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Setting goals A rider’s aim for Fauresmith determines their final training programme, along with the qualifying rides that were done in the preparatory season. It is essential to be realistic about your goals. Be conservative during the first two days of the ride, evaluate carefully after day two and make a decision about the desired outcome on the final day of the race. If a preparatory ride with a handicap of about four was ridden in the pre season, the actual speed of that ride would be an indication of a doable speed for the 201 km Fauresmith ride. It is essential to take a horse’s age and development years into account when deciding/projecting your goals for this event. A horse can start competing at Fauresmith after three to four years of development, with an average speed of more than 20 km/h. When a rider feels his horse is able to do the ride with speed, take the fastest times during the preparatory rides as well as the recovery times for the horse to get to 60 beats per minute. If the horse was able to recover within five minutes, the same speed could be maintained at Fauresmith, provided those rides were difficult enough and with a handicap of at least two.
Training During the three weeks before Fauresmith, your horse should already be fit enough and only a maintenance training programme must be followed. The preparatory rides will determine how much resting time should be allowed. An average horse needs to rest 14 days before the actual day on which the ride starts, which is always on a Tuesday. But a horse that had a speedy preparatory season must have a longer resting period. This resting period is an active resting period, thus a walk out for 40 to 60 minutes per day, alternatively lunging for 40 minutes on a trot each day. Training before the active resting period of two to three weeks would imply the following: • For young horses and those in their second season of endurance riding, keep the training programme as before but try to practise for three days in a row, followed by an equal number of days’ rest. It is essential not to over practise. • For the more competitive horse, concentrate on training with speed over short distances, like an interval gallop or a 15 km distance where the horse gallops continuously. According to the specific horse’s demand, one 30–40 km ride can be done at the planned speed for Fauresmith over similar terrain. • The last practice before the active rest period should be the horse’s most difficult one.
Feeding and supplements
Stick to the golden rule: don’t change anything and don’t start your horse on new supplements before the event. If you usually give a highly concentrated food, reduce it to a maintenance ration of 3 kg per day. As soon as you start with an outride at Fauries, the concentrated food can be increased to normal. Rest is the main thing a horse needs in the resting period before Fauresmith, not all kinds of supplements to its diet which could make it uncontrollable or lead it to develop azoturia. Permissible supplements include: • Remedies to clean the liver and kidneys, like Sodiazot or Liver Tonic • For the competitive horse, one can give DMG about 15 days before the competition to improve its oxygen-bearing abilities • Probiotika is highly recommended • A blood analysis before the race is a good idea in order to avoid any bad surprises • De-worm your horse at least 14 days prior to the ride.
Treatment of hooves The big question regarding Fauresmith is hoof soles/pads or not! In my opinion, wearing full pads is looking for trouble at Fauresmith. Our horses finished several Fauresmiths (alongside competitive horses like Shahira Shai Shan) in a third and fifth position in the standard weight category, Arkab Mirarti who once won the lightweight category and Arkab Raffa who completed the heavyweight competition four times in the top 10 position; all of them with pads of which the frog has been cut open. Therefore, if your horse does not need pads, don’t suddenly decide on them just before Fauresmith. Shoe your horse about two weeks before the race and if it is a shorter period than that, use sole hardener to strengthen the hooves. Give special attention to the hooves, especially behind the heels so that it doesn’t become parched and dry. Remember to take
an extra set of shoes for your horse to Fauresmith. •
Transport
• Give your horse 10 ml haarlemensis and 30 ml electrolytes the • evening before departure. On the night of arrival at Fauresmith, once again give electrolytes and make sure the horse takes in a • lot of water. Always be aware of the temperature in your horse box; the horse must not get cold or become sweaty. Remember that a horse • handles cold temperatures far better than heat. Be precise with the position of the hay net when hanging it in the horse box; if it is too high it can cause airway infections and if it is too low, the horse could get his foot stuck in the net. This should always be monitored, whether the horse is in his stable, camp or wherever. If the distance to Fauresmith is quite long, make a stop every four • to five hours to unload the horses and take them for a short walk and some time to urinate. Offer them some water and don’t get upset if they don’t drink – this is quite common.
