# Crackrider's Endurance Training!!!!!



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

Hey!! I just found this section and have been looking round and thought i'd start my own. Here goes!!!!

*17-2-07*
A friend of mine organised a group of all her other friends(who were all mostly nervous/beginner riders) to come and go on a tril ride with us at our endurance stables.
All up there were 10 endurance horses! and 7 others. 
We had a bit of to\rouble to start with cause a couple of the endurance horses are really competitive and wanted to be out front. So we had a few bucks and a bit of prancing before everyone settled down and started to enjoy themselves (people and horses!)  

The horse i rode was an angel......until he realised where we were going and then he started to jog and he wouldn't STOP!!!! so we ended up jogging all the way when just about evreyone else walked!! But i love him anyway!!!

Everyone was releived when no one fell of or got seriously injured!! (although one guy did get kicked pretty hard in the leg!! ouch!!)

Well i gotta go so i'll write more later!  
[/b]


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

Hey!! I'm back. i didn't get time to finish off my last post so i'm here to finish now!!

*20-2-07*
Today i went and rode my horse, Trigger (his real nam eis Tregenza). He's just been moved to a new place closer to where i live so it's easier for me to ride him more often. 
Anyway, i rode him on sunday at his new home for the first time and he strode out like he had lived there all his life and knew exactly where he was going!! 
We did a 7km track on sunday and again today. We did it in an hour which is slow for endurance training but i had 2 green broken horses riding out with me and you can't rush them!
Trigger came in with a heart rate of 53bpm and came down to 42bpm in 10min. What a good boy!!  
We've also been practiceing getiing Trigger to go into the TPR bays which are 2 horizontal poles next to each other for the horses to stand between while they get vetted at rides.
Trigger took a bit of convincing to go in at first but with lots and of pats and reassurance he went in. He's now walking in and out as if he was a pro!! That's my boy!!!  
Another thing we've been working on is taking temps of the horses. Trigger was such a good boy again! Instead of clamping his tail to his bum he lifted his tail out of the way!!! and then stood there as if nothing was happening! The other mare we tried to do didn't like it one bit and was kicking out! bad girl!

That's it for today. I'll write agian in a few days or sooner if something interesting happens!


----------



## Kiki (Feb 7, 2007)

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr you told me that at lunch already 8)


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*25-2-07*
Hi!!! Ok, i've got a fair bit to tell you guys so i'll get started by telling you that i went to an endurance ride this weekend at a place called Maryvale in Queensland. I went to do a 20km training ride but ended up doing a 40km training ride instead (which my horse wasn't quite fit enough for but i'll get to that later) There were 6 horses and riders from my team doing the 40km including me. Only myself and another girl had ever done an endurance ride before. All the others were doing their first ride EVER!!  
We started at 5:30am (just on daylight). We got about 20km into the ride and i got kicked!! We were cantering along and the horse in front of me (one of our team) suddenly stopped and i couldn't pull my horse up fast enough and we ran into the horses rump. The horse lashed out with one leg and caught me on the knee OUCH!!and then lashed out with both legs and got me right on the shin!!! REALLY OUCH!!!  
I kept going and eventually i forgot about it until we finished when it REALLY started to hurt!!!   
Then to top it all off my horse decides to go straight through a gigantic branch that i didn't see in time!! And when i did try to go around my horse was to preoccupied with going the shortest way!! (which was through the branch!) MORE BRUISES!!! I lost a stirrup and trotted about half a km with one stirrup before i managed to stop to get it back. I was sure i was gunna come off!!
The track we rode on was really hard. It had heaps of really steep hills but it was still a great ride. 
One of the girls in my team lost a shoe and had to get a farrier to come before she could continue.
Anyway after all this we managed to finish at 9:18am which is a really good time for a training ride!  
And then after all the trouble i had i vetted out beacuase my horse had a heart rate of 61bpm when he had to be 55bpm or under! Not quite fit enough!! Another horse in our team vetted out becuase of her heart rate (i'm not sure what it was) and she also tied up in her rump. Bummer! Everyone else got through the vetting with no problems.
I also did the TPR (Temperature, Pulse and Respiration) course at the ride. I can now officially take a horses Temp, pulse and respiration beofre they see a vet at a ride!!
I was also awarded top scores on my theory and pracitacl tests. 

I met heaps of people and caught up with others that i hadn't seen since last year some time!!  8) 

I think that's it for now so i'll write again another day!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

Oh, an udate on my leg from when i got kicked! :? 

I woke up this morning and could hardly move my leg!! OWWWW!! It's also still bleediing a bit but i think that's from me walking around and pulling on the muscles and making it bleed. Mum says she's going to take me to the doctors tomorrow if it's not looking any better.   I hope i haven't chiped a bone or somthing like that!! That would put me out of riding for a while!! :x


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*3-3-07*
My leg is getting better now. I can walk without it bleeding or hurting. It's just really tender to touch. :? 

I rode Trigger on Thursday and Friday after he had a good rest after the ride on the weekend. We went out on our own for the first time in ages and for the first km all he wanted to do was turn around!!   So every 3 or 4 steps he'd spin around and then when i tried to turn him he'd do these little half rear things. But after a while he realised i wasn't going to let him get away with turning around and he gave up!!  He still does it but not as much and it is only half hearted as if he just making sure i still won't let him go home.

I came out to ride him today and as he walked up to me in the paddock i noticed he had lost a shoe. NOOOO!!!! :x  :? 
The farrier is coming on Wednesday afternoon to shoe him again so i can't ride him until then which will put our training behind.
So instead of riding Trgger out, i helped a lady that was breaking in a pretty grey arab mare. The mare has had somethng done to her when somone else tried to break her and now she doesn't trust very easily and won't stand still once someone is on her. We think she is afraid to let the rider off because of remebered pain and fear. She prances on the spot when you finally get he to stop and as soon as the rider moves she either threatens to buck or starts walking forward again.
Well, today we actually got her to stop and stand still for a minute or two. By moving slowly and talking calmly i got her to stand and let me pat her until for some reason she had to move again. But it's progress!!!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*7-3-07*
I have some really shocking news!! :shock: 
I found out this afternoon that Renae's (the lady i train with) husband, Robert was taken to hospital yesterday night and diagnosed with Leukemia!!! :shock: :shock: :shock: It's a really big shock because he was a really healthy looking guy and he was really active and it just seems so unreal!! I was shaking when i got off the phone! I haven't seen Renae yet but i bet she is really upset  and i have offered to help out any way i can.
And to top that off i was given the news that my endurance coach's mum had been given 3 months to live!!! Her kidneys failed and she is refusing treatment! It's really sad because somone close to me died because of the same thing only a few months ago.    
But i understand why really active people can't stand to live out the rest of their days in a hospital bed not having the energy to get up.


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*8-3-07*
I got home form school today and went to get changed to go riding. i was planning to do a fast 17km. I had just got changed when it started sprinkling! ARGH!! :x I decided to go anyway and just wear an oilskin but when i had my boots on it started to pour!! ARRRGH!! :evil: :evil: I was soo annoyed!! We need the rain but the amount we ended up getting wasn't enogh to even make the grass green!!
I'm really disapointed because i need to do more work on Trigger so he is fit enough to do another 40km ride in a week and a half! :? 
Oh well, i'll ride him tomorrow (it better not be raining then! :evil: )

Also tomorrow and saturady my local show is on. i have to work saturday morning but i'm going to watch the showjumping on saturday afternoon. I could watch horses for hours no matter what they are doing!! :wink:


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*11-3-07*
Hey!!
Yesterday after work i went to the local show and watched the show jumping. There were some AWESOME horses!!! Really beautiful!!! Most of them were really good jumpers from what i could tell but don't ask me about the riders! I wasn't paying attention to them! I was watching the horses!!! LOL!!!  

Today i got up early and went and rode Trigger with Renae and her little grey mare. We rode 26.5km. It felt like 40km!!! I was stuffed when we got back!!!  and to make it worse it got really hot near the end. 8) We rode most of it at a trot.
Trigger behaved perfectly and made me love him even more!!  
We didn't know how far it was when we started so afterwards we drove it and measured it! I was disapointed it wasn't longer!! It sure felt longer!  LOL!
THe only problem we had was when i saddled up. I tied Trigger up as usual in tbhe usual place and had him saddled when i turned to get his bridle and my helmet. I heard the sound of hooves on gravel and turned around to tell Trigger to stand still. All i saw was Trigger Balanced on the base of his tail and starting to fall over backwards!! :shock: I rushed over as he got up and checked him over. I couldn't find any cuts or scrapes so i walked him around and then trotted him out while Renae watched to see if he was lame or stiff. He wasn't thank god!!! I got on him carefully and rode him around then got off again to make sure nothing was hurting him. He was moving fine except he had his tail clamped to his bum. We figured he had bruised his bum a bit. So when we finally did head out we went really slow to start with to make sure he was alright. He went fine and after a few minutes he relaxed his tail back to its normal postion.  
What had happened was when he was tied up he pulled back and the clip of the lead rope broke. The snap of the lead breaking over balanced him and he reared and went over backwards. Thank god the only damage was a few scratches on the saddle!!!  
Now i'm going to be really paranoid about it happening again! :?


