28/04/2014 10:54:04 a.m.
Extreme weather forced the abandonment of the Fibre Fresh New Zealand Endurance Championships at Mayfield over Easter weekend, now plans are under way for a new event to wrap up the season for New Zealand riders.
A two-day event has been added to the calendar at Taupo over the weekend of May 10 and 11. As well as offering FEI-level 3* 160km, 2* 120km, and 1* 100km rides for both senior and junior riders, there will also be several national rides from 20km to 100km in introductory, novice and open sections.
This means that there will be no "National Championship" in New Zealand for 2014. Consideration was given to rescheduling the “Nationals” in another location, but it was felt that many members would be disadvantaged by this, given the tight time-frames involved. All entry fees received for the 2014 Nationals will be refunded.
The FEI rides at the new Taupo event will be the last opportunity of the season for High Performance Squad members to achieve the final qualifications needed for the 2014 World Equestrian Games. It is also an opportunity to qualify horses for the star levels and to begin a campaign for the next Endurance World Championships and the Junior World Championships in Chile.
A schedule will be sent out this week, with entries closing on Sunday, May 4.
The abandonment of the 2014 Nationals has meant that organisers will incur a significant financial loss, but already several riders have indicated that they wish their entry fees to be left "in the kitty" to help cover expenses. The ESNZ Endurance Board is extremely grateful to those who have chosen to help in this way.
