Missy Moo & Crew

19/06/2026

We even managed to get out riding over the weekend, Rich completed his 48km riding 2 different horses, as rode Lune the same day, then Zara took her out after Marshalling on Sunday! Trying to get Miss Lune fit enough for an EGB ride, once her vaccinations are back up to date (I missed her booster by 2 days 😭).
Zara & I have kept Mister & Missy ticking over this week, albeit just small rides leading up to our Piddle ride this weekend (nervous, excited & apprehensive 😬). They both had new shoes today fitted by our lovely farrier Luke Cottier Dip Wcf & a trot up to check soundness ✅️, they're now munching in our garden...
Our baby swallows in the stable are also getting ready for their maiden flights 🐦💗.

19/06/2026

Boconnoc Day 2 = Marshalling @ checkpoint 5, with Waterpoint 💦
All 3 of us volunteered for the day, which we love doing & every ride needs a plethora of volunteers in order to run. We volunteer whenever we can, plus in order to be eligible for awards, come the end of the season everyone has to have volunteered at an event.
Luckily the weather was fab, definitely a shorts day but with a gentle breeze & a fantastic setting on the beautiful Boconnoc Estate.
First of all we had to go to the venue to collect the checkpoint sign, list of riders, our instructions with emergency numbers etc & packed lunches (you get fed being a helper!). We then headed to our checkpoint & set up, including lots of sloshes, big buckets of water, a water bucket with some Baileys Keep Calm mash (very tasty for the fussy ones 😋) & hose pipe with spray head generously supplied by the gatehouse next to us ❤️.
Then the wait began for riders to arrive, Crew dog Nellie made the most of the sun, sunbathing 🐾.
The first riders came in, I checked their numbers and wrote down arrival times, it was a slow trickle to start, with gaps inbetween then a few larger groups arrived, which can get a bit manic! Rich & Zara were busy dishing out slosh bottles, giving the horses a drink & for those brave ponies who wanted a spray with the hose a good soaking - it was getting hot 🔥. Some ponies had never been sloshed, so we took our time with them & most loved it after their initial concerns 💦 - some ponies just didn't want to leave 😆 (pics attached).
Inbetween riders we busily filled up slosh bottles & topped up buckets, ready for the next arrivals. We had a few riders come to us from the wrong direction (oops), which we returned along the way they came 🙈. We've all done it, studying your map is a must (as well as carrying it), and keep your eyes p*eled for the markers on your left, if they start appearing only on your right, you've gone wrong (unless it's a 2-way stretch = marked both sides).
The final riders passed us, some riders hadn't appeared, so I phoned the ride organiser to check if they were still out on course, a few had retired on course or withdrawn, so we packed up & headed back to the venue to hand in our kit.
We were given a lovely Acer plant as a thank you (now in my garden, I'll try my best to keep it alive!) from the Ride Organiser, a lovely gesture ❤️, plus grabbed drinks & some chips from the caterer before heading home...

18/06/2026

Boconnoc part 1
Rich & Cercei were riding the 48km Novice, with Zara & I crewing..
Cercei was our first pony to test out our new to us trailer, Rich came across an Equitrek with a small living, which is fab for staying away in, as some venues don't allow tents & we need a crew vehicle. Plus Cercei & Mister don't like the Ifor, both a bit sticky loading but fine in the lorry! Hopefully with a bit more headroom & pointing the other way they'll be happier 🤞 Sadly can't afford the herringbone Cheval Liberte atm. Cercei loaded & travelled well both journeys which is good 😎.
Cercei was still full of herself even without having Endurance mix, but not quite as much as she was at Golden Horseshoe! She passed the Vetting, albeit with a higher heart rate 🙈. Back to trailer, tack up & head out! Off they went, Cercei full of beans 🫘 🏇 tagging along with Vicky of Haytor Endurance (they've ridden together several times & rub along nicely).
Zara & I headed off to the crewpoints, made the first one no problems, Cercei still full of running 😆. Headed off to the second Crewpoint, decided to use What3Words for an unbeknown reason & got completely lost as sat nav was trying to take us down dirt tracks 🙈. All we had to do was return the way we came & go on a little more (should have studied the map better!), instead we did a huge loop & missed them - oops, we'llget the sack.... We found Crewpoint 3 no worries & luckily Cercei was fine & still full of running 😆..
Onwards to the last Crewpoint - all good, they'd had a good ride! Then get back to the venue, set up the hold & watch them come in. In they come, untack, wash off as was getting hot & the horseflies were now out in force, the joys of riding in a big estate full of parkland!
Cerceis' heart rate wasn't dropping as quickly as normal, so took a little while longer but it was hot, so hopefully it was that 🤞then we headed to midpoint Vetting. Heart rate was fine, now the trot up & sadly slightly lame behind 😞, the reason why her HR hadn't dropped as quickly as normal.. Rich said there were a few areas with bad footing, plus some stoney tracks, he felt she'd stood in a hole but otherwise they'd had a lovely ride! Gutting but that's Endurance for you!
We headed back home after another wash down & rest..
Rich brought Cercei in the next day for a check over, stretch etc, trotted her up & she was sound luckily 😎. She'll have to the end of the week off. Thanks as always to everyone involved with this iconic ride & to Farlap for the fab photos 📸

