We set off for the Sparkler ride at Imbil on Friday morning, as the ride commenced at 4pm Saturday and went into the early hours of Sunday morning. After setting up our campsite and yards for 10 horses it rained!! Oh no, not another rainy hot Imbil ride! I was quite depressed at the very thought!
But fortunately the rain cleared away and even though the weather forcast was for hot days, it remained quite acceptable, with a bit of a breeze cooling things down. The forestry was quite warm and humid for the first leg of the 80km, however as the night progressed the temperature cooled off.
The pre-ride briefing by CS Matthew Krahnen included a warning about gallop finishes, with the instruction that although a gallop finish was OK, the actual galloping had to be stopped prior to entry to the main arena. Also, he let us know that a 'new' rule was being 'trialled', and the first 10 horses across the line were required to re-present 1 hour after completion for another metabolic Vet check.
96 horses started the 80km, with about 25 in the 40km training ride. The front runners in the 80km started arriving back into base in just under 2 hours for the first 40km loop, and maintained this pace for the second leg of the ride. And then the wheels fell off!
A gallop finish that got out of hand and saw the lead rider travel approximately 100 metres through the arena, with the second rider travelling about 50 metres into the forbidden territory.... for 2 disqualifications!
And then junior rider Amaya Fenech picked up line honours! Well done Amaya!
Basic results (off the top of my head):
1st Hwt Mark Nimon (BC)
2nd Hwt Paul Lengronne
1st Mwt Scott Hill (BC)
2nd Mwt Gayle Holmes
3rd Mwt Gerard Bou
4th Mwt Marion Lengronne
5th Mwt Angela Head
1st Lwt Rebecca Miller (BC)
1st Jnr Amaya Fenech
2nd Jnr Lisa Stoffel
3rd Jnr Jamie Green (BC)
Full results will be posted as soon as possible on the endurance database: www.endurancedb.com.au
The Splendacrest team had a great weekend, with Gerard Bou riding Splendacrest Fiesta to 3rd Mwt placing in 4:55, with heartrates of 32/39/39! This little mare is just going from strength to strength!
Angela Head rode Bourhani Albaraq to 5th Mwt placing, along with Renae Kuhn on Splitters Creek Bundy (owned by Catherine McAlpine) in 6th Lwt placing, completing the course in 5:04. Clio Rauch rode Willowvale Siraah (owned by Yvonne Knight) to 8th Lwt placing, and Steph Tulk completed in 6th Jnr place on Mt Eerwah Silver Mariner.
English import Samantha Yates completed the 80km on Splendacrest Perfection (owned by Shane Hopkins) in 6:34, maintaining this young gelding's impressive record!
Our two newest team members had mixed results, with Rosie Hull being pulled for lameness at the finish of her first 80km ride, while Natashja Burton was thrilled (although a bit sore) to finish her first 40km ride on Splendacrest Ulysses. Tarni Kittel also had a not-so-good weekend, vetting out at the end of the 80km with a slightly elevated heartrate.... although Tarni is a real trooper and made the best of this experience.
Thanks must go to the Far A Way ride committee, especially new president Jim Green, for putting on a well-attended and -run event. Also a huge thanks to the bevy of volunteers who stepped in to assist the club with the ride, including the WICEN folk, and a number of well known endurance riders who decided to 'work' instead of 'play' this weekend.
Gympie Saddleworld sponsored the Best Conditioned Horse rugs, and Splendacrest Endurance Training once again sponsored the place trophies.
My personal thanks must go to Robert Kuhn and Shane Hopkins, as without these two guys the strapping duties would have been a lot tougher! And thanks also to Alissa Tulk and Kristan Kershaw, who are valued Splendacrest team members who stayed home this weekend and fed and worked the horses left behind! Thanks all!
The Spring Mt 80km ride was won in 4:11 by Akhmed Pshunov on Mt Eerwah Siridion. The next rider in was over half an hour behind Akhmed. This gives an indication as to how incredible his time of 4:11 for this track was!! Congratulations Akhmed on a well run effort!
The Track: Spring Mt is looked forward to by Qld riders each year because it is such a lovely track, and such a well run ride. Normally this ride is considered to be a great Novice Horse track, with lots to keep the horse and rider occupied while travelling along some really lovely terrain. NOT THIS YEAR!
We were warned in advance that the area had received more than its fair share of rain over the preceding weeks, and that the ride base was soggy and that large trucks would need to be careful where they parked for fear of getting bogged. Upon arrival at the Spring Mt Reserve on Saturday morning we were directed to a dedicated truck camping area, and it was noted that boggy parts of the ride base had been taped off to restrict access.... a very helpful and caring act by the ride management!
Our riders saddled up to go have a look at the track, and returned some time later with stories of lots of puddles, lots of mud, and some fairly slippery parts. And then it started to rain again!
