Friday, July 31, 2015

Qatari endurance rider banned and fined over positive drug test in mount

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Horsetalk.co.nz | 31 July 2015

A Qatari endurance rider whose mount tested positive for the banned substance propoxyphene has been suspended from competing for two years and fined 1000 Swiss Francs.

Ali Yousef J Y Al Kubaisi rode a horse named In Situ in the 120-kilometre two-star endurance competition at Mesaieed, in Doha, Qatar, on February 22.

The horse subsequently returned a positive test for propoxyphene, which is a painkiller with local anaesthetic properties...

Read more here:
Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/07/31/qatari-endurance-rider-banned-fined-positive-drug-test/#ixzz3hTwGbtc9

Bahrain Royal Endurance Team ready to participate in Belgium

BNA.bh

30/07/2015

Manama, July 30 (BNA): Upon the directives of HM the King's Representative for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, the Supreme Council of Youth and Sports (SCYS)'s Chairman, Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC)'s President and the leader of the Royal Endurance Team, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Royal Endurance Team will participate in the 120-km Belgium International Endurance Race for adult and junior riders from all over the world on Saturday.

The Royal Endurance Team's participation in Belgium Race will be the first of its type as the team has never been to Belgium before which constitutes a new challenge for the team especially in view of the difference in terrain and atmosphere in this European host country. His Highness affirmed huge confidence in the Royal Team riders and their expertise to achieve best results as they have already done in European races this season.

Thursday, July 30, 2015

UAE endurance: There’s one more issue to mop up

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Neil Clarkson | 30 July 2015

Acronyms and abbreviations drive me crazy. We’re not talking Dance Around The Arena Naked kind of crazy, but if I ever developed a facial tick, I have no doubt that acronyms and their ilk would be to blame.

To be strictly correct, I’m talking about abbreviations, contractions, acronyms and initialisms.

Which makes me hate them even more.

This obsessive dislike becomes a major problem when you start writing about the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and the Equestrian Community Integrity Unit (ECIU)...

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/07/30/uae-endurance-theres-one-more-issue-to-mop-up/#ixzz3hPdc6x3u

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

UAE endurance: Final call for drinks at the Last Chance Saloon

Horsetalk.co.nz - full article

Neil Clarkson | 28 July 2015

The barman has called for final drinks at the Last Chance Saloon, where the FEI and the United Arab Emirates have been holed up for four months trying to broker a deal over endurance.
Early in March the pair had a very public showdown in the Main Street, after the FEI suspended the UAE over concerns around horse welfare and non-compliance with the world governing body’s rules.

The UAE appealed and it was looking very much like pistols at dawn, as the two gun-toting parties squared off.

Who would blink first?...

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/07/28/uae-endurance-final-drinks-last-chance-saloon/#ixzz3hC66WBE1

Monday, July 27, 2015

Mongolia: And I'm Off!

Horse-canada.com - Desk To Derby Blog

by Liz Brown
July 27 2015

Almost 11 months of preparation has brought me here – as you read this I’ll be in the air somewhere over Europe enroute to Beijing and then, after a 16-hour layover, on to Ulaanbaatar.

It’s been another hectic week as I got back to Canada and immediately went about doing the boring Mongol Derby housekeeping stuff – paying my final entry fee installment, squaring away insurance and shopping for the final odds and ends I need (nothing says adventure like battling Toronto crowds as you shop for duct tape and Imodium).

To maintain all the fitness I built up in Moab I went for runs, worked out at the gym and snuck in two rides when I drove back to Brantford to visit my family. Fittingly, my final ride on Canadian soil was on my Canadian Sport Horse Nero, who’s gotten quite fat over the summer. It’s probably the first time I’ve ever been fitter than he is...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/desk-to-derby/and-im-off/

UAE endurance riders free to compete from Tuesday after FEI lift suspension

Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article

By Pippa Cuckson, Equestrian Correspondent
3:50PM BST 27 Jul 2015

The unprecedented temporary ban was put in place after multiple horse welfare scandals

United Arab Emirates endurance riders are free to compete from Tuesday with the International Equestrian Federation (FEI’s) decision to lift their national federation’s unprecedented suspension.

