Castra Endurance Riders - Nietta 100km elevator

The Castra Endurance Riders hosted their 4th annual event from Gaunts Rd, Nietta. Once again participants were greeted to ride base with spectacular views overlooking Mt Roland, along with the cold breeze each moment the sun dipped behind the clouds. Out on track riding conditions were ideal, not too hot, not too cold, not too dry, not too slippery. The course had nice variations of dirt fire trails, bush tracks, open paddocks, creek crossings and forestry roads, with a good peppering of climbs and descents.

With 4 events on offer, 50 riders attended; 19 in the 100km elevator, 3 in the 60km elevator, 17 in the 40km and 11 in the 20km. Once again the ride was well supported by families, with 15 Junior riders, making up 30% of the field.

The majority of the short riders were successful, with only 2 vet outs, 1 in the 60km and 1 in the 40km, an average successful completion over 93%. No 60km riders chose to elevate to leg 2.

The 100km elevator had 7x 100km completions, with all horses that elevated to the 3rd leg successfully completing. There were also 8 successful 80km completers retiring after leg 2.

Division & BC winners. Junior- Piper Braid, Lwt- Asha Lamprey, Hwt- Allie Bloom, Mwt- Kaye Mitchell

Piper Braid riding Kasdell Khali was first across the line and won the Best Conditioned Junior horse award. Asha Lamprey on Ra-Anji Ragnar was 1st and Best Conditioned Lightweight. Allie Bloom on AT Dial Range Farida were 1st and Best Conditioned Heavyweight, whilst Kaye Mitchell riding Beer Street Circe was 1st and Best Conditioned Middleweight.

20,000km Milestone

AERA records show Kaye reached her 20,000km milestone at Castra over the weekend. Kaye has been a committed riders since she started endurance in Tasmania in 2008. To reach this milestone she has completed over 1000km per year over past 19 seasons, with a total of 219 successful completions, which includes 4x mainland Tom Quiltys and 1x successful Shahzada completion.

Kaye is grateful to all the people who have made possible all the opportunities. “I feel privileged to have worked with the horses I have ridden and I especially think of Bluewitch and Dezhda, my long term partners in crime.  20 000km has flown by with lots of adrenaline highs and then the joy of their young ones. They keep on giving and keep me looking forward to my next partner. I love starting those youngsters with all their potential, and now I am loving riding with Alice and Jack and seeing their enthusiasm and care for their horses.”

Return of the Jill Sheean Memorial Ride

In 1997, Jill Sheean passed away suddenly while attending the Oss Foley memorial endurance ride. In honour of her memory and her passion for horses, local family, friends and members of the endurance riding community established the Jill Sheean Memorial Endurance Ride in 1998. A favourite of many riders over 20 years, Toni Sheean, supported by a dedicated committee were proud to bring the ride back on to the calendar...

A total of 66 riders enjoyed the pleasant weather, trails of the Sassafras forests and the endurance community gathering together in the familiar comforts of Pat’s paddock. Worth noting 17 junior rider amongst the field. Most seemed to agree the course was more challenging than anticipated. Riders and horses rode to the conditions, taking more time on course, resulting in an overall completion rate of close to a 90%.

There was 100% successful completions for the 2x 10km and 11x 20km introductory riders. With one vet out, the 42km intermediate ride had a 94% completion rate for the 18 riders. Whilst the 80km ride had 34 riders with an 82% success rate.

Congratulations to;

• Laurie Vagneur, Ellie Weller and Robyn Lebnan, recorded as completing their first endurance rides.

• Alyssa and Evie Hortle completeing their first 40km rides

• Georgie Jones & Hayley Dawkins completing their third 80km rides to become qualified endurance riders.

• Zak Neilley on starting and finishing his first 80km ride, great effort despite the result.

• Kassidy Wickham and Maci Brownrigg who were equal first across the line and winners of the lightweight and junior divisions, with a riding time of 5hrs and 46mins.

• Alice Mitchell and Jack Robinson joint winners of the middleweight division.

• Allie Bloom winner of the heavyweight division.

The highly regarded Best Conditioned Horse Awards were won by;

• Heavyweight - AT Dial Range Farida ridden by Allie Bloom

• Middleweight- Brookleigh Dela ridden by Jessie Mihocek

• Lightweight- Archerville Cimarron ridden by Kirstie Lockhart

• Junior- Shanadarr Pirouette ridden by Emerald Rigby

Gratitude to the committee, volunteers and sponsors for the event.