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*16-3-07*
Hi again!!!
Tomorrow i'm off to another endurance ride! YAY! This one is at a place called Nanango. Trigger isn't going to this one.  Our team truck doesn't have enough room. As it is there are 7 horses from our team going and a girl from our team has got another man's horse to ride there. I'm not sure if i'm going to be riding yet or not. But our coach/trainer has told me to bring my saddle and gear because i might find someone there with a spare horse to ride. I hope so!!! I'm hoping to do the 80km ride. If i don't ride i'll help strap for the team.
I'll let you guys know how it goes!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*18-3-07*
Hey i'm back from Nanango!! I did get a 80km ride!! YAY!!!  
A trainer named James let me ride his 15.3hh grey gelding named Glen (his full name is really hard to spell & pronounce!).
He was beautiful to ride! he had a really big smooth trot.
The 80km ride had 3 legs. The 1st was 35km, the 2nd was 30km and the last was 15km. We got through all of the 80km but on the last vet check the vets said he was slightly stiff in his hind end. Bummer!!! :evil:   All that way for nothing!! 
Oh, well next time!  
Another girl from my team vetted out after the second leg because her horses back was sore.  

Anyway, i thought i'd post the newsletter that our team trainer puts out after every ride.( see the next post)


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*Nanango Forest Ride*

A hot weekend at Nanango saw the Splendacrest team suffer one Vet Out. But 
the rest of the team completed successfully, and we were all very happy with 
this result. 

Firstly I must congratulate the committee of Barb Timms, Colleen Shaw, 
Margie-Lee and Scott Madigan, David and Lesley Nancarrow, Nev Badman and 
Jenny Ballin for all their work in putting on this ride. It seemed to me 
that no detail was left unattended to, and in most cases the attention to 
these details was completely mind-blowing. I'm talking about things like 
the one-way traffic policy at the away Vet gate, the water policy (and its 
policing!), and the support of the local Council and Rural Fire Brigade and 
SES. 

Let me tell you all the the away Vet check was very well organised, easy to 
deal with, and no problem even for those riders who didn't have their 
personal strappers! The ride committee offered transportation for gear, and 
everyone was willing to car-pool and share the slight difficulties that 
might otherwise have been experienced. I was very impressed, and am very 
happy to think that there will be no problems, and no cause for complaint 
when the same system is put into play at the upcoming FEI ride at Nanango in 
June. 

While everyone was away from the showgrounds, there were security personnel 
making sure that no 'outsiders' were able to access our gear left there. 
This in itself is a huge relief, especially when you think of the value of 
all our gear and tack! Kudos to the Ride Committee for addressing this 
issue! 

The ride itself was challenging, and saw a fair few lameness Vet-outs. I am 
of the opinion that this is not a track to be messed with and that judicious 
riding and care of the horse will be paramount at the FEI ride. But the 
scenery was spectacular, with everyone commenting on what a great and 
interesting ride it was! The facilities at the Nanango showgrounds can only 
be described as excellent, with showers, catering, shade and a live-in 
caretaker who is proud of his job. 

Head Vet Brian Sheahan, along with Prof Chris Pollitt, Jon Fearnley, Kathy 
Webb, Graham Garde, Celia Dodd and Madonna Gardner gave the entire field the 
benefit of a couple of centuries worth of experience. Brian Sheahan is one 
of the most approachable and gentlemanly blokes around, and I'm always 
thrilled to see Jon Fearnley! But Celia Dodd and Madonna Gardner both hold 
a special place in my heart, being wonderful ladies as well as Vets. Kathy 
Webb is also always a welcome sight at rides, as her calm and sensible 
nature shines through, whereas I am just in awe that Professor Pollitt is 
able to continue to impart his knowledge to the endurance fraternity in 
spite of his busy schedule. And then there's Graham Garde, who has been 
around endurance rides for longer than any other Vet! His softly spoken 
advice is always welcomed. What a wealth of experience we had over this 
weekend! Thank you to all. 

The middleweight honours went to Brook Sample, with Matthew Sample taking 
out the Heavyweight division. Emma Kirby won the lightweight, and Elke 
Zischke won the junior ride. Congratulations to everyone who completed the 
ride. 

Of particular pleasure to me this weekend was the fact that two of my new 
riders (Amanda Powell and Heather Drake) successfully completed their second 
40km rides, and are now looking forward to receiving their Novice Rider 
cards in the mail! Two others of my new riders (Ted Fitzgerald and Gerard 
Bou) completed their first 40km ride, and young Ingrid Ambrosiussen 
completed her third 80km ride and is thrilled to be an Open Rider! 

A big thank you must go to Yvonne Knight, who successfully accompanied 
Takeshi Ito around his first 80km ride. Takeshi rode the beautiful 
Splendacrest Perfection, and said that he learned a great deal from both 
Yvonne and his horse! 

John Cougle attended the ride in the capacity of observer/strapper in order 
to learn more about our sport, and will ride in his first 40km ride at Imbil 
in three weeks time. Geoff Head (Angela's dad) was of incredible assistance 
over the weekend, and also learned a lot more about endurance riding. I 
love having Geoff at rides, as not only is it great to know that my young 
riders have the support or their parents, but Geoff is one of the most 
organised camping specialists I know! 

Anyway, enough waffle...... suffice it to say that we had a great weekend, 
and are all looking forward to returning to Nanango in June for the Sample & 
Partners FEI ride (which also incorporates the Trans Tasman competition).


----------



## Kiki (Feb 7, 2007)

Hehe nice try Crackrider I know that was written by Jay......


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

I know.......I said at the end of the post above it that it was written by our team trainer! :?


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*22-3-07*
Hi!
Today was a holiday because the Toowoomba Royal Show was on. Toowoomba is the biggest town/city in my area. We live about 27km away but we still get the show holiday!!  I'm going to the show tomorrow. I really want to watch an arena show of 'The Man from Snowy River'!!

Anyway, This afternoon i went to ride Trigger. He was soooo lazy! All he wanted to do was plod and when he did move faster it was to shy and spook!!! :x 
We were cantering up this nice little hill and suddenly there was this HUGE Brown Snake (a very poisonous snake in Oz) across the road!! :shock: I automatically tried to pull Trigger up but quicky realised we weren't going to be able to pull up in time so i quicky turned him to the right. We JUST got away! I think Trigger might have stepped on it's tail cause i heard a cunch sort of sound and it reared up like it was gunna strike but thankfully it didn't.  I got out of their as fast as i could!!!  
When we were well away i realised that Trigger hadn't even seen the snake!! He would have went right over the top of it if i'd let him!! :roll: All i could think of when i first saw the snake was that i wasn't going to be able to avoid it and Trigger was going to be bitten!!  :evil: NOOOOO!!!

The rest of the ride was uneventful but as i was coming in the gate i saw that Renae had saddled and was about to get on a mare she was breaking in the round yard. The mare has problems with standing still once someone is on her and letting them get off! :? She hadn't been ridden for 2 weeks because of Robert going to hospital. ( i'll update on that a bit later)
I had unsaddled Trigger and was about lead him away to wash the sweat off him when i heard the distinct sound of a bucking horses hooves! I turned around in time to see Renae being trown into the rail of the round yard! :shock: I rushed over to see if she was ok and found that she had split her head open. Ouch!  
Once i was sure she hadn't knocked herself out i went next door to Renae's father-in-law and got help. By the time we got back (only 5 min or so) Renae had managed to get back on the mare :roll: 
Now we had the problem of getting Renae off so she could be taken to the doctor. The mare wouldn't stand still! As soon as Renae moved the mare was off prancing again!  
It took Renae over an hour and a half to get off and even then she had to jump off! :? *sigh*........the things we do for horses :roll: 

Ok, now an update on Robert. I haven't seen or talked to him myself but his father and Renae tell me his is in good spirits and says he won't let this drag him down!!
The doctors have also given him an 80% chance to fully recover! Yay!  Apparently he has a type of Leukemia that is more curable than others. Great news!!  
Renae and their 2 little girls went to visit him in hospital last weekend with strict instructions from me and my mum to wish him well!

Well, i had better get some sleep. See you later!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*26-3-07*
Hey!
I talked to Renae this afternoon when i went to ride Trigger and she told me she got 7 stitches in her head from when she came off the mare on Thursday. Ouch!  
It's been really windy here for the last 2 days and it went straight to Trigger's head!! He was a complete idiot!! He was convinced that everything was out to get him!!! He was even scared of cow pats!!! :?....................the nutcase!!!  

