Lena Kopnarski and her horse Disandro have been nominated for the European Championships in TREC riding, which are being held this year in Schaijk (Netherlands). TREC stands for "Techniques de Randonnée Equestre de Compétition" (loosely translated: the technique of trail riding in competition) and, as the name suggests, originates from France.
There, the sport was originally used to train and test professional trail riding guides. In a TREC competition, there are three sections to master. The first is the centrepiece of TREC riding, the "Parcours d'orientation et de régularité" (POR), or "orientation ride". Here, the riders and their horses have to ride a route of up to 45 kilometres with a map and compass as accurately as possible at a set pace. The following day begins with the "Maitrise des Allures" (MA), the "gait test", in which the horses must demonstrate that they are also trained in dressage. The task is to cover 150 metres as slowly as possible in canter and as quickly as possible in walk. Finally, the "Parcours en terrain varié" (PTV), the "cross-country course", is ridden. This consists of jumping obstacles such as tree trunks, ditches or hedges, dexterity tasks such as backwards, slalom or pole labyrinths or obedience tasks such as the horse standing still without any input from the rider. We wish Lena all the best and every success at the TREC European Championships in September!