30th anniversary 2012: How things have changed 1982–2012

Riding rules

By the time the first National Capital ride was held in 1982, many changes had already occurred in endurance ride rules and procedures. The maximum heart rate, originally 60 bpm at the end of the first leg and 70 bpm thereafter, had been reduced to 55/65 and then to 55/60 and heart rate was no longer checked on arrival at each checkpoint as well as after 30 minutes. The task of calculating riding times had become much simpler as riders all started together (or were deemed to have done so) rather than starting singly at intervals of 30 seconds or a minute. Lightweight riders had their own division and point score, so no longer needed to carry lead to reach the minimum riding weight.

In the early 1980s the rules consisted of only three pages, one each for endurance rides, training rides and veterinary procedures. By 1986 they had expanded to about nine pages and are now, including appendices, over fifty pages long.

Major changes to the rules were implemented during the first 10 years of the Brookvale ride with the overall objective of improving horse welfare. They not only affected the riders – ride administration became much more complex and resource-intensive. From 1986 novice riders (meaning anyone who could not prove they had completed an endurance ride) were required to stay behind an experienced endurance rider who was designated as the pace rider. In ACTERA rides, the pace rider wore an orange vest with reflective strips so as to be clearly identifiable in the dark as well as during the day. From 1990 the qualification requirement was increased to two endurance rides and novices were limited to rides of 120 km or less in one day.

From 1992 new riders had to complete two training rides before entering an endurance ride; qualification, speed and distance restrictions (including the ‘13 month rule’) were introduced for novice horses; logbooks replaced vet cards for all horses in endurance rides; microchip identification was introduced; and veterinary examinations and the recording of their results became more comprehensive. (The 1992 rules gave ride committees the option of using a specified riding time rather than a pace rider to restrict the speed of novice riders and horses in endurance rides, but ACTERA continued to use a pace rider for a few years.)

The rules have continued to evolve, but those changes laid the foundation for the sport as it is now.

By Melanie O'Flynn

Acknowledgements | Ride base | The course | The ride date | Riding times, entries and completion rates | The vets | The horses | Equipment | The buckle | Riding rules | Training and social rides | Costs and charges | Technology and communication | Some things have not changed | Photo gallery of past 30 years

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