The Legendary-Penn Wingello Forest Endurance Ride 2022

Course Details

The vetting procedure for all rides is standard AERA with optional early present.  We will be using electronic timing for all rides at the event.

The descriptions provided below are for those who are curious about the track and like to know what to expect.  There is no need to memorise these descriptions – there will be plenty of arrows, distance markers and signs to show you the way.

Most of the features mentioned with capital letters in the descriptions will be signposted on track, as a guide to where you are on the course, and to help with counting the climbs so you can pace yourself.

Saddleworld Bowral 5km Introductory Ride

A lovely introduction to Wingello, this course follows sandy/gravelly forest trails through plantation area and some native bushland.  The trails are almost flat and very easy for the first 1.5km.  The course then leads gently downwards along the edge of the forest with plantation on your left and native forest on your right, before a short, moderately steep climb up the side of a small hill to The Green Room.  You will soon happen upon a Checkpoint, with water, hay, snacks and some friendly Cherished Volunteers.  From the Checkpoint, the track follows the boundary of the forest between the pines and open farmland.  Ride The Little Dipper and from there it’s almost flat back to base along the Home Straight.

Bowral Co-op 10km Introductory Ride

The fun tour of central Wingello, starting out along a fairly level sandy/gravelly forest trail for 2.7km to a Checkpoint well stocked with water, hay, snacks and some friendly Cherished Volunteers.  From the Checkpoint, the trail leads into native forest and becomes undulating.  Once past the half way mark, you follow the undulating and winding Serpentine Trail along the boundary of the forest with plantation on your left and native forest on your right.  The course continues gently downwards, before a short, moderately steep climb up the side of a small hill to The Green Room, and then to a second well-stocked Checkpoint.  From the Checkpoint, the track follows the boundary of the forest between the pines and open farmland.  Ride The Little Dipper and from there it’s almost flat back to base along the Home Straight.

Jojubi Saddlery 20km Introductory Ride &

Dixon Smith Equestrian 20km Introductory Ride

A meandering and gently undulating course around the perimeter of the northern pine plantation.  The first part of the course runs through the area that was hardest hit by the January 2020 wildfire, with much of the course bordering the aptly named Wildfire Gully.  You will skirt through and around the Forest Camp and the skip through the No Stopping Zone (500m) up to the Northern Exposure.

Next up is the only real hill of the trip – climbing 450m over 520m distance.  Then it’s just a few hundred metres on the flat to the first Checkpoint (8km from the start), where you will find water, hay, snacks and some friendly Cherished Volunteers.  It’s then an easy cruise out to The Far East (via the Northern Detour) and around the forest edge (past the Southern Detour) to your next Checkpoint (Saturday riders).  Sunday riders have a little further to go to their next Checkpoint.

From this point, the course becomes more undulating and you will soon be enjoying natural and unburnt forest.  Saunter around The Serpentine Trail (Sunday riders will find their Checkpoint along here) with plantation on your right and native forest on your left.

The course leads gently downwards along the edge of the forest before a short climb up the side of a small hill to another Checkpoint (Saturday rides only).  From the Checkpoint, the track follows the boundary of the forest between the pines and open farmland.  Ride The Little Dipper and from there it’s almost flat back to base along the Home Straight.

Stock & Noble 40/60km Intermediate Ride

This is an undulating ride which requires moderate fitness.  The course starts with 11km of gently undulating or flat forestry roads and trails through the burnt and cleared northern Wingello plantation.  You will skirt around the Southern Detour and wind along part of The Serpentine Trail.  Then you leave the plantation and start a long descent through native forest into Gully 1 (approx 600m length, 90m fall) where there is a vehicle width bridge across the creek.

You climb out of the gully (approx 1.6km length, 70m rise) for an easy 2km saunter around the Razorback ridge.  The course then takes another dive through native forest into Gully 2 (approx 1.3km length, 135m fall).  You ford a narrow rocky running creek at the bottom and then ascend up into the southern Wingello plantation (approx 1km length, 150m rise).