Divisional winners leading from early on

Jack, Allie, Maci with Alice & Kassidy leading as they passed Roger Nichols and his camera at the first checkpoint. Right: Best Conditioned winners Kirstie Lockhart & Emerald Rigby passing through shortly after.

North East Legends Ride Report

There were 27 riders in the 80km competition, with 22 successful completion. Junior rider Maci Brownrigg riding Woodsong Princess Barbie was first across the line in 5 hours and 3mins, winning the North East Legends perpetual shield. Jillinda Aitchison on her mare Tonki Dee Boo Henrietta were 1st middleweight, Allie Bloom on AT Dial Range Farida won heavyweight and Best Condition, whilst lightweight honours were shared by sisters Kirstie Lockhart and Shannon Hill riding Lockleigh Park Tempestuous & Lockleigh Park Special Edition.

Course photos taken by Roger Nichols

Best Conditioned middleweight as won by Jack Robison and Beer Street Bluemoon, Brooke Wall on Undarra Sahara won lightweight BC and Piper Braid on Harmony won the Junior Best Conditioned Horse award.

 Special mention to:

• Hayley Dawkins successfully completing her 2nd 80km ride.

• Shayne Williams who clocked up 5000km.

• Kiana Nutting reaching 1500km

• Emerald Rigby reaching 4000km

 The 42km event had 20 riders with a 100% completion rate. This included 7 junior riders aged between 6 and 13. Special Congratulations to Ariel Rouse on completing her 1st 40km event and Zak Neilley completing his 2nd and qualifying 40km.

 The introductory rides also had 100% completion rates for the 7 riders in the 20km and 3 riders in the 5km. It was pleasing to see success for the 4 returning junior riders, along with adult riders Aaron Ellis and John Macleod, who had their first successful completions.

he North East Legends shield being presented to first across the line, Maci Brownrigg, by a true North East Legend, Shirley Clinton, the winner of the first ever Tasmanian endurance ride!!!

August 1975, 51 years ago the first AERA affiliated endurance ride was held in Tasmania, at Scottsdale, with 31 entrants, only 13 successful completions, a number of these also held in high regards as North East Legends.

Well done NEEEC on hosting a great event. Thankyou Shirley for presenting this award and bringing a special bit of history back to life for the current members.

Tassie earns 9 more TQ buckles

Well done to all our members who travelled to Imbil Queensland for the 2026 Tom Quilty Gold Cup. Tasmania was well represented by not only riders, but also strappers, supporters and officials. Andrew Miles represented TEERA as a chief steward and Celine was the TEERA line vet.

13 Tasmanian horses made the journey to Qld, with 7 of those earning a buckle. Amongst these Beer Street Tarkine got his 5th buckle, whilst Razorback Silver Wings and Ra-Anji Ragnar earnt their 3rd buckles. Angela Hawks secured an astonishing 12th buckle, whilst Darrel Wever successfully earnt her first. In total Tasmanian riders took home 9 Tom Quilty buckles from the event.

Junior riders Emerald Rigby and Piper Braid finished 1st and 2nd in the junior division, with Piper riding Kasdell Khali winning the highly regarded Junior Best Conditioned Horse Award.

Lydia Rigby riding Z’Lights Giselle was 1st and Best Conditioned Lightweight, whilst Deb Wyllie and Beer Street Tarkine finished 6th Middleweight earning a Top 10 finisher rug.

TQ26 Team Tassie

TEERA are proud to introduce Team Tassie!

Amongst those with decades of experience we are delighted to have 3 Junior riders, allowing Tasmania to be represented in the new Junior Teams Competition.

Wishing these riders all the best as they make the journey to Queensland to compete in The Stirling’s Crossing Tom Quilty Gold Cup 2026.

June SMC Meeting

TEERA June State management Committee Meeting

• Tuesday 16th June 2026

• 6:30pm

• Virtual Online Meeting using GoTo. Download app here.

  • join my meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
    https://meet.goto.com/134153389

  • Agenda- click to download

• This is a regular meeting all members welcome.

Come & Try Day

The Castra Endurance Riders Inc. are holding a Come & Try day.

