Petplan Equine
Sponsored Rider - Lorna

October to December Update

Due to injury, October was a quiet month riding wise and I was also unable to help at RDA for a couple of weeks too. However, I was able to do admin at the SERC Grampian Philorth ride and had a lovely day speaking to riders old and new as they came to the caravan to check in both before and after the ride.

The Findon Riding Club Winter Dressage League started in October and I helped at both the October and November events. These are held close to home so it is very easy to attend – not to mention enjoyable to see combinations progress and develop; and to work with some good friends whilst on helping duty. We almost always have a very good time!

At the end of October/beginning of November I spent two weeks looking after horses belonging to a friend and staying at her house whilst she was on holiday. I have known this friend for approximately 25 years and know how much trust she puts in me to look after things for her whilst she is away. I know how I feel when I leave my animals in the care of others and how much I want things to be done the way I do them so I really try to make caring for the horses as close as possible to their normal routine.

One of my endurance friends has had a great year in 2016 and has fought against many odds to achieve what she has. Her own health and wellbeing makes life difficult for her, then her pony had a terrible injury so was off work for a couple of months. However, they got through their difficult times, got back on track and began to look again at what she might be able to achieve. We have a really nice award in the Scottish Endurance Riding Club for pleasure ride horse and rider combinations, who achieve a pleasure ride in five or six branches for Bronze Award, seven or eight for a silver and eight plus Championships for a Gold Award. She was sitting at Bronze with six branches and had really enjoyed her out of branch rides and meeting other likeminded people from across Scotland. If she could get an Argyll ride she could be eligible for Silver. I had suggested at one time that we could go for a mini break and stay with an old colleague of mine who now runs a place with space for horses, self-catering, camping, and a caravan site. We booked a cottage and field for the ponies and planned for one of the Argyll rides at the end of November. We knew the weather could be difficult and time of year wasn’t great but we decided to play it by ear. The forecast was good and we set off although we did travel through an hour and a half of heavy snow in the middle part of a five hour journey.

We both arrived safely and settled the horses, then ourselves and our dogs. We had a really super time and were blessed with perfect weather. On the Friday we went out for a ride, we stopped and had lunch at a lovely spot for a bowl of soup and hot chocolate with the horses happily tied outside. It was signposted from the track we had been riding on so we felt it would be nice to support it. It was the first time they’d had horses visit! On the Saturday we went out in the car with the dogs for a tour around the local area and had lunch overlooking a sea loch! We were treated to a fabulous double rainbow over a small island as we sat having lunch. On the Sunday we went for a 17km pleasure ride, the route was different to what we had done on the Friday and we were both successful in the vetting and so Carol should have achieved her aim. This means a lot to me as I have communicated with Carol a lot about Endurance and she calls me her mentor – I am not sure I have quite been that but I am very proud of her and really enjoyed spending a few days away with our horses and dogs.

In December I plan to attend some Riding Club training ready to start thinking about doing some dressage again in the new year. It should be a bit quieter for me as the Riding Club AGM is now passed and my position as Secretary has been handed over. I may however join the SERC Grampian committee again for next year – the AGM for that is in February so time will tell.

This update brings me to the end of my time with Petplan Equine as a sponsored rider. The support that the company has given me, the opportunities and the fun has been amazing. Our trip to the office and training last year was great, especially being topped off with the visit to meet the press at Olympia! In addition to the support I have received from Petplan Equine, the support from the Endurance community across the UK and from the local equestrian community has been incredible and I can’t thank those who have supported me enough. Thankfully I haven’t had need to make a claim during my time as a sponsored rider but can vouch for Petplan Equine’s outstanding service from previous experience. I have been disappointed that I have not had the successful two years of competition that I had hoped for but I am grateful that I have happy healthy horses and we are all still having fun!

Festive tip

When it is very cold and frosty, offer your horses a drink of slightly warmed water before and after feeding – this should discourage them from going and taking a long drink of very cold water after a feed. You can also tempt them to drink by flavouring water with sugar beet, a handful of feed, molasses, apple juice or other tasty additions.