Stabling at Fauresmith
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Greasy heal is a very common occurrence at the Fauresmith stables. Limit the risk by cleaning the stable thoroughly on arrival. Litter some lime on the floor and use a safe insecticide to kill spiders and insects, but make sure it is not used close to the feeding-trough. Use clean bedding and do basic cleaning in the stables every day during your stay, so take along a spade and fork. Make sure all strings are removed from bales of bedding so as not • to get your horse entangled and injured.
Practice at Fauresmith
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Take your horse for a one-hour walkout as soon as possible after arrival. The next day you should go for an outride – 30 minutes of walk followed by an hour of light riding. I usually give my riders the following advice for their outride at Fauresmith: walk for 30 minutes, trot for 10 minutes, walk for another five minutes in order to break down any possible lactic acid, trot for another 10 minutes, gallop for two minutes, trot for five minutes, gallop for another two to five minutes. When reaching the turning point to go back to the stables, trot and walk intermittently but take time to walk for at least 20 minutes. For the competitive horse, both rider and horse should already be at the venue on the Friday (four days prior to the take-off). The competitive horse should do an outride of about 20 km on Sunday with one or two strong gallop sessions of about 28–30 km/h with at least a 20-minute period of walking back. During the middle of the day, after the outride, it is a good idea to stretch your horse thoroughly. If he’s standing permanently in a stable, he must have an additional walkout each day of at least one hour, in hand or under saddle.
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camping spot from the wind and cold. Gas cooking facilities as the electricity is normally overloaded. A long electrical lead to reach power points. Electric blankets are nice to have, but in case of power failures, a warm water bottle is a comfortable alternative for the icy weather. It is a good idea to have a safe electrical heater in each tent, or even a gas heater to beat the cold. An outside fire has more than one purpose; it is both a source of heat and creates a wonderful camping atmosphere. A drum with holes in it, known as a ‘mbola’, with a fire made inside, is an essential Fauresmith accessory. There is always enough wood to be bought, but order in advance and have enough stock as evenings can become long and entertaining with many campfire stories to be told. Fauresmith is a very small town but most of the normal groceries can be bought there. Good quality meat can be bought at affordable prices at a local butcher.There are also a few nice restaurants for an evening out. The restaurant at the venue serves very decent meals and takeaways. For personal clothing, make provision for very cold weather – jacket, scarf, head cover, gloves, etc, as well as T-shirts and shorts for when the weather changes. Sunday is the traditional service at Church, so bring appropriate clothing (Springbok riders wear their official blazers).
Packing list for the horse(s) The same food that the horse normally gets at home and ENOUGH of it to last for the full one to one and a half week Enough fodder and lucerne, which can also be ordered and bought at the Fauresmith venue Normal horse blanket as well as an extra one to put underneath for extreme cold weather. The grooming vehicle should have a whole range of horse blankets packed for all possible weather conditions – light sheet, sweat blanket, warm blanket, neck blanket, warm sheet to cover the horse’s hindquarters, etc Water buckets with lids to transport the grooming water A bag for the fodder net to be put in, to keep the vehicle clean Electrolytes Ointment for greasy heal.
