Pony Club Endurance, as with many of the other disciplines offered via the Pony Club, has a series of competitions throughout the country enabling members to qualify for the National Championships.

As with all disciplines offered through the Pony Club, there is always an experienced person to help and advise you, if you feel you would like to give it a go!

MEMBERS’ PAST ACHIEVEMENTS

EnduranceGB held their Annual national prize giving. This is where the points gained for all the national rides over the season are added together for each horse and also for the riders. The points are awarded for the distance travelled successfully for each competition and a grade given depending on the horse’s pulse at the end of the competition which gives them additional points.

Katie and Burfield Red Dragon won Champion National Junior horse and rider by over 1000 points and then they won Champion National rider, riding more than one horse. This was with Burfield Red Dragon and Elayla. Burfield Red Dragon was then were placed 2nd overall (including all the adults) in the National Best Home-bred, 2nd National Best graded horse, 2nd National best Part-bred Arab and 2nd in the National Equestrian Performance Challenge, which is a competition where horse and rider, through the season, have to have completed three two day rides, one of which has to be 80km (50 miles) the other may be the riders choice but 40km or more with speed, distance and pulse rate at the end of both days counting towards the final score and the result. Dragon was also acknowledged for completing over 3200km successfully in EGB rides since he was five years old.

Elaya, who is in her first season at five years old, was bought as an unbroken three year old by Katie and her mother Lucy, was then announced as 3rd, nationally, in the best results in 40km rides and less. What an evening!!

More recently, it was the EnduranceGB South East prize giving. This time Katie and Dragon won a gold award for completing over 700kms this season successfully, Top South East graded points award, Top Junior Rider, with Burfield Red Dragon and Elayla , Top part-bred Arab and Supreme South East Champion 2011.

Then to top it all, Elaya won the top Novice South East champion 2011. What a wonderful set of results for a thirteen year old girl and her two horses!

On Sunday 18th September the Pony Club Endurance Championship took place. There were teams (four riders) and individuals from all over England, Wales and the Borders for members who had qualified at three previous rides in the season. There were two age sections, Juniors who are 13 years and under with the Novice riding 32km (20 miles) at 10kph, the Intermediates rode 40km (25miles) at 11kph and the Open rode at 12kph over the same distance. The Seniors were divided into Novice, Intermediate and Open as well, over the same distances but had to be thirteen years or over. The winner of each section was the horse with the slowest heart-beat closest to the optimum time.

Katie Bedwin aged 13 years represented us (The Lord Leconfield) on her five year old pure bred Arab Elayla, who she backed last year. They had qualified for the Intermediate class and rode at the championship. They finished nearest to the speed of 11kph with a finishing pulse (heart rate) of 35. After a long wait for the prize giving Katie and Elayla became The Intermediate Champions for 2011.

Recently my horse, Layla and I qualified for the Pony Club Endurance Championships. To qualify I had to compete in 3 endurance rides of 32km (20miles) riding above 8kph and Layla must have a heart rate of 64bpm or below at the end of the ride.

Our first Ride was in March at Tilford, Surrey. We completed the ride at the speed of 11.8kph and Layla had a heart rate of 37 at the end. Our second ride was also in March but nearer the end of the month and it was near Canterbury, Kent. Layla and I raised our speed a little this time completing at 12.5kph with a heart rate of 34 at the end. The next ride in May was in Dorset, close to the coast. This ride was a lot harder physically for Layla as it was very steep and stony, so I had to take her slower than usual completing at 10.6kph, but still she still had a good heart rate of 35. The last ride I have competed at was the beginning of July and we travelled to Norfolk. Layla now having now gained some experience endurance riding I decided to see how she would handle picking up the pace a little more. She did extremely well and we completed at the speed of 13.2kph with a heart rate of 38.

I am pleased with Layla and am really looking forward to the Endurance Championships in September and I hope that more people will start competing in this discipline as it is very enjoyable.

Katie Bedwin