The Vets: Once again it was great to see Janine Dwyer at this ride, with John Glazebrook, Karl (sorry can't remember his last name) and the evergreen John Norris also in attendance. The Vetting ring was well laid-out, making it easy for Novice riders to navigate their way around. The Vets were, of course, the most professional and caring around, and I love it when the Vetting team has time for a laugh and a chat!
The Officials: Chief Steward Matthew Krahnen did a sterling job under the conditions imposed upon him by the weather! Matthew took care to make sure that all riders and crew had his mobile phone number in case of any ride emergencies, and I'm sure he was kept busy just fielding the phone calls! Bruce Seaward, as rescue float driver, was also kept busy, but was never seen without a smile on his face. The incomparable Leigh Pearson, as Ride Organiser, had everything under control, while her lovely daughters Kylie and Alicia were also working hard.
The Big Country Endurance Riders Club always have a great number of willing volunteers in evidence at their rides, and this year was no different. Lots of lovely ladies in the time-keeping areas, plenty of knowledgable TPR Stewards, the local Scout Troup putting on a wonderful catering experience, the Radio Communications folk, and all the wonderful people who sat out on track in 'orrible conditions in order to make the ride safer and better for the riders and their mounts.
The Ride: It rained. It then got sunny and we thought all the rain had gone. Then it rained again. And again. The ride base got sloppy, and the track got sloppier! And because of all the past weeks' rain, what was slowly drying out on top became slippery, dangerous, and in some cases just disappeared altogether. Like the big puddle that turned into a sink hole. And the track up Energex Hill that turned into a slippery slide.
The front runners in the first 46km leg of the 80km went through some pretty difficult places, however the horses bringing up the rear of the ride were tested to the extreme, having to traverse tracks that were very slippery and torn up by the time they got to them. Some of the first leg was then repeated in the 34km second leg, making even the front runners slow down to get through the difficult conditions. As it ended up, the horses that completed right on Novice Time were in the winners circle. The mid-packers and tail-enders fell into holes, had horses up-ended upon the riders, and narrowly missed being badly injured on numerous occasions. There were plenty of cuts and gashes from rocks and sticks on track, and there were lots of stories of sliding down hills on the horses' belly combined with items like, "I just closed my eyes and hoped!".
This was a real test of endurance! Congratulations must go to ALL riders and horses who entered this ride, and then didn't chicken out of actually doing both legs!!
Our Team: My heart stopped when I received a message from another rider on track during the first leg that my Junior rider, Steph Tulk, had had a fall and was walking her injured and lame horse to the road in order to get assistance. I immediately called the Chief Steward to relay her position, and he immediately sent a rescue float out to pick up Steph and her mount Splendacrest Tumbleweed. Upon their arrival back at the ride base, Tumbleweed was immediately taken to the Vet ring, where he was inspected and trotted out, only to trop out sound for a withdrawal. Steph had obviously done the right thing by walking him for some kilometres, and the horse had improved by the time he got back to camp. What a relief! And Steph was not injured in the fall, which happened when Tumbleweed slipped on track, so that was good too.
I must thank all who assisted with this episode.... and I am pleased that it all turned out alright in the end.
At the end of the first 46kms, Kharisma trotted out very slightly lame, so Paul Lengronne was not able to complete the ride. But again, I must thank Paul for taking such great care of this wonderful mare, before, during and after the ride.
Renae Kuhn completed the ride well on Splitters Creek Bundy (owned by Catherine McAlpine), to gain 7th Middleweight placing in 5:54. This was a great effort by Renae, and another great ride for Bundy. Angela Head rode Razorback Lovesong (owned by Arch Felton) to =9th Middleweight placing in 6:38, and presented this mare in excellent condition at the end of her first 80km ride.
Gerard Bou rode his own horse, Aloha Contiki, and also completed the horses' first 80km ride in 7:50, accompanying Kimberley Ryan on Cooroora Mythril (Jackie Richard's horse) throughout the ride.
So, even though the weather was VERY ordinary, our camp had quite a good weekend. I must also thank Shane Hopkins, Britt Geddes, Steph Tulk, Robert Kuhn and Geoff Richards for their invaluable assistance with the strapping duties.
We arrived home late this afternoon after a very busy weekend in Imbil, home of the Far A Way Endurance Riders Association.... headed up by Bob Sample. Once again this club put on a wonderful weekend of endurance rides, with 2 FEI rides and 2 AERA rides running very successfully together.
The FEI*** 160km ride was won by Linda Meredith on Anglesea Trooper, and this pair led the field from the start, riding over 100kms by themselves through the forestry tracks. Brothers Matthew and Brook Sample placed 2nd and 3rd, with Donna Weismann coming in 4th place.
The Youth division was won by Jamie Green on Hirstglen Maybe.
The FEI** 120km ride was won by Rod Strahan on Shardell Azrark with Camille Champagne on Shardell Prince Ali in 2nd place. In the Youth division, Saasha Turrell won, with Sasha Laws-King right behind her, followed by Erin Krahnen, Angela Hawks and Angela Head.