The sole focus will be on providing a relaxed atmosphere where those who are newer to the sport or those who’d like to learn more about endurance riding can come along. The day will begin with some information regarding event procedures and rules, along with pre ride vetting assessments of horses. Participants will then get to do a practice endurance course of approximately 10km, following a marked route that simulates a typical endurance track.

Following the trail ride, there will be a BBQ lunch and an opportunity to ask as many questions as you can dream up- everything and anything - from horse & rider training, strapping, tack, equipment, horse health, feeding, hoof protection, competition pathways, over night camping setups, upcoming event locations & facilities.

Online entries: https://aeraonline.com.au/Event?id=112115

All are welcome! If you’re unsure about whether you can bring your horse- give Andrew a call- unmounted participants are also welcome

Make sure you have those questions ready!!

Andrew & Celine who are part of the Castra team, are not only passionate about endurance, they have significant experience in all aspects of the discipline. Both have participated for over a decade as riders, alongside volunteering and officiating. Celine who is a practising equine veterinarian is regularly part of the Vet team at events. Andrew is a qualified Chief Steward and often officiates events. Both have a wealth of experience locally and nationally within the sport.

NEEEC - Lockhart Challenge

On Saturday the North Eastern Equine Endurance Club hosted the 2026 Lockhart Challenge at Springfield from the North Eastern Pony Club grounds.

The Lockhart Challenge has ran annually since 2013 by the NEEEC. The shield, which is awarded to the first successful rider across the line, was created to honour the dedication to endurance by brothers Doug and Cecil Lockhart. They competed in endurance events from the sports Tasmanian beginnings in 1975, through to the early 2000’s, with Cecil retiring from competitions following the 2005 Tom Quilty in Sheffield. Over their years they travelled to several mainland Tom Quiltys, with Doug also representing Australia in the national team, competing in America in 1988 and 1991. They were part of the NEEEC committee running rides from Lebrina, Lilydale, Scottsdale and Springfield. Doug was on the TEERA committee with his significant contributions to the sport recognised with life membership. The Lockhart Challenges acknowledges the legacy Doug & Cecil had on endurance riding in Tassie.

This year there were 30 entries in the 80km event. The Lockhart Challenge perpetual shield was won by Noel Lockhart (mwt), Shannon Hill (lwt) and Bella Sheean (jnr) sharing line honours and winning their respective divisions with a ride time of 4 hours and 39mins. The hwt divison was won by Allie Bloom.

The highly regarded Best Conditioned Horse awards were won by;

• Middleweight - Lockleigh Park Silver ridden by Noel Lockhart

• Heavyweight - AT Dial Range Farida ridden by Allie Bloom

• Lightweight - Archerville Cimarron ridden by Kirstie Lockhart

• Junior - Woodsong Princess Barbie ridden by Bella Sheean

Overall there was a 87% completion rate, which included most of the potential horse and rider combinations doing their final preparatory event before heading to Queensland to represent Tasmania in this years Tom Quilty Gold Cup. These horses looked fantastic, it is exciting to see Tassie will be very well represented at the National Championship event this year.

Short Ride Success!!

Eight of the Ten riders entered in the 40km event were successful, including “Pony Mums” Chem Russell and Bianca Hill accompanying their daughter’s Indy Russell and Esther & Freya Hill on their Welsh ponies. Well done team on your 2nd successful 40km. You will be entering your first 80km rides before you know it.

There were 7 riders in the 20km ride, who all reported they thoroughly enjoyed the introductory event. Well done to the NEEEC committee and volunteers on hosting a successful, well organised event that was enjoyed by all.

TEERA May SMC Meeting & AERA SGM notice

TEERA May State management Committee Meeting

• Tuesday 19th May 2026

• 6:30pm

• Red Cross Hall, 49 King Edward St, Ulverstone

• This is a regular meeting all members welcome.

The motions for the AERA SGM can be viewed here

Barker Earthworks & Cartage - Bakers Scenic Challenge Ride Report

Idyllic weather, spectacular views and 7km of beach! What more could we ask for?

Riders enjoying the beach. Photo Credits: Roger Nichols

Of the 76 riders entered, 16 elected the full 82km experience. 40km riders were offered a choice of leg one (without the beach) or the 42km leg two, which included the beach. The 20km ride and 6 km rides were particularly popular options with a total of 46 entries.

