Australia: Tom Quilty Gold Cup: Special bond shows plenty of endurance

Weeklytimesnow.com.au - Full Article

KAROLIN MACGREGOR, Tasmanian Country
June 29, 2017

DEBBIE Grull knew there was something special about Lauralyn Notorious when she first saw the horse as a foal just a few days old.

Now, 13 years down the track, the pair are heading off to try to achieve back-to-back wins in the country’s most prestigious endurance championship, the 160km Tom Quilty Gold Cup.

Ms Grull and Fred, as the horse is known at home, won last year’s middleweight section and overall ride in a time of 10 hours and 21 minutes.

This will be the combination’s seventh Quilty event. They have placed in the top five in each of their past five Quiltys — a fantastic result in a competition where just getting over the line and passing the final vet check is a huge achievement.

Ms Grull, of Staverton, said she first saw Fred as a baby and he already stood out.

“I saw him when he was three days old and liked him, so I got him when he was weaned,” she said.

“I know the people who bred him and his mother had escaped one time and galloped 7km down the road and jumped two cars. I thought that’s like two Melbourne Cups, so I knew he would probably have plenty of stamina...”

Read more here:
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/tasmanian-country/tom-quilty-gold-cup-special-bond-shows-plenty-of-endurance/news-story/0c8458a52351bf315db56e7ec64874d5

Italy: Five UAE lady riders in fray

Khaleejtimes.com - Full Article

June 29 2017

A five-member UAE ladies team will be in the fray in one of the four rides that are part of the HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sardegna Endurance Festival which takes place on June 30, July 1 & 2 at the scenic Horse Country Resort area in Arborea, Sardinia in Italy.

Organised by the HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival, the four rides which are part of the Sardegna Endurance Festival are the HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies CEI Two-star Cup; HH Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Cup-CEI Two-star ride; a Regional CEI One-star 90 km race and a under-21 years event, the CEI YJ Two-star 120 km ride.

The UAE Ladies team members and horses they will be riding in the HH Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies CEI Two-star Cup are: Alia Al Saboori on Oregon, Alyazia Al Romaithi on Holoutaria 3, Ayesha Al Romaithi on Shamberlain, Nouf Ali on Aranza and Mira Alansari on Dahes. The Chef D'équipe of the UAE ladies team is Mussallem Alamri, Director of Al Jazira Stables I & II.

"A breathtaking race will start at dawn on Saturday..."

Read more here:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/local/five-uae-lady-riders-in-fray

Australia: 2017 Tom Quilty Gold Cup Course

Tomquilty.com.au

Leg 1= 42km
3 CHECKPOINTS


Leg 1 starting by leaving the ride base along entrance to oval, over new bridge and onto Paradise Drive. There will be approx 300m of bitumen before heading into private property. There will be a creek crossing within the first 200m of private property. Then heading through paddock and forest for the first 9km. The following 15km is on mostly good going dirt roads and tracks. Returning through the forest and the last 6km home will be the same as the first 6km at the start of the leg.


Leg 2= 41km
4 CHECKPOINTS



Leg 3= 40km
3 CHECKPOINT



Leg 4= 23km
2 CHECKPOINTS



Leg 5= 14km
3 CHECKPOINTS

Italy: Toscana Endurance Lifestyle 2017 Race Preview

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

June 21 2017

San Rossore, Pisa, Italy. Wednesday 21 June 2017.

One of the most talked about events for this summer in the world of endurance riding is the third edition of Toscana Endurance Lifestyle 2017, which will take place on Sunday 16 July with the prestigious HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance CUP Festival with the categories CEI3 *, CEI2 * and CEI2 * Ladies.

Eyecatcher is the prize money, catalogued as the biggest in the history of the European Community, with a total of Euro 500,000.

This news will obviously attract a big number of riders who will be competing on a track that is described as exciting and technical around the Estate of San Rossore.

