Talavary Mystic was taken out of harness racing due to being over-excited on the track at about 4 years old, with the aim to start riding her to calm her down a bit and then go back racing. However, she proved to really excel at endurance so never went back racing; in her first full season of competitive endurance with Sport Endurancce she achieved Reserve National Champion (2016), then in 2017 and 2018 she was the National Champion.
We than had a change of group and joined Endurance GB, where in the first season (which we only competed half of) she achieved Notts Novice Champion. We had a break after that due to Covid and resumed with EGB in the Derbyshire Group where we have gone from strength to strength. Last year we achieved a Grade 1 at the Concrete Cows Milton Keynes ride in the 80km which led to us being upgraded to Advanced level, and in doing so at national level Meg became the horse with the most points counting rides up to 45km (we have won this now for the last 2 years).
At local level within the Derbyshire EGB group we have won:
- Top competitive Open Class horse
- Top competitive Derbyshire rider
- Horse with most points counting only rides of 80km and over
- Horse with the most Grade 1s
- Top Standardbred Horse
- Top Veteran rider
- Top Mare
Last season along Meg completed over 1000km of pleasure and competitive rides. Recently we entered the 40km at Three Shires in Northampton were she achieved a Grade 1 again.
This year I am also riding Brywins Tonto, he began his career in endurance later than Meg. After his fairly successful racing career he did a few endurance rides with friends riding alongside Meg and myself. In 2021 he sustained an injury but despite only completing half of the season he still managed to achieve Top Derbyshire Novice Horse; he then had 2022 off and he’s now back in full work with me riding him myself, alternating rides between him and Meg.
