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Post by Nickernow on Aug 22, 2005 23:37:09 GMT 1
Hi all, i have recently done my first sponsored ride which was extremely tiring on my poor arms, my arab gets his knickers in a right twist when out in groups, i think we bucked for the first 20 minutes solid, we are hoping to do our first pleasure/training? ride in december with a experienced endurance rider, i am hoping that the novelty will eventually wear thin with my boy and that he will calm down (i've been saying this for the last 12 months mind), can anyone offer any tips on getting started, what are the essentials to take with you etc, nice to meet you all
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carolwilts
Olympic Poster
"get busy living or get busy dying"
Posts: 576
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Post by carolwilts on Aug 23, 2005 19:14:20 GMT 1
Hi sam... well it was just a thought. Did you check the web site on wet roads just incase there is a ford near you to practice? Lets liaise nearer the time on our start times... just in case. Here Is Mara and me on our first ever ride (photo courtesy of Eric Jones)
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Post by Louise C on Aug 26, 2005 22:26:28 GMT 1
Samwiththearabs - I did my first ever pleasure ride earlier this year with Flynn - it was great fun and everyone was really helpful. People asked me if I wanted to go with them and everything. Flynn was a total star, which for such a nervous horse was really good to see and he loved every minute of it. I am sure someone will give you a hand getting through the water. Would love to do more, but transport is a problem for me too.
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Post by samwiththearabs on Sept 7, 2005 19:06:14 GMT 1
Well, that's it now. I definitely can't back out of it now. The paperwork arrived today. I've been worrying for the last few days as to whether I actually got a place, as the Endurance GB website says the ride is full, but I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.
Carol(Wilts), I'm rider no 48, vetting at 10.40am and starting at 11.10am. How about you?
Apparently there's one shallow ford to cross, so please keep your fingers crossed for me that somebody nice will be there to give us a lead over.
Now I'm panicking about the roads as well. I'm not very confident on roads either (oh God! I'm not very confident at all!). Now I'm in a quandrary as to whether to go to the Natural Horse Gathering on Sunday, or to drive to Bramshill on Sunday instead and check out the roads.
If as Louise C with Flynn says, somebody nice offers to ride with me, believe me, I'll be jumping at the chance!
Still, I am going to do it - I AM going to do it. We CAN do it!
Would love to meet up with you at the ride Carol, even if we only get a chance to say a fleeting "hello - and so that's what you look like!".
Now for the silly question - as it will be Miri's very first "competitive" ridden outing, I'm going to put a green ribbon on his tail. Has anybody got any tips as to how to best tie the ribbon to the tail and get it to stay in for as long as possible?
Also, will most (sensible) people be decked out in fluorescents? I always usually wear them when out and about, so I'm inclined to bring them along with me anyway.
Sam
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carolwilts
Olympic Poster
"get busy living or get busy dying"
Posts: 576
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Post by carolwilts on Sept 7, 2005 19:28:16 GMT 1
Hi Sam with the arabs...
I got my stuff this morning too.... GULP! This will be my second ever ride - and I am doing the 40k novice- so i'm probably as nervous as you!
I have only done ford practice with Mara on two fords so I am hoping we will make it as well.
As I am in the longer novice class, I have to start early.. obviously they think we are going to take a long time! I'm rider no 10 and my vet time is 8.50 and start 9.20.... but i am doing 40k. so that means that there is a possibility that we will meet en route (i have to do loop A, then B, then A again before going back to the venue).
I'm going to the NH gathering on sunday as well.... perhaps we could meet and exchange notes!
BTW I just tied a ribbon round Mara's tail on my first outing - someone suggested plaiting the end in, but we hadnt got time.. but it stayed on fine (she has quite a bushy tail, though).
have to dash now.. but lets liaise
carol
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Post by bagpuss on Sept 8, 2005 7:24:02 GMT 1
I use hair scruncies with ribbon attached! They stay up the tail (usually) & are easy to apply if you are all fingers & thumbs before the ride ;D Don't however, rely on other competitors seeing your bedecked horse - most don't notice or are ignorant to their meaning! You must have eyes in the back of your hear - esp if your horse kicks!!