These are the incentives on offer:

• Free Entry and Box for every starter.
• Travel allowance to the owner of Euro 1,500 (one horse), Euro 2,000 (two horses) of Euro 2,500 (three or more horses)
• Invitations for the first three (non UAE) classified riders in each category for Dubai at the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance CUP 2018
• Meydan Riders Lounge on Sunday 16 July
• Prize money for each category: first: Euro 6,000, second: Euro 5,000, third: Euro 4,000, fourth: Euro 3,000, fifth: Euro 2,000 and from sixth: Euro 1,000

The force behind this organisation is Gianluca Laliscia:

"Endurance lifestyle is a format event full of initiatives and appointments of excellence dedicated to endurance, to which over the years have been combining several beautiful locations such as Umbria, my region, Marche, Veneto, Sardinia and last but not least Tuscany, on the precious racecourse of San Rossore located in the historical estate of San Rossore, Pisa, new capital of endurance. The wonderful concept of Endurance Lifestyle contains all my life, my land, Italy with its beauties, and my sport, a less conventional equestrian discipline, but not for this less able to guarantee great and unforgettable emotions, like my victory of the 2005 World team Championship in Dubai. Endurance lifestyle expresses “quality of life”, a way of living slower and able to grasp all the nuances and details of what surrounds us, always with elegance and style...”

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/toscana-endurance-lifestyle-2017/

Australia announces team for 2017 FEI World Endurance Championships for Juniors & Young Riders

Equestrian.org.au

National Endurance Selectors have announced the athletes that will represent Australia at the upcoming FEI World Endurance Championships for Juniors & Young Riders from 22 – 24 September 2017, in Valeggio sul Mincio, Italy

Congratulations to those selected in the team, listed in alphabetical order:

Tayla Hadzi & Oso Edith
Liberty Mercer & Turbulence
Rebecca Radny & Estragon

The team will be accompanied by Andrew Kettlewell in the role of Chef d’Equipe.

Australia: Two locals to represent Yass Valley in Tom Quilty Cup.

Yasstribune.com.au - Full Story

Zac Lowe
27 Jun 2017

Yass Valley will be sending two local women – Shirley Clark of Yass River and Kristie Wright of Binalong – to South Australia to compete in the Tom Quilty Gold Cup this year.

The event takes place annually, and is considered the most prestigious event on an endurance horse-rider’s calendar.

It will take place across July 7th and 8th, and requires riders to complete 160 kilometers on horseback as quickly as possible.

Clark described the tribulations of preparing for such an intense event, and said that a key aspect was her relationship with her horse, Oso Zoltan...

Read more here:
http://www.yasstribune.com.au/story/4748980/yass-valley-riders-in-tom-quilty-cup/

Australia: 2017 Tom Quilty Gold Cup Coming Up

TomQuilty.com

June 26 2017

The 52nd Tom Quilty Gold Cup will be held July 7-9 at Wirrina Cove, South Australia. Event Director Jean Sims and her team offer a great event from a fantastic venue at Wirrina Cove and this area has been used for endurance riding for many years. Wirrina Cove is located between the coastal towns of Second Valley and Normanville on Yankalilla Bay.

With 10 days to start time, 122 riders are signed up, including 5 international riders

The Tom Quilty Gold Cup is the premier ride on the endurance calendar in Australia. The prestige associated with winning this event, as well as competing, is immense. It is the goal of all Australian endurance riders to attempt and be successful in this ride.

The original Tom Quilty Gold Cup is held in the ‘Stockman’s Hall of Fame’ in Longreach QLD as the inception of the Quilty Cup ride was nurtured by Queenslanders Erica and RM Williams who loved their distance riding and their beloved Arabian horses. RM’s Rockybar Stud was situated in QLD. The Quilty was named after RM’s old mate Tom Quilty of Spring Vale Station in the Kimberley Ranges of WA, who on request donated the valuable gold cup.

More information can be found at:
http://tomquilty.com.au/2017/

Great Britain: Annie Joppe’s endurance blog: negotiating a heatwave

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Annie Joppe
10:55 - 21 June, 2017

After all of the recent competing and training it was back home again to sunny Cornwall (literally) to work on improving fitness for all three horses. Fantom had a couple of days off after his weekend away and then it was back to work.

At the squad assessment, tests had shown that Fantom’s fitness was going to be improved by interval training and some general hill work rather than work on the track. Actually I am rather glad about this as we both enjoy these sessions far more than cantering on the flat for several kilometres at a time.

