Caerhays
and Ladock Training Rides– Press
release
Pam Ritchie on Last Flight, still going
strong up the last hill at Caerhays Castle.
Photo
credit: www.mbaphotos.co.uk
It’s
a wonderful thing for endurance riders that the
terrain in the South West is so varied
that no two rides are alike. Two Sundays running,
both members and pleasure riders have enjoyed two
quite different rides in the same part of Cornwall
The Caerhays Castle Training Ride ride, which
took place on Sunday 29th March, covered 14 miles
of the estate farmland by kind permission of the
Williams family.
It was a wonderful scenic ride, starting from
a field next to the beach (which several riders
and their horses took advantage of for dip in the
sea) and following a route arranged with the generous
help of Estate Manager, Arthur Broome.
It
was a tough route, and best described as a “Big
Dipper” of a ride, with the hills increasing
in steepness the further you went. Riding it was
the ideal way to get endurance horses fit for the
competitive season.
One of the members of Endurance South West who
enjoyed the sunshine and the rolling grassland,
was Pam Ritchie from Minions. She was riding her
grey Arabian mare Last Flight, who is now 19-years-old.
Five
years ago, Flight had an accident in the field,
which looked like the end to her endurance
career but after 18 months off, she bounced back
and last year was third in the 75 mile Veterans’ Challenge
at Salisbury.
“This year we are just riding for fun,” said
Pam. “I thought I would give her a nice quiet
retirement but Flight has other ideas. She simply
flew around Caerhays and at the end was ready to
go round again.”
In contrast to the steep grassy hills around Caerhays
Castle, the Ladock Training Ride Ride last Sunday,
was a gentler mix of woodland and fields. With
the kind permission of the Duchy of Cornwall and
Bob Strongman, the ninety plus horses and riders
who took part enjoyed a glorious route through
beautiful spring woodland and grassy fields.
There were steep uphill canters along forestry
tracks and sandy paths, through bluebell woods
and dark pine plantations. The scent of the pine
woods in the sunshine and the smell of gorse in
bloom, filled the air.
Near the end of the 10 mile route, the horses
and riders passed through part of the Ladock Hunter
Trial course (very impressive jumps), including
the water jump. This caused a few problems for
those riders whose mounts disapprove of water or
those who like to bathe in it!
Many
thanks to Annie Strongman who organised the ride
and to Trudy Hall and Tanya Southworth for
all their hard work in putting on the Caerhays
Castle ride. The route markings were fault free
and the sun shone all day – two perfect Sundays
for both horse and rider.
