Maggie discusses the pony's recovery rates after each lap.

Maggie Pattinson of On the Hoof Distance Training and chef d’equipe of the English team, ran a small fitness training clinic at Milton Keynes Equestrian Centre in August which we were lucky enough to attend.

Maggie started the training by explaining about aerobic and anaerobic exercise, aerobic meaning that the blood is fully oxygenated and so the heart and other systems  can work efficiently.  Aerobic meaning that the level of work has increased to a point at which a lack of oxygen means that performance will diminish.  Flat work race horses will often do the entire race in the anaerobic zone, however this means that after a certain distance performance will drop off very rapidly.  So for consistent and sustainable performance such as an endurance ride you need to ensure that the horse is working in the aerobic zone.  However to increase the aerobic threshold you do have to occasionally push into the anaerobic zone.

Regarding initial fittening of the horse or pony Maggie believes there is no short cut to the general graft or 4 to 6 weeks of walk work early in the year. However she did say that you should not underestimate the benefits of hacking out, so any mums who go out with their friend should not feel guilty about having a chin wag, as you are actually helping to build a good level of base fitness!  Conversely whilst very good fun, blasting around the countryside flat out does very little to generate long term fitness.

Archie recovered best when worked in a steady trot

Maggie had brought several heart rate monitors that could be fixed to the horses saddles so as to monitor the level of exertion on the horses system at certain paces.    This was carried out at various combinations of pace depending on the individual horses.  Each horse did a warm up lap starting with a walk section and following with trot for the remainder of the circuit, at the end of the circuit the recovery time to a level of 60bpm was taken. This provided a base line, and also gave a rough indication of each horses fitness.   Then a series of circuits at different paces were done each with a target BPM rate in mind.  The riders were asked to assess which pace to adopt to get the required BPM.

The readings from the heart rate monitors were occasionally quite surprising, for instance whilst a resting pulse rate when untacked could be in the late 30’s or low 40’s even a gentle walk could raise it up by 10bpm, if the horse was a bit spooky or made to go away from their stable mates then it could go up to 80bpm even when still walking.

At higher paces different horses could behave quite differently to what you would expect.  For instance Shine who has wonderful extension and can trot for England actually had a much lower heart rate at canter.  Conversely Archie had a lower pulse rate at trot, but was not significantly slower in that pace.  Another thing that was rather counter intuitive was that in some cases the recovery time back to 60 bpm actually got better the more work they did, an example of this was Shaz who would definitely benefit from a significant level of warm up in advance of the event proper.

It was also obvious the effect that fighting with an onward bound horse can have in increasing the pulse rate, when allowed to have its head the pulse came down and very quickly the pulling match stopped.

One other thing that was quite surprising is how high the pulse rate could get under exertion.  A horse with a resting rate of 40 could easily get up to 180 on an extended canter.

One thing that was common across all of the ponies however was that a consistent pace gave a lower overall pulse rate and better recovery.   During

Recovery was faster when riders kept to a consistent speed even when that speed was fairly fast!

a circuit where the ponies changed up and down pace frequently the pulse was higher and the recovery time longer than when a consistent pace was done even when the consistent lap was quite fast.

What was good is that each of the riders went away with a couple of personalised tips on how their own pony behaves under work, and a good indication of what would work for them.  Also, encouragingly for those riders with older horses, we learned that if the horse has been kept in work for most of its life then it has a good base level of fitness that has built up over the years enabling it to perform on a par with a younger animal.

Report by Rebecca Parsler.

I went to the Interegionals at Barbury Castle on7-9th August 2009.   Me , my Dad and my big sister Tasha had been selected for the Eastern Region team, from Cromwell group. Gilly, the chef d’equipe, took my pony Havannah in her trailer with her horse because we only have space for two in our trailer. We followed up the next day with my sisters and Dads ponies Talisman and Shine.

