2008/11/05
JANICE Worthington, at 68, holds the distinction of being the oldest competitor at the FEI World Endurance Championships (WEC). Age, according to the United States rider, will not stand in her way of attaining glory.
With more than 30 years of experience in horseback riding, she's looking forward to a fairytale outing at the WEC which starts at the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) in Lembah Bidong, Setiu, tomorrow.
This will be Janice's fifth outing in a WEC, the first of which was in Compiegne, France in 2000, followed by Jerez de la Frontera, Spain (2002), Dubai, United Arab Emirates (2004) and Aachen, Germany (2006).
Janice, who has four grandchildren, lives in Illinois where she has a 300-acre ranch and 65 horses. One of them is eight-year-old Golden Lightning which she has shipped out here for the championship.
Despite her age, Janice has chalked up over 48,500km in the saddle and has not showed any signs of slowing down. Just two months ago, she won a 160-km all-night endurance race in the United States.
"Horse riding has been my first love and I am most happy when on a horse. It's all in the mind and there is no such thing as too old to ride.
"As long as you are mentally fit, you can ride. More so in endurance racing," Janice said at TIEP, Setiu yesterday.
"You only have to worry about your horse because it cannot tell you personally if it is tired or needs a rest," added Janice, who is part of a six-member US team.
"I look forward to doing well here. It's hot and I reckon it will be a challenging race."
The other members of the US team are Kathy Brunjes on Theatric, John Crandell (HH Saba Shams), Cheryl Dell (Reason To Believe), Valerie Kanavy (Flash Flame) and Margaret Sleeper (Syrocco Reveille).
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Posted By Steph Teeter to WEC Reports at 11/05/2008 02:20:00 AM
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