Monthly performance reviews, the application of rigorous FEI rules at national competitions, attempts to reduce fatalities and respect for mandatory rest periods are among a raft of conditions negotiated since the UAE was grounded in March after multiple horse welfare scandals highlighted by Telegraph Sport. Any future breaches could result in further suspension and the withdrawal of the 2016 world endurance championships in Dubai in December 2016...

Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11765759/UAE-endurance-riders-free-to-compete-from-Tuesday-after-FEI-lift-suspension.html

UAE National Federation suspension lifted by FEI Bureau following signature of agreement

FEI.org

27 Jul 2015

The FEI Bureau has unanimously approved the immediate reinstatement of the United Arab Emirates National Federation to full membership of the FEI following signature of a legally binding agreement between the two parties in which the Emirates Equestrian Federation (EEF) guarantees that horse welfare will be fully respected and that FEI Rules will be stringently enforced at all Endurance events, both national and international, in the country.

The agreement has been signed by FEI President Ingmar De Vos and Secretary General Sabrina Zeender, and by EEF President HE Sheikh Dr Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Secretary General Taleb Dhaher Al Mheiri, and Mohammad Al Kamali, Secretary General of the UAE National Olympic Committee.

The EEF was provisionally suspended by the FEI Bureau in mid-March following an investigation by the FEI into major horse welfare issues and non-compliance with FEI Rules and Regulations in Endurance in the UAE.

Following the suspension and at the request of the FEI Bureau, the EEF proposed an extensive list of actions it would undertake to address the issues. These were integrated into a draft agreement that the EEF sent to the FEI in early June. The FEI Bureau unanimously welcomed the proposals, but informed the EEF that more areas needed to be covered before the agreement that would allow the provisional suspension to be lifted could be signed. The two parties have spent the intervening weeks reviewing and revising the terms of the agreement.

Under the key terms of the agreement, the EEF must ensure that:

Protocols are put in place to avoid equine fatalities;
Applicable rest periods are respected;
Horses on rest periods are blocked from entry in national events (the FEI system already blocks entries in international events);
Use of prohibited fluid administration and any substances prohibited under the FEI Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs) in and around the Field of Play and at the Vet Gate is prevented;
Prohibited substitution of horses is prevented;
Prohibited vehicles on the Field of Play are prevented;
Any individual or horse suspended by the FEI is automatically blocked by the EEF IT system from competing at national events;
The role and authority of officials in carrying out their duties is respected at all times;
Training and education of Athletes, Trainers, Support Personnel, National Federation Staff Members and Stable Veterinarians is conducted prior to the start of the 2015/2016 Endurance season in October;
FEI rules on post mortems are adhered to and, where possible, the same procedure is applied in the event of fatalities at national competitions;
A national Independent Governance Advisor, approved by the FEI is appointed;
Conflicts of interest are avoided;
Distribution of prize money is in accordance with the FEI approved schedule;
Rules for National Endurance events in the UAE are fully compliant with the FEI Rules and Regulations.

The EEF will provide monthly written reports during the 2015/2016 season on steps taken to ensure ongoing compliance with FEI Rules and Regulations, and agrees to abide by any further recommendations put forward by the FEI. Following completion of the 2015/2016 season, the EEF will provide reports whenever requested by the FEI.

Additionally, the EEF will support a research project to evaluate the causes of injuries linked to the design of desert endurance courses. Endurance Trainers will be obliged to cooperate with this research project.

The agreement also details the new legislation that has been introduced in the UAE prohibiting the trade or use of banned substances in horse racing and equestrian sports in the country and the sanctions that will be imposed for breaches.

“We are very pleased that, after four months of very hard work, the United Arab Emirates have demonstrated with the signature of this agreement that they are fully committed to ensuring horse welfare and complying with FEI rules at both international and national level in the country”, FEI Secretary General Sabrina said. “They are absolutely committed to making this work so that they can return to playing an active and leading role in Endurance once again and, to demonstrate that commitment, they have included the UAE’s highest sporting body, the National Olympic Committee, in the agreement.”

"We are very pleased that the FEI Bureau has unanimously agreed to lift the suspension based on the considerable actions and solutions we have put in place together”, EEF Secretary General Taleb Dhaher Al Mheiri said. “We will continue to work with them to ensure all their requirements are applied in endurance racing across the UAE. As the governing body of equestrian sports in the UAE we take our responsibility seriously. It is our goal to pursue excellence while promoting the growth of the sport and safeguarding the welfare of equine and human athletes.”