When we got to the venue, after looking out the windows at all the huge fields and rolling hills, saying how fun it would be the next day, we found where Havannah had been put out in a corral and unloaded Shine and Tally.   As we were bringing them to the gate to the corral area, Havannah saw us and jumped out of her corral and galloped across the field ducking and jumping other peoples corrals as she went,  causing a bit of a spectacle for all the people setting up camp!  We managed to catch her when she met the wooden fence and led her back to the corrals with Talisman and Shine.

After setting up camp we had a team meeting, met all the other members of our regional team and got our bright pink kit, Dad looked lovely. We later on went to eat at a restaurant with very slow service and a lack of bacon for Tasha. We eventually got back very late, but Mum and Dad were soon out again in search of Mum’s left behind handbag. An hour or so later all the drama was over and we got to sleep.

The next day we collected in the ponies and groomed them before heading off to the vet. It took ages to get through the vet as Havannah’s legendary low heart rate had hit its record at 24 bpm and all the vets including the chief vet all came over as they didn’t believe it. Havannah did get jokingly accused of ‘cheating’ because she drops and skips heartbeats all over the place. Once we were finished there we returned to the trailer and finished grooming and tacking up. Me and Natasha put white bows in our ponies manes and sprayed slightly wonky silver stars on their bums, which did get some comments from our team.

Natasha and me showing off our lovely pink team kit! (Photo by Eric Jones)

Setting off along the racecourse with fellow team member Pippi on a borrowed horse all the ponies were energetic and pulling to go.  The first part of the route is on grass track the whole way, which is good to get a decent start, almost the whole ride was on downs and ridge ways with little roadwork. We got back in good time and got vetted, Havannah got a grade 1 and shine a grade 4.  Sadly Talisman was vetted out and our team vet confirmed that he had thrown a splint and prescribed 6 weeks off work. (not such good news for Dad’s plans for the rest of the season)

After we saw the horses relaxing once again in thier corralls we went up to the trade stands for lunch. Mum had spotted a cheap free ‘n easy saddle she wanted but unfortunately it was gone by then. We were sitting above the vetting area eating cakes and watched a pair of riders having a racing finish and also the only 160km rider to finish and joined in the cheering when she crossed the line and passed the vet.

At the prize giving there was more cheering as the Barbury Champion was presented with her rug and rosettes. Our regional team was placed 7th and me and Tasha also got a 3rd place young riders medal. All in all it was a good ride at a great venue and I’d like to go again.

Rebecca Parsler

Championship Team 2009 - Whaddon Chase Pony Club

The inaugural Pony Club National Endurance Championships was held on 20th September 2009 at the College Equestrian Centre near Bedford.  Although this was the first year, 12 branches competed with riders travelling from as far afield as Wales and Yorkshire.  Pony Club Chairman Cherry Michell, Endurance Chairperson Robert Blane and Nicola Slater from sponsors Carr & Day & Martin presented a huge pile of wonderful rosettes and prizes.  All said how delighted they were with both the number and standard of the entries.

A dedicated team of Whaddon Chasers have been working hard all year to qualify for this event, clocking up in excess of 1500km of competitive rides between them (not to mention all the hours of both mounted and unmounted training they put in!).  In the event we are proud to say that their dedication obviously paid off.  All the WCPC riders produced excellent results in very full and hotly contested classes.

Some mention also has to go to the team of dedicated parents and friends who provided essential back up crew in the form of both escort riders and ground support.  The day of the Championships was brilliantly sunny, which is very nice if you are sitting around, but not so good if you need to ride 30-40km in 3 hrs!  Without the positive army of people driving round the Bedfordshire countryside with buckets of water, sponges and bottles of drink it would not have been possible for our team riders to achieve the results they did. So a major thank you to Nesta, Jane S, Peter, Jane A, Jacqui, Kim, Rachel, Maria, Celia, Katrine, Karen and Aaron.  (I think we also managed to prove that Whaddon Chase really know how to organize a killer barbeque!)

