Endurance Riding Ireland

News & Results

from ILDRA and the world of Endurance

Welcome to our news and results section.

Here you will find News and Information, Ride Reports, Photos and Results from the many activities ILDRA are involved with.

As a member you can send in stories to be included, must be ILDRA/Endurance related, along with any photos and we will try and include it.

Keep fully up-to-date with all our activities on Facebook as well.

Queen Elizabeth II

08 Sep 22

We are deeply saddened by the news of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II following a lifetime of service. We offer our sincere condolences to the Royal Family.

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CLANDEBOYE ESTATE CHARITY RIDE Pleasure Ride in aid of Huntington's Disease Association NI

01 Mar 22

ILDRA run charity ride at Clandeboye, Estate, Bangor, C Down in aid of Huntington's Disease Association NI

Buy squares in our fund raising raffle on-line now for Huntington's Disease Association NI

£5.26 per Square. (£5.00 plus card processing fee)

Ride details and entry link here.

What is Huntington's Disease (HD)?

HD is an inherited disease with symptoms, usually starting at mid-adulthood, causing a progressive loss of control over thoughts, feelings, behaviour, movement and communication until the person requires 24-hour care. Every child conceived naturally to a parent with HD has a 50% chance of inheriting the disease.

There are over 150 families affected by HD in Northern Ireland and currently no cure. The easiest way to describe HD is Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and MS all rolled into one.

More about Huntington's Disease Association NI

We are also running a raffle with many great prizes

Buy your tickets on line in entry system, at a ILDRA ride or from any committee member.

All proceeds from the day go to the charity.

Prizes donate by (more added regularly)

  • KCD Krafts
  • Hannah Catterall Photography
  • Balmoral Show
  • Pat Turley - Kingsfield Haylage
  • Judy Maxwell - Baileys
  • Digby's Bar and Restaurant
  • Arose Cafe
  • Woodview Garden Centre
  • Ballyboley Garden Accessories
  • Bushmills Distillery
  • Jungle NI
  • Omniplex Cinema
  • Mr John Anderson
  • Linwoods Food
  • Oliver's Spar and Post Office
  • Tropic VIP
  • Premier Saddlery
  • Mr & Mrs McFarland
  • Mud Daddy
  • Long Meadow Cider
  • Turtle Dove Gloves
  • Ulster Branch
  • ST Patrick's Coast
  • Dundonald Ice Bowl
  • Mellon Country Hotel
  • Intersport Sports Shop
  • Guinness Storehouse

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3 for 2 offer on Vetted Pleasure Rides

05 Feb 22

Would you like to...

  • canter along the beach at St. Patrick’s Coast Ride?
  • ride a finish up the hill at Downpatrick racecourse?
  • trot past acres of wild bluebells at Shane’s Castle?

You can do all this and more with us at ILDRA (Irish Long Distance Riding Association). Our riders enjoy access to many private estates, forestry and other land not normally open to the public and are open to both members and non-members (although entries are pre-booked, online only)

3 for 2 offer on Vetted Pleasure Rides

This year, to welcome back returning members and encourage new ones, we want to help riders get themselves and their horses back in shape, because neither rider nor horse will be having a good time if they are not fit enough. To that end, we are offering a ‘3 for 2 offer’ on Vetted Pleasure Rides between February and August (inclusive).

read on for all the info on this offer and hints on how to get started...

A Vetted Pleasure Ride does exactly what it says on the tin - you can enjoy a short ride without the time and speed constraints of a Competitive Trail Ride but with the added bonus of getting a chance to try the vetting procedure.

Every year we get many riders who would love to canter along those beaches at the St. Patrick’s Coast Ride but feel (probably accurately) that their horses are not fit enough for the full 20 mile loop - if you are one of those riders, this is your chance to change that. You will be able to see the improvement in your horse’s fitness levels through monitoring heart rates and recovery times at successive vettings and gradually increase the distances you are able to cover comfortably, with each ride you do.

We hope to offer Vetted Pleasure Rides at most of our events between now and the end of August (excluding our Clandeboye Charity Ride). To take advantage of the 3 for 2 offer all you need to do is enter and pay for 2 Vetted Pleasure Rides. Before you enter your 3rd Vetted Pleasure Ride you need to claim your free Vetted Pleasure Ride by emailing us at info@enduranceridingireland.com (or use the contact form on the web site) - we will allocate a credit your account so when you enter you will not be charged.

We have planned rides at Cam Forest, Baronscourt, Florencecourt and Shane’s Castle already and hope to have more at other locations as the season progresses.

Terms and Conditions are not too onerous -

Cost - £20 per Vetted Pleasure Ride (i.e. 3 VPRs for £40)
The offer does not include Competitive Trail Rides or non-vetted Pleasure Rides.

Membership - not needed - open to members and non-members

Horse registration - not needed

Age - riders must be 5 years and over (under 14 must be accompanied by an adult)

Horses must be 4 years and over (1st Jan)

Distance - ride distances vary depending on the venue, but generally start at a minimum of approx. 6miles/10km, with a maximum of 20miles/32km

Speed - there are no compulsory speeds for Pleasure Rides, but an advisory speed of 5mph/8kph minimum - 8mph/13kph maximum is recommended

Veterinary procedure - you need to present your horse untacked for vetting, before and after the ride - as it is not a competitive ride, veterinary criteria (heart rates, recovery time etc) are not mandatory, but as a guide, your horse’s heart rate should have recovered to not more than 64bpm within 30 minutes after the end of the ride

3 for 2 offer on Vetted Pleasure Rides

Helpful hints...