Oh, and the 'Man From Snowy River' arena show was pretty good although in my opinion it could have gone longer! (i just wanted more horsey stuff!  )
I had a really good time. There was also a hypnotist in the night show! It was sooo funny! He made people think they were gold fish, madonna, ballerinas and heaps of weird things!!! One of my friends from school even volunteered for it! Hehe!  
I also watched some show jumping. There were heaps of goregous horses (as always)!

I've got to go so i'll see you later............well, not really SEE but you know what i mean!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*4-4-07*
Hello!!  
It's been a while since i last posted but not that mcuh has happened.
On Monday my endurance coach came to get Trigger and take him back to her place so she could take him with her when she left for an endurance ride early this morning. I'm going there on Friday.
The ride is at a place called Imbil. The ride itself is called the 
Far-A-Way Easter Endurance Carnival. It starts on Friday and goes until Monday. There is a few rides on everyday. On Friday a Marathon starts. It is 320km. 80km a day for 4 days! One of the girls on my team is riding in it. She's going to be stuffed by the end of it!!!  
On Saturday there is a 40km ride and an 80km ride. On the Sunday there is a 40km ride and then on the Monda there is another 40km and an 80km ride.
I'm not sure who i'm riding yet or what i'll be riding in but i'm hoping for 1 or 2 80km rides.
I will also be doing some TPR work there.
Trigger will be doing 1 or 2 40km rides with another girl on my team who needs to do her second 40km ride so she can do 80km rides.
I can't wait!!! It's one of the most fun rides of the year!  
My endurance coach left early this morning (as i said above) with 6 or 7 horses. Another 5 are going on Friday (that's when i'm going with them). We're taking practically all of the horses at my endurance stables that are in work to the ride so it will be very crowed. Also a few of or riders are riding other peoples horses and we also have 5 japanese riders coming over for a ride at Imbil.

Oh, and tomorrow is the last day of school for the term so i'll have a week of holidays to rest up when i get home from the ride. YAY! 

I'll let you know how the ride goes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*10-4-07*
Hi all!!!
I got home from the Far-a-way endurance ride just after lunch today. I didn't end up getting a ride but i had fun being a TPR for 2 days and strapping the rest of the time!  
Our team had great results alround. One of our horses nearly won the 80km ride on saturday. She was winning out of over a hundred horses when near the end her rider took a wrong turn and ended up coming 2nd instead but that's still a goood tesult for a mare that was doing her 4th 80km ride and her first one out of novice time!!  
I had heaps of fun although one of our team didn't. A girl named Tarni woke up at 2:30am feeling sick, weak and vomiting. She also had sharp pains in the stomach. We nursed her through until about 7am when we decided to take her to the hospital. She was in pain and dehydrated because she couldn't keep anything down. I heard later that she was put on a drip and blood tests were done. Her mother came to get her a few hours later. I haven't heard what exactly was wrong her but i have received a message from her saying she was feeling better.
Another few dramas happened as well. Some horses got out of their yards and went galloping down the town. One horse cut open it's leg badly and the other got only minor scratches. Poor horses!!  
Another horse also got out the next night but was not hurt as badly although it will need stitches.  

See the next post for a more detailed description of the ride written by our endurance trainer.


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*Far-A -Way*
Finally unpacked and cleaned up after 6 days away from home at the Easter Endurance Carnival at Imbil. This was yet another well-run and happy ride, thanks to Bob Sample, Julie Sutton and the entire crew of the Far-A-Way Endurance Riders Club. 

The Splendacrest Team took 12 horses along, and we were given a prime position as our campsite. I was very impressed with the amount of work that had gone into organising the camping, and the addition of extra power points was very welcome. 

I do need to thank a few people: Jenny Bidner and Miki Field for giving up two whole days of their long weekend to come along and strap for our team and our friends. These two ladies were just wonderful, and worked very hard to ensure that our horses were well-cared-for the entire time. 

Jess Hewitt and Sam Dobson who came along in the hopes of getting a ride, but who then worked their butts off all weekend doing other things! Sam spent most of the time TPRing, and Jess was a valued strapper and carer of sick persons!! 

Shane Hopkins who made two trips from our place to the ride base in order to make sure all my horses got there safely! He then had to make two trips home again... this is a 4.5 hour journey each way! 

Ken Moir who rode the beautiful mare Raaward Chanelle (owned by Zoe Gardner) to 2nd Mwt placing in the Saturday 84km ride. Although he SHOULD have placed first!!! Ken, you really need to have lessons in reading ride arrows!!! But congratulations to Matthew Gadsby who beat Ken in, after Ken took a wrong turn towards the end of the ride! 

Yuko Crease, who spent the entire weekend looking after our 5 Japanese riders, and whose efforts were rewarded by completions all 'round! 

The weather was really good all weekend! A bit breezy, a bit overcast at times, a bit sunny just when we needed it, and generally really nice. Although the dust was thick at times, the bulldust was thicker. 

Our team had fabulous results all weekend. On the Saturday, we had the following results: 

84km ride: 
Ken Moir on Raaward Chanelle, 2nd Mwt 
Ingrid Ambrosiuissen on Shaah, 4th Junior 
Keisuke Goda on Splendacrest Perfection, 31st Mwt 
Heather Drake on a horse belonging to John Bright (thanks John!), 6th Jnr 
Amanda Powell on a horse belonging to Scott Barker (thanks Scott!) 
Fumiko Ryu on a horse belonging to Alwyn Torrenbeek (thanks Alwyn!) 
Keiko on a horse belonging to Alwyn Torrenbeek (thanks Alwyn!) 

45km trainer completions: 
Ted Fitzgerald on Stallone 
Gerard Bou on Splendacrest Dryad 
Beck Forgan on Tregenza 
Sachi Murai on Damoors 
John Dugan on Charmed 

On Sunday, Beck Forgan rode a really nice young gelding owned by Deb Krogh in the 20km Intro Ride, accompanying Deb's young daughter around on her new pony. 

On Monday we had the following results: 

85km ride: 
Keisuke Goda on Splendacrest Perfection, 16th Mwt 
Amanda Powell on Shonavale Kamilla, 5th Lwt 
Beck Forgan on Dave Anderson's stallion, 6th Lwt (thanks Dave!) 
Sachi Murai on Tarwarri Sharhim, 7th Lwt 
Ingrid Ambrosiuissen on Shaah, VO lame 

45km trainer completion: 
Fumiko Ryu on a horse owned by Graham Ellison (thanks Graham!) 

320km Marathon: 
Shigeru Ogawa on Splendacrest Fiesta, 4th Mwt (you should have seen his 
face!!!) 

As for other results, I didn't really have much time to see what was 
happening outside our camp! 

Jackie Swan presented Shigeru Ogawa with a special award for the most perseverence! She is making him a custom pair of jodphurs, with "2007 Far A Way 320km" down one side, and his name down the other side. I can't wait to see him in them![/b]


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*13-4-07*
I just has the most worrying night!  
I went to feed my mare yesterday afternoon and found her lying down which is unusual for that time of day. She is usually standing at the gate eagerly waiting for her dinner. The next thing that had me worried was when she wasn't really interested in her hay! REALLY unusual!!!  
Then she started pawing at the ground for no reason and turning around as if she was going to scratch her head with her hind foot. She did this a few times but she seemed to stop half way and just stand there like that. I thought this was weird but not extremely worrying. What really worried me was when she started lying down then getting back up and lying down again. She would walk around and turn in circles as if she was going to lie down. She would also start to lie down then seemed tochange her mind at the last minute. When i saw all of this strange behaviour i knew immediatly that something was wrong and it looked like collic!!   
I grabed a halter and lead rope and started walking her to keep her standing up. I didn't want a twisted gut to top things off!
It took a lot of work sometimes to keep her up when she realy wnted to lie down.I was just about to yell for my mum to call a vet when she started to improve. She stopped trying to lie down as much and perked up a bit and took more interest in what was around her. Soon she stopped trying to lie down and was interested in eating some hay although i didn't let her have more than a few hand fulls just to be on the safe side. I ended up walking her for ages even after she had stopped trying to lie down to make sure she was fine. When i did stop i was paranoid and kept going out to check her all through the night. Mum got a bit annoyed at me going out at 2am to check on her!  But i wouldn't have been able to sleep otherwise!
My mare is fine this morning and is acting as if nothing happened.
I think what gave her collic in the first place was the hay she ate that morning. It was really fresh cut hay which my parents had gotten while i was away on the weekend. I think i'll mix it in with some other hay in little bits to let her get used to it. I never even thought to ask mum and dad where they had got the hay from, i just asumed they would get the same stuff i had been getting. It looked the same too! Oh, well they understand why it's not good to change a horses feed so suddenly now!! 
Oh, and in case you hadn't guessed . . . . my parents aren't exactly horsey people. The extent of their knowledge is very limited when it comes to things like that! :roll: 

Oh well, no lasting harm done and everyone has learnt a lesson!!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*13-4-07*
Hello again!!
I just got an email from my enduance coach/trainer. She says that Trigger has been sold!!!! NOOOOO!!! Not my boy!!!! He's mine!!  :evil: (not really mine but you know what i mean!!)
Some people from the UAE were looking at the horses after we got back from the ride the other day. They were looking at the mare that almost won the ride on Saturday and then they wanted to look at Trigger. I had to leave before i got to see what they thought of Trigger but apparently they liked him more than the mare because they didn't take her!! And Trigger hasn't even done an 80km ride yet!!! He was going to do his first one in a few weeks.

