Wife made the Scottish team again

[dod]

So of course I have to do some piccies for them. This should be going into the three local papers around here. Not a great piccie but it's needed for MOnday and I'm doing either an in hand show or a dressage comp tomorrow so couldn't wait for the weather to improve.

That's her in the middle, the other two are mother and daughter. The youngster's doing a two day 50 mile and the other two are doing the two day 100 mile down in Swindon in a few weeks. That's after a one day 75 together last week. They're all mad

 

[Cobra]

Cracking stuff Dod is that endurance riding?

 

[dod]

Cracking stuff Dod is that endurance riding?

Aye, she's taken him up through the ranks since he was 5 or so. The fell pony on the left and herself had a racing finish last weekend after 75 miles, got a pic of the fell somewhere. It beat Disco by a length, you should have seen the wee legs going

 

[dod]

here we go

 

[Cobra]

Great Picture, Dod. My wife does 25 milers around the Chilterns on her ID x TB

 

[Keltic Ice Man]

Congrats to your good lady Dod.

Come on Scotland

 

[dod]

My wife does 25 milers around the Chilterns on her ID x TB

Good mix Disco's Arab X Highland, Arab's speed and stamina but with the Highland robustness, makes a good mix too

 

[Cobra]

Good mix Disco's Arab X Highland, Arab's speed and stamina but with the Highland robustness, makes a good mix too

I don't know a great deal about horses but the Mrs reckons thats a good'un too

 

[..MD..]

well done to the wife mate..

 

[Venomator]

Congrats to Mrs Dod ... (her indoors) Dod ...

 

[Hacker]

Nice one, pass on my congratulations!

 

[InaGlo]

Big congrats to Mrs Dodd for making the team
... you must be really proud of them both.

 

[oldgit]

Congrats.

...urm whats endurance riding entail??

 

[dod]

...urm whats endurance riding entail??

Endurance riding is a bit like orienteering on horseback.

Most people start off doing what's known as pleasure rides, maybe 8-10 miles on a fairly easy course. From there you build up the distances and I think the longest in the UK is a one day 100 mile ride. Diane did her first 75 mile last weekend but in truth he could easily have done 100.

The key consideration at all times is the welfare of the horse. On longer rides there are three, maybe four, vet halts. At these the horse is given a medical to see how well it's handling the distance. Includes checks for lameness, cuts, gut operation, heart rate, hydration. It's important that the "crew", that's me, gets as much food and water into the horse as frequently as possible along the route.

It's very demanding but because most of it happens out on the middle of a hill it's not exactly a spectator sport and as a result get's next to no sponsorship and funding is always a problem.

Thats about it

 

[oldgit]

Thanks. Good explanation

 

[Nettie]

Congratulations, great news. Hope they are both strong swimmers if they're competing down south! Good luck to them all

 

[dod]

Foot and Mouth strikes again. Tomorrow was the day we were supposed to set off.

Unfortunately due to the quite understandable caution and concern at the moment the ride's have been cancelled. Sod it, I think we'll go to Spain for a week.

 

[Cobra]

Thats a real p1$$er Dod
My daughter was to have a trade stand at the VJR at the end of this month and we had a friend compeating too!

Thats been scrubed due to the foot and mouth, but I guess it will all be worth it if they can contain it (?!)

BTW I wouldn't go to Spain just yet 'cause "it aint 'arf 'ot mum" out there

 

[lee]

Congratulations to your wife on making the national team, and sorry to hear the next race is canceled due to the foot and mouth risk.

 

[HIMUPNORTH]

Sorry to hear you had to cancel. F&M is causing big problems already.

Coming round for coffee then?

 

[dod]

Coming round for coffee then?

Ha, my mama told me never to accept offers from strange men in big vans

Coffee sounds good, need to be this week now though, Y Viva Espana on tuesday, booked it last night