Aim to present your horse for vetting within the first hour of the ride - ideally after the CTR riders have gone and before most of the Pleasure Riders arrive.
Make sure the organiser gets a note of your start and finish times.

Most of our venues do not have warm-up facilities so you should spend the first 10 minutes or so of your ride in an active walk, before (if conditions allow) moving up to a steady trot.

The vetting procedure is straightforward - your horse’s heart rate is taken by the vet (or official) and you will be asked to trot your horse 30m out and back to check for soundness. At the end of the ride there will be other metabolic checks and a second heart rate will be taken after the trot up

Make sure you bring plenty of water to cool off and wash your horse down at the end of the ride - this is usually the most effective way to reduce the heart rate prior to vetting.

Don’t worry if you don’t have (or can’t use) a stethoscope to take the heart rate - there will always be an endurance nerd enthusiast nearby only too keen to help - just ask!

3 for 2 offer on Vetted Pleasure Rides

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Equestrian Sports Organisations members' survey

09 Dec 21

Sports NI are very keen to work with all those involved in all aspects of equestrian disciplines both in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland and to help with this a survey has been compiled by the members of the Equestrian Sports Forum.

Please see below and click on the link - we would be delighted if you would fill the survey in to help us see what has changed in terms of your participation as a result of Covid and also investigate the opportunities there may be for all the equestrian organisations to work together, better engagement for volunteers and officials and how equestrianism in general is an important sport in both the north and south. You will also find there is the opportunity to make direct contact with those who are represented in this piece of work.

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey - we are sure this will benefit us all in the future.

Click to open survey

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EHV-1 (Equine Herpes Virus) Protocol

03 Mar 21

Representatives from Horse Sport Ireland, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the FEI IRL National Head Veterinarian and representatives from the Irish Equine Centre met last night to discuss and agree a risk management EHV-1 Protocol for FEI athletes and horses returning from the Iberian peninsula, the centre of the EHV-1 outbreak. This EHV-1 Protocol will also apply to all FEI horses returning to Ireland from France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Poland, Netherlands, Germany and Slovakia and will be effective immediately. IRL athletes based on the continent will have to contact their local veterinary authority of the relevant competent authority before they depart the show venue. It is important to note that FEI horses will only be permitted to leave such FEI venues when they are in possession of an official health certificate from the local Veterinary Authorities. Each venue will have stringent biosecurity EHV-1 Protocols in place and additional FEI Veterinary Delegates onsite. These movements will be notified via the EU Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES), which will allow entry via Irish ports.

It should be EHV-1 is not a Notifiable Disease in the context of the Notification and Control of Diseases Affecting Terrestrial Animals Regulations 2016.

Horse Sport Ireland, with support from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the IEC has moved quickly to devise a specific EHV-1 Protocol for returning FEI horses. This EHV-1 Protocol is consistent with our GBR counterparts.

The specifics of this EHV-1 Protocol were advised upon by Prof. Anne Cullinane, Head of Virology in the Irish Equine Centre. This EHV-1 Protocol includes strict isolation quarantine for horses, grooms and athletes, together with interval nasopharyngeal swabs which must be analysed by PCR testing, during the 14 day window.  The EHV-1 Protocol will provide for a step-by-step guidance in dealing with the matter.

Horse Sport Ireland are in contact with the IRL based athletes who are due to return in the coming days from the Iberian Coast and the Continent advising them of the seriousness of the matter, the valid concerns of the sport horse industry, and the duty and responsibility of each returning athlete/owner to ensure rigorous compliance with the EHV-1 Protocol. It should be noted that a significant number of the IRL athletes who are in Vejer de La Frontera will remain and continue to campaign for the remaining tours. Horse Sport Ireland will have adequate time to work through each athletes return timeframe and application of the EHV-1 Protocol.

Horse Sport Ireland will move to publish the EHV-1 Protocol shortly for all stakeholders involved in the movement of horses, to and from Ireland. This disease is not restricted to FEI horses and given the aggressive nature of the strain could be transmitted in any shipping context since the notification of the outbreak by the FEI.

Furthermore, sanctions arising from non-compliance have been extensively detailed to the parties. All of the returning FEI horses and athletes will be blocked on relevant affiliate entry systems, for national competitions and authorised training events , inclusive of any horses based in that athlete/owners yard. In respect of COVID 19, all athletes and support personnel returning will have to ensure a pre-departure COVID-19 RT-PCR test is carried out no more than 72 hours prior to arrival in Ireland, combined with 14-day quarantine period must be undertaken, subject to a negative RT-PCR test no less than 5 days after arrival.

Therefore, the message is abundantly clear, both from a significant equine welfare concern returning athletes/owners/support personnel must cooperate with the EHV-1 Protocol and follow all veterinary guidance. Both Horse Sport Ireland and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine will monitor the situation closely, seeking disclosure of EHV-1 PCR testing, appointment of a designated HSI veterinarian to manage the compliance of the EHV-1 Protocol and veterinary clearance in advance of resumption of competition and mixing with the wider sport horse population.

With regard to IRL athletes who are compounded in Valencia (ESP) at present, Horse Sport Ireland are in constant contact with the affected parties and seeking to ensure all supports are available. The situation in Valencia is very difficult at present and Horse Sport Ireland are understand the gravity of the situation and have sought specific assistance from the FEI, the European Equestrian Federation and the International Jumpers Club. Horse Sport Ireland are advocating for a strong international mobilised response to this outbreak for the protection of the sport, and the indigenous sport horses industries within each European member state.

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Cam Forest

25 Aug 19