Separately, the FEI had commissioned the Equestrian Community Integrity Unit (ECIU) to conduct an extensive inquiry into allegations of fake events and duplicate results in the UAE. These allegations were not taken into account when the FEI Bureau imposed the suspension, and were dealt with independently, but provisions have been included in the agreement to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

The EEF cooperated fully with the inquiry and the detailed report has now been received by the FEI. The report is currently being reviewed by the FEI and a file will be submitted to the FEI Tribunal for further action. Sanctions will be taken against any FEI Officials found to be involved. In addition, the FEI will annul all duplicated results and review any connected results.

At the same time, the EEF Endurance Committee conducted its own investigation into the allegations and has authorised sanctions on any Organisers and EEF staff that are found to be involved. The EEF is currently restructuring its organisational policies to ensure that similar events cannot occur again and will put rules in place for all future FEI events under which either the National Federation or the Organising Committee must provide all equipment, including the timing system.

The EEF accepts that the FEI will be entitled to impose sanctions in case of non-compliance with all the terms of the agreement. These sanctions would include, but are not limited to, the immediate reinstatement of the suspension and withdrawal of the allocation of the 2016 FEI World Endurance Championships, which are due to be held in Dubai in mid-December next year.

The agreement will remain in effect for a three-year period. During that time, the FEI and EEF will meet at least once a year for an in-depth review, in addition to the monthly written reports required under the agreement. The FEI reserves the right to extend the term of the agreement if appropriate.

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Tucsonan's wanderlust leads her to Mongol Derby

Tucson.com - Full Article

July 26 2015
By Jon Gold

In this dog-eats-dog-then-campaigns-for-its-corner-office world, maybe we should be celebrating the wild ones, the carefree ones, the ones who value experience as much as stuff.

World, meet Tucson’s Michelle Tanaka.

Michelle Tanaka, meet world. Oh, you’ve already met.

Michelle has seen the far reaches of the globe, traveled the Trans-Siberian Railway through Russia, planted trees in Australia, fended off creeping hands in dank, dark trains in India and slept under stars, a billion flickering lightbulbs in a black sky.

And now, the 25-year-old will embark on her grandest adventure yet: the Mongol Derby. Between Aug. 5-15, she will trek 600 miles across the wooded plains and sandy dunes of the Mongolian steppe. Michelle will ride 25 semi-wild horses with long tails and thick manes that remain uncut. The arduous journey covers the sophisticated mail route that was created by the great Genghis Khan.

She leaves Sunday...

Read more here:
http://tucson.com/sports/tucsonan-s-wanderlust-leads-her-to-mongol-derby/article_338df88e-e23b-5783-a62a-7c99ce5b6ea3.html

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Outrage after suspended endurance trainer is seen helping British riders

HOrseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Pippa Cuckson
23 July, 2015

Endurance GB has declined to comment on why a suspended UAE trainer was allowed to assist British riders at last week’s King’s Forest endurance international (12 July).

The prominent Dubai-based trainer Anzaq Mehmood was seen using slosh bottles at crew points in photographs (not pictured above), which caused a storm on social media.

However, his status has fallen into a “grey area.”

Crewing was not specifically addressed in FEI guidelines about the practical application of the UAE suspension. However, an existing rule prohibits suspended persons from stepping on to the field of play, and was applied in a 2011 case involving Maktoum trainer Ali Al Muhairi...

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/endurance-gb-declines-to-comment-suspended-uae-trainer-anzaq-mehmood-kings-forest-international-503159#rgv9ode4wMkgpXhT.99

Dubai horse rider challenges herself to longest endurance race in world: the Mongol Derby

TheNational.ae - Full Article

Nick Webster
July 22, 2015

DUBAI // A Dubai resident is going to be one of only 40 people who next month will take part in one of the world’s most gruelling events.

If not risking life, American University of Dubai finance graduate Uma Mencia will definitely be risking limb as she navigates 1000 kilometres of Mongolian wilderness with just her wits, her horse and possibly a GPS in the Mongol Derby.

Started in 2009, the equestrian endurance test is modelled on the world’s first long-distance postal route established by Genghis Khan more than 700 years ago.

