Our Club is very grateful for your Sponsor partnership with NSWERA, and enormously appreciative of your sponsorship of the Vets Choice Award at our Ride. See what else Erica had to say >>
Click on any winner’s name to read their story.
| Date | Ride | The Radincon Vets Choice Award Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 3.11.23 | NSW State Champs | |
| 14.10.23 | National Capital Ride | Nataysia Barnacoat / Paris |
| 23.9.23 | Watagan | Geraldine Stuart / Kolahai Jailahn |
| 10.9.23 | Woodstock | Karlee Rose / Dark Intentions |
| 2.9.23 | Johns River | Shannen Thorsby / Kamikaze Golden Ace |
| 5.8.23 | Currowan | Ella Calderwood / Mariah ERA |
| 29.7.23 | Winton to Longreach | Neeve Whittaker / El Shahranah Sharif |
| 22.7.23 | Kiwarrak | Lara Dilley / Rosebrae Red Rustler |
| 23.6.23 | Tom Quilty Gold Cup | Aimee Jeffrey / Kozzi |
| 17.6.23 | Willowvale | Maureen Zeschke / Anzac |
| 3.6.23 | Central Ranges – Windeyer | Graeme Burchell / Kiowa |
| 12.5.23 | Bushgrove Gift | Amanda Apperley / Rahanah, Jaya Braddick / Ellusionist |
| 22.4.23 | Bumbaldry | Leanne Kathleen Hickson / Cool Water Gal-Lexie |
| 15.4.23 | Tooraweenah | Sara Worner / Box Hill Tilly Kay |
| 8.4.23 | Darling River | Hannah Cossor / Newbury Illustraa’s Impact |
| 25.3.23 | Mountain Lagoon | Jen Ord / TP Aneeqa |
Supporting the sport means long days, often in bleak conditions. We thank you for your commitment, enthusiasm and care for our much-loved equine athletes.
Congratulations to Nataysia Barnacoat and Paris for their performance at the Brookvale ride organised by the ACT Endurance Riders Association. Paris joined the team on Nataysia’s family farm early this year and is gradually being introduced to endurance riding. The vets were impressed by Nataysia’s horse skills, enthusiasm and positive attitude.
Seven years ago, Kolahai Jailahn was an underfed, unbroken mare whose owners couldn’t afford to keep or feed her. A lucky rescue saw her cared for and broken in – it also led to her meeting Geraldine Stuart and the start of a special endurance riding partnership. Since then, Little Miss Lahni has completed dozens of rides, including being just 8 seconds off the pace for a first place at Currowan. As Geraldine says, she’s ‘a pocket rocket who’s faced a few life challenges and just keeps improving’.
Karlee Rose has come a long way since her first social ride just 5 years ago in 2018. Woodstock was her first attempt at a full endurance ride – she not only succeeded but scored the Radincon Vets Choice Award and a rug for her stockhorse mare Dark Intentions. Karlee chose to ride bareback, bitless and barefoot, showing a truly connection between horse and rider.
Local rider Shannen Thorsby guided her purebred Australian stallion Kamikaze Golden Ace to complete his first 80km ride and come 7th in the Lightweight category. A unanimous decision from the vets to recognise ‘a happy smiling rider who obviously loves her horses’.
Head vet Nicole Mace presented the coveted Radincon Vets Choice Award embroidered rug to Ella Calderwood, who stepped up at Currowan to the big 80-km distance. Ella has been successfully competing in endurance since 2010 and partnering with her 19-year-old purebred Arabian mare Mariah ERA for the past 3 years.
Nicole’s choice of Ella wasn’t just because she stepped up the distance. Ella also listened to advice at the vet check for the first leg, when her mare’s gut sounds were a little quiet. By following vet advice and encouraging Mariah to eat and drink more on the track, Ella helped her horse complete the ride more comfortably – plus at the final vet check she scored As and 1s for all her vital parameters including the gut check.
Congratulations to Ella and Mariah ERA – and to every other rider who invests time and effort in learning how to get a horse truly fit and able to manage the 80km distance.
The Winton to Longreach endurance ride was a remarkable event. This historic 220km ride was revived to mark the centenary of the Queensland Country Womens Association, and to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Angel Flight Australia.
The winner of The Radicon Vets Choice Award is equally remarkable.
