Charity race

NikKnock

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11 January 2022
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Hiya. I'm in a charity horse race tomorrow. Seemed like a good idea when I signed up a couple months ago and now I'm basically s******* myself. Without scaring the pants off me can anyone who's done one give me some positive, practical advice? My little TB will be v excited and will go like s*** off a shovel running with the other horses. I've been training hard, uphill work trot, canter and gallop, and recently a couple of trips to the gallops to open him up, but the race is 1½miles and I'm pretty sure we've not done that distance in one go. He has hunted like a bat of hell looney before so he does keep going in a slightly out of control way. I just need some positive, up-beat advice or good experiences please. I'm 62 and being incredibly brave.
 

cold_feet

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Hiya. I'm in a charity horse race tomorrow. Seemed like a good idea when I signed up a couple months ago and now I'm basically s******* myself. Without scaring the pants off me can anyone who's done one give me some positive, practical advice? My little TB will be v excited and will go like s*** off a shovel running with the other horses. I've been training hard, uphill work trot, canter and gallop, and recently a couple of trips to the gallops to open him up, but the race is 1½miles and I'm pretty sure we've not done that distance in one go. He has hunted like a bat of hell looney before so he does keep going in a slightly out of control way. I just need some positive, up-beat advice or good experiences please. I'm 62 and being incredibly brave.
No advice, but good luck, and have fun!
 

Mrs. Jingle

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You are very brave indeed. I am sure you will be just grand and it sounds like you have got your horse nice and fit so should be fine with the distance but just bring him back to a manageable speed when they have got the zoomies out of their system and push on more nearer the finish. If you feel either of you are struggling slow it right down and come in like a snail. You don't have to win, just compete is enough to get the donations for charity. The very best of luck.
 

NikKnock

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@NikKnock hope everything went ok? It would be great to know you got on alright and managed to enjoy it and got home safely. 🤞 ☺️
Thats so kind. It all went fine thank you. I started at the back and stayed at the back, but I survived! I didn't press him, he relaxed and we had a healthy gallop home finishing 11th out of 12. We were up against some long legged TBs and riders with all the gear, so I didn't try to compete. My chunky short coupled TB is built for sprinting not for long distances, however he didn't tire and was just as fresh finishing as he was at the beginning. At age 62, it was definitely a bucket list job! 😅
 

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