Nikki Malcolm wins Endurance GB RiderCise® Southern Championship at Three Rivers

Endurancegb.co.uk - Full Article

(Published:16 June 2019)

Endurance GB’s new RiderCise® Southern Champions are Dorset-based Nikki Malcolm and Oso Spiralling Wind.

Nikki, whose training base, Stride Ahead is based near Dorchester in Dorset, won the 80km Championship held at Endurance GB’s Three Rivers Ride near Fordingbridge on Saturday, 15th June.

The Championship, sponsored by the rider fitness and conditioning specialists RiderCise®, was one of 24 classes held at Three Rivers over a route covering grassy tracks, downland and bridleways.

Nikki who competed the Australian-bred grey on behalf of the Oso Arabians team based in New South Wales, at an average speed of 12.7 kilometres per hour with a finishing pulse of 52 beats per minute ahead of second placed Sally Mcilwaine and Winnie The Witch who completed at an average speed of 12.6km/hr with a finishing pulse of 60bpm.

Nikki said: “This was a lovely win for a deserving team on the other side of the globe who have bred and produced such a lovely boy.

“Spiral came over from Australia last March to train with me with the ultimate goal of Australian young riders being able to qualify for the YR World Championships..."

More at:
https://endurancegb.co.uk/main/news#2019061701

Costaros “La Voie Romaine” – a four-day event in France

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

7th June 2019
Race Report made with the assistance of Clémence Baudin

Costaros, France. 30 May to 02 June 2019. This was the sixth edition of the Costaros “La Voie Romaine” ride. Categories from 20km to 160km, CEI1* CEI2* CEI3*, and young horses devision were scheduled.

Over the past years, the Costaros event has become well known by European riders for its special tracks. Costaros is located in a remote region, originally known for its lentils and cows. The particularity of this race is the use of the old Roman road (giving his name to the event) which allows a large technical part of gallop. The site is precisely located on the boards of a lake, an ancient volcanic heart. Weather conditions are usually very unpredictable, and can change very quickly. This edition was characterized by a blazing sun...

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/costaros-la-voie-romaine-a-four-day-event-in-france/

Australia: Wheatbelt Endurance Riders in good stead following state grant

Avonadvocate.com.au - Full Article

June 13 2019
Eliza Wynn

A group of riders passionate about long distance events and horse well-being have been given a grant to help support upcoming community events.

Wheatbelt Endurance Riders Inc (WERI) will benefit from the latest round of grants from the State Government's Active Regional Communities program.

Agricultural Region MP Laurie Graham, who travelled to Wilberforce to congratulate the group said WERI were deserving participants of the funds.

"The Endurance Series aims to create easily accessible, international level horse-riding opportunities in Wheatbelt communities and will be open to people of all ages and abilities in the discipline of endurance," he said...

Read more here:
https://www.avonadvocate.com.au/story/6206310/wheatbelt-endurance-riders-in-good-stead-following-state-grant/

Great Britain: Man v Horse 2019: Herbie the horse wins 40th race

CountryTimes.co.uk - Full Article

10th June 2019
By Anwen Parry

A HORSE named Herbie won the 40th Man v Horse race in Llanwrtyd Wells.

The largest horse race in Britain saw 650 runners try to outrun 60 horses over a 22-mile course on Saturday, June 8.

Ilkley Harriers' runner Jack Wood, from Yorkshire, was the fastest human to complete the course at Maes y Gwaelod in two hours, 23 minutes and 39 seconds. His finishing time was faster than the winning horses from the previous two years.

Jack said: "It's a great course, great organisation so thank you."

Woottonheath Herbie, ridden by Mark Adams from the New Forest, crossed the finishing line and won the race in two hours 18 minutes and 34 seconds.

Had he beaten the horse, Mr Wood would have been the third person ever to do so since the competition started in 1980...

Read more here:
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/17696796.man-v-horse-2019-herbie-the-horse-wins-40th-race/

Royal Cavalry of Oman Comes First, Second in French Costaros Endurance Race

MuscatDaily.com

By ONA
June 10, 2019

PARIS -
The Royal Cavalry came first and second in the French Costaros, which was organised by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (IFES) for 120km. The race had four stages. The first was for 40km, the second for 25km, the third for 33km and the final stage was for 22km.

Thirty-eight horse riders from the sultanate, France, Argentina, Italy, China, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and Switzerland participated in the race.

Horses of the Royal Cavalry came first and second. Mahmoud al Marhoon riding Delilah came first while Saleh bin Salim al Balushi riding Raga came second. Franco Kozani of Argentina finished third.

South African International Challenge – always a challenge!

