Equestrian Life Magazine September Issue 220 | Page 105

Endurance Riders
National Championship
Alice Loten & Warrens Hill
Kizme YR National Champion

Up and coming young
endurance riders, Carri-Ann
Dark (22) from Devizes,
Wiltshire and Alice Loten
(20) from Salisbury, Wiltshire,
have won the 2013 Endurance
National Championship and
Young Riders Endurance
National Championship. The
Championships were held
at Kings Forest near Bury
St.Edmunds, on the 13th July.
Carri-Ann stormed to victory,
around the 160km course with
an average speed of 17.08kph, to
become National Champion.
The Championships carry
a valuable prize fund of a
new saddle provided by the
Worshipful Company of Saddlers
and a cheque for £150 from
Performance Equestrian to the
winner, kindly organised by the
Kings Forest ride organisers.
Vavavoom has been owned by
Carri- Ann’s mum, Ann Dark, for
the last 5 years. He is a 9 year old
Bay Arab Gelding, bred by HH
Sheik Moh ammad Al Maktoum,
by Vadeer out of Vahana. CarriAnn and Vavavoom competed
in 2012 at the FEI Young Rider
European Championships at Mont
Le Soie, where they won a team
Bronze Medal. In April 2012 they
also competed in a FEI 160km at
Mont Le Soie and finished 5th.
More recently they finished 7th in
the Royal Windsor FEI ** ride.
Carri-Ann and Vavavoom put in
a good time at Kings Forest to
take the Championship in the

Carri Ann Dark
on Vavavoom
photo by David
Saunders

sweltering heat. “It was a very
hot day, we couldn’t get away
from the sun despite being
under the trees in the forest the
sun still managed to get through
to us. On the second loop one of
the riders I was with had a fall so
I had a 7 minute delay, once we
got going I found myself riding
alone for the final half of the
course. On the last loop I missed
a turn, I don’t know whether
it was the heat or tiredness,
but we ended up doing a few
more extra kilometres than we
needed to!” said Carri-Ann
This year Carri- Ann has made
the step up from junior to
senior rides, and it seems to be
going well, most of the horses
are coping with the weight.
Vavavoom carried the weight well
especially in the heat at Kings
Forest. “He must have had an
extra 10 kilo on once mum had
sewn the two gel pads together.”
said Carri-Ann. At University CarriAnn studied Digital Media, so she
really likes film and photography,
she films her rides, edits them
and posts them on You Tube.
Carri-Ann hopes to continue
competing successfully and to
get to WEG next year. She would
also love to gain another medal
for the team.
In a tough competition, Alice
sped round the 80km course with
an average speed of 16.61kmph
to become the Young Rider
Endurance National Champion.
She was riding her British Bred,
grey Arab mare, Warrens Hill
Kizmet to take victory.
Warrens Hill Kizmet has been
owned by Alice’s mum for
two years and Alice has been
consistently successful with her.
Alice said “It was a brilliant ride,
it was the first time I had ever
been there and I will definitely
be going again. The heat was
challenging as there was not
much shade. It wasn’t until the
last crew point that I found out
that my main competitor, Dace
Sainsbury was out
of the competition,
so I could then slow
down a bit”. Alice
has been competing
in Endurance for the
last 7 years, and the
Young Rider Endurance
National Championship
CEI * is their best result
to date.

has just finished her second year.
Endurance is her main hobby
so she works hard to fit this in
around her studies. Her mum is a
big help to her, riding Warrens Hill
Kizmet during the week and due
to university commitments, Alice
trains mainly on the weekends.
However the 7 year old mare
is inclined to buck. “She is
definitely an alpha mare and she
doesn’t really like other horses.
But she is so versatile; it was

only the other week she was
giving pony rides to toddlers.
You wouldn’t have thought it was
the same horse at the start of
the Kings Forest ride.” said Alice.
Alice’s goal within endurance is
to complete a 160km FEI 3* with
Kizmet.
For more ride reports and results as
well as information about getting
started in the sport, visit
www.endurancegb.co.uk

Local Rider Annette
Masterson

Selected for Team GB at the
FEI European Endurance
Championships
Annette Masterson from
Stoke On Trent, Staffordshire
has been selected to
represent Great Britain, at
the FEI European Endurance
Championships, to be held
on the 12-15th September at
Most in the North West of the
Czech Republic.
Annette has the option of
taking one of two horses to
the championships. She has
owned El Sabio, a 17 year old
homebred gelding for 12 years,
and their successes include
winning the Cirencester
Park Gold Cup 160km 3* in
2011, being placed 6th at
the Euston Park 160km 3* in
2010. She was also a member
of the 2012 World Endurance
Championships team with El
Sabio. Annette’s other horse,
Millennium Chorus is owned
by her mother Ann Harrison.
Millennium Chorus, a 13 year
old homebred gelding, is the

half brother of El Sabio and
has been with the family since
a foal. As a combination their
best result to date was in the
2012 Haywood Oaks 3* 160km
where they finished 2nd.
“I am very excited to have
been selected for the team,
I will know more about the
course soon, but I expect it is
going to be challenging and
hilly. This is the second time I
have been selected for teams,
and I hope we have a good
chance,” said Annette.
Annette started riding 40 years
ago and has been riding in
endurance races for 7 years. At
16 years old Annette was the
Champion Arab Racing Jockey,
and since then has competed
in Arab Racing up to 2005.
Along with endurance, Annette
also enjoys competing in show
jumping, dressage and cross
country, but ultimately her aim
is to win a 4* Endurance Race.

Annette Masterson
and El Sabio Photo
by David Saunders

Alice studies
Psychology at
the University of
Gloucestershire and

www.equestrianlifemagazine.co.uk

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