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Arabmare
Olympic Poster
~Dreams can come true~
Posts: 896
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Post by Arabmare on Sept 8, 2005 8:38:57 GMT 1
I'm another one dying to have a go at endurance! When my mare was younger (shes 21 now) we went for hacks that lasted a whole day covering way more than 10 miles each time. She was always raring to go even as we reached the field she would walk straight past it and want to carry on!!! I have now backed my polish Arab filly and hopng that next year when she's out hacking confidently I will start a few pleasure rides! If any of you endurance people want to give me any tips please feel free to do so I'd love to learn this sport, its what ive always wanted to do so much so I was an endurance runner at school way before I could afford my first horse!!!! ;D
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Post by Karon on Sept 8, 2005 13:04:23 GMT 1
Good luck Sam and Carol, wish I was competing this year. Arabmare, I love the pics of your two on your signature - especially Jasmine, I've got a very soft spot for chestnut Arabs I used to plait my ribbons in my mares' tails (what colour ribbon for "overtake this horse and the last thing you'll see of us will be an Arab disappearing into the distance at the speed of light"? Not that Ash likes to race....) but it's very fiddly to do and definitely not a good idea if you're nervous! Naz had green and red - very eye catching (except nobody noticed it - particularly the rider who rode straight into her back end then wondered why her horse nearly got kicked). No chance of Ash ever kicking, she's far too competitive to waste energy kicking
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Post by Ryan&Dizzy on Sept 10, 2005 10:34:09 GMT 1
hiya!!!! im ded excited at the min, last year we did loads of pleasure rides but i have been struggeling with my confidence this yr a lot so have plucked upo the corage to get out on 1 so the 2nd of oct were goin 2 bakewell social ride!! as my horse is a big cob we gets lots of funny looks but he loves it!! we go out with my friend on her TB and it ends up haveing to canter to keep up with ottos trot! this is a pic from our first pleasure ride (it was on the finishing line ... we were knacked!!!) the hope is to do a few novice GR at some point wud love to got further but as ottos such a fatty dont think we'll manage it!
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Post by samwiththearabs on Sept 10, 2005 17:50:21 GMT 1
Otto looks lovely - and you might look a bit knackered (but happy), but he looks bright as a button. But wow - what width of saddle does he have? He looks incredibly wide (and I mean that in the nicest possible way!).
Sam
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Post by Ryan&Dizzy on Sept 11, 2005 16:08:59 GMT 1
otto always looks like he wants to go out and do it all over again! bounces on the spot wen we tie him back up!
hee hee hee!!!! hes in an xxw at the min!!! he has lost a bit of weight since the picture was taken hes was very overweight wen we brought him!
ooooo and on the ford conversation from earlier on our first ride there were 2 fords non of our horses had ever seen one before they were a bit hessitant but we caught a lead off another(very helpful) rider and they all went through like donkeys .... other than otto stopped for a drink in the middle and wudnt move!
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carolwilts
Olympic Poster
"get busy living or get busy dying"
Posts: 576
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Post by carolwilts on Sept 19, 2005 11:17:54 GMT 1
Hi Samwith the arabs.. how did you get on at Bramshill Forest? I hope you didnt spend too long looking for me.. I wasn't there! Fell off on saturday and landed on a jump wing, thereby cracking a rib..... :-(
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Post by samwiththearabs on Sept 19, 2005 19:28:59 GMT 1
Hi Carol,
Ouch! Poor you! And there's not a lot they can do for cracked ribs either is there - except let time and nature run its course. I hope you're feeling okay and that it doesn't take too long to heal.
I did go to the ride, but we never got across the ford (which was right near the beginning) - even after about twenty minutes and with (at one point) a total of five horses trying to help me across. (Many thanks to all of those riders). One of the helper's daughters was also doing a marvellous job on her beautiful spotty pony, they had spent most of the morning beside the ford to give a lead across to anyone who had a problem at the water. As far as I know, every one did get across except for me and Miri. But the organisers were wonderful, they had told me that I could officially retire from the ride, but go out of the farm by an alternative route, meet up with the ride and still do it. So we did, and we were still given a time at the end (although I had officially withdrawn) - which was half an hour more than the maximum, but I'm quite happy with that as 20 minutes of that was taken up at the ford and for the rest of the ride I didn't push Miri too hard as he is an extremely green horse (he probably has a culmulative amount of about 12 weeks under saddle) and it was his first ever ridden event away from home. So I was actually very pleased with the (unofficial) result. With the exception of the ford, he was an absolute star and the experience I'm sure has done him (and me) the world of good.
Some of the people who have posted earlier on this thread said that everyone is really friendly at Endurance events - and they were absolutely right! A lovely lady called Christine offered to ride with me (she was alone too) although I did have to persuade her to go on ahead without me when it became apparent that Miri was not going to go within even four feet of the ford. Also, when I was passed by other riders, every single one of them was polite and asked if it was okay to pass. And the organisers couldn't have been more helpful and accommodating. I would thoroughly recommend this event to anybody.
Definitely a great day out. I'm just sorry you missed it Carol. Wishing you all the very best for a speedy recovery.
Sam
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Post by Karon on Sept 20, 2005 10:59:56 GMT 1
Sam, have you tried getting off and leading through water? Or is there really no water near you that you can practise with? Ash used to be quite difficult to get through streams and we've got several deep, fast ones near us so I spent a lot of time getting wet when I first started taking her off road Don't think it's taken quite 20 minutes with her but not far off! And at least you got round the rest of the ride OK. Are you going to go to any more rides this year? And is anyone off to the Stiperstones ride in 3 weeks? I still can't decide whether to take Ash - I could borrow a trailer I think but whether she'll load So I think I'll just be mooching around watching and throwing water at my friend who is taking her cob.
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Emma S
Advanced Poster
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Post by Emma S on Sept 20, 2005 13:43:39 GMT 1
Hi Karon Is the Stiperstones ride an Endurance GB one or a general fun ride ?? Can us mortals join in with the fun ?
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