HorseBloke

Here are some more pictures of me.

	Here is a photo of HorseBloke taken in at the Mt Cole Challenge Endurance Ride in 1995. The Mt Cole Challenge is a two day ride starting at midnight Friday with 160 km to be completed by midnight Saturday. On Sunday another 80 km is ridden. Photo: T. Hay.
	Here are Nikita and I dressed up Arabian. The saddle I bought in Abu Dhabi, the dishdasha, etc., in Sharjah.

Eventually I will get some more pictures of myself up here, but so far, I haven't taken any good pictures of me! I will have to wait until someone else does...

Ok, here at last is a bit of a brag about myself. This is an updated version of an article I wrote for a magazine article in 1996.

Rider Profile

Luke started endurance Riding in 1990. His first completion at 80 km was on Sarah at the Grampians ride in November. Since then he has ridden increasing distances each year on Nikita and Sarah, and occasionally other people's horses. Luke has now ridden over 6000 km in successful completions, including rides in Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and in the USA.

In 1995 Luke rode 1786 km in competition, including 1386 km on Nikita, 160 km on Sarah and 240 km on horses owned by leading Endurance rider Gayle Holmes of Healesville. In 1995 he won the Victorian Heavyweight Rider of the year and Distance Rider titles. Luke placed second in the National Heavyweight Distance Rider and third in the Heavyweight High Points Rider competition.

In 1996 Luke won the Victorian Heavyweight Rider points and distance awards, for the second time. Competing only on Nikita his competition distance for the year was 1614 km, ridden entirely in Victoria. Luke won the 1996 National Heavyweight Rider distance title and was second in the National Heavyweight Rider points title (to a rider who campaigned several horses that season).

Luke's routine for those two years was intense. It takes a lot of commitment to fit Endurance riding in with a full-time day job. In Easter 1996 he moved to Riddells Creek with his horses. Having the horses at home is a luxury compared with daily travelling to agistment. At the height of the competition season, the has been to rise before dawn and ride out at first light. The daily routine was to ride a lap of the Riddells Creek township, then home to get ready for work. A race to catch the train at Sunbury and then a tram to the office on St Kilda Rd.

Luke is a Technical Writer with the Telecommunications department of Fujitsu Australia, and finds the need for a radical contrast from the office environment in his sport. On weekends, if not going away for a competition, Luke is off training his horse out in the bush somewhere.

When Luke first started in the sport in 1990, he wondered how on earth the top riders managed to achieve what they did. In 1994, after completing several hundred kilometres for the year, he decided to shoot for the distance awards. During those two big years almost everything went well. Nikita, at the end of her fifth season of competition was a seasoned campaigner, sound and fit. With just the distance awards on the list, and the motto 'TO COMPLETE IS TO WIN' in mind, they set about riding steadily and completed ride after ride. Attempting all the major rides during those two years and completing them successfully saw the championship points add up too. The points system operates on distance, placing and the number of competitors in the section. Luke was president of the Victorian Endurance Riders Association in 1995 and 1996 and assists the ride Veterinarians as a steward in the Vet ring, and is a roving reporter, as well as riding. To find out more about endurance riding, email HorseBloke

Last updated 27 April, 2003.

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