Brynna Rider Charmaine Wensley Joins Wales Team 2026

Key Points

• Brynna-based businesswoman Charmaine Wensley, aged 41 years, has been chosen to represent Wales in the 2026 Endurance Riding Home International.
• Charmaine Wensley, who hails from Brynna, near Pontyclun, features on the Welsh team alongside her horse Emir Ibn Orion.
• The Home International is set to run between 4 and 6 September 2026 at Easter Bonhard, close to Perth, Scotland.
• The teams that will participate in the competition are Wales, the home nation Scotland, and England. Ireland does not participate in the 2026 competition.
• Endurance GB shows 14 rider and horse pairs in the Wales selection, which includes Charmaine Wensley and Katie Wensley.
• The competition is organized using Cup and Trophy squads and scores for the teams are based on veterinary completion, distance, and riding time.
• The riders will undertake courses through Perthshire moorland and forestry tracks, with welfare of the horses forming the basis of the competition.
• The original article was reported by Herald.Wales, while Wales squad, venue and format of the competition was provided by Endurance GB.

Wales (Wales Times) September 01, 2026 – Brynna businesswoman Charmaine Wensley has been selected to represent Wales at the 2026 Endurance Riding Home International, where she is due to compete with Emir Ibn Orion in Scotland this week. Herald.Wales reported that Wensley, 41, is from Brynna, Pontyclun, and has received the national-team call-up for the established endurance riding fixture.

The selection places Wensley among the riders chosen for Wales at the Home International, an event which brings together teams in a national competition format. Endurance GB, the governing body’s official platform, has named Charmaine Wensley and Emir Ibn Orion in its published Wales squad for the championships at Easter Bonhard, Perth, from Friday, 4 September, to Sunday, 6 September.

Her inclusion means a rider from the Rhondda Cynon Taf area will be part of Wales’ representation at a competition involving England and Scotland. Endurance GB says Scotland is hosting the 2026 event, with the three nations set to contest the title. Ireland will not field a team this year.

The announcement is a significant sporting development for Wensley and for the local equestrian community around Brynna and Pontyclun, as selection formally places a rider and horse combination within the Welsh national squad for an inter-nation endurance championship.

Who is in the Wales endurance riding squad?

Endurance GB’s official squad list names 14 Wales rider-and-horse combinations. Charmaine Wensley is listed with Emir Ibn Orion, while Katie Wensley is also selected with Orions Amira. The published Wales group is:

• Georgina Vaughan with Vlacq Journeyman
• Fiona Griffiths with Warrenshill Cascidy
• Nicola Smith with Sharloam Tsarina
• Kirsty Wiscombe with Yawl Hill Pollyanna
• Sue Box with Crystal Grey Shadow
• Chris Wray with Kamili
• Ruth Ferris with Puzzle
• Caroline Pitt with GL Gilded Lady
• Elsie May with Ma’ase Bin Krayaan
• Barbara Baker with Ebrill Secret Beacon
• Charmaine Wensley with Emir Ibn Orion
• Katie Wensley with Orions Amira
• Sophie Spiteri with Caroline’s Charm
• Sophia Parry with River Meadows

The squad publication does not specify in the available official announcement which Cup or Trophy team each rider will contest, nor does it set out individual ride distances for each named partnership. Endurance GB says that final distances and class declarations are due to be confirmed one hour after Friday’s veterinary inspection.

That means Wensley’s exact competitive class and distance were not publicly confirmed in the information available at the time of publication. The official selection nevertheless confirms that she and Emir Ibn Orion are part of the Welsh contingent travelling to Perthshire.

When and where is the Home International being held?

The 2026 Home International will take place at Easter Bonhard, Perth, postcode PH2 7PJ, between 4 and 6 September, according to Endurance GB. Scotland is the host nation for this year’s edition.

The venue is expected to provide a demanding endurance setting across Perthshire terrain. Endurance GB describes the course as combining moorland tracks and forestry trails. The moorland sections are described as having open, grassy stretches and panoramic views, while the forestry sections include wide tracks with grassy central areas alongside firmer hardcore surfaces.