Khan’s delivery system used a network of horse stations spread out through the vast Mongolian Steppe, and the Derby incorporates stops at 25 horse stations 40km apart.

It is there that Spaniard Ms Mencia, who has been living in the UAE for seven years, faces an additional challenge to the distance endurance aspect of the trek...

Read more here:
http://www.thenational.ae/uae/dubai-horse-rider-challenges-herself-to-longest-endurance-race-in-world-the-mongol-derby

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Local racer hopes to turn small donations into giant Steppe

Tucson.com - Full Article

July 18, 2015 7:58 pm • By Jon Gold

So it turns out the trek of the lifetime takes a little planning.

Later this month, Tucson horsewoman Michelle Tanaka, 25, will take on the Mongol Derby, a brutal journey that traces the mail route of Genghis Khan. The longest of its kind in the world, the race will take her more than 600 miles over the Mongolian Steppe.

The journey to get there might be even harder.

Early on, Tanaka — new to a job at Summit Hut in Tucson and a little too timid to boast about her ambition — left people in the dark about her plans. She puts it simply: “I didn’t want to be that kid.”

But money needed to be raised, particularly for the Canyon del Oro High grad’s two causes — the National Alliance on Mental Illness and Cool Earth, a UK-based organization for rain forest protection — at least enough to meet the fundraising minimum of $1,560...

Read more here:
http://tucson.com/sports/local-racer-hopes-to-turn-small-donations-into-giant-steppe/article_99174411-bef1-5568-b785-f2ec11bc291d.html

Mongol Derby: The Final Countdown

Horse-canada.com - Full Story

Desk to Derby | July 20, 2015
by Liz Brown

The last two weeks have zoomed past and today I realize that in seven days I leave for Mongolia. It’s a bit surreal that my departure is so close now, having spent the last 11 months completely focused on this one goal.

This past week I met another Derby rider – Michelle Tanaka – who drove nine hours from Arizona to come ride with me in Moab. On the first day of her stay, she got kitted out in her Derby gear (giant helmet visor, camelback, and photographer vest OVER the camelback) and hopped aboard a green broke Arabian named Ozi that Meryl and I have been training. Ozi was a bit freaked out, having never encountered a rider resembling the hunchback of Notre Dame and proceeded to scoot and canter laps in the round pen as Michelle tried to calm him.After only a few minutes she said she was ready to hit the trail.

This girl is a lot braver than I, who bailed from Ozi just a week earlier when he did a big spook and bolt at a man in the neighbourhood who was pushing a bucket and pulling weeds from his driveway.

Her gear preparation is also well ahead of mine. She can pack her saddlebag in seven minutes and seems to have prepared for every eventuality...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/desk-to-derby/the-final-countdown/

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Tracking Ghengis Khan, 1000km on horseback

NZHerald.co.nz - Full Article and Video

Sunday Jul 19, 2015

Whether it's sky diving or spur-of-the-moment camps in the bush, Katikati man Ben Wilks has always been one to follow his sense of adventure.

Now the 24-year-old plans, quite literally, to follow the tracks of Ghengis Khan in a ten-day, 1000km horse ride across the vast Mongolian steppe.

Completing what is regarded as the world's longest and toughest horse race - and hopefully winning it - could prove the highlight of his life.

Mr Wilks, a life-long rider who trains horses at a Tauranga racing stables, heard about the Mongol Derby from a friend from Northland who managed it two years ago.

His give-it-a-go outlook led him to apply, and he was surprised to find that he and a mate from Taranaki had been chosen as one of 30 riders to contest the challenge...

More here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=11483542

The Kiwi Crabbet Arabian horse connection

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Robin Marshall | 19 July 2015

A look at some of the recent developments in the breeding of Pure Crabbet Arabians in New Zealand.

The Crabbet Arabian in New Zealand has undergone somewhat of a resurgence in recent months, with four new pure Crabbets being brought into the country by existing breeders looking to consolidate these bloodlines in their breeding programmes.

Sadly, none of the early imports into New Zealand – dating from as early as the 1930s and 1940s – exist today in Pure Crabbet breeding in the country, but there are many high percentage descendents, many of whom also include “Colonial” blood in their lineage, such as that of Shahzada...

