking the barrels in the
corners of the school.
A second riding lesson with the Boss Man and I am feeling a bit
tired. They are so busy chatting, I‘m sure they won‘t mind if I have a
lie down, just for a minute…
Oops. Apparently you‘re not supposed to lie down with your human
on board. Who knew? And she hasn‘t been able to unplug her
exploding jacket. I‘m so tired, not even the explosion can move me.
But my human gets me up eventually. Oh, I really am tired and
everyone is laughing.
After a quick nap it is pointless groundwork stuff again. Think
Groundwork Man has a bit to learn about horse communication. He
doesn‘t understand that I don‘t need to do any more circles, no
matter how many times I squeal ‗Get knotted‘ at him. And why
would any horse be scared of an umbrella? They are quite tasty.
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Another big dinner with piles of haylage in my safe area. Excellent.
Still can‘t reach Sham‘s leftovers.
Day Four:
It is the last day and it is time for the ridden and inhand
competition. I think I am too tired and too slow to worry about
winning.
I am right. We don‘t win the fastest horse and rider. We don‘t win
the most improved horse. We don‘t win the most improved rider.
But hurrah! We do win the most memorable moment of camp.
Apparently no horse has ever had a lie down in the Boss Man‘s
ridden lesson before.
Camp is over. The biting stuff is taken down and I am going home. If
my human can get the lorry out of the mud…
Floyd and his human in action on the last day of camp.
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Berkshire Downs EGB Helpers
Entry Secretary
Ride Day Secretaries
Timekeepers
Leo Davenport
Leo Davenport, Mandy Yarnold
Jane Cook, Anne Murray-Smith, Sue
Armitage
TS
Cindy Russell
TS
Su Middleton
Shadow TS
Becka Northover
Health Safety & Welfare
Brian Floyd-Davis
Car Parking
Bernie Pridmore, Peter Curry
Chief Vet Steward
Peter Davenport
Vet Gate Steward
Shelley Bates
Farrier writer
Ian Yarnold
Vet writers
Pat Fowler, Nicky Pumphrey, Trilby
Herriott, Jane Bayliss
Vet Runners
Eva, Peter Curry
CP1 Raynet, Julia Watts, Lorraine Brown
CP2 Raynet, Penny Reid
CP3 Raynet, Jill Webb, Karen Matthews
Road crossing Lands End
Maggie Pattinson, Linda Kidd
Road crossing Bury Down
Sue & Dave Smith
Corral Manager
Bernie Pridmore
Booking in Saturday
Caroline Johnson
Course marking
Jill Webb, Karen Matthews, Christine Smyth
Course de-marking
Caroline Cowley, Claire Dove, Stuart Baker,
Chris Baker
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EDITORIAL
As in all things horse related, just when you think everything
is going well...I had an unfortunate accident at the beginning
of August, when my leg and another horse’s hoof met and I
came off rather worse. However, at least it was my leg that
was broken and not Jet’s, as I was riding him at the time! A
freak, split-second accident, but at least I can mend, and on
the NHS too! So Jet has got a rather impromptu holiday, and
I’m off work, finally getting round to reading all those books
which have been piling up for years! A very heart felt thank
you to Caroline Sutherland and Jenny Newman, who are
looking after Jet for me whilst I am immobile! And my
parents, who I am staying with whilst I mend, plus Mum is
looking after Patti, although I am now managing to hobble
down to feed her!
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Amazing how quickly horses get used to crutches when
you’ve got a feed bucket as well!
Remember to send off your trophy return form to Leo by
the deadline, and your ticket request form and monies to
Jane. In this issue are some of the crew award nominations
from last year, to give you some inspiration to nominate your
crew this year!
And remember, to continue to receive the newsletter and
read the wonderful stories of peoples endurance adventures
and experiences, complete the Newsletter subscription form
for 2016 and send to Jane Cook (in the same envelope as
your BAM ticket form!)
Well, this is my last editorial as I will be handing over the
newsletter reins to Trilby Herriott. It has been a wonderful
experience editing the newsletter, and finding some
wonderful articles from fellow endurance riders for you all
to read.
Looking forward to seeing you all at the Branch Annual
Meeting and Awards Dinner in December-when I’ll be on 2
feet again!
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Lindsay Sparrow
The copy deadlines for the
Newsletters in 2016 are:
Winter: Sunday December 27th
Spring: Sunday March 20th
Summer: Sunday June 19th
Autumn: Sunday September 18th
Please think about what you could contribute and
contact Trilby Herriott
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 07966 136 560
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VETERINARY CARE
THROUGHOUT
EAST AND MID SUSSEX
01323 815120
www.cliffeequine.co.uk
[email protected]
Cliffe Equine Clinic, Harbens Farm, Mill Lane,
Laughton, East Sussex, BN8 6AJ
Registered Office: - Cliffe Veterinary Group Ltd, 21 Cliffe High Street, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 2AH
Company registered in England& Wales Reg No: 7922529 VAT No: 130 5795 20
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