For riders and horses, that mixture means pace management will be an important part of the competition. Endurance riding involves completing long-distance routes while maintaining the horse’s condition sufficiently to pass veterinary assessments. The event is therefore not determined solely by speed or by finishing the route.

Endurance GB says the championship includes rider-and-horse pairings from Novice/Novice level through to Advanced combinations. The longest routes can reach up to 160km across two days, although the organisation has not confirmed which distance Wensley and Emir Ibn Orion will be assigned.

How does the endurance championship work?

The Home International is a team championship staged on a rotating basis between England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The format is designed to provide national-team competition across different levels of endurance riding, from developing combinations to experienced competitors.

Each nation enters two six-rider teams: a Cup squad and a Trophy squad. Endurance GB states that both teams must include a junior rider aged between eight and 16, placing youth participation within the event’s formal structure.

Team outcomes are not based on a simple first-past-the-post race. According to Endurance GB, standings are assessed through three principal measures:

• The number of horses successfully passing veterinary checks at the end of the ride.
• The total distance completed by the team.
• The lowest cumulative riding time.

The system gives horse welfare a direct bearing on sporting results. Endurance GB says a maximum pulse requirement of 64 beats per minute within 30 minutes of finishing applies across the classes. Horses must meet the relevant veterinary standards in order to be recorded as having successfully completed the ride.

That framework means the Welsh team’s performance will depend on the collective completion and condition of its horses as well as riders’ ability to manage time over the course. For Wensley, selection with Emir Ibn Orion places the pair within a format where preparation, route judgement and veterinary clearance are all material to the team result.

What honours are available at the 2026 event?

Alongside the main Cup and Trophy team honours, the Home International includes several additional awards. Endurance GB has confirmed that the Queen Elizabeth II Memorial Trophy will be awarded for Best Turned Out at the veterinary inspection and parade.

The event also includes the Best Junior Bowl for the highest-performing junior rider, determined through placing and distance completed. A further recognition, the Margaret Montgomerie Award, is presented by each team’s Chef d’Equipe for outstanding team spirit.

These awards are separate from the principal team standings. They reflect the varied aspects of the event, including presentation, junior achievement and contribution to the team environment.

No result has yet been recorded because the championships are due to begin on 4 September. The immediate confirmed development is Wensley’s selection in the Welsh squad, rather than an outcome from the competition.

What is the background to Wales’ Home International campaign?

The Home International is a recurring endurance riding competition involving the home nations. It is hosted in rotation by England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, although Endurance GB has confirmed that only Scotland, England and Wales are represented in the 2026 edition.

The 2026 event is being held in Scotland, with Easter Bonhard near Perth serving as the base for riders, horses, crews, officials and volunteers. It brings together combinations competing over a range of distances and grades, rather than operating as a single race with identical distances for every entrant.

Herald.Wales first reported Wensley’s local selection story, identifying her as a 41-year-old businesswoman from Brynna, Pontyclun. The official Endurance GB announcement subsequently listed Charmaine Wensley and Emir Ibn Orion among the Welsh pairings selected for the championships.

The two reports establish the central facts of the development: Wensley is a local Welsh rider selected for national representation, her named horse is Emir Ibn Orion, and the competition is scheduled for 4–6 September in Perthshire.

How could this selection affect Welsh endurance riding audiences?

For Welsh endurance riding followers, Charmaine Wensley’s selection gives the 2026 Home International a direct local connection, particularly for people in Brynna, Pontyclun and the wider Rhondda Cynon Taf area. It also increases visibility for the rider-and-horse combinations selected to carry Wales’ colours in Scotland.

For competitors and younger riders, the championship’s requirement for junior participation in both Cup and Trophy teams may provide a visible example of the pathway available within the sport. The event combines Novice-level combinations with Advanced riders, meaning it is structured to include developing and established participants.

For the Welsh squad, the practical impact will depend on the final class declarations, route conditions, horse welfare assessments and the collective performances of the selected combinations. Scotland’s moorland and forestry course will require measured riding and careful horse management, while the result will be determined through completion, distance and time criteria rather than speed alone.

For Charmaine Wensley, the immediate next stage is participation with Emir Ibn Orion at the Home International. Any assessment of the pair’s competitive outcome will need to wait until the event has taken place and official results have been published.