Neeve Whittaker is dedicated to endurance riding. She and her purebred El Shahranah Sharif completed the course in 19 hours and 8 minutes to finish second pushing her to the top of the Junior Riders’ leaderboard. But that performance hasn’t gone to her head. Vet Harry Wever praised her as a quiet achiever who is ‘very respectful and polite to everyone’.
Neeve’s ambition is to become a vet. We’re sure she has the passion and determination to succeed, and we share Harry’s opinion that she’ll be an asset to the profession.
A great story from the Kiwarrak Endurance ride. Our sponsored rider Susan Woodward spent some time riding with relative newcomer to endurance Cheree Dilley and her vivacious daughter, Lara.
Unfortunately Cheree had to withdraw her horse meaning 14 year old Lara had to continue on her own.
Susan offered to take Lara under her wing for the rest of the second leg of the 84km leg and guided her (after lots of chats and questions!) successfully round for Lara to not only finish 3rd Junior, but to have the honour of winning both the Integrity Award AND The Radincon Vets Choice Award!
Susan says with the promising way Lara took on board Susan’s advice and guidance and with Lara’s natural ability and affinity with horses, she has a bright future in endurance and her chosen career as a TB jockey.
We wish her all the best for the rest of the season.
Aimee Jeffrey and Kozzi (Die Kinder Kosmonaut) are the deserving recipients of The Radincon Vets Choice Award for the Tom Quilty Gold Cup 2023. Head vet Harry Weaver was impressed by Aimee’s attention to Kozzi, not least when he was kicking up a fuss about having his temperature taken. Luckily Aimee had the skills and the relationship to keep Kozzi calm and keep the vets from painful injury!Completing the 100km course of the Quilty is an achievement in itself – congratulations on that as well as the Award.
The vets at Willowvale had this to say about Maureen Zeschke: ‘She has worked hard over the last few years. She’s put in a huge amount of effort to improve Anzac’s niggling little issues. She’s listened and taken advice. It’s been great to watch how Anzac has improved over the years. Well done to both of them.’
The deserving recipient of the Radincon Vets Choice Award for Windeyer was Graeme Burchell, riding Kiowa in a time of 8 hours 39 minutes & 15 seconds.
The vets chose Graeme for this award for two reasons. Not only did he maintain a consistent heart rate from start to finish, he also piloted his grandson Zac McDonald around his first 80km endurance ride.
There’s a story behind why we chose to allow double winners for The Radincon Vets Choice Award at the Bushgrove gift. Here’s how one of those winners, Amanda Apperley, explained it:
‘I was the “responsible adult” accompanying Jaya Braddick around her first 80km. A little mishap on the first leg resulted in me injuring myself. If it wasn’t for a 12 yr old girl telling me to have faith and dragging this old duck around the second leg, I think I would still be sitting out on track. We were both successful and to say I am proud of Jaya, would be an understatement.
Hats off to Amanda for supporting the next generation. And hats off to Jaya for supporting her mentor when needed. How could we let either of them go unrecognised?
Beautiful weather for the Bumbaldry ride through Conimbla National Park later in April. The vets judging there were impressed by Leanne Hickson’s positive, polite, and encouraging attitude, including her support for fellow riders. It was the first time her horse Cool Water Gal-Lexie completed the 80km distance, so it was a double delight for Leanne.
Sara Worner had a tough 2022 endurance riding season. She vetted out at the end of last year’s Tom Quilty endurance ride, then a month later her mare Tequila slipped whilst galloping around her paddock. She broke a leg and sadly had to be put to rest.
That history made it all the more heartwarming to see Sara not only competing and completing in Tooraweenah this year, but also sharing The Radincon Vets Choice Award with her new mount Box Hill Tilly Kay. The Award is a testament to Sara’s dedication and horse management throughout the event.
Rising Star Hannah Cossor caught the attention of the veterinary team at the Bullio and Darling River Run in April way out west in Louth. Hannah’s been riding with Newbury Illustraa’s Impact (Finny) for some time now, and they cleaned up on the day. Not just The Radincon Vets Choice Award for the dedication and determination they showed, but they also won the FEI One Start Youth ride, and they scored for best condition too. It’s all about care for the horse and Hannah showed that in spades!
In March 2023, Jen Ord and her stunning mare, TP Aneeqa, were selected as the deserving recipients of the inaugural Radincon Vets Choice Award. It was a unanimous choice from all the vets, who praised Jen’s courtesy, the care she took with her horse and the way she guided two novice Junior riders during the event.
