Exmoor Experience riders hoard Horseshoe gold medals

Exmoor Experience riders hoard Horseshoe gold medals The long winter, which hit entries for this year's Golden Horseshoe Ride over Exmoor because horses could not be brought to peak fitness in time, was reflected in the final placings for the longer classes. There were three silver awards and two bronze in the 160kms (100 miles) but no gold awards. And the same standard applied to the Exmoor Eighty, a one-day ride of 80kms (50 miles), where there were three silver and three bronze awards. But in the strongly-supported Exmoor Experience, a ride of 40kms (25 miles) on successive days, ten riders went home with the coveted gold medals, eight with silver and 11 with bronze. "The courses, as always on Exmoor, were tough, but it wasn't that which hit the results," said Barbara Wigley, who heads the organising committee.

"The long winter had hit the training routines and the riders were just not able to ask for that little extra which is necessary to achieve a gold standard.

"But we are thrilled with the Exmoor Experience class. It was introduced to give riders a taste of two-day competitive rides over our terrain, and the number of entries proves that it is working. We hope that in coming years this will be reflected in entries for the feature ride, the 160kms of the Golden Horseshoe."

Katy Mellor, who celebrated her twelfth birthday on the first day of the Exmoor Experience and rode both days on her pony, Angelina Ginny, and alongside her mother, Sally, was overjoyed to go home with a silver medal.

The special class, for editors of national equestrian magazines and websites, showed up the keen competition amongst the media. Run over the 40kms course, and with n o concessions at all, Nicky Moffatt (Horse and Rider), Lucy Higginson (Horse and Hound) and Fiona Price (Horse Hero website) achieved gold standard, with Nicky also taking the best condition award, and Lisa Reich (Horse Magazine) achieved silver as well as the handling and presentation award.

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