Akhal Teke UK
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©Black Fox 2007-2009
Gold for Jill Thomas and Pompei at Golden Horseshoe 2009
Golden Horseshoe is one of the oldest and most respected rides in England. It is known
for its challenging terrain, incremental weather and slow going.
Golden Horseshoe is one of the oldest and most respected rides in England. It is known
for its challenging terrain, incremental weather and slow going.
We arrived at the wind-swept Exmoor about an hour before Jill’s start time and quickly
spotted Pompei’s lyre-shaped, almost “Marwari”, ears and Jill’s partner and crew Ian
Badcock at the end of the lead rope on “grazing duty”.
Pompei was bred at the studfarm “Veles” in Penza, Russia, by Posalak (Orlan-Pervana)
out of Parchagozel (Gaigysyz-Poeziia). Both he and his dam were ridden in endurance to
advance level in France by Pierre and Natasha Bues and then sold to Tina Wenman.
spotted Pompei’s lyre-shaped, almost “Marwari”, ears and Jill’s partner and crew Ian
Badcock at the end of the lead rope on “grazing duty”.
Pompei was bred at the studfarm “Veles” in Penza, Russia, by Posalak (Orlan-Pervana)
out of Parchagozel (Gaigysyz-Poeziia). Both he and his dam were ridden in endurance to
advance level in France by Pierre and Natasha Bues and then sold to Tina Wenman.
Pompei came to Jill’s place in Cornwall last October. Since then he has completed 30
miles at the Forest of Dean, 20 miles at Wadebridge, 40 miles at StMeubred’s Bodmin
Moor and now was doing “Exmoor Experience”, the two-day 80km ride. The plan is for
him to do 90km FEI* at Cirencester next at the end of June. “We are keeping him as
low-key as possible, taking it one step at a time”, comments Ian.
miles at the Forest of Dean, 20 miles at Wadebridge, 40 miles at StMeubred’s Bodmin
Moor and now was doing “Exmoor Experience”, the two-day 80km ride. The plan is for
him to do 90km FEI* at Cirencester next at the end of June. “We are keeping him as
low-key as possible, taking it one step at a time”, comments Ian.
We stood watching the last-minute preparations. Off came the smart black&red rug, on
went the saddle (Jill’s new design but not yet on the market), matching bridle and boots.
Everything Jill does is immaculate: the horse’s condition, his tack, her outfit, the precision
of the overall planning. Target speeds had been calculated in advance in relation to the
three categories of awards:
DAY 1 Distance 12km per hr 10.5km per hr 9.5km
per hr
Check Point 1 13.7 1hr08 1hr18 1hr26
Check Point 1A 31.5 2hr37 2hr59 3hr18
Finish 39 3.17 3hr44 4hr08
DAY 2 Distance 12km per hr 10.5km per hr 9.5km
per hr
Check Point 1 7.9 39min 45min 49min
Check Point 1A 25.7 2hr08 2hr26 2hr42
Finish 39 3hr17 3hr44 4hr08
Before setting out Jill said to Tina: “We are not aiming for gold, we are just aiming to
complete”.
I had heard Pompei wasn’t a straightforward ride. “There are days he won’t go out of
the gate”, Jill had told me once. The Golden Horseshoe start gate is rather flash, almost
Badminton-style, compared to the low-key setup at most Endurance GB venues: it is
actually a giant horseshoe, stood in the middle of an open field, painted in the colour of
gorse blossom.
went the saddle (Jill’s new design but not yet on the market), matching bridle and boots.
Everything Jill does is immaculate: the horse’s condition, his tack, her outfit, the precision
of the overall planning. Target speeds had been calculated in advance in relation to the
three categories of awards:
DAY 1 Distance 12km per hr 10.5km per hr 9.5km
per hr
Check Point 1 13.7 1hr08 1hr18 1hr26
Check Point 1A 31.5 2hr37 2hr59 3hr18
Finish 39 3.17 3hr44 4hr08
DAY 2 Distance 12km per hr 10.5km per hr 9.5km
per hr
Check Point 1 7.9 39min 45min 49min
Check Point 1A 25.7 2hr08 2hr26 2hr42
Finish 39 3hr17 3hr44 4hr08
Before setting out Jill said to Tina: “We are not aiming for gold, we are just aiming to
complete”.
