Southern Horse Magazine June / July 2016 | Page 58

Endurance Riders Don’t Stop for Wintry Weather Kings Forest near Thetford, Norfolk was the setting for three days of competitive routes through the iconic woodland of ‘The Brecks’. This unique area covers 393 square miles – the UK’s largest lowland forest, with miles of tracks and paths making it an ideal setting for Endurance GB’s main class of the weekend – a CEI 3* 160km (100 miles) competition. This distance is the ultimate challenge to the Endurance rider and four combinations rode up to the start line last Saturday morning in the dark at 5.00 am, head torches at the ready. The route comprised 6 loops, all coming back to the venue at Wordwell for strict veterinary checks and controlled rest breaks. The weather proved the biggest challenge on the day with a cold wind and persistent rain, with occasional hail, making the going [email protected] slippery in places and special attention needed to stop horses and riders getting cold at rest points. Two horses were stopped during the day by the vets due to minor lameness. The remaining two combinations went out together on the final loop with darkness descending. A strong bond develops between riders at this level of competition. Riders work together to motivate each other and their horses. Fiona Griffiths from Powys, South Wales, riding Oliver Twist IV and Mel Bradley from Devizes, Wiltshire, riding 15 year old CS Khan, owned by Linda Cross, left the venue knowing that they were running close to the maximum time allowed. A small crowd gathered at the finish line waiting for news from the course. Word came in that they were approaching the finish line and a cheer went up. Mel and ‘Khan’ came into view with only minutes to spare, urged on by their crew. They dug deep and cantered brightly to the finish with just 22 seconds remaining on the clock. Fiona felt that ‘Oli’ was tired and decided to slow down on the last loop so finished some time later but to equal cheers from the waiting group. Both horses passed the final vetting in good form but sadly no completion for Fiona due to being out of time. Mel Bradley was thrilled with her win. “This has been my biggest win yet and brought up so many emotions. It was the most amazing feeling cantering towards the line with people cheering us on after such a long hard day. It certainly picks you up! After all Khan has been through we could only dream he would get around a 160km and he has done us proud.” The other FEI classes yielded a good completion rate, with many happy riders achieving their qualification goals. The weekend also had a full schedule of supporting classes at every distance demonstrating that Endurance really is a sport for everyone. The event was sponsored by Bury St Edmunds based, Science Supplements – leading suppliers of equine supplements, with welcome ‘goody bags’ and prizes Page 58