This has been a little longer in the making than I would have hoped, but you just can’t rush a horse! I bought Qantas back in November 2019 and had hoped to do hist first Pleasure Ride in early spring, probably in March 2020. Two tendon injuries, a sliced jaw, weight loss and a Pandemic later it just wasn’t going to happen.
Draw up Plan B: Probably the loosest plan I’ve ever had…….do a Pleasure Ride whenever lockdown is over and they’re back on! Ha! During lockdown I broke a few bones (5 in total, on 3 seperate occasions) and Qantas had a very sore back, followed by something going on with his right ear. There’s no denying he’s kept us on our toes in the short time we’ve had him.
Pleasure rides started back up, all my bones were intact, Qantas was injury free so I entered our first 16km Social ride. Now the distance isn’t an issue, we can easily train that as home. But the going to a venue, having horses in front, behind, passing and alongside would be a new experience for him. So I mainly do the shorter distances to train for the environment rather than the distance.
I won’t lie I was a little nervous. Prestwold was a venue and route I’d never been to with a horse I wasn’t entirely sure would behave. But I knew as soon as I was on board I would deal with whatever he threw at me.
He travelled well and stood like a lamb on the lorry while we got our number and sorted out our stuff. He came off the ramp quietly and was very well behaved to tack up and get on. We started on our own but soon found ourselves asking to pass other horses and riders, Qantas passed politely without rushing and happily left them behind. Something I was super impressed with him for.
For the first 5km he was a bit tense spooking at the silliest things, like a gap in the hedge, or a bit of mud from a tractor tyre on the floor, but mooched past massive silos and pheasant feeders without a fuss. There were a couple of two way sections and he didn’t baulk at being passed or being left by himself.
After that first 5km he started to be an absolute dream of a ride. He’s not ready to do much cantering so we mainly trotted and walked. But his trot lazily eats up the miles and his canter is to die for, light, easy and ground covering. We did a steady 12kph and for the last few kilometres ended up riding in a group of three. He went behind (with a bit of protest) and in front very happily.
I would have liked more horses to pass us out on course because this is what he really needs to work on and going at the back is not his favourite thing. Nonetheless he was very well behaved in the little pack. I had an absolutely wonderful time and the course was lovely.
However when we got back to the venue he disgraced himself. The horse he’d met 15minutes ago was now his best friend forever and we had cruelly taken him away from her, his life would never be the same again and he lost his head. Qantas is usually pretty laid back to handle but what arrived back at the venue was a bolshy, screaming, ill tempered Arab who was hell bent on being re-united with his friend.
We did not let him drag us across the venue in search of his one true love and he was very very cross, however this did mean that having arrived on a heart rate of 68, he maintained a steady 72 through all the screaming whinnying noise he made. Not ideal for an endurance horse. I’m hoping that the more we get out and about the less attached he’ll get to random horses we meet out on course, if not, it looks like a lonely endurance career for me, riding by myself to stop him getting separation anxiety!
But despite that he loaded back up well and quit his yelling as soon as the ramp was up and wen’t back to munching…..the fickle and forgetful heart he has! I went home with that endurance buzz and am quietly planning our next adventure!
Beth Endurance 