The weather was pretty good for riding, with overcast skies, a little rain, and only one slight sunny period. Strapping the horses was pretty straight-forward for most of the day, and there was plenty of water on track, and a nice green pick available as well. The Imbil showgrounds is well set up for endurance events, and the Far A Way Club has the support of a wide variety of sponsors and volunteers. Thanks to all who made this weekend the success it was, especially the Ride Organising Committee, the WICEN folk, the Veterinary Team and the FEI Officials and AERA Officials who make it all happen.
The Splendacrest Team did quite well overall, even though we suffered a few of those "Failure to Qualify" problems.... the new FEI term for "Vet Out". I think I quite like the term "Failure to Qualify".... it sounds a bit more civilised! :-) Anyway, we ended up with 3 of the possible 12 First Placings and Best Conditioneds over all the events of the day, and I'm very proud of my wonderful horses and especially the great riders on the Splendacrest Team!
In the FEI** 120km event, Rod Strahan on Shardell Azrark led the field from early in the piece, with Renae Kuhn on Bourhani Albaraq right behind him to begin with. Unfortunately Albaraq "failed to qualify" at the very end of the ride due to a hind end twinge, but Rod was very pleased with his first placing after a fast and furious 3km gallop finish against Kiwi rider Mark Tylee (on Shardell Galactic), who unfortunately presented to the Vet Ring 55 seconds over time and was thus eliminated. Rod was also pleased to see another of his home-bred horses, Shardell Prince Ali (owned by Prutirat Serireongrith), finish in 2nd place in this ride.
Splendacrest rider Clio Rauch was mounted upon Yvonne Knight's gelding WillowVale Sirrah, and placed 6th in the Open Division, while Angela Head rode Michael Chapman's horse for 5th Youth placing. Congratulations ladies, and thanks to Yvonne, Michael and Shelley!!!
Unfortunately we experienced a couple more of those "failure to qualify" moments when Kim Ryan and Tarni Kittel both hit the deck! But both girls cheerfully joined our strapping team to make sure that our other riders were taken care of for the balance of the ride.
In the AERA 160km event, Gerard Bou was responsible for escorting Shigeru Ogawa (riding his mare Splendacrest Fiesta), and although Shigeru and Fiesta ran into trouble after the 4th leg, Gerard continued on to win the Middleweight division of this ride on Splendacrest Sayirah (owned by Shane Hopkins). This was Sayirah's first 160km event, after completing 4 x 80km rides previously, and she looked great throughout the entire ride. It sure was exciting to realise that she had won her first 160km ride!
The AERA 120km ride was also exciting for us, with Marcia Burger riding Aloha Kyrie for Andrew and Dallas Blakely and placing 4th in the Lightweight division, while Sachiko Murai rode Mt Eerwah Silver Mariner into 5th Lightweight placing. Johan De Bruto rode the incomparable Splendacrest Perfection to 4th Heavyweight placing (this horse has never vetted out!), and young Stephanie Tulk completed her third novice ride on Scott Ellison's gelding Bashan Memphis to gain 1st Junior placing! Huge smiles and much celebrating was the order of the evening once the results were known!
This morning's Presentation Ceremony gave us the glad news that Rod and Shardell Azrark had won the FEI** 120km Open Best Conditioned Horse award, G and Splendacrest Sayirah had won the AERA 160km Middleweight Best Conditioned Horse award, and Steph and Bashan Memphis had won the AERA 120km Junior Best Conditioned Horse award!
WOW! We did well!
Thank you to all the sponsors for this ride, including Brookleigh Stud, D'Lua Park, Dixon Smith, the Maryvale Show Society, the Nanango Heritage Endurance Riders Assn, No Regret Stables, June Petersen, Ken Cowley, Kenilworth Realty, Maluka Stud, Brooloo Park Equine Resort, Imbil Friendly Grocer, Raine and Horne Mary Valley, In House Monograms Gympie, Sue Crockett Photography, and the Imbil Railway Hotel.
I must also thank my team of dedicated strappers and helpers, without which our team would be very much poorer: Shane Hopkins, Sam Dobson, Yuko Crease and Robert Kuhn. I really appreciate you people!
Once again the Far A Way Club put on a most successful and very well managed ride, and kudos must go to all involved.
Last Friday I packed up Tarni and Shaah and sent them off with the lovely Kate Gadsby of Ra Endurance to the Eidsvold ride, as I was unable to attend. And then on Saturday morning Renae and Robert Kuhn picked up Tumbleweed and Hero and they set off on the long drive to Eidsvold. Splendacrest rider, Angela Head, had been asked to ride Nazzerin for Sally Gennings, so she also headed north for Eidsvold.
The weekend turned out quite successfully, with Tarni and Shaah gaining Line Honours and First Junior placing (AND best conditioned horse), while Angela gained Second Middleweight placing on Nazzy. Renae rode Tumbleweed in his first ever 80km ride, and completed successfully, but unfortunately Gerard and Hero vetted out lame after the first leg of the ride.
