2024-04-07 13:50:21
The main distance of the competition – 41 km, the cup went to “Žiegždriau zirgyna” located in Kaunas district. The first place was won by Augustė Eidukaitytė, a representative of this stud farm, with Prapunta, a horse of the Žemaituk breed. The duo covered the distance in just over three hours.
In the distance of 24 km, after a persistent fight, Ugnė Zalieckienė won with the Arabian breed horse Mr. Mayday duet, representing the horse sports club “Naujadvarios zirgai”, located in Trakai district.
The duo from Šiauliai Young Naturalists Center – Austėja Čiužaitė with the Arabian breed horse Milord, who felt extremely good after finishing the course, won the 17 km adult event. This horse’s heart rate recovered to the target limit in a record-breaking time of just 24 seconds.
In the 17 km distance, Margarita Babič triumphed with the Anglo-Arabian horse Alhaja, representing the horse sports club “Naujadvaris zirgai”. Asked to share her impressions from the track, Margarita thanked the organizers for the well-marked track:
“The track was marked perfectly, so I could concentrate on the horse, listen to his breathing, admire the awakening nature,” said the winner.
The participants of the 4 km distance competed undefeated in the family race, having a good time in nature. The youngest of them – Domantas Jarmalavičiis, who rode the Russian trotting horse Khan Chingiu – is only six.
Competition manager the judge – Gabrielė Mateikaitė-Varankevičienė assured that the competition of small riders is no less important.
“This is an opportunity to educate riders from a young age, to introduce them to the competition procedure and rules, to let them feel the joy of the first medal, so that later they can achieve even higher results. Children must be accompanied by an adult all the time on this track, usually it happens at a pace, although more adventurous fathers or mothers try to improve the result by running, so that the child can trot with the horse”, shared G. Mateikaitė-Varankevičienė.
According to the judge, one such rider who grew up with horses is Jogailė Develytė, who is now missing just one successful finish in the 160 km distance with the Arabian horse Sultan to qualify for the 2025 European Endurance Riding Championship, which will be held in Italy.
Endurance riding is a race against time that tests the horse’s speed and stamina, as well as testing the rider’s orientation and ability to feel his horse’s capabilities. When competing in endurance riding, the priority is not winning, but the well-being of the horse.
“The horses are carefully checked by veterinarians before the start – they are healthy and move well. After starting the selected distance, the duos must cover the set pace and fit into a certain time interval – this means, they cannot move either too slowly or too fast. After finishing, the condition of the horse is checked again: pulse, muscle tone, dehydration, other indicators, it is observed whether it runs smoothly. The better the condition rating, the more points the contestant gets, which means that sometimes the victory can be determined by a horse’s heart rate being a few beats lower. A duo whose horse
feeling objectively worsened after the distance, is disqualified. So it’s a sport whose representatives take special care of the horse’s health and well-being”, explained G. Mateikaitė-Varankevičienė.
According to her, it is not only one of the most natural equestrian sports disciplines for the horse, but also the most accessible for horse lovers – amateurs who do not aspire to Olympic heights, but want to test their abilities. There are no age or physical restrictions to start practicing this sport, there are also special competitions for families where the youngest riders compete accompanied by their relatives, as well as competitions for riders with disabilities.
The next competition will be held on April 27. Kurtuvėnai, Šiauliai district. The event is free.
2024-04-07 13:50:21