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

Riding times, entries and completion rates

The early rides were characterised by long riding times and low completion rates. The first ride, in 1982, was held in hot, dry conditions and the winning time was 10 hours 26 minutes – 11 minutes slower than the winning time for that year's Quilty. Several of the riders who successfully completed it took well over 12 hours. In 1985 riding times ranged from 8 hours 12 minutes to 12 hours 55 minutes. The long riding times ensured a long day. For example, the 1985 ride, the last held over a 110 km course, started at 3.30 am and the 13 hour riding time ended at 6.30 pm, with the last riders finishing at 6.25 pm.

Broadly speaking, the start time for the ride has become progressively later, from 3.00 am in 1982 to 6.00 am in 2011. While overall becoming later as the rides became shorter and faster, the start times have been varied to suit the conditions (earlier if the weather was hot, later if wet). The 110 km rides all started early, with the first at 3.00 am and the others at 3.30 am or 3.45 am. Apart from 1986, when the ride started at 4.00 am, most of the 100 km rides also started at 3.00 am or 3.30 am to enable horses to cover as much of the course as possible while conditions were cool. When the course length was reduced to 80 km, the starting time became 4.00 am or 4.30 am. In recent years it has been 5.00 am or 6.00 am, reflecting a preference for later starts. Although the riding times are now much faster, the later starts make for relatively late finishes: in 2011 the last riders finished the 80 km course at 4.00 pm, compared to 5.43 pm in 1982 (110 km) and 3.05 pm in 1987 (100 km).

(Comparison of start and finish times is complicated somewhat by the switch between standard and daylight saving time. The ride has generally been held during daylight saving except in 1989, 1993, 1994 and from 2008 to 2011. It is back in the daylight saving period this year.)

Except for the 1982 ride, which was particularly difficult, winning times over the 110 km course were a little over eight hours (8 hours 16 minutes in 1983, 8 hours 13 minutes in 1985). For the 100 km rides they were typically around 7 hours. Over the various 80 km courses at Brookvale the winning times have generally been between 4.5 and 5.5 hours. Many riders, of course, took much longer. Riding times were often well over 12 hours for the 110 km rides and well over 11 hours for the 100 km rides. Nine hours or more is not unusual for the 80 km courses.

Completion rates in all four of the 110 km rides were below 50%. In 1982, 23 of the 39 horses that started were either vetted out or withdrawn, leaving only 16 (41%) completing. In 1985 the completion rate was 43%: 20 of the 44 horses were vetted out (10 for heart rate, 10 lame) and five were withdrawn (two because of high heart rates, one because of dehydration and two because the riders were injured or ill) meaning that only 19 of the 44 starters successfully completed the ride. The completion rates in 1983 and 1984 were 46% and 44% respectively.

The success rates in the 1982 and 1985 rides (the only two of the 110 km rides for which we have the master sheets) were higher among the horses identified as Arab or part-Arab (6 from 14 in 1982 and 13 from 25 in 1985) than among those described as being of other breeds or unregistered (10 from 25 in 1982 and 5 from 19 in 1985). These figures need to be interpreted with caution, however, because the numbers are small and the vet outs and withdrawals in the ‘other’ and ‘unregistered’ groups included some very good endurance horses.

When the ride length was reduced 100 km then to 80 km, the completion rates increased accordingly. For 100 km they ranged from 57% to 90%, generally in the high 60%s; for 80 km they have ranged from 62% to 93%, generally over 75%. In 2011, 52 of the 60 starters (86%) completed the ride, more than double the percentage for 1982. The overall trend towards higher completion rates can be attributed to improved breeding, selection and management of horses and greater understanding of physiology and nutrition, as well as to the rides having become shorter and easier. But wide variations still occur, reflecting the circumstances for particular rides. The Brookvale courses always include plenty of hills, so when heat and humidity are also present riders have to contend with at least three of the ‘four H's’ that vet Steve Roberts warns us to beware of (the fourth being ‘H'ego’).

It seems incredible now, but during the 1980s we were able to maintain, without much difficulty, not only a radio board displaying the progress of each horse around the course, but also a results board (also called a TPR board) that included all the information on the master sheets. That was possible then because we were running only one ride at a time, the length of the course meant that riders were well spread out, and ride administration was still fairly simple. These boards made the rides more interesting for spectators as well as keeping strappers informed about their riders, but they eventually became impossible to maintain.

The number of horses taking part in the 110 km ride ranged from 39 to 44. Entries increased to 64 in 1986 and 68 in 1987, before falling to 30 in 1988. Numbers in the endurance ride have varied from lows of 19 (1991) and 20 (2005) to highs of 80 (1996) and 83 (2001), but have generally been somewhere between 40 and 70. With the training and social rides being held concurrently with the main ride, the total number of horses has often exceeded 100. In 2011 there was a total of 100 horses, comprising 60 in the endurance ride, 21 in the training ride and 19 in the social ride.

By Melanie O'Flynn

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