Cultivating a New Endurance Star
Since the retirement of Timeless Dezign (Zedann x *Fatmma) from endurance riding, Gunnar Palm has been cultivating the talents of a young homebred gelding.
Citadel Batal (*Simeon Shai+ x Matrabbs Melody) was started under saddle in April 2006. By June he competed in his first training ride, the Pyramid Challenge, at the Egyptian Event.
Upon his return from Kentucky, conditioning training continued. The strategy at this stage in training is to expose the horse to terrain and to desensitize him to the chaos that is present in the field. The primary goal is to have him participate in a multitude of rides to gain experience before reaching the primary objective of riding to win.
By August, he was ready for the Georgia Endurance Riders Association's 25 mile GERA Fundraiser Elevator Ride in Dawson Forest in Dawsonville, Georgia. Here he finished sixteenth out of thirty-one riders.
September brought a new challenge with two 30 mile rides at the Big South Fork Three Day Pioneer in Knoxville, Tennessee. Once again, Batal finished sixteenth out of thirty-one riders. Then after a forty-eight hour rest he competed again to finish twenty-one out of forty-five riders.
The future is looking very promising for this young endurance hopeful. His even temperament is a major contribution to his positive attitude towards endurance riding.
This fall Batal and Gunnar plan to compete at the Hallelujah Benefit in Camden, South Carolina, the Carolina Challenge in Bishopville, South Carolina and will end the season with the Goethe Challenge in Goethe State Forest in Levy County, Florida.
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