Moor ride is just the ticket

I T WAS one of the best days of summer for the Camelford Endurance Ride, with near-perfect conditions on the moor.

The early mist that had shrouded the slopes of Rough Tor when the members of the Cornish Trail Riders Fellowship went out to mark the route, lifted and the whole of the high moor was bathed in sunshine.

"I do seem to be lucky with the weather every year," said Jan Kane, the ride organiser. "The Brentor Ride on Dartmoor had to be cancelled because it was so wet and the organisers were worried about damage to the moor, but today, on Bodmin, the ground is dry and it's really fast going."

This ride crosses one of the most remote and beautiful parts of the moor, where the only sounds are the occasional baaing of sheep and the buzzards calling overhead.

The 32km (20-mile) route goes out from the venue on a lane that leads down to the River Camel and then up on to Harpur's Downs and follows a loop around Treswellock and Casehill downs before going across the eastern side of Rough Tor, to a checkpoint on the edge of the old airfield. From here the riders turn back and head for Poldue Down and the West side of Rough Tor before turning for home.

One of the riders out enjoying herself was Ingrid Smith, from Chagford. She was riding her 11-year-old Arab mare Koteczka – Polish for "little pussy cat".

"It was superb today," she said. "Wonderful fast going and not too hot. It was really well marked as well, you couldn't go wrong. Just what an endurance ride should be."

Ingrid is a longstanding member of the South West Endurance Group and a familiar figure at rides. She has been competing since 1979 and still enjoys every minute.

"I started on a little Welsh cob that I had on loan," she said. "Our first ride was from Weddon Cross on Exmoor and we went straight out and did 40 miles – you didn't have to grade up in those days. It was brilliant and I was hooked from day one. My pony's owner enjoyed it too, she used to come and give me a hand by crewing."

To find out more about endurance riding, visit the South West stand at the Equine Fair in Exeter on December 5-6.