I am originally from Mid Wales, which was the ideal training for an endurance rider, literally hundreds of miles of mountains to explore, and that’s how I spent most my childhood, out exploring on my pony. I now live in Staffordshire, where the horse training isn’t so good but job opportunities are plenty. Adulting for you!
I work full time as a Physiotherapist but my true passion, has always been and I think always will be, training endurance horses. I started endurance when I was 8 years old on a Welsh Section A pony called Amigo, you know that one horse that teaches you to ride (aka misbehaves so much you acquire the staying on skills of a pro bull rider), Amigo was that pony for me. Nevertheless he started the bug, we would travel the UK with my Mum on her Irish Cob and my Dad on his Welsh Section D and rode up to 50km on all 11hh of him. He loved it, he had the extended trot of a horse three times his size and was rarely seen behind anything, loving to lead the way.
The beginnings of my endurance career I believe stood me in good stead because I didn’t start on an Arabian. In my opinion Natives are harder to get fit, harder to crew, harder to pace and don’t have the natural stamina of an Arabian. Starting with natives meant I learnt every trick in the book to train smart, to recover my horses quickly, to crew well and to learn how to ride to effort not speed. I also had a great foundation of competing for the Welsh Team on my Dad’s Section D, Elin, at the age of 12, so from the start I knew what it was to ride for a team. When I started riding Elin my feet didn’t pass the saddle flaps but we competed up to 64km and did 25 rides together. My Dad had handed over the reins to me and got himself a coveted Arabian, Xerina, the first arabian at our yard and she was all sass, speed and beauty.
For me, then came along Tissy, I was 10 when she first set hoof on our yard in Wales. Little did I know the adventures we would go on, the huge part she would play in my life and how much I would love her. She had a horrific field accident in her first year with us and it took her 18 months of specialist care to recover, for most horses it would have ended their ridden career in its tracks, Tissy however is special. She was extremely challenging to ride at first, she would buck, rear, plant herself and spook uncountable times in the space of a mile. She hated training at home but loved it out on new trails. But I was young and had no fear, and lets face it didn’t have much else to do up in the hills, so we persevered. Now riding her makes me feel whole, I know her every move and trust her completely, she knows her job and she’s damn good at it. Tissy and I have been competing since 2005 and in that time we have represented Wales, Great Britain at Young Rider and Senior level, competed at the World Equestrian Games, won a European Championship medal, got a Gold at the Golden Horseshoe, Met the Queen after coming 2nd at the Royal Windsor Horseshow, Won The Red Dragon and been all over Europe. Twenty years later and I still ride her every week, she still loves new trails and she does not act her age!
I now have another grey arab mare called Estrid who I’m taking up through the Endurance levels, we’re finding our feet and working out how work, life and competition can be done in balance. (Can it be done?). So here I am documenting my journey in the pursuit of my dreams, to once again represent Team GBR and compete on the World Endurance stage or to merely enjoy the sport I’ve grown up with.
Beth Endurance 