Tintern 2007 Ride Report - by Margaret McKiddie

This ride was a great finish to a season curtailed by floods and Foot &Mouth. The weather was glorious, sunny but with enough breeze that it was not too hot for horses like mine already developing their winter coats. The going was also ideal, neither too wet nor too hard. Mark Holland had kindly agreed to add an 80km class for those of us wishing to upgrade our horses to Advanced (This year’s ride programme was drawn up before ride organisers knew that an 80km CR was going to be required).
 
It is perhaps not the easiest ride to do for a first 80km, but preferable to having to do that distance early next year. As with many rides this season many entries were received late but finally there were 125 of whom 10 tackled the 84 km class (2x round the 42km route) most of the route is through woodland on good tracks with not too much roadwork. The last loop does include a long road section, dropping down to the river. Then of course there is an equally long climb back up again, on a hard forest track.
 
I rode the first loop with Linda Kidd, her horse also doing her first 80km. The marking was good though we still managed to go wrong and went at least 1km straight down the road looking for the right turn we had already passed. I think a parked crew car was obscuring the big orange arrow. It seemed a long way round to CP1 again and I began to wonder if I really wanted to do the whole lot twice! The return loop seemed shorter though I was disappointed having dropped all the way down to the Wye that this year we were not allowed that lovely grassy canter along the river side, probably the ground was too wet. As soon
as we turned the corner to go uphill Misty leapt into a fast canter and tore up it.
 
Soon afterwards Linda pulled up to look at her horse's shoes as she 'felt wrong' There was nothing to see and we continued back to the venue where her suspicions were confirmed and she did not pass the vet.
 
Misty was able to present very quickly and we were off again. I was not too happy at the idea of the second loop without company but luckily soon caught up on Paula Postlethwaite, whom I had not seen for some time. As we caught up on all the gossip the time flew past and soon we were on the return loop. Two riders passed us on the road down to the Wye, saying as they did so 'No doubt you will pass us again on the way up' which we did. Misty again thought the only way to tackle the hill
was fast! Paula said she was going to take it steady and we agreed to meet back at the venue.
 
Misty's heart rate seemed to be stuck at 52 for ages but when we finally went to vet was 44 Grade 1 (what a star) though she was extremely reluctant to trot away from the vet.
 
All the others in the 84km class completed successfully (three achieved Grade 1, two achieved Grade 2, one achieved Grade 3 and three achieved Grade 4) so not too tough a ride for this distance.