Ride Report: Well Vale - Plans A, B and… C for Chaos

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Planning anything with horses is optimistic at best. I’d originally aimed to take both Chip and Raine to Well Vale at the end of June – Raine for her first 32km and Chip to give her the sensible lead around.

While I’ve mostly made peace with the fact that I’m not “too big” for Raine, I still felt it made sense for a lighter rider to take her through her qualifiers. That way, I could ride Chip, give Raine a calm lead, and enjoy a smooth day out.

That was Plan A.

Two weeks before the ride, entries were in, camping and corralling booked, and then my rider – a good friend and colleague – was knocked off her road bike by a car and broke her elbow in six places. Proper job.

I put the call out for a replacement and had nearly 50 replies. That was honestly lovely – and slightly overwhelming – but I soon found someone suitable and got things back on track.

Plan B: activated.

BUT THEN…

I got home from a week crewing at the Europeans in Italy (still haven’t unpacked), dragged myself into the saddle on Wednesday and – of course – Chip was lame. Because why not? Right fore, slightly tender, and a decent chip (ironically) missing from his hoof wall.

Cue meltdown. Crying. WhatsApp voice notes. Panic. Phone-a-friend. Several friends, in fact.

I held off on ringing the vet until our physio, Siobhan, could take a look on Thursday. Typically he was really sound but she spotted a faint 1/10 on the deceleration from trot to walk, so I made the call for Plan C – ride Raine myself and try to find a ride buddy.

Enter: Vanessa and Sparkle

I reached out to the organisers and got a list of entries. I spotted Vanessa Woodhouse – a fellow Cromwell committee veteran – was riding her pony Sparkle in the same class (also for his first 32km). I sent a message to ask if she’d mind some company, and thankfully she was happy to team up.

Sparkle prefers the front, Raine prefers the back, and I had crew – Shez (my best friend), Keaton (my boyfriend), and of course, best crew dog Rita – so it worked out neatly.

With Chip out, I decided not to camp overnight. Because combining “first ever 32km” with “first night away from home” and “missing her big brother Chip” felt like a step too far.

The forecast for Sunday was 30C with a light breeze so I knew it was going to be a hot day. In anticipation of this I went out and bought quite a bit of ice and even froze my slosh bottles overnight. Having cold water rather than warm water makes such a big difference as does having cold drinks for humans vs hot drinks!

Sunday: Let the Mayhem Begin

5am alarm. Poo picked by 5:30am (life’s all glamour here), packed, prepped, and Raine LOADED LIKE A LEGEND. We hit the road.

By 9:30am we arrived at the venue although it was already hot :(.

Raine unloaded calmly and got straight to grazing. We parked up next to Vanessa which made things easier to transfer Vanessa’s things into the crew car, and Raine passed the pre-ride vetting with no fuss. HR 48, trot-up was good, and she took the busy environment in her stride.

We waited for a quieter moment to set off as there were lots of UAE teams flying through. The first couple of kilometres were a bit looky – lots of tape, flags and radio teams. Raine was taking it in but a little unsure.

Within the first few kms we ended up in a bunch of about 12 horses, some of which were onto their second loop of the race ride and moving fast. In a wide open field they came past at canter and Raine, overwhelmed, threw in her first ever broncing episode.

I’m not so sure how I managed to sit it but she is fundamentally a polite and responsive horse so she soon stopped and we gathered our thoughts. Poor Vanessa got dragged along in the pack and ended up having to do a big canter circle back to us as well but once we were reunited we seemed to be okay again.

I was a bit unnerved since Raine has never ever bucked before but in endurance you do just have to carry on and so onwards we went.

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Getting into a Rhythm

The next dilemma was facing so many horses on the horizon as the first 10km is lots of headlands and you can see horses in all directions for lots of the time and Raine found this quite unsettling. She didn’t do anything wrong, she just wasn’t very forward and kept looking behind her a bit unsure why there were so many horses all over the place.

As the ride progressed we found our own space and we soon settled into a lovely rhythm. We proceeded to have some really nice canters but mostly we just kept up a nice steady and consistent trot.

