News | 30 August 2024
The Pony Club Endurance Championships 2024
Congratulations to all who competed in The Pony Club Endurance Championships at Well Vale on Friday, the 23rd. The event showcased the skill, planning, and timing required in this demanding sport.
Despite challenging windy conditions in Lincolnshire, members from Areas 3, 4, 6, 8 and 12 tackled the 20km Grassroots, 32km Novice, and 40km Intermediate rides. Start times were delayed to avoid the worst of the wind, but participants swiftly got underway, with friends and family eagerly supporting them at each Crew Point. Read on to see how they performed!
Image: Eve Stanley and Little Coloured approaching Crew Point 2. A member of the Hurworth Branch in Area 3, Eve has had a busy summer—she competed in a musical ride team at The JCB Pony Club Championships just the week before and was heading to the Regional Championships at Kelsall Hill the day after the Endurance Championships!
Special recognition goes to the winners of each section: Isaac Crawford (Scunthorpe & District) in Grassroots, Molly Gorst (Lancaster & District) in Novice, Leola Hammond (South Hertfordshire) in Intermediate, and Scarlett Chapple, who triumphed in the Elite 80km (held on Saturday, the 24th). A big well done also to the victorious team from Yorkshire, comprised of Eva Smith (Bedale & West of Yore), Nancy Manners (Bedale & West of Yore), and Eve Stanley (Hurworth), whose impressive average score of 35.6 secured their top position.
Image: Eva Smith (left) and Nancy Manners (right) approaching Crew Point 2. Both members of Bedale & West of Yore, Eva is currently studying in Newmarket at The British Racing school, and Nancy is about to start sixth form having received outstanding GCSE results.
Eva Smith was awarded Senior Horsemanship, earning exceptional scores in both Tack & Turnout and the trot-up. The Best Condition award, chosen by the panel of vets, went to Little Coloured, ridden by Eve Stanley. The vets also selected Pig, ridden by Isaac Crawford, as the pony they would most like to take home. Jack Gorst, from the Lancaster & District Branch, received the Best Crew Member award. Although Jack was originally set to compete alongside his sister, Molly, in the Novice class, he unfortunately had to withdraw after failing the trot-up. Despite this setback, Jack excelled in his role as a crew member, ensuring Molly and Little Bobby stayed well hydrated and cool throughout the day. Well done, Jack!
Image: Jack Gorst being an excellent crew to his sister, Molly at Crew Point 2. It is vital at Crew Points that ponies are ‘sloshed’ to help keep them cool, and that riders have a drink and something to eat. Ponies are also offered water, sometimes with mash or added electrolytes to keep them well hydrated.
The Junior Horsemanship prize was awarded to Jack Cross of Thetford Chase, whose exceptional politeness throughout the day was noted by many officials. Jack’s meticulous attention to detail was evident in his exceptionally clean tack and outstanding trot-up score. He also impressed with his well-packed bum-bag, which included essential items such as a whistle and a miniature first aid kit. Additionally, the Best Shod award, selected by the farrier, was given to Jack and his pony, Absolutely Crackers.
Image: Jack Cross trotting Absolutely Crackers up after completing their ride. All ponies must be presented to the vet within 30 minutes of finishing the ride where they will have their heart rate taken and assessed for soundness. The heart rate must be under 64bpm and they must trot up sound, or they’ll face elimination. The heart rate is used in the Performance Formula which, along with speed, is used to calculate the overall score. The lower the heart rate, the better, so riders must learn how to recover their ponies quickly, and which behaviours may cause heart rates to increase (such as having a post ride roll!).
Pony Club Endurance extends heartfelt thanks to Thay Stephenson and her outstanding team for organising such a fantastic event. A big thank you also goes to Emerald Green Feeds, the Well Vale ride sponsor, for their generous prizes on the day. Finally, we are deeply grateful to Robert Blane, the Endurance Chairman, for his dedication, hard work both during and leading up to the event, and his unwavering support and passion for the sport of Endurance.
Image: Molly Gorst with her Emerald Green Feeds goody bag and feed – well done!
Want to get involved next year? All you need is a fit horse/pony and a sense of adventure! Visit the Endurance page on the website or get in touch by contacting endurance@pcuk.org
We are also looking for more committee members to join the Endurance committee for 2025. If you want to make a difference to the sport and have lots of ideas on how we can improve Endurance for all, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Crewing
Top crewing team at Crew Point 3 for Eva Smith on the 40km Intermediate ride; water and snacks for rider, and mash and water mix for horse keep them refreshed and ready for the rest of the ride. Members of the Bedale & West of Yore Branch, Eva has been doing Endurance for quite a few years now with support from Robert who is an instructor at the Branch as well as the Chairman of Endurance. Now at The British Racing school, Eva’s mum helps to keep Lough Ryn fit during term time and the two take part in other Pony Club events such as Eventing. Whilst any well fitting tack is acceptable for Endurance, synthetic tack such as the bridle worn here is easy to keep clean and is also very lightweight.
Sloshing
Endurance riders and their crewing teams get creative with reusing old bottles, such as the milk carton in this picture. Riders will enter the crewing points and often spend only a few minutes refreshing before setting off again, so it is crucial that crew members can quickly hand them water containers that can easily be poured over horse’s necks and rumps, sometimes whilst still on the move. Again, you can see the synthetic tack here that can withstand the sweat and water better than leather tack can, and riders can get creative with their colour combinations. Molly also has her route map in a map holder, which acts as a useful back up if her phone were to run out of battery, have no signal, or is she strayed off course away from the markers.
