Press
release – Endurance GB Horse Returns
To Competition Following Freak Road Traffic
Accident:
Former
World Championship Team GBR Endurance rider Rachael
Claridge from Cornwall
celebrated the return
of her Senior Squad horse Blue Chip Prince Meliodas
on Sunday 21st September. Meliodas successfully
completed his first 32km Endurance GB competition
at the Camelford event following a freak road traffic
accident earlier this year. Meliodas who qualified
to join the senior squad in preparation for the
2009 European Championships after completing his
first 160km FEI event in 2007 was startled by a
road maintenance van and empty trailer which bounced
on the un-level surface of a quiet country lane
only minutes from Rachael’s former yard near
Cullompton. The 10 year old home-bred Anglo-Arabian
gelding that is normally excellent in traffic unfortunately
severed a tendon and fractured his near hind (left
leg) tibia.
Thanks
to the quick thinking of local residents who
witnessed the accident and
impeccable treatment
from Stuart Altoft at Western Counties Equine Clinic,
Mel has made a full recovery. “Mel had to
be cross tied and box rested for 3 months before
he was allowed out into the field following positive
x-rays. I took his shoes off and he had another
two months full rest before being brought slowly
back into work. In the meantime I relocated back
to Cornwall to focus on my goal of representing
Team GBR in the European Championships next year
and the World Equestrian Games in 2010”.
Rachael is currently working closely with Endurance
GB and the British Horse Society Bridleway and
Access representative Adrian Bigg to ensure that
more off road riding is available to Cornish horse
riders via the ‘Kernow Horse Trail’ which
forms part of the larger BHS ‘Ride UK’ project. “The
roads across the UK are getting more and more dangerous;
riders must not assume that drivers can see them
and they must take responsibility for their own
safety by wearing high-viz clothing and not be
distracted by gadgets such as mobile phones or
ipods when out riding. The problem is that quite
lanes are now being turned into rat runs and ‘we’ as
riders must utilise and maintain existing paths
and campaign to re-open or create new ones to reduce
the risk of accidents” Rachael said. “We
are very lucky here in the UK to have such fantastic
riding opportunities and we must fight to preserve
it for future generations. Through the sport of
endurance I have ridden all over the World but
Cornwall in my opinion is one of my favourite locations,
which is why I’m so passionate about helping
my home county provide some of the best off-road
riding in Europe to its residents and guests”.
To find out more information about the Ride UK
project or the sport of Endurance riding please
visit http://www.ride-uk.org.uk or http://www.endurancegb.co.uk
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Official Photographer: www.mbaphotos.co.uk
Martin Broadfoot/Kim Goostry Telephone: 01208863705
martain51@tiscali.co.uk