The first crew point was 10km into the ride and this was to be Raine’s first ever ‘slosh’ experience. I had packed a bucket and a sponge as I didn’t think Raine would accept a slosh bottle but she didn’t even hesitate and seemed to really appreciate the cool water.

Vanessa’s magic bucket of sloopy food was also a top choice and Raine drank absolutely loads! I was so impressed with her taking the ride into her stride, stopping at the crew point and drinking like a pro. It was already so hot and Vanessa and I were both so mindful of keeping on top of their metabolics.

Then came Sloshgate.

Sloshgate 2025

It was another 10km to the second crew point and this was definitely the hottest part of the day. We didn’t see any other horses for that whole stretch but bless Sparkle he kept up his happy disposition taking the lead and Raine was happy plugging along behind.

We were nicely on track with an average speed of just under 11kmph at this point into the ride and I was really happy with how Raine was feeling.

Approaching the second crew point we were both grateful for the prospect of a drink and a refresh. However, this is were things went quite wrong.

This crew point was one were the cars had to park down the road and the crew had to walk to the field to meet us. This time we didn’t hesitate to take the slosh and Raine got tucked into Vanessa’s bucket again. But then disaster struck. There was some frozen bits still in the slosh bottle not completely melted from being in the freezer overnight. The water itself wasn’t a problem but the sound of the ice rocks in the plastic bottle made Raine bolt. I tried to gather my reins and lose the bottle but we reached the coppice of trees before I was holding onto anything. A handbrake left turn and I was out the front door over the right shoulder into stinging nettles. Raine galloped away taking poor Vanessa and Sparkle with them around the corner and out of sight.

I decided apart from the full body sting that I was actually okay and quickly ran around the corner to find my poor pony.

Luckily it wasn’t so far but it did take a few minutes to catch her and then I realised we had lost 3 of our 4 hoof boots. Luckily Vanessa had stayed on and she and Sparkle were both also okay. We walked back to the crew point and then took our time to all gather our thoughts and let our heart rates return to normal. We did manage to find two hoof boots. The third? Gone. Possibly in orbit.

The next crew point was only 6km further on and since the ride had been excellent grassy going so far I decided to carry on with her just wearing back hoof boots and then we would get the spares out the car for the next crew point to finish the ride with them on the fronts.

I got back on and we were all fine though a little shaken. It’s the first time I’ve fallen off Raine!

Time to use those trainers

Typically, this stretch of the ride turned out to be the only stretch that had stony tracks and also had a route divergence of an extra 1.5km! I decided to get off and walk with her over the stones as I didn’t want to risk her getting any bruises. I’ve actually never ridden her barefoot, she’s always been booted. She has excellent tough Arab feet but it’s just not something I’ve done. I alternated between running alongside her, hopping on to trot on skinny bits of grass and walking so this section really did slow us down.

By the final crew point, I had a raging headache, a nettle rash that could be seen from space, and a deep regret over not drinking electrolytes. Raine, meanwhile, was thriving – guzzling mash, having a cool sponge down and trotting on like a champ.

We took our time at this crew point too not only to put the front boots on but for me to eat a banana and have some electrolytes and try to feel a bit better.

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The home straight

The final stretch to the venue was certainly a mental challenge. The heat was getting to me and the full body stinging sensation was on another level. Despite this, Sparkle was happy to keep trotting and even a few canters and Raine was more than happy to follow.

She was definitely tired with this being her furthest ride to date but also was still being really forward and responsive and would have absolutely carried on going if I’d asked her to.

Into the finish

Over the line and we walked back to our trailers to cool off. Given the slower last section of the ride Raine was actually dry on her neck and I think clipping her was absolutely the right decision. I just sponged her and then felt ready to go to vet.

As you know I’ve never been one to worry about grades and I’m more than happy to vet straight away but I was more than happy to go whenever Vanessa felt ready as she had been so kind to me all day - I absolutely couldn’t have done it without her.

After 17 minutes Vanessa agreed Sparkle was ready and so into vetting we went. Raine with a HR of 42 and Sparkle with 43. Both horses passed the vet with flying colours. I was particularly happy with Raine’s trot as she just looked so springy and perfect and scored a 1 for dehydration too.