11/06/2026

Well done Moo & lovely to see lots of new faces on the ride too 🌟🎉💗

Dartmoor Ride Results 🌿🐴

A fantastic day out on the moor, with riders taking on the new routes from the Brentor Church venue, enjoying open grassy going, hills, river crossings and those unmistakable Dartmoor views.

Judy Holloway and Rabbalina continued their incredible consistency with a win in the 66km GER – a combination never far from the podium.

In the 40km GER, Craig Budden and Rafthouse Eduardo put in an impressive performance to take the win at 14.3kmph.

The 40km Novice GER saw a very special return to competition for Lesley Nott and Allaskar’s Scout, who was last competed by Lesley’s daughter Emily back in 2023.

There was another lovely comeback story in the 32km GER, with Annie Joppe and HS Chiara taking the win after Chiara’s time away from competition having a foal.

The 32km Novice GER went to Jessie Lethbridge and GFA Shalimar’s Quest – a new ride for Jessie.

And in the 26km Novice Foundation GER, Greta Riordan took the win with Lahinch Topper, a dun Connemara.

Huge congratulations to all riders and horses who took part, and thank you to organiser Victoria Mosey, entries secretary Ruth Varcoe, the South West group and all the volunteers who made the day possible. 💚

10/06/2026

Missy & Mister have had a week off after their 66km ride on Dartmoor, just chilling in the field. We brought them in several times, to check over, have ice boots on legs, have a good groom, do some gentle stretching etc & they've both been absolutely fine, no sore areas at all 😎 This week whilst I've been at work, Zara & my son Zak have led them out inhand a few times, let them munch the hedges too 😋. Back to riding tonight & both felt good, I decided to try Lunes Specialized saddle on Missy, it fitted fairly well but is very different to her Reactorpanel, with no knee rolls or thigh blocks (my security), nothing to grip onto 😬 However, it felt quite stable & it didn't slip or roll at all 😎, am sure I'd get used to a saddle like this...
Zara got to try out her new riding hat as her old one was getting too tight, her head was aching after Dartmoor 🙈. This time she opted for a Evoke Callisto, with a wide peak & bling ✨, it's vented too which is good for us Endurance Riders, plus was fitted by a lovely lady at Redpost Equestrian..
We'll keep on hacking this week, squeeze in lunging after work (hooray it's light after 8:30pm!), try and get a longish ride at the weekend (Around crewing for Rich at Boconnoc & volunteering on Sunday), then taper off before Piddle Ride the following weekend 😀. I'm now glad we decided to ride an 80km at Piddle, giving us another week, the ponies need their rest, time to recoup, recover & build back up (So do I 🤣🙈)...

10/06/2026

Have crewed for friends with Diabetes, it's important to recognise the signs of a hypo / hyper, so you can act quickly to prevent it escalating & becoming an emergency!

“Nothing is to hinder you. You can do it.”

Susan Cox has lived with Type 1 diabetes for nearly 50 years — and has ridden thousands of endurance miles along the way.

She has produced six horses to Advanced level, three to FEI, completed 160km in a day several times, ridden for team competitions, completed the Cairngorms 100 and earned the famous buckle, and taken on the iconic Red Dragon 160km over two days.

She has also competed at Golden Horseshoe almost every year since 1994.

For Susan, managing diabetes during a ride is about careful organisation: food, hydration, electrolytes, emergency supplies, spare insulin pump kit and, most importantly, a trusted crew who help fuel the rider as well as the horse.

Her story is a powerful reminder that diabetes does not define what someone can achieve.

Read Susan’s story in our Diabetes Week article: https://www.endurancegb.co.uk/Cms/Spaces/NEWS/News/Riding+Volunteering+and+Living+with+Diabetes+EGB+Members+Share+Their+Stories+for+Diabetes+Week

04/06/2026

Bye bye Lulu, we will miss your beautiful face but look forward to hearing about your adventures ❤️.

