Road To The Mongol Derby: End Of The Road

Photo by TheAdventurists.com
Thoroughbreddailynews.com - Full Article

Monday, July 30, 2018
By Kelsey Riley

Nine months and a week after receiving the call that I was in, the road to the Mongol Derby has come to an end. on Wednesday, I board a plane to Ulan Bator and brace myself to be thrown into a seismic challenge that I’ve spent every day of the last 37 weeks preparing for, but that I know I could never be truly ready for.

To recap, the Mongol Derby is a 1000 kilometre (620 mile) race across the Steppes of Outer Mongolia on ‘semi-wild’ (aka varying definitions of broke) Mongolian horses. There is no marked course; we’ll navigate to each checkpoint by GPS and change horses every 40km. We’ll ride 14 hours a day for 10 days straight and camp out with the nomads (no showers), mimicking their lifestyle and diet. We’ll do all this with maximum 5 kilograms (11 pounds) of kit carried by saddlebag. Race training starts on Aug. 5, the starting gun fires on Aug. 8 and riders have until Aug. 17 to reach the finish line.

What has preparation looked like? First, seemingly endless winter months of galloping in the Lexington deep freeze, snow, and once even an ice storm. And suddenly, within about two days, riding out in the suffocating heat. Galloping racehorses turned out to be the best preparation I could have dreamed of in terms of fitness, strength, but most importantly, the confidence to jump on an unfamiliar steed and head off at full speed; the mantra of the Mongol Derby.

More recently, I’ve been fortunate to spend time at the beautiful Mt Brilliant Farm hacking their polo horses all over the farm. Truly brilliant for getting a feel for long hours in the saddle, which I believe became more a mental exercise than a physical one. Any spare moments were spent in the gym, researching or shopping for kit, or making frequent visits to the travel clinic for rounds of various inoculations (fun fact about me: I am now vaccinated against rabies-come at me wild dogs!)...

Read more here:
http://www.thoroughbreddailynews.com/road-to-the-mongol-derby-end-of-the-road/

Australia: Courtney takes on 400km ride to help break mental health stigma

The-Riotact.com - Full Article

By Ian Bushnell 31 July 2018

A Canberra public servant battling a debilitating illness plans to undertake a grueling endurance ride to raise money for a mental health charity.

Courtney Chapman from the Australian National Audit Office suffers from autoimmune illness Crohn’s disease, and has had her own demons to overcome, but she is not letting that stop her doing her bit for LIVIN, which aims to break the stigma and silence around mental health.

The 27-year-old Downer woman will attempt to ride 400 kilometres from 27 to 31 August in the Shahzada endurance event held in the Hawkesbury area of St Albans in New South Wales.

“It is a test of spirit, strength, resilience and communication with a creature with whom we share our life during the long hours and miles of training and competition. Spirit, strength and resilience are things you need to battle mental health challenges,” Courtney says...

Read more here:
https://the-riotact.com/courtney-takes-on-400km-ride-to-help-break-mental-health-stigma/258136

Australia: NSW State Championship Endurance ride

Bellingencourier.com.au - Full Story

July 30 2018

Bellingen’s Modena Schofield-Foster is the junior winner of the NSW State Championship Horse Endurance ride.

The 160 km ride was held in Tooraweenah on July 14, with riders from far and wide coming to be challenged at the foot of the scenic Warrumbungle Mountains.

The track ran over varying terrain that included private farming country, public dirt roads, national park trails and rocky sections of mountain tracks with a few challenging hill climbs to inspiring views.

Thirteen-year-old Modena entered with her horse “Kalarney” a 12-year-old part-Arabian gelding, and riding alongside her was her father Chris Schofield on his horse “Ally”.

The midnight start meant heading out in darkness at sub-zero temperatures, navigating with only a head torch...

Read more here:
https://www.bellingencourier.com.au/story/5554116/a-girl-her-dad-a-long-ride/

Endurance GB Launches Internal Review Following European Endurance Championship for Young Riders

July 30 2018

EGB has taken the decision to launch an internal process review following the withdrawal of GBR athlete Charlotte Chadwick at the FEI European Endurance Championship for Young Riders.

The results and conclusion of this review will be made public and EGB will endeavour to publish its findings as quickly as it is able, bearing in mind the complexity and wide-ranging points that will need to be included. Until such time it is inappropriate for EGB to comment any further on the situation.

EGB has already issued a detailed statement on its position and current processes which remain in place.