Results:

Not surprisingly the Novice classes attracted the most entries in this first year.  However, from a National Committee perspective, what was most pleasing was the sheer quality of those entries.  The standard was unbelievably high and there was almost nothing between the first 10 or so riders in both sections.   We were therefore extremely pleased with the following results…

Junior Novice

Whaddon Whizzers  team 1st –  Katie Spaughton, Hannah Maskell and Bryony Parsler

Whaddon Wonders team 3rd- Eve Knights, Louise Gallavan and Kathryn Naysmith

Katie Spaughton individual 1st

Hannah Maskell individual 5^th

Senior Novice

Team 2^nd – Beth Brown, James and Peter Alexander

James Alexander individual 2nd

The Open class was not as full but the standard was no less high. Once again placings were incredibly tight, especially between the top 5 riders, with no more than 3 or 4 penalty points between them (out of a possible 55).  The eventual winner put in a stunning performance that would not have been out of place on any affiliated National team.  All our Open riders can feel justly proud of themselves for the following results in such a tough competition…

Senior Open

Team 2^nd – Rebecca and Natasha Parsler and Gemma Maskell

Rebecca Parsler individual 2^nd and EGB grade 1

Natasha Parsler individual 5^th and EGB grade 2

For a full list of results please go to

Everyone showed a great team spirit, helping each other out and all seemed to have really enjoyed the day.

For full results and more information please see the main Pony Club website at http://www.pcuk.org/Disciplines/Endurance/Endurance-Championships/

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.

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.

Riding throught the deer park gets you up close and personal with the residents! They didn't seem to mind but the ponies weren't quite so sure

This ride is a lovely ride through the Great Park and the deer park, it is truly wonderful being able to ride through what is effectively the Queens extended back garden!   What makes it really special is the fact that the road work is very limited and there are lots of nice long stretches of grass or sand tracks where you can make really good time.   I was riding with two of my daughters and a friends daughter who had borrowed Shine, and after having completed a nicely surfaced canter track of about ¾ miles we all agreed that it was probably the longest stretch of uninterrupted canter that any of us had ever done.   Even Shine and Tally who are well up for a good run seemed to be wondering when it was going to end!    So all in all a ride that I can highly recommend to anyone.

The Crown Estate Office have a lot of restrictions in terms of marking the route, which meant that you had to be sure of your route on the map.   We did go wrong on the route and it took us a while to realise this, also Tally was in one of “those moods”.    This leads me to a change of tack from a normal ride report to an article explaining a few hard learned words of wisdom from a still quite novice but quickly learning endurance rider. 

Confusedus he say:

“When approaching a horse crossing on a busy road, do not assume that your horse will stop simply because there are a lot of cars crossing, as he may be having a particular total buffoon moment.”

• Learning point: Do not get too caught up in the excitement of the ride and always make sure you are in control of your occasionally over excitable and retarded horse.  Always be willing to approach any hazard with a lot of caution, even if it seems that you may be reducing your average speed significantly.

Confusedus he say:

“When the route seems to go to the left on the map be not tempted to follow the track to the right simply because it has strips of marker tape on it.   For you may find that in fact you are following a route that is displaying the markings of a second loop for a longer ride.”

• Learning point: if you have been following the route correctly and think that you know where you are, trust in yourself and your opinion, or at least check the alternate routes for markers and then reassess.   Spending an extra couple of minutes checking the options is better than heading off the wrong way, regardless of how fast you are going!

Confusedus he say:

“When at a point where several routes meet, be not tempted to follow the directions of the very helpful crew of another rider, even though he speaks with great authority.  For it may be that he is assuming he knows where you came from and may inadvertently cause you to go the wrong way.”

• Learning point: Again be sure of where you are on the map and be willing to ask more questions in terms of where you are before following a strangers directions.   Even if you are not at an official checkpoint but there is someone in a car that seems to be looking out for riders, they are probably involved with the event and may well be willing to confirm whereabouts you are on the route map.

