Endurance diary part 2
<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#9900FF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B><IMG SRC="0dcee500.jpg" border=0 width="494" height="80" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#9900FF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I>Endurance diary part 2</I></div> <div> <A HREF="home.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Equiriders"><U>Equiriders</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="whats_new.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Whats New"><U>What's New</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="reveiws.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reviews"><U>Reviews</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="exams.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Exams Focus "><U>Exams Focus </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="welfare.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welfare"><U>Welfare</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="news1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Press Releases"><U>Press Releases</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="cvs.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Curriculum Vitaes"><U>Curriculum Vitae's</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="advertise.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Advertisers "><U><I><B><IMG SRC="4115a4e0.jpg" border=0 width="90" height="78" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></I></U></A><FONT SIZE="1" COLOR="#FFFF80" FACE="Arial" ><A HREF="advertise.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Advertisers "><U><I> YOUR AD HERE</I></U></A></FONT></div> <div> <I><B><U>Health and Riding</U></B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="veterinary.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Veterinary AZ"><U>Veterinary A-Z</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="schooling.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Schooling Solutions"><U>Schooling Solutions</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="bucking.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Bucking"><U>Bucking</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="stblman.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="From The Ground"><U>From The Ground</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tips n Tricks"><U>Tips 'n' Tricks</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="worming.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Worming"><U>Worming</U></A></div> <div> <I><B><U>Money Saving Ideas</U></B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="ideas.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Money Saving Ideas"><U>Money Saving Ideas</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="halter.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Make a Halter"><U>Make a Halter</U></A></div> <div> <I><B><U>Breed Information</U></B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="breeds.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Breeds"><U>Breeds</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="tracing_horses.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tracing Horses"><U>Tracing Horses</U></A></div> <div> <I><B><U>Funtime</U></B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="gymkhana_games.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Gymkhana Games"><U>Gymkhana Games</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="horsehumour.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Horsey Humour "><U>Horsey Humour </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="rogues_gallery.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rogues Gallery"><U>Rogues Gallery</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="stories.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Readers Stories"><U>Readers Stories</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="vote.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vote for this Site"><U>Vote for this Site</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="magic_eye.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Magic Eye"><U>Magic Eye</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="games.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Games Room "><U>Games Room </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="equestrian_art.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Equestrian Art!"><U>Equestrian Art!</U></A></div> <div> <I><B><U>Meeting Places</U></B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="equichat.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="equichat"><U>equichat</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="white_board.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="White Board!!"><U>White Board!!</U></A></div> <div> <I><B><U>Advertising</U></B></I></div> <div> <A HREF="classifieds.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Classifieds"><U>Classifieds</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="trading_post.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Trading Post"><U>Trading Post</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="advertise.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Advertisers "><U>Advertisers </U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U>Links</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="banners.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Banners"><U>Banners</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:info@equiriders.co.uk" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@equiriders.co.uk"><U><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c880ffff00.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Contact Us</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><U>Endurance diary part Two</U></I><I> </I></div> <bR> <div> <I>With the excitement of South Africa over it was back to reality at home there were a few ride dates at last. </I></div> <div> <I><U>11th August Ashdown Forest ride.