I'll miss him but i know he'll do really well over in the UAE and when he does i can go "I know that horse! I used to train him!!! Isn't he the best!!!" LOL!  

The sale isn't completely final yet. Trigger will have a vet check next week and then if all goes well he'll be off to the UAE! We're not expecting any problems with the vet check. He's as healthy as can be and he knows it!  

So now that i can't ride Trigger all the time now I'll have to travel longer into our enduance stables and ride other horses there until another horse can be sent out closer to me.


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*20-4-07*
Hi Guys!!!
I've been throught the wars again! :roll:  
Today after school i went to my endurance stables to ride. I rode a 6yo bay anglo gelding named Perfection. He wasn't perfection today!!! :x 
I rode with another girl named Tarni. She rode a 6yo grey mare named Quartz who is very nervy and excitabe.
Perfection can be spooky at the best of times but put with Quartz they stirred each other up!
Anyway, we got out the front gate and were riding past the neighbours when we saw a car with a trailer and motorbikes. Unfortunatly they decided to start one of them right then!!! :evil: Perfection and Quartz went NUTS!!!! Once we got them under some control we tried to convince them to walk past the car and trailer (the motorbike had roared off). They plainly refused to go past. We ended up having to get off and lead them past.
The rest of the ride went fine with only some minor spooking and silliness from the horses (although Perfection decided he wanted to go side ways instead of straight for a while!).
By the time we were almost home it was dark. We were riding past a house near the stables (actually it was right next to where the motorbike was). There are two little dogs that always run out barking when we go past so we were ready for the horses to be nuts. We got most of the way past when i heard Tarni yell "watch out for the dog!" All i saw was a ltle black blur running at and under Perfection. The next thing i knew i was lying on the ground winded and Perfection was galloping up the road!! :shock:  
By the time Tarni had stopped Quartz who wanted to bolt after Perfection and i could breathe again, Perfection was almost home. We caught him just before the gate and i got back on for the last few metres.
What happened was one of the little dogs had gotten out of it's backyard and ran out under Perfection. Perfection of coarse FREAKED and jumped sideways and took off!!
I was winded and got bad rope burn on my fingers when the reins were pulled through my hands. I landed quite hard on my side (mainly on my shoulder and ribs) so i wrenched practically every muscle down one side of my body! Now, i'm soooo sore!! :? 
I'm lucky i didn't fall off on gravel road! That would have hurt!!  

Oh well, it's just what happens when you ride horses i guess!! :wink: 

I'm going in to ride again on Wednesday. Wednesday is ANZAC day here in Australia so no school! Yay!  
Everyone that rides at the stables are going out to ride early in the morning (6am). I think we are going to have a few moments of silence for ANZAC day somwhwere along the line.

I'll let you know how it goes!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*27-4-07*
Hi!
I didn't end up riding on Wednesday. There wasn't enough saddles to go around so for some reason i got the short straw and was told i couldn't ride! :evil: 
Anyway, i went to ride this afternoon. I rode a bay anglo mare named Quick and Easy. She called this because she's quick and easy to ride! I love her! She's awesome!  
Tomorrow i'm off to another ride. This one's called Brymaroo. I'm not riding unless we can find a ride for me there. My trainer/coach doesn't have any horses able to carry heavyweight easily fit enough to do a ride.  
I will probably be TPRing all weekend unless i can get a ride! (I hope i do!)  

See you later!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*29-4-07*
Hi!
I have just gotten back from the endurance ride. We left early saturady morning and took 2 trucks loads of horses s we had 9 horses there. 7 in the 80km ride and 2 in the 40km ride.
I didn't get a ride again but i strapped. Our team did really well but i'll put the newsletter that my trainer/coach writes on the next post. It has all the details in it.  
It rained on Saturday and the grounds we were on was all really soft black soil which goes to mush when even the slightest amount of water is out on it. So we all where up to our ankles in mud!! :? 
We also had a power black out so the toilets didn't work!! :x 

Anyway, see the next post for mre details.


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*Brymaroo Ride*
Waaahhhhoooooo! Bryyyyyymmmmaarooooo! 

Hi All 

Brymaroo ride was a BLAST! Firstly, it rained most of the day Saturday, 
well not REAL rain... just the sort of drizzle that really peeves the 
farmers... not to mention makes the top 1cm layer of the black soil into 
the type of sticky goo that adheres to everything. And makes you and your 
horse a couple of inches taller! 

But then Brymaroo has the biggest shed I've ever seen, and just about the 
entire camp was parked under its welcoming roof on Saturday night. The bar 
did a roaring trade because the power went out all around the district! 
This meant that the water didn't flow.... the bore pump was out of action... 
the toilets got a bit backed up, no showers, the caterers couldn't cook 
anything more than hot chips in a vat of oil on a gas burner, and the dinner 
that was pre-paid was late due to having to be cooked in batches over gas. 

BUT..... we still had a good time! The Toowoomba Endurance Riders Club 
provided a great novice track (thanks to local land owners), the rain 
provided a softer-than-expected surface (and by Sunday there were very few 
slippery parts), the SES provided excellent information, and our fellow 
endurance riders provided the fun! 

Splendacrest had some great sucesses, including Tarnia Kittel on Raaward 
Chanelle (owned by Zoe Gardner) gaining first and best conditioned Junior 
placing. Then Ingrid Ambroisiussen on Shaah (owned by Norah Vinson) gained 
third Junior placing. Amanda Powell on Shonavale Kamilla (owned by Shane 
Hopkins) gained 4th lightweight place, and also completed her third 80km 
ride! 

John Dugan was unable to attend this weekend, however Arch Felton stepped 
into his stirrups and rode John's beautiful mare Performance Park Lady 
Kharisma into first heavyweight placing and also topped off a great ride by 
snagging the best conditioned prize as well! 

My good client Hanna Bourdeaux arrived from Germany to see her lovely 
geldings Olympus and Albaraq complete their 40km training rides sucessfully, 
with Gerard Bou and Angela Head on these boys. Unfortunately Beck Forgan 
vetted out at the end of the 80km, but is already looking forward to her 
next ride! 

My thanks must go to Geoff Head, who is a valued member of the team whenever 
he accompanies his daughter Angela to our rides. Geoff is a very quick 
study, and has become quite a good strapper!! Another valued member of the 
team is Shane Hopkins who takes care of all our transport needs with great 
aplomb! 

Thanks also to Sam Dobson who is a great strapper and who keeps me organised and focused. 

So, all in all, a great weekend!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*4-5-07*
Today i went to ride at my endurance stables. I rode Quick and Easy again. We did a fast 15km. We did it in just over an hour. There were 4 of us riding togther and all the horses wanted to do was bolt!!! so we let them gallop up a smal slope then settled them into a fast steady trot.
I'm going out agian to ride on Monday with a heap of people and hopefully this time there will be enough saddles!

Oh, and when mum and dad came to pick me up guess what happened?!!!. . . . . . .Dad was driving and he backed down the drive way at the stables. At the end of the driveway there is a deep ditch on one side. And of coarse dad had to back into it so we were stuck with one wheel hanging over the ditch!!! :roll: I had to run up to the house and get someone to come pull us out!  
And then to top it all off dadthought it was funny!! He wouldn't stop laughing!! :roll: :roll: :roll: 
It just goes to show how weird my famiy is! :?


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*14-5-07*
Ok, i haven't posted here for a while but that ride i was suppossed to do on the monday i mentioned in the last post. Not enough saddles again! :evil: Why am i the one that gets left out when everyone else got to ride on the saturday before when i was at work!! :evil: :evil: :evil: 

Anyway, over the weekend there was another endurance ride at a place called Eidsvold. I didn't go but i'll post the newsletter thing that our trainer/coach writes. Apparently it was a good ride! *Sigh*. . . . . and i didn't go!!!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*Extraordinary Eidsvold Equine Endurance Event! *

Hi All 

Home, hosed, fed and watered...... and already eagerly looking forward to the next Eidsvold ride! What an excellent, exhilarating experience! 

This ride was established by endurance elder, Alwyn Torrenbeek, and entrusted to Peter Williams and an eclectic ensemble including Karen Johanson, Merle Hill and Erica Williams to ensure success. 

With no exaggeration, I can explain that this event was of epic effort! From the effusive welcome by the local electoral member to the element of enterprise in the trophies and completion prizes, every detail was essentially excellent. 