I'm very happy with Shaah's results, and he will now attend the other two rides in the "Burnett Series".... Biloela and Widgee. Hopefully he will do well in all three rides!!
A huge thanks to Kate Gadsby and Renae and Robert Kuhn for taking such good care of my wonderful horses!
The weekend's weather consisted of periods of very hot bright sunlight interspersed with cool cloudy patches with a very sneaky cold breeze.... just ideal strapping conditions.... NOT! In fact, the strapping was quite difficult at times, with care needed to make sure the horses coming in off a hot track did not cramp in the time it took to get to the Vet Gate. Fog greeted the early departures in the 120km event at 4am, and was still evident as the 45km training riders got underway at 7am. The 82km events started at 6am, so no headlights were necessary for these riders.
This ride, which included FEI** 120km, FEI* 82km, AERA 82km and AERA 45km events, was based at the Fernvale Rodeo Grounds, which has adequate facilities for all. This ride is run by the Fernvale Endurance Riders Club, headed up by Paul and Caroline Fitzgerald, a relatively new but very active club in SE Qld, having already run quite a few rides since its inception.
The Splendacrest camp included 10 horses, of which we incurred 1 withdrawal due to an injury, and 9 good completions! Additionally, 5 of the Splendacrest riders were "head-hunted" to ride for other people, and 4 of them completed well! So I'm a very happy trainer today!
In the FEI** 120km ride, Rod Strahan decided to withdraw Shardell Azrark after the first loop due to a significant, although small, cut on the horses' stifle, probably caused by an overhanging branch or something similar. This was quite a shame, as Azrark was looking great otherwise, and vetted through in 3 minutes after the first loop of 37km with his usual incredibly low heartrates.
John Dugan rode his lovely chestnut mare, Performance Park Lady Kharisma, to a good completion, while Kristan Kershaw completed her second FEI** 120km ride in only 8 days (having gone to the Collie, WA ride last weekend) on Bullarto Fiorelli. NZ import Kimberley Ryan rode Splendacrest Fiesta to 4th Youth placing in 9:47.... thanks Kristan and Kim for taking care of these two great mares.
Splendacrest riders Tarni Kittel, Clio Rauch and Angela Head were also all successful in the FEI** 120km event, with Tarni gaining 5th Youth placing on Cherox Bluebeard (owned by John Davidson), Clio completing well on Willowvale Sirahh (owned by Yvonne Knight), and Angela gaining 10th Youth placing on Rachem Mustava Heart (owned by Dallas and Andrew Blakely).
In the FEI* 82km event, Renae Kuhn rode Bourhani Albaraq and Gerard Bou rode Splendacrest Sayirah to cross the line together, placing 6th and 7th in the Open division in 5:48. Johan De Bruto rode Bacchante Silver Lace (owned by Shane Hopkins) to place 17th in 7:05. Marcia Burger rode a wonderful horse owned by Dallas and Andrew Blakely, to complete her first open ride and her first FEI ride in fine form! Congratulations Marcia!
Young Steph Tulk rode her second 80km ride in the AERA event, completing in 6th Junior place on the evergreen "Pete", aka Mt Eerwah Silver Mariner. We love this wonderful horse here at Splendacrest, and once again he showed his reliability in bringing a young rider home safely and well! Thank you Steph and a big thank you to Pete, too! Diane Wilson rode her lovely gelding Agecroft Fada, and completed their first (of many, we hope) 80km rides together!
Alissa Tulk completed her second training ride by riding Splendacrest Ulysses in the 45km event, to another great completion! Well done Alissa!
Over the weekend I got to see the Vetting team over and over again, as I popped in and out of the Vet Ring constantly! By the end of the day I'm sure they were all sick of the sight of me!! But of course an event like this could not be possible without the hard work and dedication of a great Veterinary team, and we sure had that! Head Vet Dr Brian Sheahan was ably assisted by Amanda Parry, Jon Fernley, Sandra Harbison, Richard Toft, Celia Dodd, and Carl.... (forget his last name - sorry!).
The massive band of volunteers that the Fernvale Club organised were happy and helpful, even though there were some timing errors.... but they were soon sorted out. Thanks to everyone who gave up their weekend so that we could have a great ride!
The FEI Officials, led by Barb Timms, included Trish Annetts, Toby Crockett, Robyn Parnell, Glenda Armitage and others working together to ensure that the FEI rides were smoothly run. Although there were several hiccups along the way, mostly it was a straightforward experience for the riders.
I just hope that I have as much energy and committment to the sport as Barb Timms does when I grow up.
I'd like to thank those 'other' endurance riders who trusted my crew members to take care of their horses too! Yvonne Knight, Dallas and Andrew Blakely, Davo and Jane Davidson and Clare Fleming were all very generous with their horses, and allowed my riders to ride them.