Italy: Exhausted Horse Provokes New Endurance Controversy

Horse-canada.com - Full Article with video

July 28 2018

An FEI Endurance Championship is again at the centre of controversy, with video evidence of a highly distressed and exhausted gold-medal winning team horse at the Maktoum/Meydan-sponsored FEI European Young Riders in Pisa, Italy, on July 26.

Spain’s CS Rogelia was deemed “fit to continue” at the final veterinary inspection following the 120km race. But this video clip, shot while leaving the final inspection area, shows the horse physically held upright by numerous crew and other helpers on the slow walk to the clinic, where it was still being cared for 36 hours later.

A “pass” by the vets gave CS Rogelia and Martina Codina Sala Planell seventh place individually, enabling Spain to claim team gold; with two others out of the competition, Spain only had the minimum three counting scores left.

A four-star official who provided the video to Horse-Canada.com said this was not the only “disgusting” scene at the championship, and pointed to apparent conflicts of interest...

Read more here and see video:
https://horse-canada.com/horse-news/exhausted-horse-provokes-new-endurance-controversy/

Australia: Local riders enjoy success at 2018 Tooraweenah Championship

OberonReview.com.au - Full Article

July 26 2018

Oberon-born Andrew Bailey and Courtney Anderson (nee Freeman) of “Native Dog”, Oberon shared line honours at the 2018 Tooraweenah NSW Championship 160-kilometre endurance ride last weekend.

It was déjà vu for Mr Bailey as he cantered across the line riding Twynham El Zephyr. In 1991, he won the National Championship 160km Tom Quilty Gold Cup Endurance Ride on the same course, riding Tantawanglo Hamal Zahab.

Tooraweenah, in the foothills of the Warrumbungles, is experiencing the same dry times affecting all the state, but that didn’t stop a wonderful committee providing a great course and event, according to Mr Bailey...

Read more here:
https://www.oberonreview.com.au/story/5542479/local-riders-enjoy-success-at-2018-tooraweenah-championship/

Sue Phillips Is Taking Every Variable Into Account For The World Equestrian Games Endurance Course

Chronofhorse.com - Full Article

By: Amber Heintzberger
Jul 24, 2018

On Sept. 12, hundreds of elite athletes from around the world will gather before dawn to set out from the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, North Carolina, for the world endurance championships. They’ll make several loops and cover almost 100 miles through the nearby countryside, returning to the TIEC for intermittent veterinary checks, during the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games.

And course designer Sue Phillips will be anxiously awaiting the results of her first World Games championship.

But Phillips, who hails from Poetry, Texas, outside of Dallas, is anything but under-qualified for the job. She’s a four-star technical delegate, course designer and judge, as well as an official FEI steward. She’s been an official for more than 25 years and also has competed in endurance.

“When you come in as an official who rides, your brain functions like an organizer: You think about how it should be organized, through years of putting on local rides,” she said. “You also have to be a star-rated FEI official to be a course designer for endurance. I’ve worked as an FEI official but not a course designer for a championship, but I know what we need to do and what we need to accomplish, and I have a great crew working with me...”

Read more here:
http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/sue-phillips-is-taking-every-variable-into-account-for-the-world-equestrian-games-endurance-course

Newfoundland equestrian competing in Gobi Desert Cup

TheWesternStar.com - Full Article

Sadie-Rae Werner
Published: July 26 2018

For Lorie Duff, horses have always been a way of life, taking her from the dairy farm in Topsail where she grew up, to Ottawa, and soon, to Mongolia where she will compete in the Gobi Desert Cup.

Duff started riding at Avalon Equestrian Centre and would go out with her friends on the weekends for trail rides. She went on to be the representative for Newfoundland and Labrador at Equestrian Canada, and now owns Liberty Lane Farm in the nation’s capital, where she teaches Liberty training and horsemanship.

Liberty Lane Farm was named for a construction project she had done in with her father in Newfoundland.

Duff’s relationship with equestrianism changed dramatically in 2014 when she awoke to find the right side of her body paralyzed. After having emergency neck surgery due to degenerating discs, Duff spent one and a half years recovering. During this time, she started looking at horsemanship in a different light.

She began doing more work on base foundation and liberty training, where horses are unrestrained by saddles and bridles and the emphasis is on building trust between human and horse. She has also been spending more time lecturing and speaking about her philosophies on how horsemanship can translate into other aspects of our lives.

Duff is currently preparing for the Road to the Horse colt starting competition in Lexington, Kentucky in March 2019. If she is accepted, she will be the first Canadian woman to compete in the world championship event.