We enjoyed the emerald scenery, the eucalyptus environment and the exemplary friendliness exhibited by everyone. Esteemed Vet extraordinaire Graham Garde, along with his exciting crew, endeared themselves to everybody. I must endorse the enormous effort by CS Derek Armitage, who was encouraged by his escort Glenda. 

Our entire team emerged successfully, with John Dugan gaining 3rd Hwt placing on his enthralling Quick & Easy, and Gerard Bou exuding confidence on Splendacrest Fiesta (owned by Shigeru Ogawa of Japan) to gain 5th Hwt placing. Ted Fitzgerald was entrusted to exercise Lilonda Count Richael (owned by Shane Hopkins), and placed 11th in the Hwt division. Tarni Kittel had the enviable task of educating the two 'newbie' equerries in the art of enduring 80km, and placed 4th in the Jnr division while entailing the success of Splendacrest Dryad. 

I can't elaborate enough as to the exceptional encounter we all experienced. This ride was so evidently exciting for all and I entreat you to earmark Eidsvold on your annual endurance calendar. This ride will become the envy of established venues, as evinced by the edicts expressed by all who embarked on the journey to Eidsvold this weekend. 

Hope this has effectively enlivened your entire day!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*16-5-07*
Hi!  
This afternon after school i went out to Renae's place. I have got another horse out there for me to ride.
I'm now riding a 4 1/2 yo bay mare named Verity. She's a sweetheart!  
She hadn't been ridden for 12 months when she came to Renae's so Renae did her monty roberts join up and got on her on saturday and made sure she was alright for me to ride this afternoon.
Verity was really calm although you can tell she is still a bit green because she isn't completely 100% with her steering. But i think some of that is becasue she has to get used to the bit again.
She's also EXTREMELY fat and shaggy!!!. . . .and dusty!!! :shock: 
I'll have to get a photo of her so i can see how she looks in a month or 2 compared to now.
Renae has also just finished breaking in a grey gelding so she is going to be riding with me since our horses are both at the same level of fitness (not fit at all!!).  

I'm going out there again on Friday to ride as long as Renae is home. She has to go and pick up Robert from hospital but she said she should be home by then. And even if she isn't home she said i could go out there and work with on things like trotting out (which Verity sucks at!).
I'll let you know how it goes!


----------



## Kiki (Feb 7, 2007)

Oooh ooh she sounds nice


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*19-5-07*
Hi, i didn't ride on Friday because Renae was at the hospital with Robert.
I rode today with Renae though and we went for a 7km ride. We trotted up some slight hills. Verity has a really nice trot and when she learns to extend it it will be really fast. But the really good news is she was already starting to get the idea and extend by the third time we trotted! Yay!  
Renae was riding the grey gelding again who i have found out is named Revy. Revy was a bit nervy is places and he hasn't quite got the hang of walking in a straight line! :? 

oh, well i'm glad to be riding again!  

The next post is some pics of Verity this afternoon.


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

Here is Verity, all fat and hairy!!!!


----------



## Kiki (Feb 7, 2007)

Hey she aint half bad........


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*22-5-07*
This afternoon i went to ride Verity again with Renae. We didn't do much but Verity must have been feeling good because when we were trotting up this long sloping hill she suddenly does this HUGE pigroot! :shock: and then she just canters a few strides before settling down and trotting on calmly!  Silly girl!
Also Renae told me she is going to an endurance ride this weekend to ride another lady's horse. I wish i could get a ride!!
oh, and Renae also got a new gelding to break in today. He is a grey 4 1/2yo arab. I can't remember his name but he belongs to my endurance coach/trainer.
I'm going to ride Verity again tomorrow.


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*28-5-07*
There was an endurance ride this weekend. I didn't go but Renae did and completed the 80km successfully! The ride was at a place called Kalbar.

Here is the newsletter my coach/trainer wrote for the ride.

*Kalbar Ride*

Hi All 

Where was the promised rain? I know the weather man said it would shower on Sunday, but it dawned clear and warm, and remained so all day, getting warmer as the ride progressed. 

Kalbar is a quaint little town in the Scenic Rim area of SE Qld, with Boonah (site of last year's Quilty) just up the road. Even though there are mountains in the near distance, this ride was quite flat, with 100% road easements being used. This caused some problems along the way, and many horses had lameness issues at the Vet checks. Also, I saw many horses with injuries from slipping on the bitumen and falling down culverts and drains. 

We had one such lameness incident in our camp, and another couple of rider spills when horses slipped on bitumen, but overall a great result. Young Tarni Kittel had another great ride on Raaward Chanelle (owned by Zoe Gardner) for a 2nd placing in the Junior Division, and John Dugan gained 3rd Heavyweight place on his lovely Performance Park Lady Kharisma. Amanda Powell finished the ride spot on 5 hours for 8th Lightweight placing on the beautiful Shonavale Kamilla, while Ted Fitzgerald and Gerard Bou came in in = 13th Heavyweight place on Bacchante Silver Lace and Bullarto Fiorelli respectively. 

Then came Beck Forgan riding Kerry McKay's palomino gelding Sundown Park Eastwind for 22nd Lightweight placing, and to top it off both Jess Hewitt on Splendacrest Perfection and Angela Head on Aloha Farina (owned by Lisa Stone) completed the training ride successfully. 

We had to withdraw Splendacrest Fiesta after the first leg as her rider Takeshi Ito from Japan had a fall (another bitumen landing!) and was a bit too sore to carry on. The hard ground conditions of SE Qld at the moment were added to with a very hard underfoot track with only slim areas of verge to ride on, demanding the utmost care on the part of every rider. 

Thanks must go to the ride committee which seemed to be made up of the entire Krahnen and Law families, even down to the littlies. The WICEN communications team was, as usual, very approachable and professional, and the Veterinary team headed by Leanne LeClaire were also great. 

With 130 entries in the 80km and 70 entries in the 40km ride, this was one of the biggest rides to date, and the ride committee handled these numbers quite well. Kudos to all involved!! 

Best regards


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*7-6-07*
Hi!
I haven't been able to ride much this weekend becuase the weather has been miserable. In parts of Australia there is major flooding and others snow!!! And all we're getting at my place is getting is this really fine misty rain that doesn't do any good but get everything damp! and to top it off there is a really really freezing wind blowing!! BRRRRR!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*7-6-07*
Hi!
I haven't been able to ride much this weekend becuase the weather has been miserable. In parts of Australia there is major flooding and others snow!!! And all we're getting at my place is getting is this really fine misty rain that doesn't do any good but get everything damp! and to top it off there is a really really freezing wind blowing!! BRRRRR!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*11-6-07*
Hi all!

Today Renae and i had to ride a few km up the rode so Renae could ride a mare for some people who were selling the mare then we rode 20km. By the end of it Verity and revvy were starting to really extend nicely and we even went for a nice canter. I also maaged to get a few HUGE pigroots out of Verity when she didn't agree with where we were going. Renae also clipped Revvy which he objected to very strongly!!!!!

After the ride we gave them a nice bath to get all the dust and mud out of them. and then afterward when we let them go what did they do!? . . . . ROLL!!!!! :evil: 

Also over the weekend there was a ride at Nanango again. I didn't go agian as well but i'll post the newsletter that was written.


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*Nanango FEI ride*

Hi All 

The Sample & Partners FEI*** 160km ride and the Nanango Forest FEI** 107km ride (incorporating the Trans Tasman Challenge) has been run and won! 

We arrived at the ride base on Wednesday morning, into miserably wet and cold conditions. Luckily we had the ideal campsite, and were able to fend off the rain and remain dry, if not warm. By Thursday the Nanango Showgrounds was looking quite full, and by Friday morning the rest of the competitors fronted up. The facilities were excellent: hot showers, power, great catering, a good PA system, etc.... 

The weather cleared by Thursday afternoon, although it was still very cold on Friday. Saturday (ride day) dawned a little warmer, and I thought we ended up having perfect riding weather throughout the entire ride. The track was a little soft in patches, but overall was ideal. The away Vet Gate was cancelled due to the conditions, which made the crewing even easier for all of us poor strappers! Indeed, we used minimal water throughout the ride, as the horses were all pretty well taken care of by my wonderful riders on track! 

There were 44 starters in the 160km ride and 64 starters in the 107km ride. 

The Splendacrest Team (incorporating Alwyn Torrenbeek's 2 horses for the weekend) started 3 horses in the 160km ride, and 4 horses in the 107km ride. We were also responsible for 1 horse in the 160km ride and 1 in the 107km ride ridden by the Kiwi team in the Trans Tasman Challenge, making a total of 9 horses all up in our camp. 

Our 160km riders were Alwyn on his strong mare Mary Anne, Yukinobi Horiyuchi on Alwyn's gelding Pardon, and Yuko Kimoto on the beautiful Bullarto Fiorelli. New Zealand young rider Kimberley Ryan rode Splendacrest Dryad in the NZ Team competition. 

