First ever Endurance/Pleasure ride booked!

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GingerTrotter

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Booked my horse and I on our first ever endurance/pleasure ride, its in a couple of weeks time and I decided to ease us in gently with a 17km pleasure ride :)
Very excited but nervous too! i've never been on one before and I dont want to cause havoc but not knowing what to do.

Im scurrying off to read up on it on the website and make sure i have all the bits and bobs i need like a first aid kit ect!

Looks like very good fun and a great way to meet new people and see a bit of the countryside.
 
You'll have a great time! My mare and I did our first endurance last year at Ciren Park and it was just brilliant! Monkeybum13 and Pip6 sent me some really useful pms full of info - I can forward them onto you if you'd like?
 
Would you please?
That would be awesome! i cant wait to get into it, realistically I doubt i'll ever get him fit enough to become a full on endurance junkie but i am desperate to do something other than show jumping comps etc...
It looks great fun and something we can let our hair down and just relax and enjoy :)
 
Hi gemrob09

Where is the ride you are doing.

You will have get fun doing some Endurance and meet some really nice people.You will be surprised how quickly your horse get fit and enjoys its self.
 
Have forwarded them, Pip6 was incredibly helpful! I also have a grid of times someone helpfully sent. If you pm me your email ad then I can forward that on too?
 
Excellent - they were a good read, lots of very useful info. I'll PM you my email now :)
I'm based in Grampian in Scotland by the way.
 
paulineh said:
Hi gemrob09

Where is the ride you are doing.

You will have get fun doing some Endurance and meet some really nice people.You will be surprised how quickly your horse get fit and enjoys its self.
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Hi Paulineh, I'm based in Grampian, Scotland. The first one i'm doing is in the kirkhill forest near Aberdeen :D
 
Have fun!!! My first one planned (but not booked yet....big kick up backside!) is in few weeks time too. I'm mega excited, had planned to start last year but with one thing and another it didn't happen so this year i am determined to.
ThePony, have pm'd you would you be kind enough to forward me the info too, many thanks
 
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oOO Im in Grampian too altho I cant do that ride due to an operation (Booo!). But will be stewarding at Spyhill a bit later in the month and hoping to ride later in the season.

SERC Grampian are a very friendly and helpful bunch!

They have a Facebook group too which you might be interested in
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/groups/38334378805/

If you are keen on getting within the time so you get your shiny rosette :-) then you want to aim to be on average trotting, so that walks and canters are slotted in where needed eg for safety/warm up/warm down - and aim to balance one against the other ie if you walk for ages you will have to do more canter to catch up the time. Thats to get in the middle of the min/max time, but if pony is puffing or you arent so worried about rosette then just go at your own pace, you wont be told off!

If you need a buddy to go round with then that can be arranged too if you contact the organiser
 
oooo! a fellow Grampianer :)
Beautiful countryside here that needs horsey exploring :)

I've just asked to join the FB page - thanks for that.

My horse is a trotter so has an rediculously fast trot - he's not very fit after the winter so im planning to take it easy for the first one but as he gets fitter i'll increase the distances and if i get on ok plan to compete a little.

I've emailed the organiser to ask about being a total newbie and if they will pair me with someone more experienced for my first one... cant wait!! :)
 
sherbet said:
My only advice is comfy knickers!
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haha!! very sound advice indeed!!!

Ridiculously fast trot sounds like they are made for endurance!!

He should be fit enough if you are doing 2 hour hacks with mainly trot pace through the hack (esp if theres any hills in the routes).

I was worried about heart rate on the first ride but even tho she was overweight my pony (Haflinger) came back with a super heart rate, nice and low! I had to do that ride as it comes through our place!! My other horse kicked a hole in his stable boarding as he was so cross that she was sailing past towards the finish and not coming back to the stable!
 
lachlanandmarcus said:
haha!! very sound advice indeed!!!

Ridiculously fast trot sounds like they are made for endurance!!

He should be fit enough if you are doing 2 hour hacks with mainly trot pace through the hack (esp if theres any hills in the routes).

I was worried about heart rate on the first ride but even tho she was overweight my pony (Haflinger) came back with a super heart rate, nice and low! I had to do that ride as it comes through our place!! My other horse kicked a hole in his stable boarding as he was so cross that she was sailing past towards the finish and not coming back to the stable!
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Large comfy knickers at the ready! :)
He is hacking for a couple of hours most weekend at the moment with a reasonable amount of trot (could do loads more if he didnt have the inconvinence of baby sitting his young stable mate! - If Robbie could sigh and roll his eyes he would! haha)
He's not clipped so get a little sweaty but always has plenty of running in him - will be taking it easy anyway and not worrying about times etc for the first couple.
 