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/07/19/kiwi-crabbet-arabian-horse-connection/#ixzz3gLY0jsHC

FEI urges caution over use of muscle product in sport horses

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Horsetalk.co.nz | 18 July 2015

The FEI has urged caution over the use of an Argentinian equine muscle product called Fustex because it may contain propoxyphene, which is banned under the world governing body’s drug rules.

Fustex is manufactured by Chinfield S.A. and is used in particular to stimulate muscle work.

The FEI, in an official communication, said propoxyphene was not listed as an ingredient of Fustex in the product information made available by the manufacturer...

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/07/18/fei-caution-muscle-product-sport-horses/#ixzz3gLWjYtPH

Friday, July 17, 2015

New Zealand: Clean Sport Testing Officials

NZEquestrian.org.nz

17 July 2015

Equestrian Sports New Zealand (ESNZ) is looking to recruit and train Clean Sport Testing Officials to carry out the National and FEI Clean Sport Programme.

As a Clean Sport Testing Official you will have exceptional organisational, coordination and communication skills. You will work alongside ESNZ National Office, Event Organising Committee members, Event Secretaries, Veterinarians, Riders and the person responsible for the horse/pony to ensure that Clean Sport is promoted positively and run efficiently and effectively during the event.

You will also be able to think fast and be flexible when circumstances change. Adherence to the rules, confidentiality, fairness and integrity are core principles of ESNZ Clean Sport, you will also have a natural empathy when dealing with those being tested as the process can be daunting at times.

Full training will be provided.

Please note this volunteer role does attract remuneration of $50 per test plus travel. You will be required to hold full ESNZ membership.

If you would like further information on this role or would like to apply, please do so by emailing the National Sport Administrator: nicky@nzequestrian.org.nz

Devan Horn, Mongol Derby Veteran, Returns for 'Round Two'



by Merri Melde-Endurance.net
July 16 2015

It wasn't in her plans, but Texan Devan Horn will return to Mongolia to contest the 7th renewal of the Mongol Derby on August 5-15. Billed as "the longest and toughest horse race in the world," it traverses the Mongolian Steppe, following part of Genghis Khan's 13th century relay postal system (think the US Pony Express on super steroids), with riders navigating by map and GPS, and changing horses every 40 km at Urtuus, or stations, eating and sleeping with locals in their gers, or eating and camping out in the open. The Mongolian ponies are billed as "semi-wild." Danger and hardships are guaranteed; so is an incredible experience of a lifetime.

The Adventurists, who put on the Mongol Derby, put out a call only weeks earlier to veteran Mongol Derby riders, hoping to fill spots after several dropouts for this year's Derby. "After some hard thinking, some meditation, a couple of cocktails, and some of the most rigorous fitness testing I've ever put my body through, I've decided it's time to pick up the proverbial sword again," Horn said.

It was the 2013 Mongol Derby, where Horn crossed the finish line first after riding a ‘near immaculate race’, but received a 2 hour penalty when her horse did not pulse down in the required time, which gave the victory to Britain Lara Prior-Palmer, second over the finish line an hour later.

Despite the short notice, Devan is ready to have another go. "In 2013, I rode with all my heart and all my strength. This year, my heart and my strength are far greater, and I mean to ride as best I can."

Mongol Derby participants are required to raise money for charity, and Horn's chosen charity is the Houston SPCA, a place near and dear to her heart.

Over 20 riders from around the world (USA, United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, Austria, Sweden, Netherlands, France, Canada, Norway, South Africa) are expected to participate.

Check out the contestants, and stay tuned for updates at

http://www.endurance.net/international/Mongolia/2015MongolDerby/

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

British Success at Kings Forest

Endurancegb.co.uk

12th July - (Published:14 July 2015)

Sunday 12th July saw riders from GB, Netherlands and Ireland compete in the international classes at Kings Forest, close to Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. This was the second international ride there this year, organised by Dianne Luke.

The CEI3* 160km winner, Nicola Thorne, riding L M 42 led the pack for the majority of the race and also took Best Condition.

In second place was Annette Masterson, who represented GB at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, on Millenium Chorus and third went to Louise Rich on Oakleazefarm Cziko. Fourth went to Dutch rider, Donna Oudshoorn riding Sera.

Donna rode at the 2012 World Endurance Championships at Euston Park for the Netherlands on her horse, Karrimh, who tragically fell and died shortly after in Newmarket. Donna made the trip over to England to compete her new horse Sera in his first 3* to commemorate Karrimh.