While at the Equus Film Festival in New York City in November, with the premier of her short documentary, “Humble and Kind,” she met someone who told her that the Gobi Desert Cup was looking for Canadian representatives...

Read more here:
https://www.thewesternstar.com/living/newfoundland-equestrian-competing-in-gobi-desert-cup-228875/

From Mogendoura, Australia, to Mongolia

NaroomaNewsOnline.com.au - Full Article

Duncan McLaughlin
July 24 2018

The Ghenghis Khan Highway, Ulan Bator, Mongolia. It’s not your standard postal address but will soon be Cele Stone’s, at least for a while.

The Mogendoura horsewoman is set to compete in two of the world’s great endurance events – the Mongol Derby and the Gobi Desert Cup – racing Mongolia’s native ponies across thousands of kilometres of steppe and desert. Cele said she was the last applicant accepted into this year’s Mongol Derby.

I think only one person has died.

“I didn’t have my acceptance interview until January … I wasn’t sure my experience would be enough,” Cele said. “I was terrified I would be accepted and I was terrified I wouldn’t.”

There was a lot riding on her acceptance, “I couldn’t keep on drinking more, eating more, caring less. I had to choose; choose to live or choose to die. I needed something big enough – scary enough! – to get me off the couch … The Mongol Derby is that...”

Read more here:
https://www.naroomanewsonline.com.au/story/5543486/from-mogendoura-to-mongolia/

Canada: Training for the Mongol Derby requires endurance — and lots of horses

CBC.ca - Full Article

Kelsey Opstad rides horses at Prince George facility from morning till night in preparation for big event

CBC News · Posted: Jul 23, 2018

Kelsey Opstad lies in bed at night, unable to sleep, as she ticks through the list of everything she needs to do before she leaves for Asia in a week.

Opstad, who is from Anchorage, Alaska, has been training at the B.C. Appaloosa Centre in Prince George since May in preparation for a 10-day horse race in Mongolia.

"I picked the B.C. Appaloosa Centre for the sheer number of horses," said Opstad, explaining that she can work with lots of younger, less experienced horses at the centre, which will more closely mimic the horses she'll be riding across the Mongolian plains.

The Mongol Derby, now in its ninth year, is a 1,000-kilometre equestrian endurance race. It is intended to recreate Genghis Khan's famous postal system.

Riders travel for 10 days to different checkpoints, 36 kilometres apart, at which point they switch horses. In all, racers ride 30 different horses...

Read more here:
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/training-for-the-mongol-derby-requires-endurance-and-lots-of-horses-1.4757314

Italy set to host Sheikh Mohammed Endurance Festival

Khaleejtimes.com - Full Article

July 24 2018

San Rossore Racecourse is one of the great endurance venues of the world

The His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Italy Endurance Festival will take place as part of the Toscana Endurance Lifestyle 2018, supported and sponsored by Meydan, on Friday at San Rossore Racecourse in Pisa, Italy.

Meydan Group was the headline sponsor for the Toscana Endurance Lifestyle in 2016 and 2017, as well, and this year they have announced a record-breaking prize pool of ?1 million, doubling last year's prize and incentives fund for the festival. Azizi Developments, a major Dubai-based real estate developer, will also be sponsoring the Festival as part of its partnership with Meydan that extends to international events. Azizi Developments is a pillar partner of the Dubai World Cup, which includes its sponsorship of one of the world's top Thoroughbred flat sprint races, the Group 1 $1 million Al Quoz Sprint...

Read more here:
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/horse-racing/italy-set-to-host-sheikh-mohammed-endurance-festival

Australia: Riders beat a Queensland freezer in state championships

WeeklyTimesNow.com.au - Full Article

ERLE LEVEY, Rural Weekly
July 23, 2018

A CLOUDLESS sky, not a breath of wind and one of the coldest nights of the year.

It was perfect conditions for the Queensland Endurance Riders Association State Championships.

More than 150 riders competed in a series of events over July 13—15 at the Stirling’s Crossing Equestrian Complex at Imbil, Mary Valley.

Those participating in the 160km event set off in icy conditions at midnight on Friday night.

It took Matthew Gadsby 11 hours and 48 minutes on horseback to cross the finish line and be named the 2018 QERA State Champion for the second year in a row. Gadsby, from Tweed Heads, and his horse Maximus Ra, averaged about 13.5km an hour and also took out best conditioned heavyweight accolades.

Meanwhile second place went to Rod Field from Kenilworth and Paul Roosen from Cedar Creek...

