Rebecca Bramich

First ride back for the season at Nagambie and am so happy with the result of =2nd with my gorgeous friends Sarah and Niccy! The 80km’s went so quick with the non stop talking and laughing! Couldn’t of done it without the amazing horse Rowallan Nara and Daniel, the most beautiful boyfriend / strapper in the world - he must love me being up at 3am on his Sunday morning helping out! It was a nice easy track for the first ride of the season, very flat and well marked! A 4am start was great for the 80km riders to try and get some km’s covered before the heat of the day. Luckily there was a lovely breeze which helped keep the horses cool when the sun did rise! 
Well done to everyone that made it around!

It was another great ride on the weekend at Kilmore. Emma put on yet another fantastic event. 

Daniel and I arrived at ride base at around 12.30 on Saturday. We were staying in town so there wasn’t much to set up. Once Steve arrived with the horses I entered, weighed and vetted Tassie through then we went for a ride. I then went and rode Zha for Niccy as Sarah who was riding him hadn’t arrived yet! We then went had had some lovely Chinese in Kilmore before an early night in bed!

I rode in the 90kms starting at 4am Sunday morning on Rowallan Nara. We set off out of ride base up a decent size hill, which is always handy when you are on fresh ponies! About 8kms down the road all the horses started spooking at something….a huge wombat decided to cross the path so that went down not so well, at the same time there were bells ringing in the paddock next to us….I have no idea what that was but it sounded like cow bells….do they still use them?!

The 90kms consisted of 3 legs, a 40km, 30km and 20km. I rode along side Niccy and Sarah and we did the ride in 5hrs 55 mins and placed =2nd!

We were wrapped with that result and very proud of our ponies!

Off to El Dorado next for the Easter weekend! I have good and bad memories of that place….it was were I did my first 160km and I actually thought I was going to die….yep there were tears for the last 5km’s! Man it was a killer….having to get off and walk up those massive hills in the middle of the night! A beautiful course though so I’m hoping to kick back and enjoy a much more relaxing 80km’s!!

Over the Easter long weekend Daniel and I headed to Eldorado for the 2 day Easter endurance ride. They held an 80km,40km and 20km on both the Saturday and Sunday. My initial plan was to ride one of Nicky’s horses on the Saturday and Nara on the Sunday but I was struck with a bad chest infection and didnt want to over-do it! There was also no motel luxuries so we were camping in the back of the float! I could only handle one night as it was freeeezing!! 

We got there Saturday arvo, set up the horses and the beds in the back of the float. We went for a quick ride and vetted the horses through, before a meal at McEvoys Tavern…the smallest pub in Victoria! We had an early night and woke up at a more civilized hour of 7am! The ride started at 9am which was a nice change from the 4am or earlier ride starts. In saying that though it is nice to get away early…I think 5 am is a good ride time! 

The track at Eldorado was wonderful! It was really great underfoot for the horses and the scenery was great for the riders! It was very well marked and the check point volunteers were happy and helpful handing out plenty of water, oranges, lollies and of course Easter eggs! There was also heaps of water for the ponies! 

I was riding novice time to start preparing Nara for the Quilty. We stuck to a nice steady pace and she passed the final vetting with flying colours! The pretty completion ribbon we got was well worth the long drive!

The drive home was exhausting…it was so far for us and Daniel did another fantastic job getting me and the horse home safe and sound!

The next ride is Toongabbie which is in 2 weeks! That is only 1 1/2 hrs up the road so its nice and easy! They are running a 160km elevated and an 80km so not too sure what the plan is for Nara, thats up to her owner! But in prep for the Quilty which is in around 9 weeks (YIKES!) I’m assuming we will do either 80km’s or retire at 120km!

Dan and I booked our plane tickets over to Tasmania for the Quilty this week, as well as a hire car and accommodation so we’re all set!! Getting nervous just typing about it! Cant wait!!

Today has been a week since I got back from St Helens in Tasmania for the Tom Quilty 160km endurance ride. Leading up to the event it was a roller coaster of emotions as I was meant to be riding a horse named Rowallan Nara who I had been competing on all year but a week before the ride I was told that she had been sold and that she wouldn’t be going. I contacted everyone I could to try and find myself another horse to ride but with no avail. Daniel and I decided that because everything had been booked and paid for we would go any way to help friends strap and to soak up the atmosphere. 

With a bit of stuffing around with flights (I got booked for a job Wednesday morning so had to change my flight - Daniel and our friend Gill had to wait for me at Launceston airport) we were finally rolling into stunning St Helens and into the ride base. It was really exciting, the atmosphere was amazing - they had loud speakers playing music, everyone had their camps set up and their fires blazing. We found Nicky’s site then Gill and Nic went for a ride as Nic had 2 horses there, Sterling Narkeeta and Zharion. Meanwhile Dan and I checked into our gorgeous cottage in town, Queechy Cottage.

That night we met back and Nic’s gooseneck to have a wine. Thats when Nicky told me that I could ride one of her horses. I burst into tears, I couldn’t believe it! It was a huge favour to lend me one of her top horses and I will be forever grateful. She didn’t want to say anything until the horses had gone on the boat and arrived safely at the ride base. What an amazing friend she is! 