In the 120km CEI2* the win went to Harry Ingram riding Warrens Hill Chayze, second to David Yeoman on Trop Vite Azureen, who also won Best Condition and third to Andrea Champ on Druimghigha Luxor.

The 80km CEI1* winner Kathy Carr riding Aberllwyd Femme Fatalle won Best Condition. Second place went to Sharon Parr who was also riding a Warrens Hill horse, Warrens Hill Troy.

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Canadian Endurance Team Named for 2015 NAJRYC

Horse-canada.com

July 9, 2015
by: Equine Canada

Equine Canada and Endurance Canada are pleased to announce the two young athletes who will represent Canada at the 2015 Adequan/FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championship (NAJYRC), set to take place July 14-19, 2015 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY.

Savanah Wilson of Kemptville, ON and Solstice Pecile of Bailieboro, ON, have been named to represent Canada in Endurance, which will be held on July 16, 2015. This is an FEI CEI 4*, 120 km ride.

Wilson will be riding Hoover the Mover, Cheryl Van Deusen’s 11 year old gelding while Pecile’s partner is her current mount, Glorious Song IA, a 19-year old Arabian mare.

The team will have support from veterinarian, Dr. Glenn Sinclair and Chef d’Équipe, Bob Gielen.

The following Endurance riders will compete at the NAJYRC Championships:

Team: Canada
Rider / Hometown / Horse / Owner
Savanah Wilson / Kemptville, ON / Hoover the Mover / Cheryl Van Deusen
Solstice Pecile / Bailieboro, ON / Glorious Song IA / Solstice Pecile

Veterinarian: Dr. Glenn Sinclair
Chef d’Équipe: Bob Gielen

For more information on NAJYRC 2015, visit www.youngriders.org.

Wednesday, July 08, 2015

Mongol Derby Prep: A Bad Break

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Desk to Derby Blog - Liz Brown
July 7 2015

While training for the Mongol Derby I’ve continuously tried to find the balance between pushing myself and keeping my body intact so I arrive at the start line as healthy and fit as can be. All that went to hell last week as I had a minor accident that left me with an injury that’s going to hinder me in Mongolia and is making my training in Utah significantly more painful and difficult.

On Wednesday, Christoph, Meryl (the French intern) and I trailered three horses to the mountains to do some altitude and incline training to get these horses ready for Tevis (a famous 100-mile endurance ride in the southwest U.S.). It was meant to be a fast 40 kilometre ride, snaking up a mountain and back down again.

I was riding Dunny, a Quarter Horse Arab mare with lots of go who likes to pull. We had just started, only three kilometers in, and were trotting along a rocky incline. Dunny was focused on the horses ahead of her and was pulling a little. I was just about to half halt her back when she tripped over a rock and almost did a face plant on the trail. As she lurched forward, I instinctively put out my left hand to prevent myself from flying over her head, but at the moment I stuck my hand out, she regained her footing and shot back up, her neck flying back into my outstretched hand. I heard a pop and then felt the pain. She’d jammed my baby finger back...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/desk-to-derby/a-bad-break/

Monday, July 06, 2015

Enduring Observations

Equinerescuefrance.org - Full Article

Posted by ERF on Jul 4, 2015

ERF is very grateful to Australian Vet and Endurance Rider, Anna Erickson, for allowing us to reproduce her comment on Endurance riding from her perspective.

This is even more significant as news is filtering through from the Middle East that various UAE Endurance Stables are insisting that the FEI has lifted the ban. Which of course is entirely untrue.

“After yet another scary looking pic and yet another argument about how to interpret it along with the usual comments that we “weren’t there so we don’t know” and “it’s rare” and “I’ve seen horses as bad as that in Australia” I feel compelled to write. As a vet who also rides endurance (which many of my clients know) I just want to say “the (horse) world is watching”! Many of my clients who don’t ride endurance have asked me:

1. Have you seen that picture? (Splitters Creek Bundy)
2. What in the hell is going on in endurance?
3. Have you seen anything like this here?
4. How do people justify still selling horses to the UAE?

To which my answers are:

1. Yes
2. I don’t really know but clearly we have a problem in the Middle Eastern countries and we need to sort it out
3. No
4. I have no idea.