Read more here:
https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/rural-weekly/riders-beat-a-queensland-freezer-in-state-championships/news-story/f97dc234c1dac729a717d6d65e4b758d

Young Rider European Championship Entry Withdrawn for Charlie Chadwick and Hazelcroft Gosens Tsar

24 July 2018

Endurance GB is saddened to confirm the withdrawal of Charlie Chadwick and Hazelcroft Gosens Tsar from the 2018 European Young Rider Endurance Championships due to take place on the 25th and 26th July.
Endurance GB was made aware of a potential rule violation in relation to rest periods and a horse Charlie had competed with at the CEI Kings Forest (GBR) on the 7th July. The horse in question, Aragorn, had been ridden by Charlie’s mother, Ruth Chadwick, in a National Ride some two weeks beforehand where the horse had been judged to have an irregular gait at the finish. As Aragorn is registered with the FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale), he is subject to FEI rest periods even whilst competing at a National Level. Under FEI rules this would entail an enforced rest period of 12 days had the horse completed successfully however, in this case, an additional 14 days must be added to the imposed rest period due to the irregular gait decision, which ends after the date of the CEI Kings Forest (GBR). This means that as per FEI Art. 815.3.3 and 815.3.6, Charlie will receive 100 penalty points and a consequential suspension of two months (to be implemented from the day of the CEI in question). Endurance GB carried out its own due diligence as quickly as possible in relation to the information, bearing in mind the timings and the seriousness and required escalations of the situation.
 
Endurance GB is very clear that this was a genuine mistake on behalf of the athlete. Charlie has, and will continue to be, an exemplary ambassador for the sport of Endurance within Great Britain and she, and her family, have the full backing of EGB at this very difficult time. At no point was there any intention to break the rules and we must make it very clear that Charlie, and her family, hold both horse welfare and the rules of Endurance with the upmost of importance.
 
Ruth Chadwick, Charlie’s mother, commented ‘This has been incredibly hard for us. Charlie, and the rest of the team, have received so much support and encouragement and we are just so sad to be in the situation we are now. Charlie has worked so hard to get herself and her horse ready for this Championship. However, we accept that we broke the rules and this should never have happened. The timing of this whole thing though has been particularly unfortunate as had we realised earlier we would never have taken the decision to travel Tsar overseas.’
 
Nicki Thorne, Chair of Endurance GB, stated “We are, of course, incredibly sad for Charlie, Tsar and her family. We are all fully aware of the amount of work and dedication it takes to get your horse to this level. We admire the maturity and attitude of both Charlie and her family in this situation and they have our full support. The Chadwick Family is held in very high regard within the Endurance GB family, but we also recognise that the rules, in this instance, were broken and we must therefore accept the consequences. We are in regular contact with all those concerned and we are ensuring that the right levels of support and safeguarding are in place not just for Charlie, but the other members of the team who will continue on their Championship journey”.
 
Kate Atkinson and Ollie Holman will now represent Great Britain as individuals at the European Young Rider Endurance Championships. Pre-Ride vetting takes place on the 25th July and the Championship itself starts at 6am on Friday 26th July. Endurance GB wishes the very best of luck to Kate and Ollie and we are extremely confident that they will do us proud and be excellent representatives for Great Britain.

Record-breaking endurance prize money on offer at UK and Italy editions of HH Endurance Festival

Sport360.com - Full Article

Sport360 staff 15/07/2018

Meydan Group have announced a record-breaking prize pool of €1 million, doubling last year’s prize and incentives fund for the 2018 His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Italy Endurance Festival.

The new season includes a series of prestigious rides scheduled for 27 July 2018 in Pisa, including a CEI2* 120 km ride and a CEI1* 81 km ride.

The venue in Pisa is the San Rossore Racecourse which is one of the great endurance venues in the world that is rich with racing tradition. It now hosts several world endurance events, making it the perfect setting to highlight the significance of the HH Endurance Festival, the most prominent ride on the Dubai endurance calendar...

Read more here:
http://sport360.com/other/equestrian/293658/record-breaking-endurance-prize-money-on-offer-at-uk-and-italy-editions-of-hh-endurance-festival

British Horse Feeds Continue Support of Red Dragon Festival of Endurance

EverythingHorseUK.co.uk

20/07/2018 ehuknews

British Horse Feeds is delighted to announce their continued support and title sponsorship of the prestigious Red Dragon Festival of Endurance.

Running from September 28 to 30, 2018 the Red Dragon Festival of Endurance held at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells is always a hugely popular event.

This year the event will feature the second year of the Endurance GB National Championships which will include Novice, Open, Advanced and National Championship classes.