It was great to see so many young riders, some getting their first taste of endurance. Across all rides there was a total of 23 junior riders, representing Latrobe High, Sheffield School, Geneva College, Reece High, Lilydale District, Port Sorell, Miandetta, Our Lady of Mercy, Andrews Creek and St Patricks Primary Schools. Riders representing their school dressed in their sports uniform for presentations. Their excitement was clearly evident. Congratulations to the Andrews Creek Primary School team, comprising Kenzie Rattray, Evie Hortle, Freya Hill, Esther Hill, Emilia Addison, Frankie Rolls and Leo Hortle on retaining the Perpetual Tasmanian Equine Endurance Riders All Schools Cup.

Leg one of the 82km ride offered varied terrain and challenges, including a notable steep and rough decent and a couple of creek crossings. The weather could not have been better for the 7km of beach, nor for the spectacular views from the high points and ridgeline that followed. This was certainly a challenging leg, involving rough and rocky climbs and descents which tested riders’ patience and horses’ fitness and preparation. While the particularly tough final section of leg 2 frustrated some, 75% of riders successfully completed the 82km ride, with a similar completion rate for the riders who elected to do this leg for their 42 km.

Left to right: =1st Mwt Kaye Mitchell (Beer Street Circe, BC) and Alice Mitchell (Beer Street Dalliance). =1st Juniors Piper Braid (Follydown Albertine) and Bella Sheean (Woodsong Princess Barbie, BC). =1st Lwt Kirstie Lockhart (Lockleigh Park Velocity, BC) and Shannon Hill (Lockleigh Park X’treme). Photo Credits: Roger Nichols & Maggie Brown.

Overall, this ride lived up to its name: scenic and challenging!

Many thanks go to the major sponsor of the ride, Barker Earthworks and Cartage, and all other sponsors including sponsors of the Best Conditioned paddock rugs. This ride required much negotiation and compliance with Parks and Wildlife. Riders appreciate Lydia Rigby’s tenacity, without which we would not have been allowed access to the beach. We are also thankful for the time and efforts of the other committee members, and our Chief Stewards, Andrew Miles & Greg Johnson who, with committee members on base, navigated some unexpected challenges on the day.

TQ26 Teams nomination & support

CCER @ Sassy - 100km elevator, 40km, 20km Ride Report

Collection of short riders enjoying the track. Photo credits to Roger Nichols. (far right photos by Christine Dann)

“A big thank you to both our returning riders and the newcomers to our great sport! What an incredible weekend we had, with the weather on our side. Congratulations to everyone who successfully completed the 100km—an amazing effort. For some of us, it was also a great lead-up to the Quilty. A huge thank you as well to all the volunteers who stepped up. These rides simply wouldn’t happen without your support and Pat Lamprey for ride base.” Post ride gratitude from Christine Dann, on behalf of the CCER ride organising committee.

A total of 50 riders were treated to ideal riding conditions at Sassafras on Saturday. The sun shone, the wind disappeared and the tracks were soft, but not too greasy after rainfall earlier in the week. There were 25 riders in the 100km elevator, which had a 72% completion rate, with 9 riders retiring at the 80km mark and 9 riders completing the 100km course. First across the line, winning Lwt and Best Conditioned Lightweight was Asha Lamprey on Ra-Anji Ragner in 6hours and 22mins. Next home in equal first for the Junior divsion were junior riders Piper Braid and Lauren Rattray, showing promising preparation for their upcoming Tom Quilty trip to Queensland. Best Conditioned Junior was won by Padawan El Adien. The first open rider home was Kaye Mitchell riding Beer Street Circe, winning Mwt and Best Conditioned Middleweight. The heavyweight division was won by Allie Bloom on AT Dial Range Farida, who also won the Hwt best Conditioned Horse Award.

There were 11 riders in the 40km ride, which also had a 72% completion rate. Special congratulations to Maree Thorpe and Sandra Cassidy on successfully completed their second 40km rides.

14 riders enjoyed the 20km introductory ride. It was great to see experienced riders, along with the newcomers participating in and enjoying this event. Warm welcome and congratulations to Lilah Riggall on her first event.

