France: Ponton wins European Endurance Championship on Nobby

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September 10, 20011, Florac, France ~ Spain’s, Maria Alvarez Ponton, reining World and European Champion, rode her half Arabian, Nobby, to another victory Saturday, as she again topped the best of European Endurance riders in the 2011 European Endurance Championship at Florac. Riding Nobby, the horse on which that she has won every major world endurance title for the past four years (World Championship, Kentucky, USA 2010, European Championship, Italy 2009, World Championship, Malaysia, 2008), Alvarez completed the course with an average speed of 17:68. She arrived in second place, as UAE rider, Abu Dhabi’s Ali Al Jahouri arrived first, finishing with an average speed of 18.55, setting a new record for the course and gaining the Gold for the Open division. Riding in 2nd position as the loops progressed and into the finish, Ponton was secure knowing she would be first for the European title. She arrived seven minutes behind Al Jahouri. Qatar’s Jasim Mohammed Al Maadhadi, riding Mazayha finished third, a minute later. Sabrina Arnold, riding Beau ox for the German team, arrived fourth by another minute and Beaux ox won the Best Condition prize at the Sunday awards.

Ponton said she trains Nobby in the desert and he has done well in his flat rides in Malaysia and Kentucky. ”This was his first mountain race,” she said. ”I arrived with a bit of fear of the mountain ride, as it has a certain reputation, and also I knew that the French riders are great competition. I can now see that Nobby is good at both desert and mountain rides.” Asked if he will race again, she said, “It was his choice to come. We didn’t push him.” Maria, 13 month old daughter, Maria, and husband, Jauma Punti Dachs live in Spain and Dubai, where the two train endurance horses.

Team prizes were: Gold -France, Silver- Spain, Bronze- Belgium...

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