The event will also host the return of the British Horse Feeds Riding Club Endurance Team Championship Final.

Said John Hudson, Chairman of Endurance GB:

As organiser of the British Horse Feed’s Red Dragon Festival of Endurance I am so pleased that we are able to continue to work with the team at British Horse Feeds. We are very fortunate to have British Horse Feeds as title sponsor and this year’s event is set to be bigger and better than ever.”

British Horse Feeds will be providing competitors with fabulous feed prizes across the Red Dragon events and Championship classes including; the Speedi-Beet Red Dragon (2 x 80km CER), the Fibre-Beet Dragon’s Tail (80km CER + 42km GER) and the British Horse Feeds’ Little Dragon (80km CER).

Said Will I’Anson of British Horse Feeds:

I am delighted to continue our long association with this prestigious ride. We look forward to the event continuing to grow and become even more popular as a celebration of endurance riding at all levels”.

Speedi-Beet is ideal for endurance horses as it is high in fibre, which helps provide the required stamina for horses to compete over long distances and the water content helps rehydrate the horses after prolonged exercise.”

British Horse Feeds will also be running the popular ‘Best Crew Member’ Recognition Award. Details of this will be available in ride packs.

For more information please contact British Horse Feeds on +44(0)1765 680300 or visit www.britishhorsefeeds.com.

Australia: Top rider rewinds the clock at endurance state championship

CowraGuardian.com.au - Full Article

July 23 2018

It was deja vu for Andrew Bailey as he cantered across the line riding Twynham El Zephyr at the 2018 Tooraweenah NSW championship 160 kilometres endurance ride.

He took equal line honours with Courtney Anderson riding Cedar Ridge Carbine.

In 1991, he won the national championship 160 kilometres Tom Quilty endurance ride on the same course, riding Tantawanglo Hamal Zahab.

Tooraweenah, at the foothills of the Warrumbungle Mountains is experiencing the dry times that is state wide but that didn’t stop a wonderful committee providing a great course and event.

Their hospitality and easy going country charm made everyone feel welcome.

Andrew has been participating in endurance riding for over 40 years, starting as a 15 year old boy riding at the Taralga 80 kilometre endurance ride. His experience, fitness and horsemanship provided the catalyst for this year’s win, although he admitted that the “old joints are starting to feel the pressure”...

Read more here:
https://www.cowraguardian.com.au/story/5540735/top-rider-rewinds-the-clock-at-endurance-state-championship/

Mongolia Lessons in Utah

PracticalHorsemanMag.com - Full Story

Mongol Derby training with Christoph Schork resulted in more than lessons on endurance riding.

JOCELYN PIERCE
JUL 10, 2018

Feeling defeated, I slowed my horse to a walk as endurance rider and trainer Christoph Schork cantered ahead, out of ear shot as he weaved in and out of the patches of low brush. I was only 2½ hours into my first of three days of training with Christoph and my body seemed to be breaking down. My left ankle kept rolling in the stirrup, similar to when you’re walking and out of nowhere your ankle rolls. I felt unbalanced and unable to stay with my horse in anything other than a walk or sitting trot.

I’d also already run out of water. My measly 1.5-liter hydration pack had been drained in the 98-degree desert heat.

Once Christoph caught on that I was not in fact following on his tail, he stopped and we walked six miles back to his Global Endurance Training Center. I spent the ride scolding myself for signing up for the Mongol Derby when I couldn’t even last three hours on a well-trained horse in Moab, Utah. When we made it back, I apologized. Christoph answered slowly and deliberately with a smile. “We are here to build you up, not tear you down,” he said...

Read more here:
https://practicalhorsemanmag.com/lifestyle/mongolia-lessons-in-utah

Second British team named for World Equestrian Games in Tryon

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Pippa Roome
07:08 - 18 July, 2018

Selectors have named the British endurance team who will ride at the World Equestrian Games (11-23 September) in Tryon, North Caroline, USA this autumn.

The nominated combinations are:

Rachael Atkinson with her own Tannasg Psyches Realm
Caroline Cowley with her own HS Bellini
Dominique Freeman with her own Rising Heat or Carla Eigenauer’s WCF Atillah
Nicola Thorne with Heather and Jeremy Reynolds’ Grand Ku or Heather Reynolds’ Treasured Moments
Final horse choice for Dominique and Nicola will be made towards the end of August.

WEG takes place every four years and brings together World Championships in the three Olympic equestrian disciplines — eventing, dressage and showjumping — as well as para dressage, vaulting, reining, driving and endurance. The endurance is one of the first competitions to take place at WEG this year, with the race happening on Wednesday 12 September, the day after the opening ceremony...

