News

Oakley Endurance has got off to a cracking start!  We have

• 24 members, or 1/3^rd of the branch interested in having a go at an Endurance event
• 12 members who have taken part in an event
• 3 teams
• run our first Endurance event
• started a series of training booklets, Quick Guides to Endurance, and published 3 Guides
• written 2 newsletters
• designed a team kit
• got a website presence…see http://endurancediary.wordpress.com

Small People and Ponies Endurance Team (“SPPET”) Competition Report

The Oakley Hunt (West) SPPET took part in their first competition on 22 March 2009.

Oliver Barrett, Emily Dunning, Scarlett Lawson, Tom Barrett

Starting from the Events Plaza Milton Keynes and including a Robin class with no minimum age, this was a brilliant opportunity to kick off Endurance for the most junior members of the Club.  Organised by the Whaddon Chase PC the event was the official launch of Pony Club Endurance and over 55 competitors took part in 5 classes.   A high publicity event it and included a free hospitality tent which went down very well with competitors and crew alike – somehow we missed the BBC TV cameras, which could have been because we were too busy eating cake!   And there were other freebies and a smashing Rosette for every class.

An important part of the training which the Parsler’s are attending in preparation for the inter-regionals is focussed on the health and fitness of the horse.  The team actually has it’s own nominated vet, equine physio and farrier all of whom looked over Talisman and Havannah at the recent training day.

One very important point made was that if you know your horses’ usual vital statistics – weight, resting heart rate and temperature – then you are able to quickly identify any changes which may indicate a problem.  For example, Havannah has  very low resting heart rate of around 28bpm.  If she had a heart rate of 36bpm at rest then we would become concerned even though this falls well within the parameters which are considered “normal”, as it represents a significant change for her.  All these vital statistics are essential guides to your horses well being and vary from individual to individual so it is important to know what is normal for your horse – not just what the book says.

Below is a link to an interesting article on using heart rate monitors for this purpose ……

http://www.distanceriding.org/php/articles/condition/RandR.pdf

You can also use a stethoscope to take heart rate – sometimes more reliable than electronic gadgetry – but do count over a full minute as you get a more accurate reading.  The other tools you need are a weight band (which can often be acquired free from feed suppliers) and a digital thermometer with vaseline!

Take your readings at a similar time and in similar circumstances each day so that you get a reasonable comparison.

Attached is the schedule and booking form for a training day to be held at Down Barn Farm in Wantage.  This looks like a very imformative days training for experienced competitor and novice alike.  It is open to non-members of EGB and pony clubbers will be made welcome.

cotswold training day 0709

cotswold training day schedule 0709

Just couldn’t resist posting this article from the Young Riders page of EGB’s members magazine.  A nice write up and picture of Natasha and Shine

http://endurancediary.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/yr-report0409.jpg

I have just been informed about a series of 4 training rides being run by the Leics and Rutland group of EGB.  The series is open to Pony Clubbers, EGB members and non-members alike; and is designed to take riders through from complete beginners right up to tackling a 33km ride at competition speed.

There will be plenty of assistance along the way and training in managing your horse and planning your ride as well as the practice rides themselves.

If you are new to the sport the this could be exactly what you are looking for.

Download the details here – lrtraining2009

Pony Club celebrates it's 80th birthday with this fantastic cake!

For the Pony Clubs 80th birthday Endurance was launched as an official Pony Club discipline. This ride started in Central Milton Keynes, at Campbell Park.

Me and my older sister Natasha did the 28 kilometer ride with Maria Jeskins-Powell. This route goes round Campbell park, to the concrete cows, Linford Wood, Willen Lake and back to Campbell Park.

Before we started we vetted the ponies. Havannahs heart rate was 26bpm, Talismans was 40bpm and Shamillas was 38bpm. We trotted up in front of the vets to check for lameness as well. All three passed.

Most of the ride is on designated bridle paths with occasional roads or paths. The first bit was alongside the main road going to the shopping center on a sand track. On this path there is a large metal sculpture which most ponies spook at.

Jin Langstone is holding two lecture demos at Liscombe Park, Leighton Buzzard Beds, when she will be painting the muscles and bones of the horse on a live subject, and then freeschooling the horse around the arena to see the muscles and bones in action.

She will be painting the muscles on Friday 20th March and bones on Friday 8th May.

Both demos start at 6.30pm. Tickets £10 each demo, or £15 for both in advance. Please contact Liscombe on 01296 682991 for more details.

Natasha and Shine show off their awards.

Our family team of novice riders attended the Cromwell EGB Regional awards dinner with only the expectation of good food and conversation with our fellow endurance enthusiasts.

We were therefore both delighted and suprised at the following results….

Natasha Parsler – Junior Rider Champion

Shine – Reserve Native Pony Champion and Reserve Novice Champion

Talisman – Novice Hi-point Champion

As you can see from the picture the rosettes are the size of small dinner plates!  This was a really pleasing ending to what was a generally good inaugural year for “team Parsler”.  We are all keenly anticipating the return of better weather so we can begin training for the 2009 season.

Below is a link to a petition created by Philip Hirst to get Endurance Riding included as an Olympic discipline in 2012.  Personally I feel that Endurance has as much claim as any other sport and has the added bonus that as a country we are reasonably good at it!  Realistically the current one in and one out rule makes it highly unlikely that the petition will succeed but since when did a bit of a challenge stop Endurance riders? 

Just click on the link below to sign the petition…

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Endurance2012/