Kentish Ride Report

The long running Kentish ride, held from the Pony club grounds in Sheffield was the third ride on the TEERA calendar. Entries were strong with 30 riders in the 80km, 24 in the 40km and 11 riders doing the 20km. Weather conditions were spectacular, the mix of trails and varying scenery ensured riders enjoyed the kilometres. Riders were also treated meeting Roger and his camera at the mid course checkpoint. Thankyou Roger for all the fantastic photos and the NWARC for covering the checkpoints.

Line honours were taken by Jillinda Aitchison in Mwt and Kassidy Wickham in Lwt, with a riding time of 5 hours 37 mins. Heavyweight was won by Rebecca Ainslie, whilst Lauren Rattray won the Junior division. The highly regarded Best Conditioned Horse Awards were won as follows;

• Middleweight- Beer Street Dalliance ridden by Alice Mitchell

• Lightweight- Ra-Anji Ragner ridden by Asha Lamprey

• Heavyweight- Tomky Candy ridden by Rebecca Ainslie

• Junior- Woodsong Princess Barbie ridden by Laren Rattray

Update from TEERA Management Committee

Dear Membership,

We wish to notify our members that a vote of no confidence of the proposed AERA MC was passed 17/3, 8 in favour, 1 abstained. As such TEERA will not be endorsing the elected MC members at the upcoming AGM. The motion was decided on the basis of the MCs rushed and brutal approach to the recently changed TQ qualification criteria. TEERA believes that the change should be reversed and better membership consultation be sought-after.

A more detailed motion and rationale will be submitted to AERA in the coming days.

Comments have been turned off on this post as we do not feel debate on social media is productive. Please send any further communication to the secretary directly.

Kindest Regard,

TEERA MC

Update: 20 March 2026

The following correspondence has been sent onto the AERA secretary

STER Lovett’s Flat ride - a great event….

STER’s 14 March ride needed to have a venue change because of unexpected logging activity near its Glenelg ride base. A huge vote of thanks from STER to the Three Rivers’ crew who offered STER the use of its Lovett’s Flat ride base and track, where a ride had been held a fortnight earlier. The change of venue meant that the many southern folk who usually come to the southern ride to do a 20km ride chose not to trek north, particularly in light of the current fuel costs. On the other hand, it gave northerners another ride opportunity without incurring the fuel cost of a trip down south.

Online entries were average (40) however a number of late entries brought the total to 49 with 13 15k’ers, 17 40k’ers and 19 80k’ers starting the ride. The 80k’ers started their ride at 6.00AM which meant that they were riding in the dark for about 40 minutes. The 40k’ers started at 8.00AM and the 15k’ers started at 10.00AM. Ride conditions were excellent – the weather was perfect (fine and cool as is mostly the case in March in Tasmania) and the track was dry and. According to riders, perfectly marked. The early start to the day led to an early finish with the last 80k rider crossing the line at 2.30PM. The completion rate was excellent with all 20k’ers and 40k’ers successfully completing. The completion rate for the 80k’ers was also excellent with 17 of the 19 starters successfully completing.

STER is also grateful to the many people who came along to help on the day (TPRs, checkpoint people, water carters and more), both Three Rivers people and others. STER is confident we will be able to return to our Glenelg ride base in 2027.

Mark Dunn

Top: 15km horse and ponies cross the dam wall on the gun club loop. Photo Credits: Toni Sheean

Middle: Janine Parr with Junior riders Piper Braid, Emerald Rigby and Lauren Rattray shared winners of the Perpetual Junior Trophy. Jack Jarman successfully vetting through his 2nd 40km ride- 80km next for Jack! Southern riders Janine & Halla Parr completing the 80km. Photo Credits: Robyn Nibbs

Bottom: Tassie legend Samson of Glendu taking Frankie Rolls around her first big 15km ride. Kiana Nutting winning her first ride in the Hwt division. Dylan Stevens overall winner of the 80km event. Photo Credits: Robyn Nibbs

TEERA State Management Committee Meeting - Tuesday 17th March

The monthly SMC meeting is scheduled for this coming Tuesday 17th March at the Lifehouse church in Wivenhoe. This is a regular meeting, all members are welcome to attend.

TEERA SMC are aware of members concerns around the TQ qualification changes and there will be an opportunity for constructive respectful discussion on the matter.