Area 19 Endurance Ride
(qualifier for championships at Cholmondeley)
Run as part of the Borders branch of Scottish Endurance Riding Club Ride
Pony Club Merlin, Kestral or Osprey Award Endurance Ride --Sunday
Ride distance 10, 20 or 30km , open to members of all Pony Club
Branches.
Venue: Lammermuir Hills
Directions will be sent out with ride information
NO DOGS ALLOWED AT ANY TIME
Entries Close : 28th June 2015
Ride organisers: Ali Ainslie: alionmoor@btinternet.com
Queries : Jo Ferguson bewliemains22@btinternet.com or phone 01835 870800 (not after 9pm)
Entries to:Judith Allan, Crosslaw Farm Cottage, Coldingham, Berwickshire, TD14 5UA
Entry fee £10.00 Please return entry form below along with cheque made payable to
S.E.R.C.borders branch (if the adult supervising rider wishes to compete then download entry
form from s.e.r.c website, members£10/non members£20)
You will receive a map & talk round of the route. Rosettes are awarded if you complete the route
in the time allowed.
For further information about endurance riding please look on the ‘Scottish Endurance Riding
Club’ http://www.scottishendurance.com/ website or PC website
http://www.pcuk.org/Disciplines/Endurance/Endurance-Rules/ .
Age : Horses/ponies must be 5yrs & over [1st January] Riders can be 5yrs & over, (children aged
5 - 7 can only ride the 10km distance) All children under the age of 16 (due to the isolated terrain
unless already completed Bronze Thistle Final or pony club equivalent)) must be accompanied by
an adult (18 yrs or over) on horseback with a maximum of two children to one adult (no charge
for adults see above). The Member and accompanying adult must compete together and if there
is a problem on course they must stay together. If you do not have an adult to ride with, please let
us know and we will try to help.
HATS and MEDICAL ARMBANDS
It is compulsory for all Pony Club Members to wear a tagged Hat and medical armband when
participating in an Endurance Ride (All Riding Hats must conform to PC Standard). Any Pony
Club Member seen riding without
one will be disqualified.
If a rider/pony combination has completed any endurance rides please bring all
previous vet sheets received, plus mileage/master card.
Neither the organisers of this event nor any person acting on their behalf, the owners of the ground, nor
agents acting on their behalf, accept liability for any loss, damage, accident, injury or illness to horses,
competitors, spectators or any other persons or property whatsoever. The organisers of this event have
taken reasonable precautions to ensure the health and safety of everyone present. For these measures
to be effective everyone must take reasonable precautions to avoid and prevent accidents occurring and
must obey the instructions of the organisers and all officials and stewards.
Entry form for Area 19 Endurance Ride Sunday 12th July 2015
Entries close 28th June 2014
Riders Name:
__________________________________________________________
Age:
__________________________________________________________
Address & Postcode:
____________________________________________________
Telephone number:
_____________________________________________________
Email:
________________________________________________________________
Horses name:
__________________________________________________________
Horses age:
__________________________________________________________
Horses sex:
____________________________________________________________
Signature of Rider
________________________________Date:_________________
If under 16 years old name of accompanying Adult
__________________________
Signature of accompanying Adult __________________________
Mobile phone number of accompanying adult __________________
Distance entered please circle - Merlin10km - Kestral 20km
- Osprey 30km(only for pony and rider who has done x2 Kestral rides)
CERTIFICATE OF DISTRICT COMMISSIONER OR SECRETARY
I certify that ………………………… is an active member of …………….Branch
of the Pony Club
SORRY – ENTRIES WILL BE RETURNED IF NOT SIGNED
Please enclose a large SAE (A5 envelope, 1st Class stamp) for ride information.
As the parent/person holding parental consent I give my permission for the child
named above
to participate in the above ride/ activity.
In case of emergency I can be contacted on .................................................................
I also authorize the accompanying adult rider named above to take responsibility in
case I am unavailable.
They can be contacted on .....................................................................................
I agree to any emergency medical treatment to be given as considered necessary by
the medical authorities if I cannot be contacted.
Name.........................................................................................[Printed]
Relationship to child ……………………………………………..
Date .....................................
Signature......................................................................................……………………
What is an endurance ride?
It is a ride, usually over open country, along a specified route for a set distance with
specific speed requirements. You will be issued with a map of the route a few days
before the competition which you will need to study carefully and measure, in order
to plan your ride pace and finish in time. There will be checkpoints along the route at
which you must ensure the steward records your competitor number. Most
competitive rides also require the pony/horse or pony to be vetted before and after the
ride.
Pony Club Endurance
If your pony/horse or pony can travel one kilometre in six minutes, you are capable of
riding for over two hours and you ride at least three times a week including some
canter work- then you and your pony/horse or pony should be able to manage any
Pony Club Endurance ride up to Kestrel/Novice level.
