EQUESTRIAN: Two retired racehorses carry Pencader teenager and Newcastle Emlyn trainer to national title

Two former racehorses have carried a Pencader teenager and a Newcastle Emlyn trainer to a national title in their first season of endurance riding.

Sophia Parry, 16, and Sophie Spiteri, 37, were at the heart of the More Go Than Woah team that won the Level 1 title at the Endurance GB Club Championships.

The championships were held at the British Horse Feeds Red Dragon Festival of Endurance in mid Wales. Beth Kerslake, from Lutterworth in Leicestershire, completed the team.

Ex-racehorse Dodge tops the scoring at the Endurance GB Club Championships

Spiteri’s 12-year-old gelding Caroline’s Charm, known in the yard as Dodge, finished as the highest-scoring individual horse in the championship final.

Dodge had more than 30 starts as a National Hunt racehorse before he retired.

Parry rode Spiteri’s 10-year-old ex-racehorse River Meadows, known as River. He has finished every ride he has entered this season.

What endurance riding is, and why “to complete is to win”

Endurance riders cover long, marked cross-country routes over mixed ground, inside set speed limits.

Vets check every horse before, during and after each ride. They look at how quickly its heart rate recovers, whether it is moving soundly and how well it is coping overall.

Under Endurance GB rules, the motto is simple: “To complete is to win.”

Rides range from social outings of 15 to 20km up to elite 160km challenges.

Sophia Parry: “I feel so lucky to be trusted with River”

Parry only started working with Spiteri a few months ago, and said the title had made it a dream first season.

“Endurance was completely new to me this year and to finish as part of the winning More Go Than Woah team at Red Dragon was really special,” she said.

“Having only started working with Sophie a few months ago, I feel so lucky to be trusted with River. Seeing how much confidence he has gained has been incredibly rewarding.”

She added: “It’s a very social and supportive sport. You’re always cheering each other on to ensure every horse finishes happily and safely.”

Sophie Spiteri: Dodge “has truly found the job he was made for”

Spiteri, who founded Spiteri Retraining, said a national title was never part of the plan.

“We started the season just wanting to give our ex-racehorses a fresh challenge and have some fun. To finish as national Club Champions is beyond anything we expected,” she said.

“Dodge raced over 30 times and had a few setbacks after retirement, but he has truly found the job he was made for.”

She said the championships are open to ordinary riders: “The beauty of the Club Championships is its flexibility; you don’t need an elite, specialist horse or decades of experience to take part. It gives everyday riders and diverse breeds an achievable goal.”

Welsh win at the Home International in Scotland

Spiteri entered the team under Retraining of Racehorses (RoR), rather than a riding club, to show what horses can do after racing.

Earlier in the season, Dodge and River were both picked for the Welsh squad at the Home International in Scotland. Wales won, and Dodge took the individual 43km class.

The riders thanked the organisers, vets and volunteers at Red Dragon. They also thanked Caris Rycroft, who rode River earlier in the season before starting university.