Grooming en route and between the days of the ride
Intermittent weather can be expected at Fauresmith, so all the horse’s blankets should be taken to each vet check. Be careful of using water that is too cold – it can cause cramps. Only use water for grooming when it is really warm and to wash the horse lightly after a day’s ride before he goes to rest. When it is extremely cold, cover the horse’s hindquarters very well and his Packing list for campers neck using a light cover.The ribs and chest must only be covered Most horse folk are campers, so they have an idea of basic very lightly in order for the horse to cool down. equipment needed. To make your stay as comfortable and Covering the horse requires good management; if the horse convenient as possible, here are some things worth packing: • An awning/canvas/shade cover as enclosure to protect your is covered too warm he won’t cool down, but if the wind is
blowing cold, the neck must also be protected. If the wind doesn’t his energy. Before sleep time, walk him for another 20 minutes blow, the neck could be left uncovered. Know your horse, read and stretch him thoroughly. the circumstances and act accordingly! If you wish to, put some muscle gel or whatever one prefers on the horse’s legs and cover it warmly with dressings or bandages. Only groom the horse’s legs and underline if necessary. I feel Put some electrolytes in the horse’s food and make more strongly that if it is an ordinarily cold Fauresmith and you have drinking water available than usual; about 30 to 40 litres. Make to use water all over the horse to cool him down, you are riding sure there is more than enough fodder for the night. too fast! Before departing on each day, follow a thorough stretching Make sure there are no stones stuck in the horse’s hooves programme in the stable where it is nice and warm. Take the BEFORE going to the vets. When waiting in the vet lane, make horse out of the stable, walk for 20 minutes in hand to warm sure the horse’s hindquarters are covered properly and keep up, saddle up and leave some time for another 20 minutes walk him out of the wind as far as possible. with the rider in the saddle. After each day’s final vet check, leave the horse to rest for one Competitive riders should leave some extra time to warm up hour and then take him out for a one-hour brisk walk in hand. by following the above procedure and also doing trotting for Put him back in his camp or stable to rest and eat and recover about 10 minutes before taking off.
: r e d i r d l i h c a h t i w g n i Prepar 2010 of Fauresmith r e n in W , n a Kasselm hen er of Monique nsideration w o th c o m to , in n a e k lm ta e s s points to Bernadette Ka s some of the re a h s , n io is iv Children’s d a child rider. preparing with
Preparing a child rider and his/her horse for Fauresmith is very much the same as preparing any other horse or rider combination. Nutrition and training are the same irrespective of the category of participation. There are however a few issues that I feel pertain specifically to children – let’s elaborate on these: • •
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At the beginning of the endurance season, make the child part of the decision-making process. Identify which horse he/she is going to ride at Fauresmith and plan together. Identify four or five qualifying rides where they can participate as a team. I think it is preferable if the combination is the same for the qualifiers and Fauresmith. In this way the child rider gets to know his/her mount and they are comfortable with one another. I think it is important for child riders and their horses to not only train over distance, but also receive some kind of formal schooling – basic dressage, jumping etc. Make it fun! In this way they are ready to tackle possible obstacles on the course, and know all about diagonals etc. Then the biggest challenge of them all – the senior/child rider combination. At the beginning of the season ascertain where exactly the child and horse are. Do they just want to complete Fauresmith successfully or do they want to compete competitively? It’s important to realise that the child rider can only do as well as the senior he/she is riding with. Personally I feel that on his/her first attempt, “to finish is to win”. See what Fauresmith is all about.There are senior riders in any club who are prepared to take a child rider
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along with them. If the child rider and his/horse are well trained they can be an asset on the ride, not a hindrance. If at all possible, sit down with the senior who is going to take the lead and plan together. What are their expectations? Prepare the child rider accordingly. Ride the qualifiers with the designated senior where possible. In this way the senior can also make a judgement as to whether the pairing is going to work out or not. The psychological battle is one of the biggest challenges and child riders should be prepared for potential disappointment. They can be eliminated, or their senior can be eliminated, changing seniors and losing time. All of these are invariably stressful and potentially bring tears. Talk about these possibilities beforehand.
Child riders are the Young Riders and Seniors of tomorrow – the future of the sport. Although many a parent is worn out after three gruelling days at Fauresmith, to see those beaming little faces at the finish line and prize giving makes it all worth it in the end.
Tips from endurance riders Alexander Potgieter: Both rider and crew must dress in layers since the weather often changes from thick frost in the morning to being quite warm by lunchtime. Take the layers off as the day progresses. There are sharp, loose stones in the mountain and your horse can easily go lame no matter how slowly you go. Dismount and lead the horse and also get extra padding under his feet, ie. padding or Equipak. We had leather pads over Equipak and even though he went at a relatively slow 19 km/h the leather got torn. Plastic pads may not be such a great idea so weigh up all the options, as long as you protect the soles of the feet.