</U></I><I> We decided to take Connie and Nash. Lorna rode Nash in the 21 mileBBQ and I rode Connie in the 32 mile BBF. My friend Della and her daughter crewed us We left my yard at 3 am and got back about 11.30 PM. ( I drove 500 miles in one day to do this) Both passed with flying colours and due to F&M restrictions we had to repeat the same route 3 times and one section 9 times. Connie did the final 11 miles on her own while Della was trying to deal with Nash being silly at the venue. What's more leg she almost severed in February held up. (The total vet bill for it was more than £2000. </I></div> <div> <I><U>26thAugust the Latest edition arrived</U></I><I>. In the form of Eric a grey Arab yearling who will hopefully make a big fast endurance horse. He already stands at 15hh and is a "toe rag" who likes destroying electric fencing but apart from this is sweet and has a lovely temperament. </I></div> <div> <I><U>2nd September</U></I><I> we took Hannah, Orchid, Connie and Nash to the Ridgeway to do the 20 mile BBQ. There was no crewing due to restrictions. The ride was wonderful they were even out mowing the tracks!!! Della had a tense time at the vetting due to having to go to the vet that likes failing Orchid, but Orchid passed with flying colours and so did all the others. Lorna rode Connie and Simon Bridges (rode Nash. </I></div> <div> <I><U>16th September Luffenhall </U></I><I>ride in Hertfordshire. We took 3 horses Connie, Hannah and Nash. Last December Della vowed to me that she would never drive let alone tow on the M25. With Simon sat next to her with rescue remedy on tap she broke this promise. We camped overnight with the Horses in corrals next to us. Our main worry being leaving Connie outside in a rug (she has a rug phobia) so we put her in with Hannah which was a major mistake as every couple of hours we got woken by Hannah belting Connie and Della shouting B.....Y horses at them. The ride was a success all passed the 32 mile BBF. Hannah lost a shoe 10 miles from the end, luckily I had a boot which stayed on in all but the bogs and in retrieving it I got plastered in mud and ended the ride rather bedraggled. We eventually got home at 11.30 PM. </I></div> <div> <I><U>23rd September off to Bedfordshire </U></I><I>this time with Connie and Nash to do a 42 mile SSQ. (I rode Nash) Stabled the night before and both passed the rather flat and boring ride. The journey home was a nightmare we started queuing on the M1 and it just got worse from then on we eventually got home at 2 am. The venue was cold the vets were even letting people trot up in rugs as it was so cold. Also Connie thought there was a ghost in one of the drainage pipes in a ditch on the course and gave it a wide berth on both circuits at least she is consistent when she shies!! </I></div> <div> <I><U>7th October Exmoor training ride. </U></I><I>The course was over varying terrain, Moorland, forest tracks and stony tracks. The course went from Exford out towards Nutscale reservoir on to Dunkery Beacon and down over Dunkery Hill and back via Horner. The Moorland and Forest tracks could be cantered on and the stony tracks walked or trotted on. The views are stunning on the top of Dunkery you can see Dartmoor, Brecon Beacons, Quantocks and Brendons. Well, this is the theory but in reality the British weather put paid to this. The moorland was wet and boggy forest tracks slippery and stony tracks had to be walked. The view on Dunkery Beacon was non existent, the wind and hail made it hard to stand up and you could see no more than 1/2 mile in front of you. It rained for the whole ride and I could ring out my clothes at the finish, lots of people got to the climb before Dunkery and retired or cut the ride short. Connie took it all in her stride even insisting she knew the way home when I had a hesitant moment (and she was right) She finished the 24 miles in 3hrs 9 minutes the fastest time of the day and trotted back down the hill into Exford on a pulse in the low eighties and by the time she was untacked was back down to 38. The ride was certainly a challenge (Exmoor always is) and not for the faint hearted and apart from the weather was very enjoyable. And it was nice to get out and do a true test of endurance instead of the flat rides I've done recently. </I></div> <div> <I><U>14th October Goodwood</U></I><I>. Our final ride of the season. Lorna rode Connie I rode Nash. We did the 40 mile SSQ. We stabled overnight and slept in the trailer. The stabling was lovely but expensive at £32.00 a night per horse. Both went lovely and Nash is certainly more aware of where his legs are now (no longer living up to his nickname of spaghetti legs) Both went well and passed with their best pulse rates yet on a tough ride which saw lots of people eliminated. (They eliminated more than 50% in the 50 mile race ride class) </I></div> <div> <I>Even though we didn't have much of a season Orchid, Connie and Nash are now Intermediate Endurance Horses, Hannah was already advanced and Connie and Nash are one ride away from being advanced. We are looking forward to next year where we hope to take Connie, Nash and Hannah to France to do 80 mile rides. Hannah is Hopefully going to do an 80 mile ride in Brittany on the 31st of March </I></div> <bR> <div> <I><U>21st October</U></I><I> went to another training ride this time. We took Orchid and Hannah and had a leisurely ride around Exmoor. We walked and talked for most of the ride and it was lovely to do a ride without having to watch the time for a change </I></div> <bR> <div> <I>All the horses will do fun rides and riding club type things all winter and we have a 30 mile ride in December weather permitting. Hannah, Connie and Nash are also enjoying Formation riding lessons to music at the moment. </I></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="stories.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Readers Stories"><U><I><!-- Start Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> <img src="HTMLobj-1829/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="67" height="35"> <!-- End Gem Animated Image (GIF) --> </I></U></A></div> <div> <I>© Copyright Equiriders 2001-2002</I></div> </td> </tr></table></body>