Penny

Well, our Kentucky adventure is now over and reflecting back it will be one of my most memorable Endurance experiences.

I am extremely privileged to have represented Australia at 6 World Championships. Kentucky WEG has to rate up there with one of the best.

Our commitment to the Event started two years ago when we decided that we were keen to qualify and to pursue the long hard road to get the Horses all the way to America to compete.

Our original plan was to qualify Alexandra as well. We had already  been to the Test Event in Kentucky, however never completed the course due to severe weather conditions. We set about qualifying Magnum which was unfortunately never to eventuate. We were left wondering if we would continue with our Dream.

After it was decided that DON was to be the only one, I set about devoting the next 6 months to this Event which actually meant missing a lot of rides that I would normally peruse. My time was simply devoted to preparing DON the very best I could, a hard challenge to accomplish with so many miles to cover keeping soundness as well. Plenty of ups and downs over the  months, however DON was exceptional and true to himself, I believe stepped onto the plane the very best that he could be.

The trip to get to LA took over 2 days and then some more to Kentucky where we were lucky enough to stay at the Kentucky Equine Research Farm. The Horses all arrived well and all in one piece. No Horse had any issues. DON was great and we were quick to get back into the training straight away.

DON is not fussy as far as the feed menu goes. A bit of a change to his normal feed did not worry him too much. The quality of the feed was amazing and I think that DON put back on his small amount of lost weight straight away. He basically weighed the same on arrival as he did when he left Home.

The Ride.

Was everything I thought it would be and more. Because of the dry weather the trail was a lot harder under foot than we were expecting which was not much of a problem as this is what we ride on here.

A very complex and technical course with a lot of twists and turns. It was not particularly hilly, however a lot of small ups and downs which at the end of the day all added up. The scenery was out of this world with superbly manicured tracks through some of Kentucky’s magnificent blue grass countryside, thoroughbred studs and many crops. Spectators were out in force, cheering us on from parties which were underway in honour of the Event. Butlers were in attendance and champagne seemed to be in abundance. The cheering got louder as the race progressed.

And a RACE it certainly was.

I had kept DON particularly settled at the starting line. I kept away from the others, those in particular who were winding their Horses up to shoot out the gate first. Matthew Sample and I had decided to ride together. Our Horses were best buddies and we thought that this was probably a good way to spend our Day. This was in fact probably the wrong decision to make for both Horses and if I had my time again would have ridden as I do at home and that is solo as much as possible. At The countdown we nudged up towards the middle of the field and then a little more.  The starters signal was given and off we went charging up the hill and onto the Eventing course. Usually it takes about ten km for DON to start pulling. This was not to be today, he was already pulling and Saladin and DON were galloping off after the front runners determined to pass anyone that they could. The pace was extremely fast, DON with his head down and pulling, Saladin throwing his head up and nearly knocking Mat in the nose. Both Horses were pumped and the first phase went very quickly. We came in to the Vet Gate not too far behind the leaders. Both Horses vetted well.

DON is a Horse that usually takes a minute or two longer to recover than some of our other Elite Horses. He is a mixture of breeds and I think this may be the reason. On the day he did well, even towards the end when he was becoming tired. His metabolics were perfect and his trot ups as good as they come. During the hold times he ate and drank well. He loves all of the attention that he gets during these times. The atmosphere is electric with people and Horses all over the show. DON is calm and professional in the way that he copes with all of this.

Later in the ride DON was getting tired, which is not normally him. He was always keen to shoot out the gate, but became a little disillusioned by the maze of paddocks and corn crops that we circum navigated. He was keen to head back to the ride base and also loved seeing our marvellous Crew at Crewing points. We were very lucky to have Anna Pagan, Deb, Mary, Kathleen, Peter and Alexandra out on track to greet us at all of the crewing locations. They were very professional at their job and also had a great time.

All in all, a wonderful experience, not exactly as I had planned, however, I am very proud of our achievements. A wonderful Team effort. DON is an amazing Horse. He has a month of Quarantine in Kentucky, a long journey back to New Zealand where he will do a further three weeks before returning to Australia. His Kentucky Journey will not end until he is home safe in his paddock.

Our Australian Team did not do so well on the day, however I do believe that to get the 3 Horses to the starting line was an amazing feat in itself. Our Team of Officials and Crew were gallant in their efforts and we thank them very much for their support.

Australia as an Endurance Nation has some serious work to do to  redeem itself as a serious threat in International competition. Peter, Alexandra and I are keen to see this happen and understand that we have a lot of work to do and realize that serious changes need to evolve in all areas if this is to happen. We hope that this approach is shared by others with the same aspirations for Australia to return to the podium. We have the Horses and Riders and this is a good start.