A ride of this magnitude would not be possible for the Splendacrest Team without the most valuable 'players' on the field.... our strappers! Sam Dobson, Britt Geddes, Robert Kuhn, Jenny Hall, Beck Forgan, and of course Shane Hopkins (without whom the team would suffer greatly), all made the workload a lot less and the atmosphere a lot more! Thank you all!
Another good ride, another great result for Splendacrest!!
We all got wet this past weekend. Very very wet. Soaked to the skin, several times. And then a bit wetter, just for fun. Wrinkly feet wet. No dry clothes left. And then wetter.
Yes, it rained for the Far A Way Easter Endurance Carnival. But then with a full moon shining, and the notorious recent Coastal weather conditions, what else would we have expected? I just didn't expect so much of it! :-)
We arrived at the Imbil showgrounds on Wednesday last week in order to set up our campsite in preparation for taking care of 17 horses during the Carnival. With two horses entered in the 320km Marathon, 8 horses in the Saturday 85km ride, 6 in the Monday 84km ride, 1 doing all three days of the 40km rides, and another couple of 40km horses in amongst them, we were up for a busy Easter weekend! And GOSH did we have fun!!!
Tarni Kittel entered the Marathon on Splendacrest Dryad and John Dugan was entered on his lovely big mare Quick & Easy. After 4 days of riding through pretty horrendous wet and slippery conditions, both successfully completed their (and the horses') first Marathon ride! CONGRATULATIONS to Tarni and John for persevering throughout the weekend..... I'm so proud of both of you! Tarni and Dryad finished in 2nd Junior position in 29:08:40 (and Congratulations must go to Davey Anderson on Ashwind for 1st Junior and Line Honours), and also received the Junior Best Managed Horse award. Dryad's logbook is pretty astounding, with only one 'B' listed throughout the entire ride! She was still pulling and bouncing along at the end of the 320km, and was third over the line behind Davey and Marion Lengronne on Sasam (who won 1st Middleweight for the second year in a row).
John and Q&E were part of the successful team that won the Longrun Teams Trophy (thanks to Jackie and Steve Swan), and John did a sterling job throughout the entire ride.
Three of our Thai visitors entered the 84km ride on Saturday, with Prutirat Serireongrith on Rod Strahan's gelding Shardell Prince Valiant, Wipawan Pawitayalarp on Mt Eerwah Silver Mariner, and Supanee Chaiwiroj on Splendacrest Ulysses. Both Prutirat and Wipawan were successful, however unfortunately Supanee had to withdraw after the first 40km due to a previous injury to her foot.
All of our other entries in the Saturday ride were successful, with Gerard Bou taking out 2nd Mwt placing and Best Conditioned Horse on Splendacrest Fiesta (owned by Shigeru Ogawa of Japan), Rod Strahan finishing strongly on his gelding Shardell Azrark, Renae Kuhn placing 5th Mwt on Bourhani Albaraq (owned by Hanna Bourdeaux of Germany), Clio Rauch completing on Belgari Bentley (owned by Riyo Noyori of Japan), and Steph Tulk completing her first 80km ride on Bacchante Silver Lace (owned by Shane Hopkins). Marcia Burger also completed this ride on "Zulu", owned by Kate Gadsby.
On Sunday the weather cleared a little (and we had one period of sunshine for a couple of hours that allowed us to get some of the wet towels dried!), and Clio Rauch saddled up my young gelding Splendacrest Tumbleweed for his first ever outing! (This is my dogger-rescued horse!) Clio escorted a new rider from Thailand, Chaiphat Wongwichit, on her first ever 40km ride, and both were successful.
Monday saw another VERY wet day, and we sent out 6 horses in the 85km ride. Prutirat R Serireongrith rode his lovely big gelding Shardell Prince Ali to 2nd Heavyweight placing, Renae Kuhn rode Splitters Creek Bundy (owned by Catherine McAlpine) to 6th Mwt placing, Clio Rauch rode Shaah, and Kimberley Ryan rode Splendacrest Ulysses to complete well. Marcia Burger backed up Zulu again, and once again was successful, gaining Marcia her Open Rider qualification (which she was very exciteded by). It was in this ride that we experience our first Vet Outs of the weekend, with Gerard and Johan both hitting the deck due to the extreme weather conditions! Strapping all the horses over the weekend was a huge challenge, with periods of torrential rain interspersed with hot sunshine and cold winds!
Beck Forgan (who is visiting from the USA) rode Tumbleweed in his second 40km ride on Monday, and was pleasantly surprised at the potential of this young gelding. Congratulations must go to Diane Wilson, who completed the three 40km rides over the weekend on her lovely gelding Agecroft Fada.... well done, Diane! And thanks to your fabulous strapper, Jenny Hall, who came along and helped out all weekend.... thanks soooo much Jenny!!!
