14 – Horse of the Year 2007

by Jenny · Published June 16, 2019 · Updated June 16, 2019

Kerry and Emma were in Argentina, we were off to Horse of the Year in Hastings. I think Emma was riding the same day or perhaps the day after we were! Portia, Lace and Shimar on the truck, Shimar was to be ridden by one of the South African team. And we had extra crew… Nicola and Alison came along to help and experience HOY. Road trip adventure time!

When we got there all the endurance trucks were parking on the far side, about as far away from the action as we could get. Like all horses at HOY we had been assigned pens, but nobody was impressed, they were tiny. We didn’t want to put our little endurance horses in them so I’m not sure how the big dressage horses coped. I don’t know how they managed it but our organising committee (I assume) got permission for us to put up our own yards next to the trucks as we usually do. The only downside now was that the nearest water was miles away… or so it seemed. Great discovery though, the cart with very large bucket fitted that I had bought recently could do water duties, the show grounds were flat enough….as long as you put another bucket inside to reduce sloshing and didn’t go too fast. The truck has a reasonable amount of water but the weather was hot and dry and we were there for three nights with three horses.

Ride briefing was pretty special, the NZ team was announced and they were given lovely black shirts – Lois was on the team! Then we were all put on a bus to travel into to Havelock North. The ride was going to finish there, down the main street, strapping and vetting in the park! We were told very firmly – there will be no galloping down the street to the finish, anyone doing so would be eliminated. Trotting and cantering slowly would be allowed, but get placings sorted before you get to the road. The first 5km of the course was through the streets and we were to remain behind our police escort!! There was going to be a film made, so camera crew would be accompanying us on quad bike!

The South African who chose Shimar had a practice ride and was very happy – how could you not be?!

The ride started at 7am, the police escort went according to plan, we were on our way hooves sparking on the tarmac. The first loop contained a major river crossing then we would be going right out to the coast to an outpost vetting. In fact it was more like an outpost base as from there we would do two loops and then return to Havelock North on the final loop.

There was major confusion at the river crossing, we all crossed in the wrong place. This was a river, not just some little stream, up to stirrup depth in places it was well over 50m wide (guessing here, it was definitely a long way to cross, but it was also twelve years ago!) We had crossed as the markers seemed to point us that direction, but unbeknown to us a marker that was meant to guide us along a track through the trees had been knocked down. We got to the other side and milled around for a while unable to find the track. Crossed back again further up, then back again having now found the markers on the other side where we had been meant to cross. There was a mishap (that I totally missed) where a horse had hit a deep patch and the rider had fallen off, panicking. Nana (nickname for a fellow rider) had saved the day and rescued her! I think another rider may have ended up with concussion when her horse touched an electric fence while at a trough… or maybe that was the next year?

Lace’s logbook doesn’t have the loop distances in it but we did the first loop in two hours. I always make a point when I’m ride secretary to write the loop distances in the books and when I’m riding now I always add distances when I get home if they haven’t been already, it’s so disappointing to come back later and not know the distances involved.

Lace was really full of herself but was vetting well. Consequently I ended up at the front without really having had that intention… and knowing Lace was going to pack a complete mental if I tried to slow her down. Now I would know how to deal with that, but at the time, in the excitement of the day you just seem to go along with it. And I didn’t have Kerry to read me the riot act! The second loop started with a huge long run down the beach. Kylie and I were in front and were having a lovely relaxed time, cantering along chatting – one of my favourite things about endurance riding is the wonderful conversations you have with like-minded people you have not met before. And then Lois and another horse came charging up behind us and ruined it! They were having a ball, but now my relaxed pony was back to being unsettled and pulling – Hmmph!

Third loop – Lace was still vetting well, we were still up there – this loop was short, and the next hold had been extended to an hour so we wouldn’t finish too soon – the streets were only going to be closed for us for a certain length of time so we couldn’t get there early! We did that loop too fast – for my young pony at least – but then she gets into the vet ring first! In under four minutes… CRI up a bit though. Compulsory represent 40 minutes later, heart rate a little high – 60/60 – but everything else is A’s and 1’s. My inexperience shows, in spite of her enthusiasm Lace’s body was telling us to slow down.

So even though she was getting tired Lace was still absolutely determined to stay with Kylie and Lois. No problems with the river crossing on the way back, although watching the video later Lace was allowing the current to push her sideways downstream, while the other horses just went straight across, she was tired. Into town and there was one nice grassy spot down by a stream, the track had been mowed for us… I just gave Lace the slightest ask, “Do you want to go ahead?”, “Hell yes! I thought you’d never ask!” She took off with a burst of speed. A short canter and we were up on the road in the no racing zone and in the lead!

So we crossed the line first… but it was not to be. I had cooked my pony and we couldn’t get her heart rate down. Possibly now with more crewing experience we might have squeaked through… after cooling with iced water her heart rate would come down but then go up again soon after, perhaps if we had iced and gone straight in we might have got through. I had learnt my lesson though, Lace was not as indestructible as she thought she was and would give everything regardless, it was up to me to take charge and not let her overdo it. We had done the ride at 17km/h… yep, too fast. In hindsight it would have been easy enough to not start a loop at my start time but let the others get ahead and then start a bit later on our own, then we could have gone slower without a big fight and followed that endurance maxim, “rider your own ride”. But I was too inexperienced and excited by the atmosphere and so allowed my pony to be pulled along by more experienced, older horses… and I do tend to be a tad competitive!