Elsabé Potgieter: Take a blanket and neck warmer to the grooming points, especially to Grapfontein where there is always a cold wind. Cover the hindquarters or whole horse, and the neck as soon as they cross the line. Cool the horse down underneath the blanket unless of course it is as warm as it was this year, then you can lose the neck warmer and change to a sweat blanket or day sheet. Have lukewarm water available and apply it with a sponge to the neck, chest, inside of the legs and belly with the blanket still on. Walk the horse slowly and have him drink cold water to cool down. Scrape off the water and reapply water but not cold water, lukewarm to skin temperature works fine. The aim is to keep the horse warm but still relax him and bring the heart rate down.
Heinie Potgieter: Change legs and change legs! While there is an icy wind down in the open area that can stiffen your horse’s neck up if you don’t change legs, there is no wind in the mountain and the temperature rises sharply.Your horse will suddenly battle to breathe and may slow down a little – let him pick his own pace for a while. Secondly, your horse may be stiff and tired on day two but will be fresh and sharp again on day three. Give the horse a little break on day two and don’t ride him too hard, he may sour up and refuse to go, especially in the mountain.
Klara Ann Webb: Two tips for beginners doing Fauresmith: 1. Ensure that the horse is quite well schooled – flatwork such as trot work in 20m circles, serpentines, extending and collecting gaits, it should be able to trot comfortably on both diagonals and change canter leads on command. This will ensure it is not consistently using only one group of muscles as these will tire and injuries can occur. 2. The schooling must include exercises that encourage the horse to work through its hindquarter and back. Horses that lean on one’s hands are travelling along on the forehand and will be prone to tripping and falling. The horse’s weight distribution must be predominantly on the hindquarters and not the forehand. Horses that travel incorrectly will have overdeveloped shoulders and necks and very underdeveloped hindquarters.
Kobus Smit: Don’t change anything – feed, exercise, electrolytes, shoes or anything else. Problems and experiments should be sorted at regular rides, not during the championships. Ride with your mind. Never aim to win Fauries on your first attempt. It’s a whole new and very taxing experience for your horse, so ride carefully and get his mindset right so you can perform next time. Read the course, weather and horse carefully, change legs, dismount and lead – do whatever it takes to finish. Your horse will be a different horse after finishing successfully, build on that.
Kim Dyson Ferreira: Do not go to Fauresmith if you are not 100% sure your horse is 110% sound and prepared. Pack tissues for the last day returning to the grounds! If you get there, you and your horse deserve everything. Your horse is the hero – make sure he gets the honor!
m o r f n o t t a C Dr Glynn s r o t u b i r t s i Stride D Taking part in the biggest endurance event in the world is truly a challenge. Fauresmith presently is considered the biggest endurance event because of the large number of riders that participate and because the event takes place over 3 days. In order to be able to participate in the Fauresmith ride, it is an ERASA requirement that the horse and rider have completed a minimum of 3 x 80 km rides prior to Fauresmith and these rides need to have been completed within time limits set at each ride which is an official event. Under these circumstances it is clear that similar to the Comrades Marathon for human athletes, it is not acceptable for any individual to believe that they can participate in this significant event without having been involved in the sport for some time and also understanding the requirements of this particular sport. Thus Fauresmith as such is not an event for a beginner. Considering this, and in an attempt to offer some suggestions concerning qualifying for Fauresmith and preparing the horse satisfactorily for this major event, the following are some suggestions:
