PRECEDE
The bond between horse and rider can be formed early and continue right through life. ERLE LEVEY was at the Stirling’s Crossing Endurance Centre for an educational weekend with appeal for all ages.
BREAKOUT QUOTE
“Endurance is one of the safest horse events in regard to the amount of checking on the heath of the horses. A lot of the rules focus on horse welfare.’’
People come into the sport at their own speed, knowing they have longevity of participation.
Some come into endurance horse riding as early as ages five or six while others are still enjoying it in their 70s and 80s.
The 2025 Queensland Endurance Riders Association (QERA) season started in fine style with the annual Stirling’s Crossing Education Weekend at Imbil.
With five rides ranging from 10km to 40km, and a series of information sessions, the weekend is designed to inform and encourage new or novice riders.
Yet it is also popular with the more seasoned riders as a way to improve their skills, and to prepare new horses for the year ahead.
The Stirling’s Crossing weekend has established itself on the endurance riding calendar as something to look forward to.
There’s an air of excitement and inquisitiveness from new riders, a nervous sense of anticipation as they are seated with eager eyes in the audience listening.
Their focus is to carefully soak up the advice of experienced and knowledgeable endurance veterans.
Whether new to endurance riding or returning after a long time, there’s a certain energy that the riders have and exude as they line up for the ride registration and first vetting of their horses for the pending ride in the afternoon.
There’s a lot of talking as they swap hopes and ideas, share the details of their horses.
Out on the track watching them ride by, there’s always many different emotions – ranging from apprehension, to focus, to elation and joy.
It’s certainly a weekend not to be missed on the endurance ride calendar.
Hosted by Stirling’s Crossing Endurance Club, the weekend saw 90 entries across the two days in 10km, 20km and 40km rides.
Australian Endurance Riders Association (AERA) secretary and Stirling’s Crossing club president Kim Moir said the sport was very family orientated, and the safety of both horse and rider were of prime importance.
It allows people to come into the sport, grow with it, leave for a while due to any number of circumstances, and return to it.
“We are seeing people who haven’t been involved in a few years returning to the sport.
“As a result of Covid quite a few were uncertain of what they would be doing the next year … they didn’t know until about 2023.
“There are riders looking to find some form around the holding of the Tom Quilty Gold Cup.’’
The Tom Quilty is Australia’s premier endurance ride – 160km in 24 hours – and is held on a rotational basis among states.
In 2023 it was held at Imbil, then at Wirrina Cove in South Australia in 2024.
This year it will be held at Sassafras in northern Tasmania – early in May – before returning to Stirling’s Crossing in 2026.
“We are seeing people who hadn’t done a ride since 2021,’’ Kim said.
“It’s a matter of where they are with work, the level of fitness, and where they are in family life.
“It’s also about the horses they have. There are always young horses coming through and building them up for the Quilty, as well as the Queensland State Championships to be held here in Imbil in July is a priority.’’
Nominations for the 2025 Tom Qulity are open now and early indications show Queensland will again have a strong contingent.
Among them will be an enthusiastic crop of junior riders including 12-year-old Taylor Grogan competing in her first Quilty, and Ella Stanton who started endurance in Easter 2025 and earned her Quilty buckle for completing the ride at Wirrina Cove.
Neeve Whittaker will be competing in her first year as a senior rider.
At the other end of the scale, Peter Field at the age of 63, and Ken Moir at 72, will also be nominating for the ride.
The education weekend at Stirling’s Crossing saw newcomers to the sport and some returning, some doing their first 10km and 20km on Saturday, then doubling up on the Sunday.
“The weekend encouraged them,’’ Kim said. “The horses handled the course well.
“It was a case of setting a course with safety in mind.
“It’s a big thing is to have a ride so early in the year and many the took opportunities to do a 40km.
“It demonstrated that so many were paying attention to what level their horse was at, and the intention of building to further events.’’
The weekend saw classes on horse containment and getting to an event – allowing sufficient time for travel and then how to set up yards for horses on arrival.
Matty Sample demonstrated the secret to trotting out a horse for gait assessment by the veterinary surgeons. This involved running with a loose lead side-by-side with the horse.
Brook Sample, a four-time Tom Quilty winner, provided advice on strapping for horses – the ways to cool down the temperature and reduce the heart rate of a horse when they finish a leg of the ride.
This includes ensuring ways of letting the horse drink and to feed.
Linda Lochtenberg reminded of riding the course and course etiquette – to be aware of other horses and riders, and avoid incidents that may cause harm or interference.
Meanwhile Olly Lochtenberg concentrated on horse welfare – the opportunities and the challenges it brought, whether in day-to-day health or over the duration of an event.
Rider care and welfare was highlighted by Dr Allison Brown. This involved good levels of health and fitness in general life but also how to stay focussed during an event – maintaining water intake, what foods to carry, how to rest.
Selecting, caring for, and initial training of an endurance horse was shared by Brook Sample, together with preparing a horse for a longer ride.
Certified equine therapist Kristen Lineham-Blair explained and demonstrated horse chiropractic and massage.
Vet ring protocols and behaviour were explained by Allison Brown, while advice on presenting a horse for vetting and vetting parameters was shared by Dr Harry Wever.
Then it was time for the rides. Showing the international flavour of the sport as well as the collaborative effect, the riders from Gheerulla Stables included Sienna Lacey of Carters Ridge, Amber Gurne from Liege in Belgium, and Dana Sebastian of Cologne in Germany.
Returning to Imbil was young rider Charlotte Williamson who spent last year travelling the world, and riding with contacts she had made.
At the same time a strong contingent of Queensland riders have been competing at desert events in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
A change in the sport in 2024 saw AERA roll-out a national intermediate award to recognise the achievements of horse and rider.
The award is scored according to the number of intermediate rides, 40-60km, in a competition based on success of kilometres, final heart rate and overall veterinarian score in a calendar year.
Kim Moir said this competition was usually awarded on a state basis but will be national from now.
“It’s a new level of competition to acknowledge the time needed to build up to the longer distances of 80km and over.
“Endurance is one of the safest horse events in regard to the amount of checking on the heath of the horses.
“A lot of the rules focus on horse welfare.’’
This involves the frequent veterinarian checkpoints, the water stops and assessments of horses. The final vet check at the end of an event is to determine whether the horse is able to continue … if not then it is ruled out.
Talking to some of the contestants and those who run the sport, weekend’s such as this show how a rider – and for that matter a horse – can grow in confidence – a 10km ride becomes 20km and so on.
People are at different stages in their career and it is amazing how fast they can improve.
Riders I have seen start at the age of five are now old enough and competent enough to be competing in the national event in Tasmania this year as juniors.
After that? The world is their stage.
EXCITING YEAR AHEAD
The 2025 endurance riding season is looking as exciting as it is varied, with events already organised across the state – from Far North Queensland to the South West, from the South East to the Far West.
Highlights include the Queensland State Championships to be held at Stirling’s Crossing on July 12-13, the 2025 Tom Quilty Gold Cup at Sassafras in Tasmania on May 10-11, and a Winton ride on July 26-27.
This Far Western Queensland event will take the place of the Winton To Longreach Ride that is being put back to 2026.
The annual Bony Mountain Pink Ride for Breast Cancer is on February 22-23, the Kilkivan Blue Ride for Men’s Health on March 22-23, and the Far-A-Way Easter Endurance Carnival at Imbil Showgrounds on April 18-21 – this includes a 320km marathon held over the four days.
