To give you an idea what is entailed in this type of race Ive included some pictures and an outline of what happens during the race. Firstly: you lay on a chaffbag (your swag) on the track.
At the Call GO,
you jump up roll your Swag and run to your saddle, tying the bag to the saddle(loss of the bag will be elimination.
2. Run to the kindling and build your fire (in some races you chop your own kindling as well). and light it placing the billy to boil quickly.(four minutes or less is necessary if you hope to be in the first five.
3. When the billy boils run to your horse (waiting down the track) carrying your saddle and saddle up. Then gallop down the track to bags(usually full of sand or tins, both cause problems with many horses due to either the weight or the noise) carry this "sheep" to an allocated space And deposit the "sheep".
4. Gallop to the obstacle course which usually comprises a brush wall( to mimic a forest), a grid of tyres(wouldnt have a clue) but certainly scares the wits out of a lot of horses.
5. Gallop to the bank and water scares even more.
6. Once through the water, the yucky bit, rerun the obstacle course on foot including running through the water (sometimes its waist deep or better) then run to the grandstand and eat a cold pie and warm beer or softdrink. (sounds innocent except you are already winded.
7. Run back to your horse, remount, repeat the obstacle course then out onto the track and gallop a lap of the track (Penrith's is a half mile). This is where the pie and fizzy drink do their job it all wants to come back up, try it sometime and see how well you can concentrate on riding while trying not to be sick. |