I had heard Pompei wasn’t a straightforward ride. “There are days he won’t go out of
the gate”, Jill had told me once. The Golden Horseshoe start gate is rather flash, almost
Badminton-style, compared to the low-key setup at most Endurance GB venues: it is
actually a giant horseshoe, stood in the middle of an open field, painted in the colour of
gorse blossom.
“Five, four, three, two, one… Go” – Pompei took off only to stop 20 yards later when
he suddenly decided to test his reverse gear. He allowed the next competitor to catch up
which quickly refreshed his sense of direction and soon we could no longer see those
unforgettable ears.
We followed Jill around the course with Ian in charge of the crew vehicle: laundry-
conditioner bottles, taped in pairs and filled up in advance; satnav pre-programmed to all
the crewing and check points.
”Make sure you hand Jill the bottles into her left hand”, warned Ian. This was a reference
to a terrible accident Jill had two years ago when a dog brought down her Arab gelding
Serenity La Pam with whom she was training for the European Championships. She was
flung forward to the ground and dislocated her shoulder. To this day she has not fully
regained the use of her right arm. Ironically, it was this accident that took her out of
competition and led her to kill time while surfing the net. Her first two Tekes –
Salimrashid (bred at Akhaltservice) and Guldjady (bred by Argamak Stud in the
Netherlands) – are her web children.
A filming crew from the HorseHero website asked if they could interview Jill at the end
of Day 1 ride. “Yes, fine, but only after the vetting”, came a reply.
Pompei is a hot horse. He recovers quickly but then starts to wind himself up, causing his
heart rate to go up. He came in with a pulse rate of 76bpm which went down to 55bmp
within minutes, but by then he was looking fit to go and do another 25 miles, and the
pulse began to creep up. With quiet concentration, Jill continued to walk with him,
keeping his head close to her body, gently steering his attention away from the loitering
crowd. We were expecting him to vet sound but feared that his heart rate would let him
down. Imagine our delight when Ian told us “Forty Eight”.
We left wishing Jill and Ian luck for Day 2 and kept checking the GHS website for
results. On Day 2 he completed with average speed of 12.3 km/per/hr and heart rate of
52. They may not have gone for Gold but that’s what they got.
http://www.goldenhorseshoe-ride.co.uk/results.htm
he suddenly decided to test his reverse gear. He allowed the next competitor to catch up
which quickly refreshed his sense of direction and soon we could no longer see those
unforgettable ears.
We followed Jill around the course with Ian in charge of the crew vehicle: laundry-
conditioner bottles, taped in pairs and filled up in advance; satnav pre-programmed to all
the crewing and check points.
”Make sure you hand Jill the bottles into her left hand”, warned Ian. This was a reference
to a terrible accident Jill had two years ago when a dog brought down her Arab gelding
Serenity La Pam with whom she was training for the European Championships. She was
flung forward to the ground and dislocated her shoulder. To this day she has not fully
regained the use of her right arm. Ironically, it was this accident that took her out of
competition and led her to kill time while surfing the net. Her first two Tekes –
Salimrashid (bred at Akhaltservice) and Guldjady (bred by Argamak Stud in the
Netherlands) – are her web children.
A filming crew from the HorseHero website asked if they could interview Jill at the end
of Day 1 ride. “Yes, fine, but only after the vetting”, came a reply.
Pompei is a hot horse. He recovers quickly but then starts to wind himself up, causing his
heart rate to go up. He came in with a pulse rate of 76bpm which went down to 55bmp
within minutes, but by then he was looking fit to go and do another 25 miles, and the
pulse began to creep up. With quiet concentration, Jill continued to walk with him,
keeping his head close to her body, gently steering his attention away from the loitering
crowd. We were expecting him to vet sound but feared that his heart rate would let him
down. Imagine our delight when Ian told us “Forty Eight”.
We left wishing Jill and Ian luck for Day 2 and kept checking the GHS website for
results. On Day 2 he completed with average speed of 12.3 km/per/hr and heart rate of
52. They may not have gone for Gold but that’s what they got.
http://www.goldenhorseshoe-ride.co.uk/results.htm
On the way back, I was thinking what makes an international-level competitor… She did
it with Arabs and she will do it with the Akhal-Teke.
it with Arabs and she will do it with the Akhal-Teke.
| Parchagozel (Gaigysyz-Poeziia) with Pierre Bues |