The next day which was Thursday we rode the horses and decided that I would be on her little chestnut pocket rocket Zharion and she would be on Keeta. Zhar was full of beans and I knew that at the midnight start I may need a seat belt! At his last 160km ride he won it so I knew I had a super fit horse beneath me! After the ride we weighed and entered….it was offical! I was riding in the Quilty and I was bib number 36, Nic was 35! That night we went to the RSL for dinner and had an early night.

Friday was D Day. We had to vet the horses through in the morning, which all ran very smoothly and after that it was a relief, as we knew there was only one more thing to do….saddle up and ride….that seemed like the easy bit as getting there was a huge challenge in itself!

Friday afternoon at around 4pm the Victorian riders were called on to the oval by the president to announce the Victorian Quilty Team. We had a fair idea that Nicky was going to be in it as she has placed at just about every ride this year and is currently the number 1 lightweight rider in Australia so she had a pretty good chance! The team needed to consist of a middle weight and a heavy weight which were announced. There was then room for 1 more person, and that person was ME! Wow what an honor to represent my state in Australia’s biggest endurance ride! I was so excited! We were presented our team jackets and had a team photo taken.

Midnight came quickly and we were quite calm while we were saddling up. We hopped on and walked over to the football oval which is where all the 130 horses warmed up before the race. As we were walking to the arena ‘The Eye Of The Tiger’ was playing over the loud speakers. That really pumped Zharion up and he was head banging his long forelock the whole way there! It was very funny! When we arrived at the arena we trotted around with all the other horses to the Australian National Anthem and the Tom Quilty Song. There were horses all over the place, and Zharion kept his cool and was completly chilled out! I couldn’t believe it, I would’ve put money on him getting really hot and reved up!

As we left the ride base there was a controlled start of approx 500meters as it was a bitumen road then we crossed over the Tasman hwy onto a gravel road, and we were away! At this stage Zhar was still being well behaved until he saw another horse going sideways and being naughty. He started calling out to him like “Hey man lets hang out and be naughty together!!!” So from that moment for the next 40kms I had a bit of a naughty boy on my hands. Needless to say after the first 80kms I was exhausted! Once the sun came up I was fine again though.

Leg 1 was 43 kms and we vetted through straight away. There was a shoot that all the horses had to walk up to get to the strapping area, we had our strappers unsaddle our horses while we walked down it, then throw a rug on their bums and take their heart rates straight away. Luckily we were below 60 beats and could vet right away before the horses got too cold.

Leg 2 was 40.5kms, Leg 3 was 34.5 kms with a complusery represent to the vets before you went out on the next leg. Leg 4 was 24kms and felt like 80kms. Leg 5 was 18kms and we were riding back into the dark of the night. As we were walking the last kilometer into base were were SO nervous. Nic and I kept saying to each other “Theres nothing more we can do….we have done our best…we have done everything we can for these horses to take care of them”…..”we’ve done all we can, we cant do any more” and then we’d say it over and over again! haha we were stressing big time! To be SO close to something SO important to both of us….after 16 hours of riding through the night, then into the day, then back into the night, needless to say we were slightly anxious! As we were walking into the gates, both the horses did a big wee for us….we were SO happy as that can dramatically help reduce the heart rate! We came in, unsaddled in the shoot, took the heart rate and they were both below 60…..so it was straight in. I was so scared because you only had one shot at the heart rate at the last vet check (all the other legs if you get to the vet and your horses heart is above 60 you can go back out and strap your horse until it is below 60) I got Gill to check Zhar’s heart one more time for good measure and we were in! The vet took Zhar’s heart and it was 54…..I was so relieved!! Nicky trotted out before me and she was through! I was my turn and I knew I had it……Nic and I cried and hugged and cried and hugged it was the BEST feeling!!! Nothing comes close to it and I couldn’t thank Nicky and her super star horse Zharion!

We got back to camp, popped open a bottle of champaign and celebrated! Dan was extreamley tired and over it so we headed to our cottage for a shower and the electric blankets and bed! ahhhh it was so good but really surreal….it felt like it all went so quick!

Sunday we were up early to walk the horses then sit down in the sun to watch Best Conditioned. It was amazing to watch some of Australia’s fittest horses strut their stuff, most of them looking like they had never raced the day before in a quick 160km competition! The were simply stunning, especially the winner Brook Samples horse Excalibur….. WOW what a horse!!!!!

Later that day it was the presentation ceremony and Nic and I found out that we had come =7th which was such a proud moment! We were presented our gorgeous shiny Quilty buckle!

Some of the people who we couldn’t of done it with out were Gill, Joe and Fiona who stayed up all night and day strapping for us and cooking as yummy food.

My boyfriend Daniel who is my rock was also more than amazing. He was also a strapper, cook, fire starter, taxi driver and more and the girls loved having him around! He’s a keeper for sure! 

I also need to thank my sponsor Dublin clothing. The warm fleece tops, gorgeous soft hoodies, waterproof jackets and boots were amazing! I rode in the Dublin Trekker boots and the suede half chaps which caused no pain or rubs at all over 16 odd hours of riding. I lived in the Pinnacle boots which were so comfy and looked great with jeans. I wore the Dublin Airation helmet during the ride which was also super comfy and breathable! I chose to wear the Flex Ex jacket for the first 3 legs of the ride which kept me at perfect riding temperature! All in all I was very well dressed for every occasion at the Quilty thanks to Dublin! 

I am looking forward to being a Buckle collector and am aiming for next years Quilty in Kilkivan, Queensland! Another big road trip to plan!