Poor Yuko had an incident in the third phase of the ride when Fiorelli ended up going through a barbed-wire fence and was subsequently floated back to the ride base. As the mare was badly scratched up, that was the end of the ride for this pairing. Alwyn and Yukinobi both completed successfully, in a riding time of 14:50. 

I was extremely proud of Kimberley, who successfully guided Dryad around the 160km in a riding time of 12:33, for 6th Youth placing. Both Kim and her strapper/mother Lisa Ryan were very happy with this result, and Dryad looked excellent the whole way! Kim was the only rider in the NZ 160km team to complete the ride, making the victory even sweeter for me!!!! 

Our 107km riders were Tarni Kittle on Raaward Chanelle (owned by Zoe Gardner), Amanda Powell on Shonavale Kamilla (owned by Shane Hopkins), Noriko Hasegawa on Splendacrest Perfection (owned by Shane Hopkins), and John Dugan on his mare Quick & Easy. 

Due to a mix up in timing, Noriko had to depart on the final leg of the 107km ride in the dark by herself, and was extremely brave in doing so! However disaster struck when she firstly became lost in the unfamilar dark conditions, and then had a fall with the horse deciding that he knew the way back to ride base and wasn't waiting for his rider! Both horse and rider were found safe but sorry, and we had to withdraw them on course. But Perfection passed the Vet Check with flying colours, and will enjoy his next ride very soon! Noriko was also fine, with a small graze on her cheek to show for her adventures. 

Tarni rode the majority of the 107km with Joyce Corbett (THANKS JOYCE!), and was successful in taking out the 2nd Youth placing in a time of 5:42. Raaward Chanelle looked great throughout the ride, and recovered very well after each phase. 

Amanda also had a very successful ride, taking out 4th Youth placing in a time of 6:18, and then placing 2nd in the Best Conditioned competition. This mare, Shonavale Kamilla, is just going from strength to strength this year! 

John Dugan placed 15th in the Open Division in 6:39, for another good result on his big mare Quick & Easy. She looked great throughout the ride, taking care of both herself and John (who is still recovering from a bad injury to his knee last year). 

We were also very lucky to have the New Zealand youth rider in the 107km team, Jordan Piripi, in our camp throughout the weekend, as she was on Joyce Corbett's mare Murland Park Mikhala. Jordan didn't have a very good introduction to Mikhala to begin with, however she persevered and eventually was successful in completing the 107km ride well. Congratulations to both Jordan and her groom, Chris. 

The King of Malaysia was in the 160km ride, and the security was pretty intense every time he was around! There were plenty of dark suits, sunglasses and stony stares, however in general the atmosphere around the King was fairly laid-back and relaxed. I was fortunate to see him come in off the final phase of the ride, and I can tell you that he was pretty tired! He rode one of Brook Sample's horses (actually I think the horse belonged to Leigh Ann Sample!), and the Royal Stables trainer, Paul Brown, accompanied him throughout the ride on another of Brook's horses. Both were successful. 

I was amused to see the King walking back to his camp after weighing in on the final leg. He was a little shaky on the pins, and eventually just collapsed onto the ground (to the great consternation of his minders) in exhaustion. But he was so obviously happy to complete (and qualify!) that he just brushed off all help, and righted himself. 

Another high point for me personally was to meet one of my Malaysian internet friends, Amir, and his wife Nadia. I was very pleased to finally put a face to the name and the interesting conversations we have had by email. Both also completed their rides, and both were headed home very tired! 

So, now to the thank yous: This ride would not have been made possible without the vision and sponsorship of Matthew Sample of Sample & Partners. Matthew also announced that he hoped to make the Sample & Partners FEI Series an annual event in Queensland, which was greeted with much enthusiasm! 

But it was Barb Timms who put in the majority of the work in order to get this ride under way. Barb has worked tirelessly for the sport of endurance riding in Australia for more years than we all can count (!), and the success of this ride is just another notch in her belt. Thank you Barb! 

Barb rounded up an incredible amount of support in the way of the volunteers who assisted in getting this ride going, including Margie Lee Madigan and Scott Madigan, Colleen Shaw, Lesley Nancarrow, Nev Badman, the Sandy Ridges Rural Fire Brigade, the Nanango SES, and a host of other people holding down the jobs of time keeping, secretariat duties, computer operations, weighing, pencilling, communications, horse rescue, farrier, etc. 

The FEI Ground Jury was highly visible and extremely helpful, and consisted of Irene Malone, Ieva Peters, Denise Trollope, Sarah Adams, Ron Guest, Kerry Spratt, Ady McIntosh, and all the way from England, Pauline Dickie. Toby Crockett was the TD, and Allan Renner was the CS. 

The Veterinary Commission was just an eye-opening gathering of the best Vets!!! Dr Brian Sheahan headed up a crew consisting of Anne Barnes, Pat Hodgetts, Jon Fearnley, Kathy Webb, Prof Chris Pollitt, Judy Law, and international Vets Andre Bereznnowski from Poland and Len Beach from England. 

It was an absolute pleasure to see Dr Len Beach again, as I had originally met him at a ride in France last year, and had invited him at that time to come to Australia to participate in this ride. He bought his wife, Pauline Dickie along, and the two of them worked extremely hard over the weekend to assist with the smooth operation of this ride. 

I must thank Jenny Bidner, who gave up her weekend to come and strap for our team, as well as Beck Forgan and Gerard Bou (both Splendacrest riders) who also came along to watch and learn. Thanks guys! And a final thanks to Shane Hopkins, who safely drove all my beautiful horses there and back. Thanks, Shane! 

Now we are all looking forward to the Spring Mountain ride in two weeks. See you all there!! 

Best regards


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*13-6-07*
Hi, 
This week is thye exam week at my school and you only have to come to school if you have exams which is great because i only have a few exams!!!  The rest og the time i will study and RIDE!!!!  

This afternoon i was out riding with Renae when mum rang my mobile which i was carrying with me. I thought she was ringing to ask me when i wanted to be picked up but she had some very bad news!  
She told me that our Border collie had been found burying something under the truck. My dad and his friend dug it out and at first thought it was a dead baby kangaroo that the dog had found and draged home but it wasn't! It was a foal!!! :shock: 
My mare had slipped her foal!!  
We don't know why. No one has any idea. We just think it was one of those thngs. My mare was fine that mornig when i fed her and checked the fence. There wasn't anything on the ground in her yard that could have been a foal.
I was so disapointed!!  She was practically half way there!!!
The foal was about 40cm from nose to tail.   
It's even worse because it was my first foal too!!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*22-6-07*
Hi,
This morning i went down to the police station and got my learners licence. It was the second time i have taken the test.

Also it has been really cold here!  There has been this really freezing wind blowing. Brrrrrrr!

I have only ridden Verity a few times this week because of the weather but this weekend we're going to a ride called Spring Mountain. I was supposed to be doing a 40km ride on Verity but to do a 40km ride a horse must be 4 1/2 which Verity is but to prove they are 4 1/2 they must have their 4 1/2 yr old teeth in wear. Verity's are not quite touching!!!!! Noooo!!!  
So instead we are going to do the 20km ride instead which any horse any age can go in. Better than nothing!!

Earlier this week Renae body cliped Revvy and now his legs look really fuzzy and the rest of him not!!!  

Oh, and i forgot to mention that last week i bought a new endurance saddle. So now i have a saddle of my own so i can't be told that i can't ride becuase there aren't enough saddles!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*24-6-07*
Hi,
I have just got back from the ride. Verity and i did the 20km intro ride easily. we had to go soooo slow!  For an intro ride you can't go faster than 8km/hr which is really slow!!!!!!!!! :evil: 
We train at about 10km/hr and even that is realy slow for an endurance ride!!
So since we had to go so slow we walked most of it and that really annoyed Verity and I. When we were walking Verity kept throwing her head up really high and dong these little jumps at the same time. It was so annoying and she did it over and over again!!!
Renae did the 20km ride on Revvy with me and then did the 40kmon Sunday. They got through easliy and Revvy behaved himself really well. Better than we thought.

The 20km ride was on Saturday afternoon so on sunday i did TPRing so i cold do my third ride and become a fully qualified TPR.

Also on Saturday orning when we left for the ride we had a bit f trouble with Verity and the float.
Since Verity is such a calm natured horse that not much scares, we thought she would walk on easily. Before we actually loaded them we had to wait for Robert( Renae's husband) to come and help us so i walked Verity up to the open float and let her look inside. She even took a few steps up the ramp without me asking her to. after this we thought she would be really easy to load but when Robert got back we tried to get her on. She would walk up the ramp with no problems but refused to actually go inside the float.
We didn't want to force her on and give her a bad experience with the float so it took a long time to get her on the float. And then when we did get her own for some reason she panicked! She went completely nuts!!!  
I was worried that she'd hurt herself but thankfully we got her settled pretty quickly. Then a few minutes later she panicked again for some reason. I got her calmed down and we decided we should load Revvy quickly and get moving so Verity had to concentrate on the movement of the float rather then panicking!
Once we were moving she calmed down completely and acted as if she had never panicked in the first place.