These are not endurance people, but they are concerned horse people...

Read more here:
http://www.equinerescuefrance.org/2015/07/enduring-observations/

FEI Tribunal Exposing Truth and Lies in Endurance

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Cuckson Report | July 6, 2015

The 27-month FEI suspension on a virtually unknown Qatari endurance rider Nasser Khalifa NJ Al Thani received a lot of media coverage recently.

There is nothing new, of course, about an endurance rider from Group 7 (Middle East) being banned for doping, but the reason it is now News with a capital N is simple: the FEI has a new policy of issuing press releases about Tribunal decisions. To date, they have only issued statements about cases with an Olympic or World Equestrian Games connection – with the obvious exception of the Jock Paget case, the subject of media frenzy.

This welcome initiative means those interested no longer have to consult the Tribunal database every other day, waiting for something new to pop up. In future, every media outlet will receive a ready-to-use story. If this spurs more colleagues to then read the much juicier, full decision notice I am all for it. The detailed evidence therein provides a snap-shot of the some very strange goings-on.

I am only sad this publicity drive didn’t happen much, much sooner, and that large numbers of people were not reading and thus reacting to these serial endurance horror stories decades ago...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/cuckson-report/fei-tribunal-exposing-truth-and-lies-in-endurance/

Sunday, July 05, 2015

Judges and officials to ‘police’ equestrian events

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Pippa Cuckson
4 July, 2015

Judges and officials at international shows and events are being encouraged to become “amateur policemen” in the fight against cheating, with the distribution of new “evidence-gathering guidelines” by the FEI.

The FEI ramped up its fight against doping and rule-breaking with a review of legal procedures to close loopholes following the collapse last year of the Sheikh Hamdan/Marmoog horse swap enquiry on a legal technicality.

In a further step, the guidelines emphasise the importance of officials minutely recording dates and times of witnessed incidents.

They recommend carrying resealable plastic bags and labels, a digital camera and disposable gloves, to prevent contamination or accusations of “tampering”...

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/fei-rule-breaking-500662#jUaeLf6gE9oiwjBj.99

Friday, July 03, 2015

USA Squad Named for the 2015 FEI World Endurance Championship for Young Riders & Juniors

Following the conclusion of the USEF Selection Trials for the U.S. Endurance Young Rider Team, the USEF has named the athlete/horse combinations to the Squad for the 2015 World Endurance Championship for Young Riders & Juniors.

The following combinations have been named (in alphabetical order):

Katie Baldino (Marietta, GA) with Mary Kathryn Clark's Questafir
Questafir is a 2004 Arabian Gelding

Mallory Capps (Cumming, GA) with Lori Shifflett's Mi Kalypso and Magical Mikada
Mi Kalypso is a 2005 Half-Arabian Gelding
Magical Mikada is 2003 Arabian Gelding

Mary Kathryn Clark (Eatonton, GA) and her own Kalilas Legacy
Kalilas Legacy is a 2006 Arabian Gelding

McCamey Kimbler (Aberdeen, SD) with Justin Nelzen's Faheem Star O Jaaz
Faheem Star O Jaaz is a 2006 Arabian Mare

Christina Kimery (Bixby, OK) with Ellen Olson's Sand Dancer and Kathryn Downs' Bey Gibby
Sand Dancer is a 2006 Arabian Mare
Bey Gibby is a 2001 Arabian Gelding

Maria Muzzio (Clifton, VA) with Natalie Muzzio's Laconic
Laconic is a 2002 Arabian Gelding

Kesley Russell (Williston, FL) with Valerie Kanavy's Colin For Gold and Just Gold
Colin For Gold is a 2006 Arabian Gelding
Just Gold is a 2005 Arabian Gelding

In order to remain in consideration for the U.S. Endurance Young Rider Team, the athlete/horse combinations are required to demonstrate continued preparation, soundness, and ability. Following the completion of any additional assessments, twelve athlete/horse combinations may be named to the FEI Nominated Entries for the Event.

The 2015 FEI World Endurance Championship for Young Riders & Juniors is to be held October 23-25, 2015 in Santo Domingo, Chile.

Kristen E. Brett | Director, Dressage Programs & Endurance
| t 859-225-6919 | f 859-231-6662| w usef.org
| United States Equestrian Federation

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