EQUINE NEWS

13th July 2007

Lesley closes the Dore on first place at the Minions Moorland Endurance Ride

Torrential rain didn’t deter Lesley Dore securing first place in the Minions MoorlandEndurance ride on Sunday 1st July. Lesley from Newton Abbott and her nine year old gelding Firebird raced former British Team members Sally Hall riding Barn Owl (from Bristol) and Rachael Claridge for the first place on the gruelling 80km ER course. “I’m so proud of him” said Lesley “We were on our own for the last two loops and the ground was very sticky and nasty... it was his third ER this season and I couldn’t have done it without my daughters and husband”.

Rachael had won the competition for the past two years on Silver Mistrahl and Prince Meliodas and hoped to secure a hat-trick with her Mothers new gelding HS Bezique. Rachael who now lives near Cullompton led the field for the first 70km’s at a speed of 16.9kmph but the “weather took its toll on Bezique, he was so fed up being on his own in the rain, that by the time we reached Twelve Men’s Moor on the final loop that he slowed and waited for company…obviously I would have loved to have won but I was pleased with how he went under the circumstances and hopefully we’ll reclaim the trophy next year!”.

Newcomers to the ER circuit was Phillipa Davidson on Master Flash secured fourth place and Laura Brown and Catherine Woodford on Melinwynt Indina and Dennis II respectively picked up fifth and sixth position.

Organisers Sue Speed and Jane Holden were “amazed by the conditions of the day, last year we had a heat wave with thunder and lightening but this year there was no let up by the rain” said Sue, who hosted the event at her home Trewalla Farm.

Minions Moorland was also the venue for the 2007 Morris Challenge, a team event between the South West and Wessex Branch of Endurance GB. The challenge is run over two rides and the deciding leg will be hosted at the Three Rivers Ride at Salisbury in September. The trophy was presented to Wessex in 2006 but the South West secured a good head start by notching up 935 points under the guidance of Chef d’equipe Jan Kane against 650 by Lisa Frank’s Wessex riders.

At the same time Minions was experiencing a deluge of rainfall, previous host of the event Anna Williams was securing 3rd place on Erica Young’s former steed HS Sabe tour in a 90km ER in Switzerland. The heat-wave that swept Europe unfortunately took its toll on Anna’s Mother’s horse, ridden by Kay Bond, winner of the Cirencester Park FEI 160km ER who was unfortunately eliminated at vetgate two for a high pulse.

For further information about the sport of endurance and for the latest events in your area visit www.endurancegb.co.uk

80km ER results: