Glenn Carter is more than half through his ride around Australian to raise money for para-dressage rider Emma Booth…

Day 35 – Just passed the half way mark!

It’s been a while since the last update and Glenn has just passed the half way mark of his journey. Tonight he is in Fitzroy Crossing in Western Australia on his way to Broome after what was a relatively short but fairly challenging day. Long stretches of straight road through what can only be described as savannah grassland and scrub. Not too hot compared to some of the conditions he’s experienced, with some early morning cloud, but fairly windy. Fortunately it was mainly tail wind and he was able to average about 35km/h for the first couple of hours which meant he reached Fitzroy Crossing about 12.30pm.

My wife and I have been traveling with Glenn on and off since Katherine, staying the night with him and the support crew whenever possible and it has been quite an “eye-opening” experience. Glenn is very focused on his ride and deserves all the respect for this massive feat, but it also requires a great effort by the support crew to enable him to do the distances each day.

They start when he does. As Glenn likes to be on the road by sunrise this means they are up before dawn. Sunrise in Western Australia has been as early as 5:15am which requires a 4am wake up. Breakfast, fill the van with water, disconnect all the utilities, prepare the van for the road and set off. From there it’s a constant job.

Glenn usually sets off at a good pace while the day is cool but as the temperature rises he needs more water. It has been up to 37°C in WA and the Northern Territory (and probably hotter in parts of Queensland). The support scenario goes something like this…

Glenn passes the van and they give him a 15 minute head start. The van is parked beside the road to alert other road users that Glenn is ahead. After 15 minutes they take off and leap frog him by about 10 minutes and pull up beside the road. Fresh water bottles are prepared and they wait for him to arrive. As he passes, they swap the empty bottles for the new ones and wait another 15 minutes beside the road… This pretty much goes on every half an hour for the whole day. It is a dedicated task.

Glenn will stop for a short 15 minute break and sandwich for lunch and then they’re off again. They will only stop again if Glenn needs to.

After arriving at their destination, Glenn does his warm down and replenishes with some food. After that the crew can relax a bit, down a beer/wine (or two) and then an evening meal, often this is also prepared by the crew. As they have to get up before dawn they are soon off to bed ready for the next day’s journey. This might be about 9pm in WA.

And in the morning, like Groundhog Day, it happens all over again…

So although this post is a celebration of Glenn getting half way, it is also honouring the dedicated Ride With No Limits support crews who have helped get him this far and who will help see him home.

- Glenn has so far raised approximately $87,000 towards the goal of $100,000. The hope is that with the money raised Emma will be able to buy a new horse for her journey towards the 2016 Rio Paralympics and all the costs associated with campaigning overseas. 

- The team at Equestrian Life wishes Emma the best of luck with her journey and would also like to extend our congratulations onto her recent selection to compete overseas in Hartpury, UK in July for para-dressage. Well done Emma! 

- To show your support to this amazing cause and to donate click here

- For more information on either Glenn or Emma visit the Ride With No Limits website here

Emma Booth