From here there are a few short patches of ballast rock on the trail, and then you can cruise around the the gently undulating Lyrebird Loop to Vinicombes Rest and on to your next Checkpoint.

You then have approximately 4.5km of dirt Council road before turning into an overgrown trail to head back to the forest.  You will have a 1km Two-Way section where slower riders may encounter the faster 80km riders heading back out on their second leg.

You will soon find yourself on a boundary trail with plantation on your right and native forest on your left.  There is a short moderately steep climb up the side of a small hill to The Green Room, and from there you can simply roll back to base.

There are two very short sections of trail on this final boundary section where faster riders may encounter 20km riders on the blue trail.  Please respect your fellow riders and do not rush past – the shared trail sections are very short (500m and 200m respectively).

The second leg of the Elevator ride is the 20km Ride described above.

The Legendary-Penn 80km Endurance Ride

The first leg of the 80km ride is the same as the first leg of the 40/60km elevator ride described above.

The second leg of the 80km begins along the same route as the 20km ride, but …

When you reach the Checkpoint on the Serpentine, you dive back down into Gully 1 (approx 600m length, 90m fall) where there is a vehicle width bridge across the creek.  You climb out of the gully (approx 1.6km length, 70m rise) onto the Razorback ridge, and then take another dive through native forest into Gully 2 (approx 1.3km length, 135m fall).  Then ford the narrow rocky running creek at the bottom and ascend up into the southern Wingello plantation (approx 1km length, 150m rise).

From here there are a few short patches of ballast rock on the trail, then it’s clear cruising around the gently undulating Lyrebird Loop and past Vinicombes Rest.  The course will soon lead you down to rockier trails bordering the White Gum Woodland.  Wind along the Georges Creek gully trail for several kilometres (with a few more short sections of ballast rock), then climb up  a gentle rise to a Checkpoint.

From here, you have approximately 3.5km of dirt Council road before cutting back to base along the Home Stretch.

Photographer

Official Photographer for the 2022 Wingello Forest Endurance Ride is:

Tony Bowler Photography

Ph:  0414 252 737

Web:  www.tonybowler.com

Prizes

The Legendary-Penn 80km Endurance Ride 

Stock & Noble 40/60km Intermediate Ride 

5km, 10km & 20km Introductory Rides

Biosecurity

The NSW Department of Primary Industries has published a short document titled ‘Horse Events: Biosecurity guidelines for organisers and competitors‘.

The primary responsibility for biosecurity at events lies with the horse owners and riders, well before the event.  All event participants have a responsibility to maintain good biosecurity, and not put the health of other people’s horses at risk.

Horses at events have the potential to spread infectious disease.  Horse events act as mulitpliers for the spread of infectious diseases should an outbreak occur.

Horses that are suspected of suffering from infectious or contagious diseases or have been in contact with other animals suffering from such diseases MUST NOT be brought to horse events.

Participants are expected to consciously monitor their horse’s health in the 3-5 days leading up to the event, including checking your horses temperature for 3 days prior to the event (a horse’s average normal temperature is between 37 and 38.5 deg C at rest).  If you are travelling from a Hendra Risk Zone and your horse is not Hendra vaccinated, you need to complete a 10 day form.  Please visit the NSW ERA website for more details.

All entrants are required to bring a Horse Health Declaration which includes a temperature log for each horse with them to the Wingello Forest Endurance Ride (click here to download the 3 day form).  Please use a separate form for each horse.

The NSWERA State Management Committee, in conjunction with the NSW DPI have defined a set of risk reduction procedues for the safety of riders, horses and helpers at endurance rides being held in NSW.  The risk reduction procedure is a summary of practical measures compiled from various sources and NSWERA experiences in developing and applying bio-security measures at previous rides.  These measures are designed to further reduce the already very remote possibility of horses or people being infected by Hendra virus, or any other infectious disease.

These risk reduction measures are recommended as routine preventative practices, however, from time to time, if there is a need, these measures or a variation of these measures shall be made mandatory.