Read more at https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/british-endurance-team-weg-2018-659256#hfLCgGXyATUy517F.99

Canada riders celebrate summer and Canada Day with podium places across North America

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

20 July 2018
Race Report made with the assistance of Sandra Coombe

Canada. 16 July 2018. Canadian endurance athletes have been hard at work this past month, traveling across North America in pursuit of qualifying scores for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) before the endurance qualification period ended on 13 July 2018.

A large contingent traveled to Ashland, MT for the Fort Howes Endurance Rides, held 8 – 11 June 2018. While the extreme heat was too much for many competitors, several Canadians persevered to earn a spot in the top three.

On 9 June, Canadians swept the leaderboard in the CEI-YJ 2* division, with Lexi Vollman of Regina, SK taking first place. She and her 11-year-old Pintabian gelding, AJ Splash of Pizzaz, rode at an average pace of 9.3km/hr. to complete the 120km distance in just under 13 hours.

Jessica Zwaan of St. Denis, SK came in second on Nazeefs Flashy Rose, an 11-year-old Arabian mare owned by Cheryl Van Deusen. They stopped the clock with a time of 14:20:00, riding an average of 8.4km/hr.

In third place was Charlotte Tremblay of Ottawa, ON, who rode Anya Levermann’s 13-year-old Arabian gelding, Kharmichel LK, at a pace of 7.8 km/hr. to cross the finish line in a time of 15:18:35.

The three Canadian athletes stood alone on the leaderboard, as the three other American entries failed to complete the course...

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/canada-riders-celebrate-summer-and-canada-day-with-podium-places-across-north-america/

Australia: Tom Quilty ride: Safe for horses to cross Bass Strait

WeeklyTimesNow.com.au - Full Article

ROGER HANSON, Tasmanian Country
July 19, 2018

TASMANIAN equine endurance riders are reassuring interstate competitors that it is safe to bring horses across Bass Strait for the upcoming Tom Quilty ride.

Tasmanian Equine Endurance Riders Association secretary and horse-welfare officer Pat Hodgetts said the death of polo ponies on a Strait voyage earlier this year had been discussed among interstate competitors.

An investigation into the death of 16 polo ponies in late January after they had been in Tasmania to compete in the Barnbougle Polo is ongoing...

Read more here:
https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/news/tasmanian-country/tom-quilty-ride-safe-for-horses-to-cross-bass-strait/news-story/31dc74ea906cb2c7fc7e68bc26140c79

Australia: Queensland pays off for Finn

TheAdvocate.com.au - Full Article

July 20 2018
Jarryd McGuane

Elliot’s Megan Finn will compete in the 2018 Tom Quilty Gold Cup to be held at Scottsdale in October after completing the five-stage, 160 kilometre Queensland Endurance Riders Association State Championships at Imbil last weekend.

Needing to complete the event to guarantee her place in the Tom Quilty, Finn crossed the finish line in a time of 15 hours and nine minutes to finish ninth in the lightweight category and also finished fifth in the stallion category.

Finn said she found the latter stages of the race very difficult after losing riding companion Linda Lochtenburg, who broke her arm in the fourth of five legs.

“I was so lucky to be riding the first three legs with Linda Lochtenberg, as she helped me through the hardest points of the track and kept me moving forward,” Finn said...

Read more here:
https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/5537401/queensland-pays-off-for-finn/

Endurance Vets Meet for Conference Prior to WEG Tryon 2018

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

July 20, 2018
by: IVEC

The second International Veterinary Endurance Conference (IVEC) will take place on September 9th, three days before the endurance race of the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA. Veterinarians and other endurance professionals are invited for a full day of presentations. Topics include myopathies, pre-purchase exams, assessing conditioning, statistically based race strategies, performance genes and the future of doping.

IVEC is organised before every biannual world championship, providing the international endurance community with the latest research in the sport. Speakers from all FEI groups are represented in the programme.

The first IVEC took place in Samorin (Slovakia) in 2016 and feedback from many of the nearly 100 attendees including veterinarians, scientists, trainers, riders, breeders was overwhelmingly positive ” A unique opportunity to learn and share highest level knowledge and latest research”, said one attendee.

One of the speakers this year will be Stephanie Valberg (USA), the most renowned veterinarian in the field of muscle pathology.

IVEC is very grateful for the support of the co-joined main partner Haras Albar in Brazil and Ameira Endurance Stables in Portugal....