To this end, I duly headed off to the sand dunes for a session on the ‘dunes from hell’ path. This is a long, long path which climbs up steeply from the beach in fairly deep, dry sand. Three of these is enough, followed by a long canter over undulating dunes back to the tracks home. This session was not totally straightforward, as we had many dog walkers, holiday makers and the local riding stables wobbling their way along the path, so strategic planning was called for to avoid all of these hazards...

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/blog/annie-joppes-endurance-blog-negotiating-heatwave-624061#8PrTPpdvDTT4P7fQ.99

Great Britain: More than 15 tonnes of ice used to hard to keep riders and horses cool

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

UAE wins across the board in Suffolk FEI rides

Published: 15:04 June 19, 2017 Gulf News
Leslie Wilson Jr, Racing & Special Features Writer

Suffolk, England: The UAE had an incredibly successful day, winning all the classes and the Best Condition awards at the second of the Euston Park Endurance Rides, sponsored by Emirates Airline, which took place this weekend in record high temperatures.

Organisers worked hard all day to keep riders, volunteers, stewards and staff cool and over 15 tonnes of ice was used to safeguard the welfare of the horses.

A total of 85 riders from eight nations competed in CEI 3* 160Km, CEI 2* 120Km, CEIYJ 2* 120Km, CEI 1* 80Km and an additional CEI 1* ride.

Euston Park Endurance trialled a staggered start in the CEI 1* 80km classes, they were well received, although the majority of riders still opted for the mass start.

EGB Board Member, Nicki Thorne (GBR) said: “The staggered start is a huge opportunity for riders who have not previously had experience at FEI level to start in a very safe way (away from the melting pot), gain confidence and enjoy FEI riding whilst removing a lot of the stress and worry that might prevent them trying FEI...”

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/more-than-15-tonnes-of-ice-used-to-hard-to-keep-riders-and-horses-cool-1.2046064

Australia: Windeyer endurance ride hailed a success

Armidaleexpress.com.au - Full Article

Ellen Dunger
@ellen_159

17 Jun 2017

If you drove through the village of Windeyer on the long weekend you would have noticed an array of trucks, trailers and horses at the recreation ground.

The quiet village became a hive of activity for the annual endurance equestrian event.

More than 100 riders and horses travelled from all over the sate and rode the extra mile in the 20, 40, 80 and 160 kilometre ride on Saturday and Sunday.

It was the 16th year the endurance event got underway and organiser Allix Jones said this year’s competitors ranged from newcomers to the sport to old hands and the four rides were met with great enthusiasm.

“This year’s turnout was a huge success attracting riders coming from all over the state,” she said...

Read more here:
http://www.armidaleexpress.com.au/story/4736069/riders-go-the-extra-mile/

Endurance GB to formally adopt 'The Leading Rider Award' at major competitions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

15 June 2017
 
Following extensive trials, 'The Leading Rider Award' will be formally launched at Endurance GB's major competitions, starting with Euston Park on the 17th and 18th of June. The award is the corner stone of the British Endurance Protocol, an initiative born from a joint working party, led by the British Equestrian Federation.

The purpose of the newly named Leading Rider Award (previously Good Horsemanship Award), is to reward what we believe to be clever riding, covering terrain competitively, but within the horse's means. The award gives points based on criteria judged throughout the competition and takes into account the recovery time of the horse, the CRI and consistency of speed. It's an evolving process and we welcome further feedback.
 
A full list of criteria can be found here. 
 
The award was first trialed at two national rides and two FEI rides, which enabled the working party to refine the criteria and produce an efficient way of capturing and managing the data.
 
The Leading Rider Award forms one part of a much wider British Endurance Protocol, which is looking to develop proposals to support good horse welfare, transparency and clean sport, positioning the UK as a champion for continued development in the sport. 

Great Britain: Runners and horses go head to head in marathon

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Sarah Radford
10:16 - 10 June, 2017

Nearly 700 runners and 60 horses will converge on Britain’s smallest town today (June 10) for an unusual 24-mile race.

The annual Man vs Horse marathon sees humans battling equines over the Welsh hills in a test of speed and endurance.

The event was conceived when Llanwrtyd Wells landlord Gordon Green overheard a discussion between two men in his pub, the Neuadd Arms. One suggested that a man would be as fast as a horse over a significant distance.

He decided to test the hypothesis, and organised the first event in 1980. The theory seemed to be swiftly disproved when rider Glyn Joes on Solomon beat fastest runner Dic Evans by 43 minutes.

