Great,
you have found out about endurance riding, one of the equine world’s best
kept secrets! You may have participated recently in a training or introductory
ride at a VERA weekend or come across events in one of the many places we have
posted event information. If you participated in a VERA weekend we hope you found it
fun and informative. Here is some
further information to help you decide if you and your horse are ready for
greater involvement. Key points
about VERA:
Affiliated Rides –
are organised mostly by local volunteers, under approval by the VERA State
Management Committee. They are
generally spaced across the year, except for the December-January period.
Typically there are 18 to 22 rides per year. Rides are also held in other states and VERA members often
cross into SA and NSW to participate. Access
to the ride calendars for other states is through the AERA website.
Membership is based on a calendar year,
with fees payable at 1 January. No
invoices are sent. Application
and renewals are on set forms (available by request from our membership
secretary or via the VERA website) and require you to sign a compulsory
agreement/waiver. If you are not
confident that you and your horse will be up for an 80 km ride, you can take
your time with training rides, usually of 40 km distance, and enter these on a
day membership. This is, in the
long run, more expensive than taking out a membership option.
Once you have qualified as an endurance rider you must return your
novice card to the Membership Secretary and update it to a fully qualified
member card.
Endurance rides rely heavily on volunteers – any
help you can volunteer, whether or not you are riding, will be valued and a
great way for you to learn more. Pencilling
for the vets and TPRs is a great way to see, in more detail, what makes a fit
and sound horse. You can talk
with the riders and find out how they train their horses and you can also look
at everyone’s camp set ups to get some great ideas. You can always ring a ride organiser and offer to help in vet
ring, on a check point or with general duties.
Ask for assistance
about feeding, ride strategies, saddles, strapping, rest periods or even
managing an overly excited horse. Most experienced members are happy to share
their knowledge with you.
Competing in an event – To
find out the full rules relating to competing in an event you can obtain a
copy of the Member’s Handbook from the VERA Membership Secretary or you can
download it from the VERA website. The
requirements for entry into a training ride are considerably less than
competing in an endurance event, for which the rider must have successfully
completed two training rides, have a logbook for the horse, the horse must be
registered and the ownership details recorded.
Remember – No Logbook, No
Ride!
Approved, current, equestrian helmets
are compulsory at all VERA affiliated events – endurance, training and
introductory rides. No helmet, no
ride.
Rider Bibs -
reflective, numbered rider safety bibs have been introduced and while not yet
compulsory under VERA rules this may come into effect in future.
Bibs can be purchased by riders with the cost being $40. Training and
novice riders, however, will be provided with such vests at no cost.
Please check the VERA website for the detailed policy and further
information.
Forms - Log book forms,
horse registration applications and membership applications are on the VERA
website. So is the ride calendar
with regular updates.
Some Basic Resources
VERA
website: http://www.aera.asn.au/vera
AERA
website: http://www.aera.asn.au
There
are some excellent books and magazines about endurance riding.
Ask around. Try second
hand book shops. Different riders
have their favourites. Some
periodicals like VERA’s own regular newsletter and the bi-monthly Arabian
Horse Express have valuable articles on aspects of
managing the endurance
horse. The Arabian Horse Express is available from most newsagents and
newsletters are provided as part of the membership package.
Endurance
- Beginner to Advanced Vink Publishing, in Qld, have been producing
a very practical and up to date Australian reference.
Four volumes have been produced to date and copies can be obtained by
contacting Vink - www.vinkpub.com.
Endurance
Riding: from Beginning to Winning by Lew Hollander, Green Mansions pub.
Oregon, 2000, is available from the author – www.lewhollander.com.
VERA
Membership Secretary: Joanne Francis, Phone 03 5967 3357 AH