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*Spring Mountain Ride*

Hi All 

Another wonderful ride at Spring Mountain estate near Greenbank in Queensland was held this past weekend! I am always very happy to go to the Spring Mountain ride, hosted by the Big Country Endurance Riders Club, as it is always a well-run and well-supported ride. The current drought situation meant that water was at a premium, however the organisers had sorted that problem out by having large tanks of water supplied for everyone to share. 

It rained! From Saturday afternoon through to about 2am Sunday morning. It was really nice to hear the rain on the roof, and the results on the track on Sunday were good too.... nice and soft, and very pleasant riding conditions. 

The Splendacrest Team had another 100% completion weekend, with Tarnia Kittle riding Bullarto Fiorelli (owned by Judith Pascoe) to 2nd Jnr placing and Best Conditioned Horse in the 84km ride. John Dugan rode his mare Performance Park Lady Kharisma to 2nd Heavyweight placing, doing it tough on his sore leg but happy with the result! Gerard Bou guided the beautiful Bourhani Olympus (owned by Hanna Bourdeaux of Germany) into 7th Heavyweight placing in a time of 6:02, while Ted Fitzgerald gained 22nd Hwt placing on Bacchante Silver Lace (owned by Shane Hopkins). 

Ingrid Ambrosiussen placed 12th in the Junior division on Splendacrest Perfection (owned by Shane Hopkins) and Beck Forgan placed 15th in the Lightweight division on Sahateyn Star Dancer. 

In the 40km ride, Jess Hewitt completed her second trainer on Lyn Hall's "Fred", and Sam Dobson took 4 year old Splendacrest Verity around her first 20km ride sucessfully. 

We were camped with a great group of people, including Jackie and Geoff Richards, Jenny Bidner, Renee and Robert Kuhns, Sue Renfree's "mob", and Kate Gadsby's Ra Endurance Team. All up, there were 14 horses in our area, and we had a total 100% completion rate. So everyone had a very happy end to the weekend!!! 

It was particularly pleasing to see Jackie Richards complete her first 80km ride on her special mare Allure, and although she was a bit tired by the end of it, Jackie was very pleased and proud of herself too! Congratulations Jackie!! 

Over the weekend Sam Dobson took the opportunity to complete her TPR Steward training, and now is a fully-qualified TPR! Well done, Sam, and congratulations on your keenness to put back into the sport! 

Thank you to all the volunteers, Vets, Officials and catering people who enabled this ride to go on, and a big thank you to Leigh Pearson, who with her happy band of club members, always gives us a great ride! Thanks also to Shane Hopkins for being the best strapper/cook/driver/etc in the world!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*9-07-07*
Hi,
I haven't posted here for a while but i thought i'd post the newsletter written by my trainer/coach from a ride over the weekend. I didn't go but i thought i'd post it anyway.

*Kilkivan Klassic ride*
Hi All 

A beautiful weekend in Kilkivan was not expected, but gratefully appreciated! The weather was perfect for the horses..... a little breezy, a little cool, a little overcast... just wonderful! 

The new track gave varying impressions....from 'easy' to 'tough' to 'not for novice horses' to 'great'! I couldn't work out why there were so many varying opinions. My riders seemed to enjoy the ride anyway! 

The Splendacrest crew had another great ride, with Amanda Powell gaining 3rd Lightweight placing on Shonavale Kamilla in 4:06. The ride was won in 3:25! Ingrid Ambroisussen rode one of Gayle Holmes' horses "Shanti" for 5th Junior placing, and Angela Head completed her first 80km ride on the evergreen Ricky... congratulations Ang! Our guest for the weekend was Pun Serireongrith from Thailand, and he completed his first 80km ride also, on the beautiful Bullarto Fiorelli in 6:01. 

John Dugan rode his brand new horse "Pirate Pete" to a completion in the 40km ride, and was amazed by Pete's big trot.... which we've been telling him about but which he hadn't as yet experienced! John has just added another EXCELLENT horse to his growing endurance stable! 

I'd like to congratulate (and thank) Janet Bull on her first outing as Chief Steward (under the eye of Steve Barlow), and thanks to the Veterinary Team and the valuable TPRs as well. The South Burnett club put on a great ride, so thanks to all of you too, including Alby and Yvonne Knight, Dee Berry, Deb Krough, Dianne Sullivan, and all the other members! 

We are now all looking forward to next week's Lake Manchester ride!! See you there! 


Best regards


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*16-7-07*
Hi,
I haven't been doing much riding lately because my trainer/coach has decided that becuase Verity is young and not able to do 40km rides, she wil be turned out for a few monhs to row a bit more. 

This is the newsletter my coach writes from a ride over the weekend.

Hi All 

A perfect SE Qld winter's day was made available for the Lake Manchester ride this past weekend! Bright and clear, a little cool, a little breezy, and the comraderie of lots of endurance folk enjoying their LM experience. The Lake Manchester Endurance Club is a hard-working and mostly happy bunch of people, and the ride is a test of man and beast. Lots of hills, hard underfoot in patches, lots more hills.... a real endurance ride. 

The water situation is depressing at the moment, sad to say. The Lake itself is just a shadow of its past glory, with blue-green algae in bloom, and the foreshores stretching forever. The club managed to truck in water, with the help of the company re-building the dam wall at the moment, and although the water was possibly the murkiest I have ever seen at a ride, our horses drank well of the added minerals! 

The Splendacrest team had another successful weekend, with Ingrid Ambrosiussen riding Joyce Corbett's "Murland Park Mikhala" to 2nd Junior placing (behind Lisa Stoffel). Thanks Joyce for allowing Ingrid to ride this beautiful mare. Young Tarni Kittel had the important task of escorting one of our Japanese clients around the 80km track, and ended up in 4th Junior position on John Dugan's mare Performance Park Lady Kharisma. Her 'escortee', Fumiko Ryo, rode the splendid young Splendacrest Perfection to 8th Lightweight placing and completed her third 80km ride thus gaining her Open Rider qualification. Congratulations Fumi!! 

Another guest of the weekend, Pun Serireongrith from Thailand, completed his second 80km ride on Raaward Chanelle, owned by Zoe Gardner. This was Pun's second 80km in 8 days, having completed the Kilkivan ride last weekend. He then returned home to Bangkok late last night after a 10 day sojourn in Australia. Well done Pun!!! 

Due to Gerry Bergmans' involvement with the LM club, he was unable to ride his horse Natham Park Thammus, however he graciously allowed Gerard Bou the ride. Gerard was successful in placing 5th in the Heavyweight division in his first open ride, and enjoyed the horse and the track immensely!  

Our good friend Yuko Crease escorted Yurie Ito around her first ever 40km ride, with Yurie mounted on Gundiwidgee Akuma, a bright little gelding bred and owned by Sue Renfree. This gelding shows real promise for his future career as an endurance horse, doing everything just right and allowing Yurie to have a wonderful introduction to our sport. 

John Dugan also rode the 40km ride on Quick & Easy, taking the ride both quick and easy! 

All in all, a great weekend for the Splendacrest Team, and one we look forward to each year. Now its on to Widgee, and then the State Champs! The year is rapidly passing us by, isn't it? 

See you out on track......... 

Best regards


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*30-7-07*
Hi, Here's another newsletter from my coach from a ride over the weekend.

Hi All 

Widgee was wunderful! And I'm pleased to hear that it will be back on again next year. The track was different from last year, offering tracks through plantation forests as well as some big hills. Although the ground was very hard underfoot, and there was the mandatory gravelly patches, this ride was a good learning experience for most riders. I would rate it as a moderately hard track, suitable for novice horses ridden slowly. 

Last year's hot weather did not eventuate, and the little breezes were welcomed throughout the day. The lay-out of the in/out gate and the vetting ring was great, and the facilities at the grounds are excellent. This ride committee also showed their humorous side, with costumes and head-dresses being standard gear on the day. 

Once again the Splendacrest team had a great weekend, with 6 out of 8 horses completing well. Our two casualties were due to the hard track, being lameness issues at the end of the first leg. But the rest of the team did well, with John Dugan gaining 1st Heavyweight placing on Quick & Easy, and Ingrid Ambrosiussen taking out 1st Junior and Best Conditioned horse on Shanti (owned by Gayle Holmes). Heather Drake placed 5th Junior on the wonderful Ricky, Jess Hewitt completed her first 80km ride in 24th Mwt place on Pete (owned by John Dugan), and Ted Fitzgerald took Bacchante Silver Lace around her 3rd 80km ride to finish in great shape! Thanks Ted, for getting this mare through her three novice rides. Beck Forgan gained 10th Lwt placing on the beautiful Obi, and can't wait to put him through his 3rd novice ride in a month or two! 

Thanks to all the Wunderful Widgee Workers who allowed us all to enjoy another wunderful weekend! 


