We have been very lucky this year to see some much patronage of endurance in the UK, with the King of Bahrain sponsoring Royal Windsor for us and now this new ride at Wordwell (Kings Forest area) of Norfolk – especially put on for Arabians
that had previously raced and then extended to be open for all entries. Abu Dhabi were the sponsors as part of the Sheikh Mansoor Festival that also encompasses flat racing.
I jumped at the chance to ride with my good friend Alan Leon, one of France’s foremost endurance riders and trainers, owner of Les Ecuries du Roc’h. I would get to partner Bison, who I adore. Bison is a small bay mare with a huge character, her full name is Morgan de Rouiasse.
Alan and I had planned a fun ride round the forest together, and the weather did not disappoint us it was absolutely glorious. We were so busy chatting that we missed the start, and belatedly trotted out after the others !
Both Bison, and Alan’s horse Solitaire, had a lot of fun cantering round the perfect tracks of the forest. The going there really is just the best. These two mares are both a little older and did an amazing job together and brought me homein 10th place at 15.41 kmph.
I really hope this ride is held again next year, and becomes a fixture in the endurance calendar. Once again it was great to see entries from all over the world, and really fun to see the aerial drones following us round the course taking pictures.