Confusedus he say:

“Once you realise that you have gone wrong, panic not that you will run out of time to complete the route.  You will probably be able to correct the error and still make it back in time.”

• Learning point: If you have followed the classic tactic of going out fast in order to be able to come in slower (thereby reducing the horses heart rate at the finish) then you should have plenty of contingency time to make amendments to your route and still finish on time.
• Second learning point: If like me you have minimum and maximum route timings on a post it note stuck on you map, then remember to check this again at this point.   Before getting into despair you may well realise that you have more than enough time in hand to correct any mistakes and complete the ride in time.

So in summary this was a great ride and we will definitely be doing it next year.   It was also a very good

Spectacular views down the avenue to Windsor Castle.

reminder of why you need to have a good understanding of the route map and trust in your instincts in terms of where you think the route should go.

This was one of the EGB rides that was hosting Pony Club classes, so we thought we should patronise this ride despite the fact that Jim and Natasha were aiming to ride the 30k Novice CR, rather than the 18k Pony Club Kestrel ride on offer.

Crossing a ford at Tugby - picture by ScottDigital

We had been warned that Tugby was quite a hilly ride, and given the weather was really quite hot we knew that this ride would be a challenge of Tally and Shine’s fitness. We normally take two 5 gallon barrels and a box of a dozen slosh bottles, and thought that this might not be enough. To make things worse we realised that we had forgotten our bucket of sugar beet water, which is normally the only way to get Shine and Tally to take on water when we are doing these rides. We were also told that there were limited places that the crew could meet us, as on the first part of the rides the tracks were all cross country, and we were not supposed to crew in the villages. However, many of the fields were stock fields with troughs and there were also two fords that we had to cross that would provide water on route.

We left the venue and had to try hard to persuade the horses to go through a terribly scary and obviously carnivorous gate. It would have been embarrassing if we could not even get out of the farmyard. However after a fair bit of kicking and badgering we then got underway. A good proportion of the first part of the ride was across farm fields and good grass tracks but within about 2k of the start we met the first hill, whilst it was not too steep it was quite long. We then continued over a series of rolling hills across some really lovely countryside. It is a very pretty part of the country and has some very good riding tracks. Large numbers of ramblers was also using these tracks on the day. This meant that at times we had to restrict our longer faster canters, and revert to trot and walk.

There also seemed to be a moratorium on marking the route with the normal paint arrows within the villages. As such it was important to be able to read a map properly to ensure that we took the correct route.

Having limited crewing points on the first part of the ride, is not normally too much of an issue whilst you are still fairly fresh. However with the hot weather both ponies were soon sweating up nicely and so seeing Nikki just before checkpoint 2 which was 12k into the ride provided some welcome relief. We normally try to meet up about 4 times approximately equidistant on a 34k ride, so 12K seemed a long way. Excessive amounts of water were applied to both horses via slosh bottles and sponges, which they were obviously grateful for, as they did not do their normal dancing about. One of the good things about a hot day is that you do not have to worry about the horses getting cold if you apply a lot of water at the crew points, as within 5 minutes of setting off they were dry again.

We had tried to get both ponies to drink from one of the troughs on the first part of the route without success; so I decided that I would tie a sponge to my saddle so that we could try to cool off the horses when apart from the crew points. The next 5k was all cross country again this time predominantly downhill where we got to one of the fords that we were told about. We were all pretty hot again by this point so we again tried to get Tally and Shine to drink, and then I got off to sponge them down. Zip up joddy boots and chaps are very comfortable but they do leak when you are paddling in the ford. However as an example of how hot is was my boots looked dry by the time I had remounted, and my feet felt dry after about 2 minutes.

We went onto Tilton on the Hill which, was about half way. Again there were no markings so we had to check the map carefully. On the way out of the village we had to go down a fairly steep hill, which given we were on tarmac meant that we had to stick to walk. Because of this we both got off and walked with the ponies in hand, so as to give their backs a rest. However once we got to a flat bit we got back on in order to trot on some more.

