HH The President Of the UAE Australian Challenge 160 FEI ***

The Australian: Unbridled passions [June 09, 2004]: "Unbridled passions
By Leisa Scott
June 09, 2004
BEFORE dawn breaks, when the mercury is at its lowest and the urge to stay under the covers is at its strongest, Anne Jones will emerge bleary-eyed from a makeshift bed inside the horse float that she has dragged to a clearing at Peak Crossing, west of Ipswich in southeastern Queensland.

She'll wander over in the dark to give a pat to her seven-year-old gelding, Cavalier, put the coffee on and start thinking about saddling up. By 5.30am, Jones and Cavalier will be at the starting line of a horse endurance event that will not have a winner until about 10 hours later.

Jones is a champion rider, but she and Cavalier will face some stiff competition. In the chill winds of pre-dawn Peak Crossing, about 90 other horse fanatics will line up with their helmet lights on in the hope of winning HH the President of the United Arab Emirates Australian Championship, part of this weekend's Endurance Horse Festival.

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