Tom Quilty Gold Cup 2018
The 160-kilometre Tom Quilty Gold Cup is Australia’s national championship of endurance horse riding. It is exceptionally gruelling for horses and riders.
The 2018 Quilty was held near Scottsdale, Tasmania, and drew more than 140 riders from around the country. It began at midnight and the five legs of the course had to be completed within 24 hours.
Each horse had a veterinary check before the ride and after each leg. Careful management was needed to avoid being ‘vetted out’ .
Riders Circling Before The Start
Trish Smith
Trish is an accomplished endurance rider who was competing in her 11th Quilty. Her horse, ‘Rahn’, is an agile Crabbet Arabian.
Before this event, Trish and Rahn had completed more than 10,000km in endurance rides and Trish had won eight commemorative belt buckles for finishing the Quilty.
They added another buckle to their collection in 2018.
Mark Dunn
Mark is an experienced endurance rider but hadn’t finished a Quilty. He rode a heavy Clydesdale, ‘Calypso’. Such a large horse imposes extra physical and mental demands on the rider, due to its strength and the extra time needed to complete each leg of the ride.
Mark was the last rider to finish, less than 15 minutes ahead of the 24-hour deadline. He was greeted by enthusiastic applause from the crowd that gathered to see him come in.
He and Calypso had won their first Tom Quilty buckle.