Read more here:
https://horse-canada.com/horse-news/endurance-vets-meet-conference-prior-weg-tryon-2018/

Australia: Endurance title in freezing conditions

NoosaNews.com.au - Full Article

19th Jul 2018

IT WAS one of Imbil's coldest nights as more than 150 riders competed in the Queensland Endurance Riders Association State Championships on Saturday at the Stirling's Crossing Equestrian Complex at Imbil in the Mary Valley.

Those participating in the 160km event set off in icy conditions at midnight and it took Matthew Gadsby 11 hours and 48 minutes to cross the finish line and be named the QERA State Champion for the second year in a row...

Read more here:
https://www.noosanews.com.au/news/endurance-title-in-freezing-conditions/3471307/

South Africa: Horse and rider take on Fauresmith at a gallop

IOL.co.za - Full Article

PRETORIA NEWS / 18 JULY 2018, 11:11AM / ZELDA VENTER

NOT even being pregnant or suffering from food poisoning could stop Pretoria lawyer Bianca Rontgen and her purebred Arab horse Lourizon Washington from finishing the gruelling 206.5km three-day Fauresmith endurance race earlier this month.
The 29-year-old Bianca, who is practising at her family law firm Rontgen and Rontgen, together with her father and grandfather, is a keen horsewoman who started riding when she was 4 years old.

The petite, but tough mother-to-be heard three weeks before the race that she was pregnant with her first child, but as she had already qualified for the endurance race in the Free State, and because her doctor gave her the go-ahead to participate because she was so fit, she decided not to let anything stand in her way.

“To know that my baby and I finished this race without any problem, and that my horse was 100% healthy, is amazing. I can one day tell my child that he completed Fauresmith even before he was born.”

Bianca said Fauresmith is - like the Comrades - not for everyone. Not everyone can ride it and not every horse is able to finish it, and this year, 145 horses dropped out of the race...

Read more here:
https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/horse-and-rider-take-on-fauresmith-at-a-gallop-16091976

Nordic-Baltic championship in Jämsä, Finland

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

17 July 2018
Race Report made with the assistance of Heidi Laurinen

Jämsä, Finland. Saturday 16 June 2018. In the mid of June northern riders were competing for the Nordic-Baltic championship in the rugged terrains of Jämsä and in the Finnish midnight sun, when sun does barely go down at all. This was the second time the championship was held in Jämsä, mid Finland.

The first time the endurance community gathered in Jämsä was in 2012. Also this time the weather was on competitors’ side. Sun was shining but the temperature did not rise too much and for this reason the horses as well as the riders managed to complete the steep hills and winding roads fairly well.

The main class, CEI2* 120km seniors started with beautiful sunshine at 07:00. In this event we had 23 riders, who represented Norway, Sweden, Estonia and Finland. Unfortunately not all the Nordic-Baltic countries were able to send competitive attendants for this class...

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/nordic-baltic-championship-in-jamsa-finland/

Clamping Down on Paying to Play…by Officials!

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Cuckson Report | July 17, 2018

It’s my time of year for ploughing through the proposed new rules for all FEI sports, which will apply from 2019 subject to approval at the FEI General Assembly in November in Bahrain.

First, I applaud/berate the FEI for doing something/nothing about the current hot topics (rollkur is a notable oversight yet again).

Second, it’s fun to spot the items meant to deal with the issues I hadn’t realised were issues – and this year there’s a real jaw-dropper in FEI General Regulations. This is a measure to prevent officials secretly paying a show, ride or event organiser to secure their appointment.

We’re not talking about volunteer judges and officials covering their own travel and hotel expenses etc., a global practice accepted as the norm, while far from ideal. We mean handing the organiser a brown envelope to ensure you get the gig in the first place. I will leave you to ponder your own theories why someone would be so desperate to do this.

How X or Y judge ever got appointed – especially in endurance where so many seem afflicted by selective myopia – will always be the subject of gossip between riders who feel that decisions affecting them and/or their friends are unfair...