Since then, however, a human has managed to triumph in the race on two occasions — Huw Lobb in 2004 and German runner Florian Holzinger in 2007...

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/runners-horses-go-head-head-marathon-623315#R8w523AUYKC090dK.99

GB: Annie Joppe’s endurance blog: a nightmare journey and the art form of parking

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Annie Joppe
10:55 - 6 June, 2017

A week or so ago I spent a hectic three days helping at the famous Golden Horseshoe ride on Exmoor. This competition is about as different as you can get to Royal Windsor and still be ‘endurance’.

Windsor is fast, flat with excellent, and in part prepared, going and Horseshoe is rugged, rough and extremely hilly and the speeds considerably slower to reflect this. The challenges, and the rules to some extent, are very different and an alternative way of training the horse is required.

As usual, the event was not without rain and the venue is situated on top of a hill making it very exposed to the elements and usually up to 10 degrees cooler than the surrounding countryside.

‘Horseshoe’ is the oldest endurance competition in the UK and arguably one of the most famous in the world and certainly in this country. Two years ago, Horseshoe celebrated its 50th anniversary and had a break last year to be resurrected with new organisers who have great plans for the future...

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/blog/annie-joppes-endurance-blog-nightmare-journey-art-form-parking-622722#BPbiU2wjSd97PJTZ.99

Maria Alvarez Ponton Leads Spain to Victory in Spanish Endurance Festival

Horsereporter.com - Full Article

Alvarez Ponton Tops two days of endurance

20 May 2017

The HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival is supporting five endurance rides in Madrid including the 160-km ride and the Abu Dhabi-Madrid-Brussels Endurance Challenge, all FEI rides.

Alvarez Ponton finished the 160 FEI 3* ride in a time of 7:34:30 riding on an average speed of 21.12kmph. Second in almost five minutes later was Angel Soy Col riding Sheitan A Gwervaen (7:34:51, 21.10kmph), followed seconds later for third place was Anna Maria Tamerra on Girola De Quercus (7:34:52 seconds, 21.10 kmph).

The 160-km ride was run in five phases of 37km, 37km, 32km, 32km, and 22km. The 2 days of FEI endurance attracted top riders from Spain looking to book a berth on the National team for the coming international events, particularly the 2017 Grand Prix...

Read more here:
http://www.horsereporter.com/maria-alvarez-ponton-leads-spain-to-victory-in-spanish-endurance-festival/

Giraffes in view as the Boudheib Endurance rules get a run in South Africa

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

June 3, 2017
Horsetalk.co.nz

The innovative Boudheib rules in Endurance were employed in South Africa last weekend, in the first in a series of international events, with a completion rate across all divisions of nearly 80 percent.

The rules applied at the Boudheib endurance facility in Abu Dhabi, owned by Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, have created an oasis in troubled UAE Endurance. The “house” rules insisted on by the sheikh have all but eliminated the welfare issues that have plagued the sport in the region.

They are designed to keep speeds, which are GPS-monitored, down to 20kmh. Most prize-money goes to the best-conditioned horses, judged on the accumulation of scores from each vet gate.

South Africa played host last weekend to the first in the 2017 series of seven international Endurance events under Boudheib rules, with racing taking place in the Sondela Nature Reserve in the Limpopo Province...

Read more at http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2017/06/03/giraffes-boudheib-endurance-rules-south-africa/#J4WZYEjFLbel1Isp.99

The Cup of Russia at the Tersk Stud Novotersky

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

Text provided by: Karina Voski

Tersk Stud, Novotersky, Russia. Sunday 28 May 2017. It was a place 500 meters above the sea level with a mountain-forest climate, similar to the climate of the middle Alps, sprinkling mineral water springs and extensive hilly grasslands that attracted Count Sergei Stroganov to create a stud farm at the foot of the picturesque Zmeika Mountain in 1898.

The backbone for this were 2 stallions and 9 mares brought from the journey through Syria and the North Arabian Desert.

In its nearly 120-year history, the stud farm has produced a whole galaxy of outstanding horses. Kumir, Drug, Nakhodka, Valuevka, Persik, Nobby are among them...

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/cup-russia-tersk-stud-novotersky/