PRE-RIDE PREPARATION All riders wishing to participate in endurance riding should recognize that the pre-ride preparation of their horse for any endurance event is vital to ensure a successful achievement. The pre-ride preparation will include the rider spending many hours slowly increasing the number of kilometers ridden by rider and horse in order to improve the fitness of both individuals. The basis of a fit athlete is good nutrition and it is assumed that the horse will be enjoying good balanced food. A common characteristic of both horses and man is that in order to control body heat and prevent overheating, both humans and horses sweat (which allows moisture to be secreted on the skin so that when it evaporates, reduces the heat of the body). All animals and man have a typical body temperature which is considered normal. In order to prevent overheating, the sweat which is secreted includes water as well as electrolytes. Thus, in man and horses that participate in this sport, both need to recognize they need to consume electrolytes to compensate for those which are lost during the ride. The use of electrolytes particularly by long distance athletes and cyclists, is well-established and there are numerous electrolytes available. The same applies to the equine field where electrolytes are available as supplements as well as there being certain complete feeds that include additional quantities of electrolytes to compensate for sweat losses. All athletes that participate in endurance sports should also be aware that the participation in that type of sport - places additional stress and demand on the muscular skeletal system. In particular in the joints and tendons there are cartilagineous
materials that do not have very efficient blood supplies and thus should any injuries occur in joints or tendons, these are often accompanied by a requirement for rest (for a substantial period) so that the tissues can be repaired. There are several nutrients which can be consumed by athletes to assist the body to repair damage and these traditionally are recognized as chondroitin sulphate, glucosamine, hyaluronic acid and MSM. Once again most of these nutrients are available either singly or in combinations which can be used routinely to protect the athlete. During an endurance event, the muscles are required to utilize energy reserves and convert this into energy in order for the athlete to continue participating in the endurance event. The liver is the primary organ that recycles breakdown products from the energy metabolic process and ensuring a continued supply of energy ingredients through the blood stream to the muscular system. However, in converting nutrients into energy and then removal of the breakdown products, certain key nutrients are known to assist in this process. Two in particular are selenium and/or vitamin E. It is therefore also a common practice to administer these two ingredients or ensure that sufficient quantities are available to allow the athlete - to perform satisfactorily. An endurance horse should be participating in events on - what is termed an aerobic basis - which means that the individual is not expected to run at speeds similar to those that participate in sprinting events. In sprinting events, as a result of the energy process, there is a build up of lactic acid in the muscles which is the reason why sprinters become tired. This should not occur in endurance horses. Most of the abovementioned products should be utilized in the pre-ride preparation of the horse prior to it getting into an endurance event. An endurance event is a situation where the horse must have been properly prepared for that event and during the actual ride, the situation should be retained as simple as possible with no changes from standard routines that have been implemented up to that point. Products that are
administered during an event are electrolytes to compensate for electrolyte loss, energy to assist with energy supply during the event, liver protectant products that can be used to assist the liver to metabolize the energy breakdown products and supply energy, plus vitamin tonics because vitamins are key to virtually all physiological processes.
interfere with its typical digestion.
A key nutrient for all athletes is water and preferably water of good quality. If for some reason the water is unpalatable or is not acceptable, this will interfere with the willingness of the athlete to consume the water and will result in a dehydrated state which will precipitate problems for that athlete. This is However, if any of the products are to be administered during critical to its health. It is assumed that all athletes have access an endurance event, the horse should have had an opportunity to good food (+ in particular a good quality hay) plus adequate to consume these during the build-up and preparation plus they quantities of palatable water. should be a product that is acceptable to the horse and will not
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Dr Paul van D
The Fauresmith 200 is one of the most challenging endurance rides in the world. Not only is the terrain over which the ride takes place a challenge to the horse, but also the fact that it runs over a period of three days.