Splendacrest rider Angela Head rode the 320km Marathon on Kathryn Priol's lovely mare Emma, and completed their first ever marathon too!! And then received the Mwt Best Managed Horse award! Well done to the entire Ra Endurance team, and thanks to Kate Gadsby for giving Angela this opportunity! And Congratulations to Angela!!
Former Splendacrest rider Amanda Powell completed the Saturday 80km ride in 2nd Lwt position on Sue Crockett's mare, so a big Congratulations to Amanda too!!
The Splendacrest Team was ably supported by a large contingent of strapping crew members, including Sam Dobson, Gitti Stamm, Robert Kuhn, Jenny Hall, Beck Forgan, Johan de Bruto, Steph Tulk, Kimberley Ryan, and of course Shane Hopkins (who is the backbone of the Team). My thanks to all of you, and to all of the riders who did their very best to make our jobs a lot easier!
A huge thanks must also go to Scott Ellison for services "above and beyond".... thanks Scotty!
The Far A Way Easter Endurance Carnival is only one of several rides that the Far A Way Riders Club hold every year. This Carnival allows many people to enjoy the benefits of multiple rides over a long weekend, and the Imbil tracks are ideal for Novice and Open horses and riders alike. A horde of volunteers are the unseen support behind this, and other, events held at Imbil each year, and I'd like to thank everyone who is involved with the Far A Way Riders Club. The weather conditions over this past weekend were enough to make anyone turn tail and head for home, however there were many volunteers out there in the rain and thick mud all weekend, just to allow us all to have a fabulous Easter Carnival! Please be assured that your efforts are not un-noticed, and that our grateful thanks is extended to each and every one of you.
Bob Sample is literally a legend in the sport of endurance riding, and his efforts to ensure that we all get to go to this (and other) rides are also legendary. Thank you Bob, and thanks to all your hard-working committee members too!
And another huge thanks must go to Kristan Kershaw, who stayed home this weekend and fed up all my horses here.
All in all this was a very successful weekend for the Splendacrest Team, and we have all returned home happy and satisfied with the outcome..... well done to all!
Another FABULOUS ride weekend put on by the Toowoomba Endurance Club at Brymaroo saw over 70 horses in the 80km ride, as well as quite a few (don't know the exact numbers) in the 40km. Yes, Brymaroo is a flat track, and yes, it is also quite hard underfoot at the moment, but BOY, did we have fun!!
The Club members, headed up by Ken Gordon, Tanya Trevarthen and Angela Hawks, and ably assisted by a host of friendly volunteers, also provided us with ideal weather conditions! What more could you ask for? Breezy, overcast and not too cool, with periods of sunlight just when we needed it........ perfect!
The Veterinary team of Celia Dodd, Richard Nottle, John Glazebrook and Robbie Kent were all highly approachable and enthusiastic, while the host of other helpers in the Secretarial and Time Keeping areas were all having fun. Thanks to everyone who helped out with this ride....... your efforts are very much appreciated!
The Splendacrest Team had another 100% completion day, with Kristan Kershaw riding Bullarto Fiorelli to =3rd Hwt placing in 5:15. Shortly afterwards John Dugan finished on his lovely mare Performance Park Lady Kharisma, and Tarni Kittel gained 4th Junior placing on Splendacrest Dryad. Then came Clio Rauch on Splendacrest Zafire, Marcia Burger on Shardell Prince Valiant (owned by Rod Strahan), and Sachiko Murai (from Japan) on Splendacrest Ulysses, all completing in 6:48 in good spirits and condition. Shardell Prince Valiant was also named as the Best Managed Novice Horse with heartrates of 36/39/39.... a fantastic result!
Gerard Bou also completed the 80km, riding Sheikh Saeed's young novice horse, while Renae Kuhn successfully took Splitters Creek Bundy around the 40km in 3:03. And my friend Janet Anderson (aged 71) completed the 80km on "2 Bob", her upcoming young horse. I sure hope I'm still riding at 71!
Of course such a fabulous result is only due to the incredible teamwork that goes on behind the scenes, and here I must thank Shane Hopkins, Sam Dobson, Johan de Bruto, Robert Kuhn, Angela Head and Yuko Crease. Without the hard work and knowledgable actions of these people, the Splendacrest Team would be a lot poorer. Thanks to all of you!
We had the pleasure of attending the Terrific Tenterfield ride this past weekend, held in the beautiful Girard State Forest east of the town of Tenterfield, NSW. The dire warnings of rain from the Cyclone and cold weather were not heeded, and the weather was quite hot on Saturday, prompting the purchase of ice, but then turned overcast and mild on Sunday for the ride, although it did heat up a bit in the middle of the day and that ice was welcomed!
As usual, the Tenterfield Endurance Riders Club put on a fabulous event! The ride base is a clearing in the Forest maintained by the club and is quite lovely, with heaps of shady trees, long-drop toilets, and hot showers. And let me tell you folk, I REALLY appreciate the decent toilet paper.... none of that slippery hard crinkly el-cheapo stuff here!! Well done to all the club members for thinking of even the little details!!
