Thank you to Paul, Marty, and Daisy Bryson of PMB Farm in Victoria, Australia, for running your endurance team in Renegade Hoof Boots for the last number of years, and we are looking forward to another successful year as you head in your endurance season! Write up submitted by Paul and Marty Bryson.
Gippsland Endurance Rider Zone (GERZ)
Toongabbie Trainer Ride
So here is our latest write up. It is a little long but that probably because it’s the first ride we’ve been to for a year thanks to Covid-19.
When all our stars align and we get to experience ENDURANCE again!
A super weekend was had at GERZ – Gippsland Endurance Riders Zone, even the rain couldn’t dampen the spirit felt at the wonderfully accomodating Toongabbie Riding Club grounds. The endurance families reunited once again travelling from far and wide. A huge thank you to ALL of the GERZ team for organising this ride: CS Lyn, Jennie, Donna, Mezcal, Di & Tarryn, Mark, Carol & Peter, the Verspaandonk’s and all others involved. Thanks to the VETS – Ash, Lesley & Viv for your timeless dedication throughout this event. Alerion still loves his 3!! and Dior her A for gut noise!!
After a quick catch up round camp with peeps not seen in over a year, the rain slowly crept in so we bunkered down for the night at 8pm.
An early rise at 4am with Paul and his wonderful Miss Dior MI riding MW (middleweight). Marty and Alerion LW (lightweight) and Alerion’s first ever 80km ride. Daisy & her faithful Accelerate riding Junior division. The horses traversed the tracks brilliantly in their Renegade vipers. No boots lost or stuck in mud or broken, a huge success. This is a first time in the Renegade Viper boots for an 80km – we believe the horses were Impressed as was one of the vets!!
Daisy and Ace being the favourites of the weekend and placing 3rd Junior with an immaculate vet logbook!! All A’s & 1’s and great heart rates 
(for those non endurance peeps – considering we were on novice time constraints due to the 13 month rule. Not having a competitive ride within 13 months constitutes us needing to do an 80km with a minimum of 6 hours and maximum of 9 hours and vetting through successfully with heart rate, gut sound, hydration and gait deemed presentable to horse health and welfare fit to continue).
Paul & Dior came in at 14th place in MW (the most competitive division) out of a field of 19 riders. Dior also had a super vetting log book finishing with all A’s and 1’s – great management Paul as she often will end with a B for gut sound.
Alerion had his first 80 ride, we thought it may have been a little risky as he is a bit fleshier than we’d prefer, however he proved us wrong!! I was SO impressed with this boys performance of readily adapting and he smashed it. He decided chasing horses is far more fun, I really had to slow him down A LOT. I thought he was hitting the wall at 70kms until a horse passed us and off he went again with energy to burn. He has the most amazing rocking horse canter with a huge stride 16+hh pure Arabian. I am really excited to see his future roll out. Thank you to Megan for the recommendation and to Vanessa for breeding this beauty.
I sincerely want to acknowledge our incredible sponsors Hi Form Australia PL and Harrys Choice. The food and supps that we now feed our horses has been a big contributing factor to their performance and recovery. Ace and Miss Dior have struggled here and there with GS, this weekend has proved how your products can help these extreme athletes. It really goes to show healthy creates healthy. Thank you for tucking us under your wings.
Massive thank you to Renegade Hoof Boots our other sponsor for your generous support with regard to our athletes hooves. The old saying “no hoof no horse” well we certainly had success, and the boots massively contributed to that, thank you again for believing in us to endorse your brand.
PK Saddles are still our one and only preferred saddle, healthy happy horses and hoomans.
Thank you to everyone at PMB Farm Australia without you all we couldn’t be the team we are!! A few special thanks to Kelly for your help this weekend, making the journey down (via the scenic route) and seeing your face at the finish line was wonderful!! You are truly a treasure. Your support with strapping and weighing in is so utterly appreciated, washing the horses and packing up, to top it off with your company driving home. I think you are already a part of the endurance family.. Reli really needs to come to one very soon 
Thank you to Toni and Sherry for helping with the horses, kangaroos and Nora this week, One last thank you to Mel Bartlett & Matt Bartlett for having Kurt and dropping him home for us. Such wonderful and supportive friends thank you for your help.