You'll have an absolute ball - the SERC lot are lovely. Now we've got our super-economical new pony-taxi we may just head north again at some point (not a plan.....)

Enjoy.......
 
You have plenty of brains to pick if you have any questions. We are nice people, you wont find the anamosity or snobbery that is common in other disciplines. No-one will care what type of horse you ride, whether your clothes match your horses wardrobe or what brand name tack you have. If you want to stay doing 17km, you can for ever, you don't have to go a long way, the option is just there if you want to try. The organisers just want to see riders having a fabulous day.

Any questions, just pm any of us. Don't be shy, if you have a question just ask.
 
spookypony said:
Hey, I'll see you there! I'm doing the 17km with a friend...would you like to be ride buddies?
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Yes please SpookyPony!! im a bit nervous that i get lost etc :)
I got an email today saying i'd missed the cut off for my form but she said i can come along anyway - phew!

I'm very much looking forward to it :)

Do you want me to PM you my email address or something so we can arrange how we'll identify each other?
 
pip6 said:
You have plenty of brains to pick if you have any questions. We are nice people, you wont find the anamosity or snobbery that is common in other disciplines. No-one will care what type of horse you ride, whether your clothes match your horses wardrobe or what brand name tack you have. If you want to stay doing 17km, you can for ever, you don't have to go a long way, the option is just there if you want to try. The organisers just want to see riders having a fabulous day.

Any questions, just pm any of us. Don't be shy, if you have a question just ask.
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Thanks Pip6 - it does seem like everyone is really friendly. I cant wait to get going now.
I filled out my form to join our local branch, printed off all the ride dates and locations, bought a saddle bag and am now collecting all the bits and bobs i need that were listed on the website

I spent all last season show jumping and competing with a riding club and although my horse and I enjoyed it some times it can get a bit samey and I find because i wanted to stay at a 80cm max level I got a bit paranoid about what others would think (there were a few comments!) - time for a change and get back to having good honest fun with my horses with no pressure to push yourself up a level when you dont want to.
 
Have a lovely day.

If you get the bug, it's a great way to see new areas. Go away for the weekend, coralling your horse, maybe do a 2 to 4 day ride. There are so many fab places to see in the uk. I remember riding over a ridge into a valley, no roads in sight, to see fields of poppies and other wildflowers. Absolutely stunning, & I'd never have been able to see it if I hadn't been doing the ride.

If you do decide to get up to 30km, then consider doing the pleasure ride at Golden Horseshoe, the iconic uk endurance ride. Stunning views over Exmoor, riding amongst the native ponies.
 
oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i really want to try with my boy but i'm too nervous. Can you do a report,i would be interested to see how you find it!
 
pip6 said:
Have a lovely day.

If you get the bug, it's a great way to see new areas. Go away for the weekend, coralling your horse, maybe do a 2 to 4 day ride. There are so many fab places to see in the uk. I remember riding over a ridge into a valley, no roads in sight, to see fields of poppies and other wildflowers. Absolutely stunning, & I'd never have been able to see it if I hadn't been doing the ride.

If you do decide to get up to 30km, then consider doing the pleasure ride at Golden Horseshoe, the iconic uk endurance ride. Stunning views over Exmoor, riding amongst the native ponies.
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Sounds like complete perfection Pip6!!
I really have a great feeling about 2012 and my new philosophy on my horses - fun! and continuing to build better and better relationships with them.
I cant wait to get out on some long rides and see country side i would see if i wasnt on my horsey.

eeee! so excited! your post gave me goosebumps!:)
 
1Lucie said:
oooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i really want to try with my boy but i'm too nervous. Can you do a report,i would be interested to see how you find it!
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I shall report back Lucie1 dont worry, dont be nervous, i'm all for trying new things and seeing how mu horsey and I find things - he loves hacking and our own mini adventures into our local woods and the beach so i think he'll love this.
I'm a tiny bit nervous if there are going to be lots of other horses as Rob loves to race - its in his blood as he is a trotter - so i hope he can relax and not pull like a train. I've been working hard at home with him making him go behind his stable mate out hacking and he's been really good so i have confidence we'll be fine.
Plus a lovely lady on here has invited me to ride with her and her friend so i wont be on my own so thats a huge help, not so much the ride bit (although at least i wont get lost!) but also what to do when i get there etc.

I'll let you know how we get on and maybe you can go along to a local one and see how you like it too!:)
 
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