And the entertainment during the weekend was pretty special, too.... with Mad March Hares being spotted on track, poetry being spouted at the pre-ride briefing, and competitions for limericks and jokes being held throughout the weekend.... lots of fun!
This is not an easy ride. But it is a very scenic ride, and the difficult parts of the track just make for an even better event. Splendacrest hosted 2 Japanese riders for this ride, and they both had a great time and just loved being out in the bush, especially commenting on the wildlife and the stars!
Our team had mixed results, but overall a very successful weekend. Gerard Bou rode Splendacrest Sayirah to 2nd Middleweight placing in 6:29, and gaining Open Horse qualification for this lovely mare along the way! Congratulations G! Renae Kuhn rode the lovely Bourhani Albaraq (owned by Hanna Bourdeaux) in his first open ride to place in 9th Middleweight position, accompanying Rod Strahan on his huge gelding Shardell Prince Valiant in his first 80km ride. They both finished in 7:17.
Clio Rauch (our German import) rode Shaah, and she also guided our two Japanese guests around the entire course. Yoshiko Miyamoto rode the evergreen Pete and totally fell in love with this great horse, but unfortunately vetted out at the end of the ride with a slightly elevated heart rate (it was VERY hot!). Yoshi will be back to ride with us again however, as she had such a wonderful time and truly loved the whole experience. Eiji Yoshikawa rode my young gelding Splendacrest Ulysses in his second 80km ride, and also loved the experience, with Ulysses taking care of his rider as if he'd been doing this all his life. It was great to see the rapport between these two! Clio placed 5th in the Lightweight division, while Eiji placed 15th in the Middleweight division.
We did have one lameness vet-out after the first leg of the ride, with Marcia Burger and Splendacrest Zhateau hitting a rockslide on track and taking some skin off! But all is well today! Tarni Kittel rode Zayelle's Showgirl, owned by Bruce Everson of the Tenterfield Club, and found the going a bit tough so withdrew after the first leg of the ride.
It was great to catch up with old and new friends, and to see all the success stories happening... congratulations to Steve and Luke for double 40s!!
The Tenterfield Club is also to be congratulated for consistently holding great events, and for providing a totally off-road track for all.... what a change from all the road work that some rides have become. Our grateful thanks to all involved!!
Thanks also to my crew of Shane Hopkins, Steph Tulk, Robert Kuhn and Yuko Crease.... couldn't have done it without you! And thanks to Jules, Kristan and Angela who fed all the 'at-home' horses too!
As we left home early Saturday morning, the weather report stated that Cyclone Hamish was moving south along the coast and that SE Qld could experience wet weather on Sunday! Well, that meant a hasty addition of some wet weather clothing into the bag, as I HATE getting soaking wet while strapping!! (Even though I usually end up with wet shoes and wrinkly feet anyway!)
So Saturday was hot and dry as we arrived at the Fernvale Rodeo Grounds, where the newly-formed Fernvale Endurance Club has developed quite a good ride base. The prime movers of Caroline and Paul Fitzgerald, Peter and Penny Toft, Toby and Sue Crockett, and many other local endurance enthusiasts, were joined on the day by a wide selection of local Arabian Studs who are also getting very heavily involved in endurance riding in SE Qld. Thanks to all concerned, as the weekend was a huge success!
The weather throughout the day ranged from hot to hotter, with periods of very hot, and the river crossing was greatfully appreciated by most!
The prime focus of the ride was the Youth Challenge FEI** 120km, with the goal being for many entrants to qualify for the World Youth Championships in Hungary this September. Eleven young riders (all female) started the 120km ride, with 10 successful completions.... a BIG congratulations to all involved! Unfortunately, the one elimination was Splendacrest rider Tarni Kittel, after her lovely mount fell in a hole on the second stage of the ride. Commiserations Tarni, but I know that you are determined to try again!
The FEI* 82km ride was hotly contested, with about 50 entries, and a winning time of about 4:30 by brothers Brook and Matthew Sample in a "gentleman's agreement" that saw Brook finish 1 second ahead of Matthew. For a 3-stage 82km ride over pretty hard terrain, this was a great finish, with reports coming in off track of the third-placed rider, Ben Caslick, trying his heart out to catch the Sample brothers in a gallop towards the end of the ride. The last 15km loop was completed in 28kph!
The Splendacrest Team had great results also in this ride, with Rod Strahan on Shardell Prince Ali (owned by Prutirat R. Serireongrith of Thailand) finishing in 7:24 for 17th placing (this young gelding's first open ride), Kristan Kershaw on Bullarto Fiorelli finishing in 7:26, and John Dugan on Performance Park Lady Kharisma finishing in 7:26. Angela Head completed the Youth division, placing 6th on Dallas Blakely's lovely gelding.... congratulations Ang, and thanks to Dallas and Andrew! Our one casualty in the 82km ride was Gerard Bou on Splendacrest Fiesta, who unfortunately vetted out at the re-present before the third leg due to the extreme heat, with a high heartrate! But as with every vet-out, it was a learning experience for us all.
