Lucy Allomes was part of the New Zealand team at the Australasian Regional Endurance Championship. Photo / Sarah Sullivan Photography
Lucy Allomes was part of the New Zealand team at the Australasian Regional Endurance Championship. Photo / Sarah Sullivan Photography
When Lucy Allomes found out that an endurance event in Australia was going to include a New Zealand team, she thought it would be good experience for her.
Her team claimed third place overall in the Australasia Regional Endurance championship, held in Queensland.
She says she had to apply to join the team and found out she had been chosen at the end of April.
Having to fundraise to pay for her trip over to Queensland was a bit of a struggle, as she was also at Lincoln University, where she is studying Agricultural Science.
The Woodville resident, who began participating in endurance riding in 2017, left Christchurch for Australia at the end of May, travelling to Inglewood in Queensland for the competition.
She says it was the first such event to be held in the southern hemisphere.
“It was the first time they’d ever run it, which was pretty cool.”
Lucy Allomes was part of the New Zealand team at the Australasian Regional Endurance Championship. The team came third overall.
Teams from China, Malaysia, New Zealand, Australia and Japan took part, as well as a few individual riders from other countries that weren’t able to get enough riders together to form a team.
Lucy says she had a few days before the main event to get used to her mount, with the horses allocated by drawing names out of a hat.
Lucy Allomes with Shanelli-Park Phoenix.
“My horse was named Shanelli-Park Phoenix,” she says.
She spent her time riding around, becoming accustomed to the horse before the Friday, when the main event was held.
Participating in such a competition on a horse she was unfamiliar with wasn’t as simple as just riding.
“You have to know its quirks and how to ride it,” Lucy says.
“Every horse is different. You have to start building a partnership and make sure that you’re going to be a good team.”
On the competition day, the riders started at 6am, doing a three-loop 100km, which Lucy says took about 7.5 hours of riding time.
Lucy came in 14th individually, and was very happy with her effort.
“It’s such a good experience, not only to have the opportunity to represent your country, but do it successfully.”
She says endurance is a sport where successful completion depends on many factors, such as effective vet checks and negotiating the risks of the horse going lame.
“Especially riding on a track I’ve never ridden before.”
Having never ridden in sand, she had to change her approach to riding to qualify.
While Lucy has only just started university and wants to focus on her studies, she hopes to be able to go further in her sport, possibly to world ranking.
“That would be pretty cool to do.”
She had a great time at the event in Australia and it was something she would like to explore further.
“I get to build future opportunities riding over there. Not necessarily for New Zealand but personal riding. It would be so cool.”