Best regards


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*30-7-07*
Hi, Here's another newsletter from my coach from a ride over the weekend.

Hi All 

Widgee was wunderful! And I'm pleased to hear that it will be back on again next year. The track was different from last year, offering tracks through plantation forests as well as some big hills. Although the ground was very hard underfoot, and there was the mandatory gravelly patches, this ride was a good learning experience for most riders. I would rate it as a moderately hard track, suitable for novice horses ridden slowly. 

Last year's hot weather did not eventuate, and the little breezes were welcomed throughout the day. The lay-out of the in/out gate and the vetting ring was great, and the facilities at the grounds are excellent. This ride committee also showed their humorous side, with costumes and head-dresses being standard gear on the day. 

Once again the Splendacrest team had a great weekend, with 6 out of 8 horses completing well. Our two casualties were due to the hard track, being lameness issues at the end of the first leg. But the rest of the team did well, with John Dugan gaining 1st Heavyweight placing on Quick & Easy, and Ingrid Ambrosiussen taking out 1st Junior and Best Conditioned horse on Shanti (owned by Gayle Holmes). Heather Drake placed 5th Junior on the wonderful Ricky, Jess Hewitt completed her first 80km ride in 24th Mwt place on Pete (owned by John Dugan), and Ted Fitzgerald took Bacchante Silver Lace around her 3rd 80km ride to finish in great shape! Thanks Ted, for getting this mare through her three novice rides. Beck Forgan gained 10th Lwt placing on the beautiful Obi, and can't wait to put him through his 3rd novice ride in a month or two! 

Thanks to all the Wunderful Widgee Workers who allowed us all to enjoy another wunderful weekend! 


Best regards


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*1-8-07*
Hi!
I have some news! 
My ASH x TB mare named Bree is out at Renae's property. Renae is going to do some work with her and get her rideable for m becuase lately when i get on her she just rears!  

Also in a month or two Renae will be breaking in the stallion that Bree will be put in foal again to so the owner of the stallion said i can get Bree served while he's there! YAY!  

I'll let you know how she goes!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*9-8-07*
Hi,
This afternoon i went out and rode Bree for the first time since she's been out there and she was really good!
I first rode her around the yard and all she did was a few pigroot whe she didn't want to move. Then renae and i went out for a short ride and she improved heaps! No probs except when a car went past and scared Renae's gelding and set him off into a bucking fit which made Bree jump side way and buck a bit but that was just her reacting to Ulyssies.
The only other thing she did was chuck in a pigroot when we started to trot but no big deal! Better than rearing!!!!!  

I'm so happy with her! Now, all she needs is more rides out so i'm going to see her again on Tuesday.


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*21-8-07*
Hi 
I've been away strapping at the QLD State Champs! I had fun but was exhausted! I was up for over 30 hrs straight!  
But it was worth it!
Here is the news letter from ny trainer:

Hi All I got home and slept for 16 hours straight!! First time I've done that.... must be getting old! 
But the State Champs were wonderful! We had a great time, and the weather was kind to us too.... overcast during the entire ride, with the rain holding off until everyone had finished. 
The Splendacrest Team arrived at the Woodford showgrounds on Wednesday morning, and our 4 Japanese riders arrived Wednesday afternoon straight from their flight. Regular rider, Shigeru Ogawa was pleased to be back on his lovely mare Splendacrest Fiesta, Sachi Murai was mounted on Mt Eerwah Silver Mariner (Pete), Atsuko Sato (on her first ever trip to Australia) was mounted on the evergreen Ricky, and Takeshi Ito renewed his friendship with the lovely young gelding Splendacrest Perfection. 
Wednesday and Thursday were dedicated to making sure that all riders and horses were well-matched and that gear was OK for the upcoming challenge. John Dugan joined us on Thursday (riding his beautiful mare Kharisma), while Tarni Kittel and Ingrid Ambrosiussen worked hard during these few days also. Both Tarni and Ingrid had time off school in order to compete in their first 160km ride! 
The Murrumba Endurance Club always provides us with a good track, and the facilities at the Woodford Showgrounds are also quite good. The smallish field of 77 starters made for luxurious camping arrangements, with plenty of room for everyone. 
The Splendacrest strapping team arrived on Friday night, with Renae Kuhn, Sam Dobson, Angela Head, Shane Hopkins and Gerard Bou all hoping to help their teammates through this 160km ride. Another big help was Ingrid's mum, Vivienne, who was chief cook and bottle washer throughout the weekend.... thanks Vivienne! 
Friday's midnight start was warm and comfortable, and all our horses went out the gate calmly and carefully. Unfortunately a feral car-body on track claimed Shigeru, when Fiesta shied badly and he came off to land heavily at about the 32km mark. Although both were floated in without incident, a little time later it was obvious that Shigeru wasn't feeling very well. But after a rest he was back in camp and eager to strap for the other riders. 
Our next casualty came after the 3rd leg, when Ricky showed signs of soreness and Atsuko showed signs of tiredness! Having only ridden the very small native horses in Japan, Ricky's big trotting action was just too much for her to maintain a rhythm to. Then both John and Sachi bit the dust after the 4th leg, with Kharisma developing a cramp, and Pete being declared lame (although he didn't think he was!). 
All this time Alby Knight was escorting Takeshi Ito, and they both completed in =12th Middleweight position. Perfection looked 'perfect' the entire ride, and his final trot-out was also perfect! Takeshi was pretty sore, however his elation at completing this 160km in his first attempt was huge. My sincerest thanks must go to Alby, who kept up a great pace and who was kind enough to teach Takeshi more about our sport. 
But the fantastic news was that both Tarni and Ingrid also completed their first 160s. Tarni rode Raaward Chanelle (owned by Zoe Gardner), and Ingrid rode Shanti (owned by Gayle Holmes). Both girls lost considerable time in the first leg while they had to wait over an hour with Shigeru after his fall, however they slowly made up time during the balance of the ride. To top off a great ride and a great result, Ingrid's horse was then awarded the "lowest average heartrate" award for the ride! These two 14 year old girls rode the entire way together, and to see them trotting over the finish line holding hands aloft was just fantastic! Both horses looked great too, and their finishing time of 14:55 was a huge credit to them, and a fabulous result for their first 160km ride. Congratulations girls! 
Once again the Murrumba Club members deserve a pat on the back, and all our thanks must go to clubs like this who continue to provide us with great rides and great experiences.


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*29-10-07*
Hi guys!  
I haven't written here for a while but there's not much to write because of the Equine Influenza that is causing all sorts of restricions on horses. There have been no endurance rides for a few months now and the last ride of the season was supposed to be last weekend but becuase of the flu. . . . . cancelled.
We can't even ride outside the front gate. We can ride around the paddock but after a few days of going around in circles the horses had a few objections to say the least so now now they are all turned out for the off season resting before the season starts again next year and hopefully by then the horse flu will have run it's coarse and the restrictins are lifted.

The only news i really have is that my mare Breeze is in foal agian to the same stallion (Zafire). YAY!!  
The vet checked her out before we had her serviced and said she was fine to be put back into foal again and in a few weeks we are going to get her scanned to make she the foal is ok. We aren't taking any chances this time!!!!  
Also Renae has been breaking in Zafire and i have watched her working with him a few times and he is sooo gorgeous! He moves so gracefully! I'l try to get some pics of him.

Anyway i'll try to udate again soon!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*31-10-07*
I just got the worst news!!!!!!!!!!!!!    
Renae rang me and said she had bad news. . . . .i immediatly thought "Oh no, Bree has lost her foal!". But no Brees foal was fine (for now). Instead i got news that could harm both Bree AND her foal!

Bree has the Horse Flu!!!!!!!!!! NOOO!  
You never think it will hapen to you but now it has! They don't know how it got to Renaes (where Bree is) because no one has reported it anywhre near Renaes area. We think someone else has it in the area but hasn't reported it becuase they don't want to be quaranteened. Grrrr! :evil: 

Bree is healthy and should pull through without any problems and hopefuly the foal will be alright.  

There is not much more we can do but look after the symptoms of the Flu and hope. And sterilise everything and everyone who goes near them to stop it spreading. We've just got to wait for it to o through.


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*9-11-07*
I have talked to Renae and she has told me that Bree is almost completely over the Flu now. Thank God!!  We don't know if the flu has effected the foal yet but we will get her scanned to check on the foal! I'm taking no chances this time around!!  
I'm so releived she pulled through the flu without any complications though!   

I'll update again soon!


----------



## crackrider (Jan 23, 2007)

*7-1-08*

Woah! i haven't posted here for a while!!
Oh well, i haven't got much more news anyway with the EI restrictions still in place i haven't been able to ride since it started.

Bree's foal looks like it's none the worse for Bree's bout with EI. I'm soo glad!!

Also i may be buying a new horse but it's still in the plannign stage yet so i'll let u know when i decide more.  

[/b]


----------