Riding with friends
Eva and Nancy finishing the 40km Intermediate ride together. This 40km ride took them several hours – there’s no other Pony Club sport where you can ride for multiple hours in the beautiful countryside with your friends! Even though the rode together throughout, it does not mean they will finish on the same score. Both horses presented to the vet with different heart rates resulting in a different overall score.
Pony Care
Jack demonstrating excellent sloshing by himself whilst his Dad helps his mum with her horse. At only 10 years old, Jack must still ride with an adult, so was joined by his mum and her thoroughbred. Crackers did a wonderful job at keeping up round the 40km Intermediate ride with his little legs, which was of course aided by Jack’s wonderful care at each of the Crew Points. Endurance is a wonderful sport that parents, aunts, uncles and friends can take part in with their children. If you don’t have an adult who can ride with you, it is still worth getting in touch with the ride you want to do, as there may be someone you can join up with!
All shapes and sizes
Any horse or pony can have a go at Endurance. Here is Leola Hammond and Sarum Road Runner, who won the Intermediate 40km ride. They show that size doesn’t matter as they still managed to finish on an incredible score thanks to Mowie’s incredible fitness and finished on a HR of 45 and a speed of 13kph. Leola and Mowie have had great success with Pony Club Endurance and continue to go from strength to strength. Last year they won the Novice class, and this year they won the Intermediate!
Vetting
As well as a vetting before riding to ensure that horses are fit and sound before setting off, horses must also present to the vet after the ride. They get their heart rate measured which is included in the performance formula, and must also present sound. HRs over 64, and lame horses are disqualified. All horses must present to the vet within 30 minutes of finishing the ride. Longer rides will also have a ‘vet gate’ half way through, as well as at the start and end.
Endurance Committee spotted!
Ann Featherstone, who is on The Pony Club Endurance committee was also taking part at Well Vale on her pony Enya. Last year, Ann’s daughter, Kathryn took part in the Open class on Enya. Lovely to see Ann and Enya having some fun this year.
Crewing
Top crewing team at Crew Point 3 for Eva Smith on the 40km Intermediate ride; water and snacks for rider, and mash and water mix for horse keep them refreshed and ready for the rest of the ride. Members of the Bedale & West of Yore Branch, Eva has been doing Endurance for quite a few years now with support from Robert who is an instructor at the Branch as well as the Chairman of Endurance. Now at The British Racing school, Eva’s mum helps to keep Lough Ryn fit during term time and the two take part in other Pony Club events such as Eventing. Whilst any well fitting tack is acceptable for Endurance, synthetic tack such as the bridle worn here is easy to keep clean and is also very lightweight.
Sloshing
Endurance riders and their crewing teams get creative with reusing old bottles, such as the milk carton in this picture. Riders will enter the crewing points and often spend only a few minutes refreshing before setting off again, so it is crucial that crew members can quickly hand them water containers that can easily be poured over horse’s necks and rumps, sometimes whilst still on the move. Again, you can see the synthetic tack here that can withstand the sweat and water better than leather tack can, and riders can get creative with their colour combinations. Molly also has her route map in a map holder, which acts as a useful back up if her phone were to run out of battery, have no signal, or is she strayed off course away from the markers.
Riding with friends
Eva and Nancy finishing the 40km Intermediate ride together. This 40km ride took them several hours – there’s no other Pony Club sport where you can ride for multiple hours in the beautiful countryside with your friends! Even though the rode together throughout, it does not mean they will finish on the same score. Both horses presented to the vet with different heart rates resulting in a different overall score.
Pony Care
Jack demonstrating excellent sloshing by himself whilst his Dad helps his mum with her horse. At only 10 years old, Jack must still ride with an adult, so was joined by his mum and her thoroughbred. Crackers did a wonderful job at keeping up round the 40km Intermediate ride with his little legs, which was of course aided by Jack’s wonderful care at each of the Crew Points. Endurance is a wonderful sport that parents, aunts, uncles and friends can take part in with their children. If you don’t have an adult who can ride with you, it is still worth getting in touch with the ride you want to do, as there may be someone you can join up with!
All shapes and sizes
Any horse or pony can have a go at Endurance. Here is Leola Hammond and Sarum Road Runner, who won the Intermediate 40km ride. They show that size doesn’t matter as they still managed to finish on an incredible score thanks to Mowie’s incredible fitness and finished on a HR of 45 and a speed of 13kph. Leola and Mowie have had great success with Pony Club Endurance and continue to go from strength to strength. Last year they won the Novice class, and this year they won the Intermediate!
Vetting
As well as a vetting before riding to ensure that horses are fit and sound before setting off, horses must also present to the vet after the ride. They get their heart rate measured which is included in the performance formula, and must also present sound. HRs over 64, and lame horses are disqualified. All horses must present to the vet within 30 minutes of finishing the ride. Longer rides will also have a ‘vet gate’ half way through, as well as at the start and end.
Endurance Committee spotted!
Ann Featherstone, who is on The Pony Club Endurance committee was also taking part at Well Vale on her pony Enya. Last year, Ann’s daughter, Kathryn took part in the Open class on Enya. Lovely to see Ann and Enya having some fun this year.