All endurance riders – ­whether they are concentrating on rides of 80 km and ­Fauresmith, or on ­longer distances and the multi long distance championships – are hard at work to prepare themselves for these two major events, and we wish them all the best of luck! But, while the fit and ready competitive horses are on track, ­riders have to think about the future.

In aansluiting by die breë tema van hierdie uitgawe van SA Horseman, kyk ons ook na belangrike aspekte waaraan aandag gegee moet word wanneer jong perde vir uithouritte voorberei word. Lees gerus ook die ander artikels oor jong perde elders in die uitgawe, want dit raak uithouritperde net soveel soos enige ander perd.

In part III of our series on endurance pedigrees, Albie Jacobs takes a look at the Egyptian Arabians – information that will come to good use when selecting your next endurance Arabian! We also report on one of the many topics covered by Dr David Marlin at the recent Endurance Congress, exertional rhabdomyolisis, a condition that will always be a threat to endurance horses. The congress was a resounding success, and we trust that this was the first of many to come.

Soos altyd, ‘n vriendelike uitnodiging om met ons te korrespondeer oor dit wat julle in die SA Distance Rider wil lees! Ons hoor graag julle gedagtes en belowe om, indien enigsins moontlik, daaraan uitvoering te gee.

Paul van Dam: Editor