The most natural and accessible horse riding

These races, away from any trace of elitism, allow fans of the horse riding On the Island, enjoy sport in direct contact with nature and with exquisite care for the health and well-being of the participating horses and mares, who undergo strict veterinary controls before, during and at the end of the event. The four times champion of the Canary Islands Naomi Carreras is the vice president of the organizing entity, la Equestrian Association of Raid and Field Activities in Tenerife (Aeroc)and stresses that in the raid everyone is “first of all, lovers of these animals.”

Each rider participates with a mount, which is accompanied by a group of collaborators, most of them family and friends who set up a stall and are in charge of assistance and provisioning during the race, which passed through Mataznos, Choza de Luis and Mirador de La Palma to near Chanajija. “It’s very familiar,” he says. Naomi Carreras: «Here the groups meet and spend a different day in the field, that’s why it goes beyond pure competition».

A team of three veterinarians was in charge of carrying out the controls on the horses. The first, at least one hour before the race, certifies that the animal is fit for the test. It includes an analysis of the animal’s metabolic status, capillary refill time, mucous membrane color, dehydration, pulse, respiratory rate, bowel movement, muscle tone, back condition, absence of wounds, and trot, “to check that he is not limping.” This analysis is repeated every 20 kilometers approximately and lasts a few minutes. In each race there must be a veterinarian for every ten horses.

These animal health experts highlight the improvement in the treatment and care of horses: «Previously, disqualifications were more common, but now it is very rare that a horse needs to be put on serum or medicated for overexertion. Sometimes there are eliminations due to lameness, but these are fortuitous injuries.

The raid, which in Tenerife move around a hundred athletes, have helped equestrian enthusiasts from mid-level areas, who previously only took their animals out on weekends, increase training and improve the health and well-being of their animals. In each race there is also a farrier available to attend to any problem with the horseshoes.

The winner is not always the fastest, since animals with more than 64 beats per minute are not allowed to finish the test. At each finish line, whether in the previous phases or at the final arrival, each rider and his team must check the animal’s heart rate and help it recover before it passes the veterinary control. Water and bathrooms are two of the main allies. In addition, specific haircuts are made to try to reduce sweating. The race only ends when that veterinary control.

The horseman Jeremias Francisco Marrero Moralesfrom Realejo Alto, has been champion of the Canary Islands in 2019 and holds several records and a great resume of victories in the 80-kilometer category with the Charco de Las Vacas team, from Pepe Rodriguez Luis, one of the pioneers of the raid on the island in 1990. This veteran doctor acknowledges that “everything has changed a lot and much has been learned about the life and health of the horse.” In this same team, the young amazon Rahil Brito he rode the mare yesterday Coracao, who was participating in his first raid. Although he is still in the training phase, Brito retains everything that horses offer: “They are pure love, they improve and they always teach us things.”

Another of the participants Samuel Santos, competes in raid since he was 14 years old, was selected for the junior world championship and won a silver medal for teams in a Spanish championship in the absolute category. At the age of 37, he continues to enjoy “the complicity one must have with the horse to have a good race, understand when it is tired, when it is necessary to dose… The key is to know the animal and to train four or five days a the week, since deep down they are like athletes». In the raid there is no age limit either, as he shows John Table Philip72, who ran in the 40-kilometre category to make his debut Guayre, a new horse in the raid. OR Jose Manuel Morales67, who was the first president of Aerac and continues to climb on his mount to travel dozens of kilometers through the mountains, “which allows us to enjoy nature, inside Tenerife.”

At XXI Raid of Benijoswhich was able to save the furniture at the last minute thanks to the sponsorship of the paint brand Jotun and the support of the City Council of La Orotava, the winners of the two queen categories, the national and territorial 80 kilometer, were Luciano Felipe Suarezwith Tequila, and Raul Gonzalezwith Aberkan.