A Challenge for 2012?
While you are planning your 2012 season, have you considered including some additional challenges in your plans!?
What about taking on some long distance riding?
Starting at 20 kilometres (about 12 miles) there are Pleasure rides and Competitive rides for all.
Endurance GB caters for all the family, with Pony Club classes, Pleasure rides, competitive rides up to 160km (100 miles) in one day, plus some multi-day classes where you can test the fitness of yourself, your horse and your horse management skills.
It is easy to get started, just get in touch with the central office and find out where your regional group is. There are 23 Groups around the country. Members of the Groups are always ready to help anyone starting out and indeed through the winter season, there will often be training days, lectures, coaching sessions and other events to help get people started in the sport.
Over the past few years, many championship series have also been introduced, including the Riding Club Championships, which were extremely well supported in
2011. Why not get together with some friends and see what you can achieve in that series?
Throughout the ride year, EGB have a series of championship rides: the new Welsh Championship ride is at Mynydd Machen in April, the Northern Championship ride is in June at Elephant Trees and the Southern Championships are at Barbury Castle in August, and if you prefer to go further north there are the Scottish Championships also in August at Kelso – a fantastic area for riding. How many championships can you achieve in one season ?
Or you could be saving yourself (and your horse) for the BIG ONE – the National Championships at Kings Forest are at the end of June - mind you, you could just come and party if your plans are not quite working out.
There are some ‘series’ rides open to all – the Bedmax Trophy, the Four for the North and the Hadrian Challenge – all organised for individual riders to have a go.
Perhaps you prefer to be part of a team ? If riding in Ireland appeals, contact Maggie Pattinson for details of how to be considered for the English Home International team. A team
of 6 will be selected to represent England to ride in Ireland in July. For the non English there will be a Welsh Team and a Scottish team as well as the Celtic Challenge Teams – so lots of opportunity there to travel and compete as a team and enjoy the fantastic atmosphere of the Home International. See the EGB website or handbook for all the details and contacts.
Then if you don’t wish to cross the water, there are the Inter Regionals, this year they are to be held at Cirencester Park in mid July. Teams of up to 14 riders from a group or region compete but even if you are a rider without a Team, contact Ellie Head or Peggy Soffley for details (see EGB website). Last year the South West won but we cannot let them rest on their laurels, so start planning your team.
If you’re an adreneline junky, there is the Lindum Team Spirit at the end of July – four riders ride a 4 x 40km relay in one day.
This year, Barbury is holding the Barbury Castle Challenge – this is open to all groups with teams of 6 or 7 riders, riding across marvellous grasslands and tracks – see the ride website for full details.
Join In
2012
The South Coast groups run the South Coast Tournament with qualifying rides of all types and distances in each area, throughout the season with the grand finale this year at the New Park Rufus Ride in October – see SE website for full details.
There is the Welsh Inter Group challenge, open to members of the Welsh groups, riding in teams of five horse/rider combinations who successfully complete a series of nominated rides.
Don’t forget we have the national awards: There is the Green Dragon Trophy for teams of four horses and riders but the team must be registered. Then last but not least, there is the Pleasure Ride trophy for rider/horse combinations competing in pleasure or Non Competitive Rides. This trophy is kindly sponsored by KBIS, our helpful insurance company.
For details of these national awards, together with all the other national trophies, please see the handbook.
So whatever distance or riding level you are aiming at - there is a challenge or team near you! So enjoy your 2012 season!
www.equestrianlifemagazine.co.uk
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