Back to the trailer for a nice rest and pack up and then I noticed that Raine looked a bit spaced out. She wasn’t interested in eating or drinking anymore but then she’d had so much on course that I thought perhaps she was happy to just have a snooze.

She had a roll and then laid down for a good 40 seconds before she got back up which made me a little nervous. After a few minutes she decided to lay down again and it was like she was genuinely choosing to have a nap. But I really wasn’t sure if this was okay – I’ve never seen a horse lay down at a venue in my life. She wasn’t thrashing around but she also didn’t seem normal. A quick SOS call to Granny for her opinion and she agreed to get the vet.

Luckily, the ROs had 5 vet lanes in action and so I was able to get the treatment vet within minutes of raising the alarm. Lucile who is one of the most experienced endurance vets on the UK circuit was fab and very reassuring. Her pulse was still in the low 40s and she had gut sounds albeit quite ones. She gave Raine an injection of Finadyne and half a sedative. Within 10 minutes Raine was back to her usual self – wanting to eat everything in sight and looking quite perky.

Lucile felt the journey, the ride effort and heat had probably all got a bit on top of her. We probably couldn’t go as far as to call it colic yet but we were definitely on a slippery slope heading that way so I was very grateful to have a vet there able to respond so quickly.

After 30 mins we went back to the vetting area for another check and she was totally perfect. Really bright eyed with a nice low pulse and good gut sounds.

It was another 45 mins before we were packed up and Raine used all of that time to mooch around the venue eating the long grass and having nice long cool drinks and mashes so I was reassured she was okay. She loaded like a total pro too which made me a particularly proud mummy.

Homeward bound

We finally left the venue at 17:15 and it was good to get into the air conditioned car after such a long hot day outside. I realised I hadn’t had a wee since the morning and whilst I’d taken an antihistamine and some paracetamol I definitely wasn’t feeling 100%.

I drove for a little over 2hrs before stopping for a break. It was good to have the camera on in the trailer so we could keep an eye on Raine on the whole journey. At the service station I gave her a fresh Perform & Restore Mash which she was happy to tuck into whilst we found some dinner for ourselves.

It really is a marvel that only a few weeks ago I worried about travelling her to a pleasure ride alone and now I’m confident to leave her in the truck stop eating mash – hasn’t she grown up.

We finally make it back to the yard just before 20:30 and she was so happy to get back to her field. She trotted around looking 100% and tucked into the new strip of grass. Chip was most certainly jealous that she had been out ALL day without him. It truly was a much longer day than I had anticipated for a novice ride!

When I finally had a wee it was brown so I think I can safely say that the headache was a result of being dehydrated. Hot weather really isn’t for me.

The morning after the day before

I slept fairly well but woke up at 4am and then worried if Raine was okay. Typically my CCTV at the yard ‘wouldn’t connect’ so I got up and got to the yard by 04:45 to check on her. Of course, she was totally fine and looking superb. No heat or swelling in any legs. No rubs or marks on her back or her girth area and looking really bright eyed and she had not tucked up or lost any condition at all.

What We Learned

Reflecting, I can say that overall it was a really positive day out – and we got her first qualification done, which was the goal. The colicky moment was concerning, but in hindsight I think the sudden diet change may have played a part.

Though the actual food content of the slop was low, Raine ate quite a lot, and she’s never had cereals or sugary feeds before. Combine that with the heat and her longest ride to date, and it’s not surprising she didn’t feel 100%.

Our next plan is to head to Elephant Rock. I’d originally considered stepping up to 40km, but we’ll stick to 32km for now to make sure she’s happy and comfortable. Ideally, Chip will be back to accompany her. We’ll also keep things simple – plain water and her usual Perform & Restore Mash (low starch/sugar and already part of her diet). Hopefully the weather will be a little more forgiving too.

She’ll benefit from the fitness gained at Well Vale, so I’m feeling optimistic.

I do need to buy yet another pair of hoot boots though since we never did find the missing one.

Huge thanks to Vanessa for being a calm and capable ride buddy, and to Shez and Keaton who were brilliant crew in very sweaty conditions. It really would have been a disaster without them.

Onwards to the next.

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P.S. If anyone finds a 115 Flex somewhere near Well Vale… she’s mine. Probably.