Lydford rider earns podium spot at prestigious endurance competition

Lydford endurance rider Abby Chisholm has ended the season on a high, claiming podium finishes at the popular Red Dragon Festival of Endurance competition.

Riding nine-year-old Arabian gelding Strinesdale Mark, affectionately known as Seb, Abby came third in the 80km Competitive Endurance Ride, and was part of the team that won the Hugh Salmon Memorial Trophy, named after a Devon vet who became a well-known sight on the endurance circuit.

Abby said: “This ride is always a favourite for me and when the stars align, our plan is to end our endurance season in Wales. To get the result we did feels very special and to be a part of the winning team is the icing on the cake.”

Her success was particularly noteworthy as Seb is a young horse and relatively new to the sport, having only completed his first 80km ride this summer to gain his advanced qualification.

“We have taken the long slow approach to get him through the levels of endurance,” Abby said. “We had aimed for the Red Dragon ride as, coming from Dartmoor, we knew he would be a good horse to tackle the Welsh hills.”

However, the weekend was nearly derailed before competition had even begun. En route to the venue, Abby’s vehicle broke down, leaving horses and crew stranded on the roadside. Luckily, some good friends came to the rescue and towed Abby, her mum and the horses to the event, while her dad waited for the car to be collected by the recovery service.

She said: “My main worry was getting the horses to safety. Endurance is a small, friendly community, and we are very lucky to have very good friends who were at the venue and jumped to the rescue.

“I had planned to ride with my mum's good friend Judy Holloway, which meant my dad was able to jump in the vehicle with VJ her husband, to get out on course and crew us for the day. Although stressful at the time, it made our achievement feel that little bit sweeter.”

Abby comes from a family of endurance riders. Her mother, Jo, is currently chef d’equipe of the British endurance team and Abby has been competing since she was 11 years old.

She said: “My mum has had a huge influence. I grew up within the sport, from a young age was out crewing for my mum and always wanted to follow in her footsteps. Red Dragon has been happy stomping ground for me, as I have finished third in the 80km CER three times and also third in the 160km (which is over two days). I owe all of my success to my parents and feel very lucky and privileged to have been allowed to compete on Seb, who is owned by my mum.”

For now, Abby and Seb will be having a break as the endurance season is coming to an end. But, Abby added: “We will continue to potter out on Dartmoor before resuming training for the 2027 season in January.”