Del Rio Resort at Wisemans Ferry in the Upper Colo area played host to 342 riders and horses from all over Australia, including also 12 international riders.

A technically challenging course was designed to challenge both horse and rider in every way.

There were sandy trails, lovely bush tracks, rocky mountain sides and goat tracks set to keep all on their toes throughout a gruelling 160 kilometres.

Some riders ride to win but most are out for the ultimate.

To complete is to win!

To hold one shiny 50th Anniversary Quilty buckle of your own at the end of the challenge with your horse for 160 kilometres brings an inner pride, a feeling of achievement like no other and that is a part of the addiction of endurance.

The winner of the Tom Quilty Gold Cup this year was Ben Hudson of Mudgee aboard Cap Braveheart a 7-year-old purebred stallion owned and imported by OSO Arabians of Albury in a time of 10 hours and 16 minutes.

Congratulations team.

Massive congratulations go to all riders and horses to complete and commiserations go to those not.

I would like to take the chance to acknowledge our seven Lachlan Endurance Riders Club (LERC) horses and rider combinations who participated over the weekend.

First we had successful was Andrew Bailey who was awarded with fourth heavyweight.

This is a massive achievement to be in the top five.

Andrew was riding home bred gelding Bullio Solute.

Mark Lindsay and Kintamani Silver Marksman the beautiful grey, pure Arabian Stallion made an amazing team and we look forward to their bright future.

Marksman is home bred by Kintamani Arabians Cowra.

Another LERC rider was Kevin Guihot riding Windradyne Ferrero (Shelly) for his first Quilty buckle, he will be smiling for months after this achievement.

Shelly was bred by Greg and Louise Hamilton of Windradyne Arabians at Canowindra.

Two more successful combinations were Donna Tidswell completing on Karen Rhodes's gelding Stratfield Ghayth (Billy) to gain her sixth Quilty Buckle, what a team they made and then we had Dianne Luker riding Kintamani Silver Diva to a Quilty completion and a very pleased combination on another local Cowra bred Kintamani horse.

A special mention must go to Carcoar LERC rider Marjorie Trudgett riding Trazir Amir Rhazzikh (Duke) who completed the whole 160 kilometres and was considered not fit to continue at the end due to a slight sore back.

Marj is very proud of her horse and says onwards and upwards for his future.

We wish them luck.

Kintamani Silver Motif has graced the pages of this paper many times over the years and he was ridden by Alan Lindsay who unfortunately withdrew after the first leg.

But Motif is perfectly fine and looking forward to more rides to come.

Motif was recognised for completing over 5,000 endurance kilometres at the Australian Endurance Riders Association presentations held at the event.

A huge congratulation goes to Kintamani, who achieved this with many riders aboard Motif but mostly family Erica, Mark and Alan Lindsay.

At these major presentations Alan Lindsay was presented with an award for 25,000 endurance kilometres and Karen Rhodes of Woodstock received an award for 20,000 endurance kilometres.

Keep in mind that these kilometres are measured only at endurance rides, this does not include training at home or withdrawals or vet outs at rides, so one can see that these two riders deserve massive praise for their endurance efforts.

These two have the souls of the sport. Well done.

LERC were silver sponsors at this year's Quilty event and not only supplied funding for all of the entertainment aspects; they also loaned their caravan for the office and most importantly provided man power that was invaluable.

I am very fortunate to be a part of such a dedicated and hard working committee.

Our LERC committee work endlessly to provide three rides to the endurance calendar with Woodstock, Neville and Bumbaldry rides and then also assisted in a big way towards the National Championship Endurance Ride.

These thank you's below are written by Helen Lindsay.

Helen is one of the main backbones of LERC with an endurance pedigree longer than your arm.

Helen was the ride secretary for the Quilty.

Helen moved mountains to make this Quilty a success and along with her thank you's to others I wish to acknowledge her.

Such a thankless task you have completed Helen and it would not have all come together without you.

Helen has been working on this for years and years and deserves so much credit for such an amazing job.

Save the date of September 13 for our Woodstock Endurance ride, set to have 20, 40 and 80 kilometre distances, followed by the Neville ride on November 8 also with 20, 40 and 80 kilometre distances.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Please contact our LERC committee by emailing LERC3@outlook.com or look up LERC or any of our ride names on Facebook.

Tina Walker, Publicity LERC.

Time for big thank you's.

I was so proud of the amazing support all of the Lachlan girls and blokes put in at this year's Tom Quilty 50th Anniversary ride.

There from the start and still helping at presentations and the dinner dance.

You are amazing.

Linda Jonkers took on the responsibility of the timing team and set the girls on a schedule which saw them work through the night and into the next.

Helen Brown, Erica Allan, Marion Mitchell, Kylie Jonkers and Tina Walker, I don't think they even took much of a break the whole ride.

Especially when it was realised the 'Strapper lanyons' had gone missing and they went into action making more during the Friday night.

Thanks also to Annette Bailey for assisting in the office for a time and helping before the event by supporting at meetings with sponsorship drives and multiple duties, you were forever helpful.

Special thanks to Helen Brown for all your visits to assist me with the zillion nomination forms and camping forms.

You were a godsend as my vagueness was still hovering after my treatments.

Andrew Jonkers and Stuart Walker were forever present to help with the fires and donkeys in the strapping area.

Dusty Walker was a great little runner and helped the boys also.

Mark Lindsay set up security cameras for the Heritage Display and towed the LERC Caravan down to Del Rio with the quad with Linda the weekend before, thanks mate for all your help with the mail and copying as well.

Thanks also to Erika Lindsay for helping out with the welcome party and general support and for lending us Nick McKenzie to help Beau Knihinicki with the wood delivery runs.

This was a particularly thankless task.

Also thanks to Mary Symons for manning the merchandise stall over the days beforehand and during event, it was a busy place.

It seems you all had my back in this enormous event, looking after me like mother hens some of the time when I looked like I was flailing.

Like the presentations they were so lengthy but great to see so many people getting up to pick up their anniversary buckle.

I will probably take a break now from office and organising to hand over to the younger ones.

Again I thank you all. Helen Lindsay.