drinking water at all times. If he is fussy, try flavouring the water (a little salt, some apple vinegar, or some sugar) at home and again at Preparing horses for this ride is a major challenge. There are few Fauresmith. opportunities where riders can test their horses over rides on consecutive days, and to a large extend they are entering new Electrolytes ground when Fauresmith is tackled for the first time. Endurance horses do lose a Based on the most common problems we see at the Fauresmith lot of electrolytes (especially ride, the following should form an important part of your sodium, chloride, potassium preparation. and some magnesium and calcium) in their sweat. It is Feeding essential to supplement the horse’s intake with electrolytes, but it is just as important to What you feed your horse has a direct effect on his metabolic make sure that you are using an appropriate product. Do not state. Metabolic problems are commonly seen, both on the first use something that contains bicarbonate, and steer away from day (when they amount more to tying-up and related problems) products that have long lists of ingredients. Stick to products and on the following days (electrolyte imbalances and exhaustion). that contain the electrolytes that are lost in sweat (but be careful of too much potassium). In my opinion it is best to only Do not change your feeding during the last month before supplement your horse with salt (the coarse variety) on a daily Fauresmith. Do not listen to your friend, neighbour, fellow rider. basis, and to change to a good electrolyte mix starting three Stick to what you are doing. Do not start adding fat or oil in the last days before you depart for the ride venue, doubling up on ride month if your horse is not used to it (it takes the digestive system days, and continuing with a normal dose up to three days after longer than that to adapt to a higher fat content in the ration). Do the ride. not now start adding all kinds of wonderful supplements (with the “if one is good, ten must be better” approach). Make sure of Shoeing the composition of what you want to use before giving it, and if unsure about the effect on your horse, ask someone who knows. In 2010, a large proportion of the lameness’s seen at Fauresmith And remember – good quality food beats any supplement on were a direct result of concussion of the feet. This is partly due any day! to the hardness of the terrain, the unevenness of the course, and poor preparation on the side of the rider. Most horses Water is paramount, and your horses should have access to clean need to be shod when participating in a challenging ride such as
Fauresmith. Horses that have been prepared carefully over time to go barefoot can complete the ride without shoes (albeit not always without some other form of hoof protection), but the emphasis here is on careful preparation over time. If your horse is shod regularly, makes sure that your shoeing is planned in such a way that he is shod about ten to fourteen days before the ride. Do not change shoes a day or so before the ride (except if you have to as a result of a problem). It is sometimes necessary to use pads with the shoes to protect the soles of the feet (especially with horses that are used to soft, sandy terrain). If so, make sure that the pad allows for proper drainage (it either should be open over the frog, or have a largish hole near the toe) to allow you to clean out sand and other material that gets in between the pad and the sole. Many horses have been eliminated due to sole pressure that was caused by an accumulation of sand between the pad and the sole – beware!
back. Do not use a long seated saddle on an Arab with a very short back. Get good advice if you are not sure!
Travel The further you travel to Fauresmith, the longer before the ride you need to get there.Ten kilometres on the road in a horsebox take about as much out of a horse as one kilometre on the track, so your horse needs time to rest and recover between travelling and the start of the ride. Take a break during the trip every now and then, to allow the horse to drink (dehydration is your enemy number one!). It is better not to feed your horse lots of concentrates on the day before and during your road trip, as this might lead to colic. Rather reduce the concentrates, and allow him free access to good hay at all times.
Conditioning
The most important part of your preparation is the conditioning of your horse. In my opinion it is best to plan your season such that you have your horse qualified for Fauresmith by the end of April, and to rest him for a whole month during May (horses do not lose their fitness in a single month). Start preparing him for Fauresmith from the beginning on June onwards. During preparation you should work on his fitness (distance under saddle, and some fartlek or similar training) and his suppleness (schooling and ring work with the use of various aids). Even Saddle fitting though endurance horses go forward all the time, and do not have to bend as much as show jumpers or dressage horses, they Often neglected, but saddle fitting is as important as shoeing. still need to be supple to enable them to use their musculature One saddle does not fit all, and one saddle does not even fit to best effect. the same horse at all times. As he builds muscle, his shape changes, and the saddle that was a perfect fit before all of a It is common to drop off on the training during the last week sudden now limits his movement. Make sure that the saddle or two, but do not drop off too much! And when you get to allows free movement of the shoulder – if the saddle hampers Fauresmith, do not stop working your horse. Take him out for shoulder movement, you lose on stride length and your horse a ride for at least 45 minutes every day, and do some handwill tire! Also make sure that there are no pressure points, and walking in between. The stables are small, and your horse needs check that there is lots of contact between the saddle and the to loosen up to prevent him from tying up during the ride. Whether your ride with or without shoes, the feet have to be balanced and shaped in relation to the rest of your horse’s conformation. Long toes, under run heels, uneven feet all contribute to problems and lameness during the ride. In endurance horses, ninety percent of lameness’s originate in the foot – so rather spend on a good, well-trained, experienced farrier, and steer away from those who have no real training.