What is a Merlin (level 2) training ride?
Merlin is the name given by The Pony Club to the shortest of their recognised
ride levels. It is intended primarily as an introductory training level and is most
likely to be organised within your Branch or Centre. The Merlin is a ride of
under 19km that needs to be completed at a pace of no more than 12kmph (for this
ride).
If you are intending to progress to the longer rides then it would be good practice to
aim for the optimum speed of 10kmph.
Vetting is not compulsory at this level but it will be recommended as this is part of a
Scottish endurance ride and gives an idea of how your pony has coped.
What is a Kestral Ride - (level 3) ride
A kestral ride is between 20 - 29km and needs to be ridden between 8 - 12 kmph. You
do not receive your award is you do not ride between your speed. Vetting is necessary
and your pony/horses heart rate needs to be under 64
Therefore you and your pony need to be fitter for this distance.
What is a Osprey (level 4 ) ride
To be able to compete at level 4 you must have successfully completed two Kestral
level 3 rides. This is to allow progress through the distances available, whilst gaining
experience and fitness for both rider and pony. The distance to ride at this level is 30 39km and is ridden between 8 - 15kmph.
What do I do when I get to the ride?
 Take your master card, vet sheet, your tagged hat and medical arm band to the
ride secretary. (master card available from Joan Ferguson or the caravan on
the day)(vet sheet will be posted/emailed with map and instructions to you
before the ride)
 Check for any route changes.
 Collect your number.
 Walk out and relax your pony/horse.
 Take pony/horse (with vet sheet) to the farrier and then vets inspection
(untacked)
 Tack up and go to the start
 Start ride.
What do I do when I finish the ride?
 Collect finish sheet as you come through the finish
 Walk your pony/horse back to your trailer/lorry,
 Untack
 Offer him/her a drink of water
 Wash him/her down if required
 Return with pony/horse to vets inspection (within half an hour of finishing the
ride)
 Give the scorers some time, then go and collect your award and mastercard
What does the vetting entail?
At most Endurance rides competitors will be required to trot their pony/horse up for
the vet both before they start and within 30 minutes of completing. Pony/horses can
be trotted up in either headcollars or bridles but should be under control. They should
not be saddled nor have boots, bandages or hoof oil on. The trot up is over 20m - 30m
and must be done with a loose rein. The vet will observe the trot up for signs of
lameness He may also look into the mouth and examine the pony/horse for signs of
external injury and dehydration. It is a good idea to ensure that your pony is used to
having these things done by a stranger. The vet will also take the pulse rate. In general
a pulse rate of over 64bpm will result in disqualification and the lower the pulse the
better.. NB. At rides run by Pony Club Branches/Centres the vet check may be carried
out by a senior Pony Club official with the aid of an electronic heart rate monitor or
stethoscope.
How will I know the route?
All competitors will be given a photocopied map on which the route is marked, and
sometimes a written description of the main route features. The route is partially
marked (usually with spray chalk or fluorescent ribbons) – generally only at major
changes of direction. Part of the challenge and enjoyment of Endurance riding is to
use your map to navigate the route successfully. You should also always check at the
secretaries’ caravan for any last minute route changes.
What’s to stop me from taking a short cut?
The route will be stewarded at certain checkpoints, at which your number is recorded
and relayed back to the secretary. This also helps the organiser keep track of riders in
the event of an emergency. Please note that it is YOUR responsibility to ensure that
your number is recorded – if it isn’t you could be eliminated!
If you have friends that are entered in the same class as you and you want to ride
together then it is usually possible to do so.. It is quite common at Endurance rides to
see groups of two to five riders going round together. Larger groups are not generally
started together. When you are ready to begin the ride go to the start with your
friends.
’s to stop me simply following the rider in front?
Each small group of riders will generally be started a few minutes apart, this will
mean that riders are less likely to bunch up and will also stop the ponies from thinking
it is a race. It is possible that you will catch up with other groups around the route but
you should beware of following them blindly – they might be lost, or riding a
different route!
Yes. First ask their permission and then pass slowly, leaving sufficient room and
always say thank you.
8-12kmph (unless doing a Osprey level) requires that you do most of the route at a
strong working trot, with some canter. This will give you enough time to walk or stop
to get your bearings. You will be able to canter on some parts of the route if you are
running late, however remember finishing too early is as bad as finishing too late, as
this suggests that your pony has had to run too fast, and will also lead to a higher
finishing heart rate
riding?
Checkpoints will be marked on the route map. Working out the distance between
these or other landmarks will give you an indication of how much time it should take
you to reach each checkpoint. Using the map provided to plan how you will ride each
section according to terrain/speed should all be part of your preparation for the event.
NB time = distance/speed