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

3rd June 2019
Race Report: Bernadette Kasselman

Bona Bona Endurance Club, Bona Bona Game Lodge, Wolmaranstad, North West Province, South Africa. 27 and 29 April 2019. For the second consecutive year Bona Bona Endurance Club hosted the South African International Challenge (SAIC).

This event covered the following FEI distances: CEI1* 80km, CEI2* 120km and CEI3* 160km. At the same time, the Endurance Ride Association of South Africa (ERASA) hosted distances from 40 to 160kms under FEI rules and regulations. The 80km and 160km rides were ridden on Saturday, 27 April 2019; with the 120km ride being ridden 2 days later. No ride is possible without sponsors, and this year two new sponsors from the UAE were welcomed onboard – hence the 80km ride being referred to as the Seeh Al Salam Dubai Showcase Event and the 120 and 160km rides as the Al Wathba Cup.

Saturday morning saw 37 competitive riders leaving on the 160km ride. The course was a challenge – due to a lot of rain prior the ride, riders were faced with water hazards and the accompanying tricky terrain...

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/south-african-international-challenge-always-a-challenge/

Irish riders enjoy clean sweep at 25th anniversary Endurance GB FEI King’s Forest Ride

Endurancegb.co.uk

(Published:03 June 2019)

Tom MacGuinness, the 67-year-old founder of Horseware, has won his first FEI CEI-3* 160km contest, with his 11-year-old chestnut gelding Horseware Sasha D'Aillais. The pair completed the route over grassland and soft sandy tracks at just over 18km/hr ahead of Spain’s Maria Alvarez Ponton (JM Bucefala) and Omar Blanco Rodrigo (Twyst Maison Blanche).

The Endurance GB Young Rider National Championship saw Madison (Maddie) Pomroy, with Angel’s Twilight Spirit on loan from Roz Plail, and Katie Bedwin, riding Sue Higgins’ Aberllwyd Ibn Phariz take the well-deserved titles of Champion and Reserve Champion respectively.

In the CEI-2*, Horseware HLM Iguazu, owned by Tom MacGuinness and ridden by Martin McNamara set a record for Ireland – the first time riders from the Emerald Isle have won an FEI double.

Tom, who heads up Horseware and also plays polo in his spare time, said: “As Sasha is trained in Spain, I think he was acclimatised to the conditions and this might have helped. It was warm and humid at times but there was a breeze in the forest itself. This horse is amazing, I’m very happy with how he went. He is just so generous, even when we got lost he just turned round and retraced our steps and got going. I didn’t have to dig into the well at all - he was just on the bridle and there was a lot more left in him which is exciting. After this he will have two weeks relaxing in the field and then come back into work with lots of walking out before he begins his training again. We will aim to do an 80km ride and then if we feel he is fit and ready to go, we will be at the European Championships.”

Tom’s entry at the 25th anniversary FEI King’s Forest Ride is part of the build up to the European Championships taking place over similar terrain at Euston Park in Suffolk in August. He also hopes to field an Irish team in the Nations Cup at the same event.

Mr MacGuinness said: “I thought I would give endurance a go and initially I thought I would find it boring but the more I discovered, it is anything but. I play polo but I am not born to it like I am to endurance. I love every aspect of it – the sense of adventure of riding one horse into the ‘unknown’ and the real team side of things behind the horse and crewing.”

Helen McFarland, Chairman of Ireland’s Long Distance Riding Association (ILDRA) said: “ILDRA is an incredibly small organisation and we greatly value all our athletes whether they are achieving their dream of completing their first 30km ride or as in Tom’s case realising their first 3* 160km win. An Irish sweep of the 2* and 3* at the prestigious King’s Forest Ride is a real tribute to the hard work put in by Tom, his trainer Jordi, by Martin and the rest of the team.”

Dianne Luke, who together with husband Paul supported by Karen Collier, has been organising King’s Forest for 25 years, said: “I certainly didn’t think in 1994 that I would still be running this ride today. Yet over the years despite all the hard work, so much fun has been had and so many true friendships have been formed.”

Paying tribute, Endurance GB Chair, Rebecca Kinnarney, said: “Well done to all those who achieved their goals here and particularly to our fantastic Young Rider champion Maddie Pomroy and Reserve, Katie Bedwin. It’s unfortunate that there were no finishers in the 160km Senior National Championships but endurance is a tough sport, particularly in a country with such changeable weather.

“Thanks to Dianne and the team, King’s Forest has become one of the high points of the Endurance GB calendar. The ride is not only renowned for its stunning course and fantastic organisation, but also the hospitality and real sense of camaraderie that epitomises our sport. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the team here for that and look forward to seeing the ride prosper into its next quarter century.”

More at:
https://endurancegb.co.uk/main/news#2019060301