Riding club members can look forward to Endurance GB’s RC Team Endurance Challenge
The fourth RC Team Endurance Challenge, which takes place on 25 August 2002, is a must for all riding club members interested in long-distance riding.
The 30km (18-mile) ride is open to affiliated riding club teams and runs alongside Endurance GB’s Alfred’s Tower Ride at Sommerslade Down near Warminster, Wiltshire.
Teams of three or four riders (best three scores to count) can be made up from first-timers or more experienced endurance partnerships. To be eligible for the “novice” section of the competition, a team cannot include any Endurance GB members.
The route is a mixture of terrain including open hills, forest tracks, green lanes and some roadwork. It has to be ridden at between 9.6 and 12.8kph (6 and 8 mph), with a speed of 11.2kph (7 mph) gaining most points. At the finish, the horse must be sound and those with lower heart rates are awarded higher scores.
The winning team receives a silver plate, teams to sixth place will receive rosettes plus there is an award for the highest placed novice team. All riders taking part will receive Riding Club rosettes.
After the last event in 2000, Chilworth Riding Club said: “We had a fantastic time. The route marking was excellent so it was easy to follow for non map-readers. We would thoroughly recommend it”.
Chilworth RC team member Diana Martin says: “You don’t need to ride an Arab to do it. Our team included a Thoroughbred and a New Forest Pony.”
Endurance GB describe the event as “an excellent opportunity for riding club members to increase their horse’s fitness for other disciplines” and say that “any reasonably fit horse should be able to cope with 30km quite easily”.
A schedule and entry forms are available by sending a large SAE (minimum A5) to Jane Hudson, Springdale, Cove, Tiverton, Devon, EX16 7RT or for more information (tel: 01398 332089).
For more information on long-distance and endurance riding visit Endurance GB’s website at www.endurancegb.co.uk