By this time in the ride we had a good indication of the toll the hills and heat were taking on Tally and Shine. We normally start off fast so as to give ourselves some leeway for getting lost and to allow ourselves the chance to come in slowly, so as to improve the horse’s final pulse rates. We normally aim to do the first half of the ride at an average speed of at least 12kph, and aim to finish at an average of 10kph. Since we started doing graded rides we realised that the optimum speed to get a grade 1 pass is 10kph, as this gives the best range of pulse rates that lead to a grade 1. On this ride at the half way point we were averaging only 9kph, which was a bit too close for comfort to the minimum speed of 8kph.

When we came to another stretch of cross country a couple of riders on the 42k route came up behind us. They also complained that their horses were making heavy weather of the ride. However as soon as they went in front both Tally and Shine suddenly found their second wind, no way were they going to be overtaken! So the four of us went on together for the next few kilometres taking turns in “towing” each other, to the next crewing point. Nikki provided drinks and slosh bottles to us and our two new companions. Then on we went across the fields again. Just as we were coming to about 24k on the route trotting along a stony track I thought we were scuppered, as Tally picked up a large stone in his hoof and immediately started hopping. I got off and checked all his feet for stones or cuts. The two experienced riders we were with said that his hoof might be bruised and that he may walk it off. So for the next kilometre or so I walked beside him.

Once off the stony track I got back on again, and Tally seemed fine, the only sign of being foot sore was when we had to go through a long deep ford with a stony bottom, which he obviously did not like. However once we got back onto the road he was happy to trot on so there could not have been much wrong. Nikki met us again about 2k from the finish for a final slosh down, we were still at about 9kph average speed, as such we basically aimed to take it easy getting back to the venue so as to keep the horses pulses as low as possible.

Once back at the venue we stripped off the tack and then sloshed the horses down, and then walked them around to stop any stiffness and then off to the vets for a trot up and pulse check. All told we ended up using more than 15 gallons of water both at checkpoints on the ride and at the cooling down sessions at the end. Given the terrain and heat we knew that we were not going to get a grade 1 this time. So we waited for the results and were pleased when Natasha and Shine had a grade 3 whilst Tally and I got a grade 4.

Whilst it was a very challenging ride I can recommend Tugby as a good ride with some excellent riding tracks across lovely country.

We very nearly didn’t make this ride (after 20 years of accident free horseriding both Jim and Nikki chose the week before to spend some quality time in A&E!) so it was with some surprise that we found ouselves at MK Eventing Centre early on a sunny Sunday morning.

We had decided that as the venue was close to home we would make 2 journeys and give Rebecca (12) her first try at a 32km route. Also riding were dad Jim on Talisman and Natasha (15) on Shine who were attempting their second novice CTR. Mum, Nikki, and youngest sister Bryony were acting as crew.

The weather was just about perfect and the ponies were all exceedngly keen to start, so with a last minute consultation about speeds (we got this a bit wrong last time) they headed off over the fields.

We had agreed that the optimum speed for a Novice CTR was just over 10km hour. (Between 10 and 15km per hour you have the largest range of finishing heart rates which earn a grade.) We reckoned the ponies were all fit enough to maintain this so the plan was to start off closer to 12km per hour, giving them something in hand so that they could slow down in the latter stages and let the horses heart rates drop gradually.

Initially all went to plan – they rode into checkpoint 1 dead on 12kph with the ponies still looking keen. It was fairly hot so Bryony handed all the riders a bottle of water to drink whilst Nikki concentrated on pouring water down the necks/chests of the ponies to keep them cool.