The 45km training ride saw about 30 horses set off at daybreak, with Splendacrest fielding 5 of them! Three of my new riders were doing their second qualifying training ride, and Ted Fitzgerald was roped in to ride Shardell Prince Valiant (a huge brown Anglo owned by Rod Strahan) in his very first outing. Lisa Roosen (who has moved here from The Netherlands) rode Mt Eerwah Silver Mariner (aka Pete), Marcia Burger (who has moved here from South Africa) rode Splendacrest Zhateau, and young Steph Tulk was mounted on Splendacrest Ulysses, and all were successful in gaining their "Novice rider" qualification by completing this second training ride. Ted also completed the course, with Prince Valiant attracting plenty of attention!
Many of you may remember a crazy German girl that used to ride for Splendacrest 5 years ago.... Clio Rauch. During her three years with us here (while she was attending University in Australia), Clio was a regular rider and became very successful. Then she had to go home after Uni, and we have missed her dreadfully. Well, SHE'S BACK! Yes, Clio has returned to Australia to take up endurance riding again, having not had the chance to do any in the past 5 years! She arrived last Wednesday night, slept in on Thursday morning (jet lag), jumped on a horse on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, received her QERA membership card in the mail on Friday (thanks Dee!), and then travelled with us to Fernvale on Saturday, and rode my lovely stallion Splendacrest Zafire in the training ride on Sunday!
Clio used to ride Zafire's sire, Zakah Zahara, when she was with us years ago.... in fact she completed a Quilty and an Easter Marathon on him too!
So, there she was on Sunday, grinning from ear to ear, saying 'hello' to friends she hasn't seen in years, and riding Zak's son Zafire in his second ever outing for a great completion, and gaining the "Best Presented" prize as well!! WOW! She hasn't stopped smiling yet!
Another new addition to the Splendacrest Team is Johan de Bruto, who has moved to Australia from South Africa, and who is an experienced endurance rider. Johan spent the weekend with us in strapping mode, and became very envious of all those riding. He also took lots of great photos of the weekend, and seemed to enjoy his first experience of endurance in Australia. Thanks Johan, for all your hard work over the weekend. (Oh, and by the way, Johan also turned up on Saturday with an esky of beer.... I think he'll fit right in here!!)
The team cannot survive without Shane Hopkins, who is always there to put a shoe on, or to make sandwiches, or to run to the store to get ice (and boy! did we need ice this weekend!!!), or to organise everything and anything! Thanks Shane, for once again being an intregal part of the Splendacrest Team!
There was much comment over the weekend about the new FEI rules, and some confusion about the requirements to qualify for further FEI rides. The added expense of FEI rides will certainly keep many people away, however I am sure that if people would just try it out they would enjoy the experience. The weekend was well run by the Fernvale Club, and we had a great time!
Yesterday, Tarnia Kittel and I played hookey from training horses, and instead attended the Equestrian Qld Conference in Brisbane. It was a great day, and we both learned a lot from some very interestin people.
The day started off with Sonja Johnson (Beijing Olympic Silver Medallist with the Australian Eventing Team) telling us all about her journey from small child mustering steers to the Olympic arena. Sonja was a fabulous speaker, and had the entire audience in stitches with her vivid and moving stories. We also all got to hold her Silver Medal (it's quite heavy, you know!).
Then we were given an overview of the "True Sport Lives Here" program from the Department of Sport and Recreation. This was another interesting topic that spans all sporting areas.
After a delicious morning tea, the attendees were split into three groups: Tarni joined the Riders group, I joined the Officials group, and there was also a Clubs group. Each group was then treated to a special program of speakers designed just for them.... a great concept, and very easily and well organised. Tarni learned about Sports Psychology and how to deal with the Media, while I was very interested in a FEI Stewards session, followed by a more in-depth examination of the True Sports program. After lunch we both attended a great Feeding for Energy seminar by Liz Owens, and then Tarni attended a Body Conditioning for Riders lecture, while I went to a Swabbing workshop with Dr Warwick Vale.
There were several other lectures throughout the day, but we just couldn't fit them all in! The last session of the day was an Open Forum with Equestrian Australia and EQ committee members about the future of equestrian sports in Queensland.... again, a very interesting and informative session that provided lots of information and answered lots of questions.
Endurance riding was well represented at this Conference, however I feel that more endurance riders/trainers/club members/officials should make the effort to support this event next year. Glenda and Derek Armitage, Linda Meredith, Ken Moir and Barb Timms were all there, and Tarni and I were proud to be part of this wonderful group of people.
This conference was organised by Equestrian Queensland, and was open to all comers. Although it was widely advertised, and certainly sent to every EFA member, there were not as many attendees as they had expected. It was certainly the best value for money event that I have attended in a long time.