01/06/2026

Zara & I headed to the EGB SW Dartmoor Ride yesterday, to attempt the 66km class. It was held at a new venue (to us) but included some of the old route we'd previously ridden. The ponies vetted well, although Missys heart rate was higher than normal, all she wanted to do was eat the lush grass she was stood in (she's got hardly any at home as is on a diet) & was getting annoyed with me 🙄.
The course rode well, the going on the grassy stretches was great, the sunny weather we've had, had dried it up well! The moor being the moor has its own challenges, rocks scattered about you have to keep an eye out for, stoney washed out areas after a really wet Winter, dried out rutted areas, livestock and ponies (with very cute young foals), hills, gates & river crossings. The views were amazing too, beautiful vistas everywhere, although sadly I didn't take any pics, was too busy holding on & watching where we were going!
Missy was full of herself on the first loop, Mister was also enjoying himself but managed to contain it! We also rode with Katie on Reah, so 2 Crabbety mares out together ❤️, they all went well together, taking turns in front & Zara loved having someone younger to chat with (us oldies can be boring apparently 😆). Crewing was shared with Rich at one Crewpoint & Katie's parents at the 2nd Crewpoint, which worked well (thanks guys 😘).
Back at the venue we presented to the Vets straight after untacking, all passed 🎉.
The 30 minute hold goes by quickly & we were soon out again, although the times we were allowed out differed by a few minutes even though we all presented at the same time 🙈 Katie & Zara headed out, I had to wait a couple minutes which was slightly concerning as wasn't sure if Missy would explode or not watching her husband trot off with another filly 🤣 She kept it together and we cantered to catch them up without exploding 😎.
The ponies were a bit miffed they had to go out again & leave the lush field but once back out on the course were fine. Half way around the second loop they were starting to slow, the sun had decided to reappear & breeze drop, so was warming up, we stopped at any drinking place & they drank well, took regular walking breaks & turns leading the way home, our aim was to get home safe & sound within the minimum sp*ed, a pass was the goal! Mister led a fair way home, he has a lovely long relaxed canter & being somewhat lighter than Missy floats along. We made it back, returned to the trailer to untacked, washed down, checked HR's, the sun had disappeared again & there was a chill in the wind, so we all decided to present after 15 minutes & we all passed 🎉. I was impressed with Missys HR being 42, which gained her a Grade 3 & came 2nd in the class, Mister a Completion & came 4th. Sp*ed wasn't too shabby either at 10.5 kmph. Total Ascent was 1,514m! Zaras 2nd +64km passed, Missys 3rd 🎉
We're now trying to decide whether our next ride should be our first 80km or to do one more 64km & whether it should be at Boconnoc or Piddle?? Rich is all entered for Boconnoc...
Thanks as always to everyone involved with the organising and running of the Dartmoor Ride, as well as the kind landowners, we loved it 😀
Professional photos attached by Farlap 📸❤️

27/05/2026

Better late than never, the Golden Horseshoe write up for Rich & Cercei! We traveled up the evening before and camped at Westermill, with Cercei coralled next to us. Rich had put a new set of wheels & tyres onto our trailer, checked it over & packed more than enough tools - just in case! Luckily the bank holiday traffic was heading down to Cornwall, so we had a clear run. Cercei isn't keen on the trailer but didn't take long to load up & travelled well.. Saturday was fairly hot, getting into the late 20's but come the night it dropped to 4°, we felt it camping 🥶.
Come morning & we woke up to Cercei cantering in her corral, unusual for her as she's normally quite chilled out! Rich had already fed her, so we got up, dressed, packed everything up & headed to the venue. Thankfully the organisers had allowed us to Vet early due to the impending heat. Rich unloaded and walked Cercei around who was still full of it! I went and sorted paperwork.
Vetting came & Cercei was still not that settled but passed luckily. Rich tacked up then he headed off, Zara & I made our way to the first crew point. We managed to find all crewpoints easily thanks to the What3Words given 😎 It was getting hotter as the day went by but Rich rode to the conditions and Cercei was coping well, plenty of sloshes, drinks & walks..
We made it to the finish in time to see them cross the line then straight back to the trailer to cool down.. We used all of our remaining water to cool her down, she was still full of Sass though! I asked Rich what he'd fed her with & he'd been giving her Misters Endurance mix (with cereal), instead of the Ease & Excel non cereal mix 🙈 Oops, she's obviously not compatible with cereal 🙈🙈.
Anyway, Vetting came & she passed, her heart rate had dropped enough thankfully, as I was worried about the rising heat 🎉. Now to get her to chill out, walk around, have a munch, a p*e, the adrenaline wore off & she relaxed 😀.
We packed up, had a bite to eat ourselves then stayed a bit longer for the results & prize giving. There were some tasty cakes given out (much appreciated) & awards given out, Rich & Cercei had only gone & won their class, 40km Novice 🌟🎉💗💙. They got a completion in the performance formula, won a bag of Saracen Recovery Mash, a Muggling along Golden Horseshoe mug & and Equine QR tag.
Many thanks to everyone involved with the organising and running of this fabulous ride, as well as the kind landowners and sponsors 💙💗 Thanks also to David Saunders photography for the fabulous photos 📸 🏇