The next point we were meeting was just past the next checkpoint, where the route turned off the village High Street in Stoke Goldington. Nikki and Bryony quickly realised that lots of riders were missing the turning so they stood on the corner to make sure that the Parsler family didn’t make the same mistake. We were also able to redirect several other confused competitors. (Endurance is not strictly speaking an orienteering competition so, unlike Trec, it is considered OK to assist riders in this way – provided that you are very sure you are giving the correct information!) One of the riders we helped told us that they had seen Jim and the girls shortly before the checkpoint – heading in the wrong direction! We feared the worst but shortly after this were pleased to see the family arrive safely round the corner, a little below the target speed of 12km, having realised their mistake and doubled back to correct it. The ponies were pretty sweaty by this point so we used lots of slosh bottles to cool them. Only Shine was interested in drinking the water we offered him and I think he probably spilt more than he drank.

By the next meeting point, some 19km round the route, the ponies had finally stopped pulling and their average speed was down to only just over 10km per hour. They made a very brief stop, offering the ponies a drink again and sloshing them down before heading off up the road at a smart trot. We altered our plans a little here, given the slower speed, and Bryony and Nikki headed off to a point only about 3km from the finish where we reckoned we could give the ponies a final slosh and a drink before walking in gently and still make the 10kmph target speed.

The family arrived in good time, now averaging 11kmph and very grateful for the flapjacks handed out by Bryony. As soon as they were off we packed up the car and headed back to the venue to welcome them back.

The Parslers finished the course in fine style at a speed of 11.09kmph – slightly faster than target but well inside the optimum range. Now all we had to do was prepare for the final vetting.

We had 1/2 hour to get the ponies heart rates as low as possible for the vet – this, together with their average speed, would determine the final grading. All the ponies were quickly untacked and the whole family began sloshing and sponging like fury – concentrating on those areas, such as between the back legs, where there are large blood vessels which will help cool the pony most quickly. As there was a bit of a breeze Havannah began to shiver a little, so after squeegy-ing the excess water off it was time to throw travel rugs on and let the horses relax in the sun. We walked the horses in hand as they grazed in order to prevent them stiffening up.

At the final vetting Shine was called over first and we made the mistake of letting him get separated from his friends. Unfortunately Shine, who had until this point been beautifully relaxed, immediately began spinning around and calling for them. We realised our error and brought Tally up to see him but the damage was already done and Shine’s final heart rate was recorded at 52bpm. This left Natasha with a somewhat dissapointing Grade 4, but as she said “We are only novices, here to learn, and we won’t make that mistake again!”. Tally and Havannah did rather better, vetting in at 42bpm which gave them both Grade 1’s, a really fantastic result. We were all very proud of them both.

Sunday 27^th April saw two Whaddon Chase Pony Club families set off on the 45 mile trip to compete at the Endurance GB competition at Wimpole Hall near Royston.

Natasha Parsler (15) was accompanied by Dad Jim on her first affiliated 34km competitive ride. The weather broke just as they headed out but they managed to keep up a good speed of 9.76kmph meeting Mum Nikki and sister Bryony at the check points along the way. Each rider in this class is graded. Natasha and Shine were awarded a grade 2 just one heart beat per minute away from a grade 1. Everyone was very proud of the pair.

Gemma(14) and Hannah (8yrs) Maskell set out not long after the Parsler pair but doing the Pony Club 19km Kestrel Ride. Having completed her first 19km earlier in the spring this was Gemma’s finalist ride and showing her first time out sister the ropes.

With Hannah being the youngest competitor in any of the classes at 8 her accompanying adult was Great Aunt Ange. Mum, Nesta, and the dogs were crewing with a ready supply of water for horse and riders alike. Both girls completed the 19km in 2 hours 1 minute with an average speed of 9.42km/h thus qualifying in style. Duncan and Maisy the ponies heart rates returned to normal as if they’d been for a stroll in the park !

Both families had lovely day out working together and managed great results

Give it a go you might enjoy it !!!!

Click here for details of the next Whaddon Chase Pony Club Endurance @ MK 14^th June 2008 with routes from 8km and an open team friendly. endurance-flyer-for-june-2008-2

Article kindly submitted by Nesta Maskell