Event Biosecurity – NSWERA Risk Management Plan

Summary of AERA Biosecurity Document, March 2016

Vets & Officials

Chief Steward:  Haydn Fisher

Electronic Timing:  Tom McCormack

Head Vet:  Dr Karim Kooros, Retford Equine Veterinary Clinic, Burradoo www.retfordvet.com.au

Treatment Vet:  Dr Darien Feary, darienfeary1@gmail.com, 0458 299 561

Please be aware that if your horse requires treatment at the Ride Base, relevant fees are payable to the treatment vet, and should be paid before you leave the Ride Base.  Payment by cash or cheque only.

Vet Team:

Emma Cox

Matt Walker

Madeline Cantwell

Andrew Black

others to be confirmed

Water:  We are very grateful for the generous support from Wingello Rural Fire Service who will be carting water for the 2022 event.

Ride Secretary: Bec Hogan

Treasurer: Peter Hughes

Vet Area/TPRs Team Leader: Sonia Holdsworth

Office Team Leader: Sarah Barnes

Volunteers Team Leader: Natalie Walsh

Timekeepers Team Leader: Peter Hughes

Checkpoint Support Vehicle: Mat Carroll

First Aid: Highlands First Aid

Communications Team Leader: Kay Gordon

Official Photographer: Tony Bowler 0414 252 737 www.tonybowler.com

Ride Base

The ride base will open at noon on Friday 27th May 2022 (please do not arrive earlier), and close at noon on Monday 30th May 2022.

Dogs are welcome but must be kept on a leash at all times.  Dogs are not permitted in the Vetting area.  Please do not bring dogs that you know are likely to be noisy and irritating to other campers.  Riders are responsible for dogs associated with their camp, and risk disqualification for loose or nuisance dogs.

Facilities:

The Ride Base is a lovely grassy paddock approximately 5km by dirt road from the village of Wingello.  There are no permanent facilities, no powered sites, and no taps/running water.

Portable toilets will be placed at locations across the ride base.

The Wingello Rural Fire Service will be filling water troughs and tanks around the ride base for horses.

Due to expected large numbers and the limited number of water trucks available, it is strongly recommended that you bring at least 20L drinking water per horse with you to the ride base, to avoid unnecessary stress while waiting for water points to be re-filled.  The water will keep coming until every camp has as much water as they require, but please be patient.  Please be courteous at all times to the RFS volunteers.

Stay and join us for a relaxed evening around the central bonfire on Saturday night, with live music by our favourite muso, Dave Newman, and a choice of professional caterers.

Unfortunately, we cannot supply firewood for individual campfires.  Please bring your own.  No firewood can be collected from the Ride Base (landowner request).  The State Forest is closed and burnt – you cannot collect wood from the forest.  If you are travelling a long distance with multiple horses and cannot fit in the firewood you require, please contact the ride committee several weeks prior to the event to make special arrangements.

Horse Feed:

Official Feed Supplier – Bowral Co-op Ph 02 4861 8400 www.bowralcoop.com.au

The Bowral Co-op will be doing a feed delivery to the Ride Base on Friday 27th May 2022.

Farrier:

tba

Food Outlets:

Trade Stands

Contact bechogan@newmoonstud.com.au for 2022 trade stand bookings.

Bookings so far …

Local Area

Wingello Village Store:  Light meals, hamburgers, their home-made chips are the best anywhere. All the usual general store supplies, plus DVD hire, petrol (not diesel), and the local post office.

Marulan:  Township approx 20mins drive south with Chemist, Pub, Post Office, Highway Service Stations, KFC & Hungry Jacks, IGA Supermarket, Cafes.

Bundanoon:  Township approx 20mins drive north with Chemist, Pub, Post Office, Hotels, Cafes, Newsagent.

Local Accommodation:  Closest hotels are at Bundanoon, approximately 20mins drive from the ride base.

Official feed supplier:  Bowral Co-op – Phone 02 4861 8400