Read more here:
https://horse-canada.com/cuckson-report/clamping-paying-play-officials/

GBR Team All Set for the Meydan FEI European Endurance Championship for Young Riders and Juniors

July 18 2018

Endurance GB is delighted to confirm the entries for the Meydan FEI European Endurance Championship for Young Riders and Juniors, due to take place in San Rossore, Pisa (ITA) on the 25th and 26th July 2018. The following combinations have been confirmed to represent Great Britain:

Charlie Chadwick on her own Hazelcroft Gosens Tsar
Kate Atkinson on DNS Ronaldo, owned by Kate’s mother Rachael Atkinson
Ollie Holman on Bronze Nahdir, owned by Harry Ingram

Athletes must be aged between 14 and 21 and horses must be a minimum of eight years old in order to compete at the Regional Championship. The 120km course is made up of four loops of 33km, 28km, 31km and 28km respectively. Pre-Ride vetting takes place at 4pm on the 25th July and the ride itself will start at 6.30am on the San Rossore Race Course (Pisa, ITA). FEI Medals are on offer for both team and individual podium placings with a prestigious Best Condition Trophy also to be won.

This will be Kate Atkinson’s third Championship, her second with selected mount DNS Ronaldo. They will be looking to better their result this year and continue the excellent recent form seen with this talented pair.

Charlie Chadwick with Hazelcroft Gosens Tsar will be tackling their second Championship course together. This combination were selected to represent Great Britain in 2016 where they travelled to Portgual as part of the British Team. An unlucky result saw their dream end at the second vet gate – so Charlie will be keen to put some demons to bed. Charlie and Tsar have been competing at International level together since 2014 so they know each other well and are sure to put in a great performance this time around.

A new combination in 2018 is Ollie Holman and Bronze Nahdir and they’ve certainly arrived with a bang! Ollie has been competing in FEI competitions for just two years and has only been partnered with Bronze Nahdir since the end of last season. They have a perfect record this year competing two CEI2*, both finishing in first place. Whilst they may be a new combination, Bronze Nahdir is more than used to the International scene having been competing in FEI Competition since 2014.

Chef d’Equipe, Jo Chisolm, commented: “We are really happy with the team for this Championship – we have a great mix of experience, up and coming riders and new combinations to this level”.

The GBR Young Rider team is being supplied team kit by sponsor Musto so they will be looking super smart to represent their country at this prestigious event. Further information on the event itself can be found on www.endurancelifestyle.it.

Great Britain: First international call-up for Soham endurance rider

Cambridge-news.co.uk - Full Article

Katie Beckley loving the friendliness of her new horse-sport

By Tim Street
17:43, 15 JUL 2018

She got lost in Thetford Forest in her first attempt at endurance riding – but this summer will see Katie Beckley become an international in the sport.

The 46 year from Soham, who works as a nurse at the Arthur Rank Hospice in Cambridge, has always been a horse-lover and spent many years competing in the somewhat elite world of showjumping.


But she now feels far more at home in the rather more friendly world of endurance riding – which is more about camaraderie and helping out your rivals as horse and rider battle through mud, sweat and tears.

In fact, so much has Beckley and her horse – a nine year old black and white cob called Bear – taken to their new sport that they have been picked to represent England at the Home Internationals in Scotland next month...

Read more here:
https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/sport/first-international-call-up-soham-14911763

Australia: Tweed Heads’ Matthew Gadsby and horse Maximus Ra win 2018 endurance state title in Gympie

GoldCoastBulletin.com.au - Full Article

Staff writers, Gold Coast Bulletin
July 16, 2018 3:00pm

TWEED Heads’ Matthew Gadsby has defended his Queensland Endurance Riders Association state title following a gruelling 12-hour journey in freezing Gympie conditions.

Gadsby and horse Maximus Ra sealed a second-straight crown on Saturday after completing the 160km event at Stirling’s Crossing Equestrian Complex in 11 hours and 48 minutes.

More than 150 riders took off in icy conditions at midnight on Friday night, with Gadsby also taking out the Best Conditioned Heavyweight prize after finishing 48 minutes ahead of second-placed Brook Sample and horse Brookleigh Dylan...

Read more here:
https://www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/sport/local-sport/tweed-heads-matthew-gadsby-and-horse-maximus-ra-win-2018-endurance-state-title-in-gympie/news-story/583c148c65b91d0c8400778d578d60ee

Australia: Megan Finn hopeful of Tom Quilty Qualification

TheAdvocate.com.au - Full Article

Jarryd McGuane
July 12 2018

Elliott endurance horse rider Megan Finn will be trying to qualify for this year’s Tom Quilty Gold Cup event when she takes on the Queensland Endurance Riders Association State Championships this weekend.

Taking place at the Stirling’s Crossing Equestrian Complex at Imbil, Finn will copmpete in the 160km race with the goal of completing the distance for the first time in competition.

Finn said finishing the 160km race was crucial in her hopes on earning her way to the 2018 Tom Quilty Gold Cup at Scottsdale in Tasmania on October 6.

“I doing it to try and qualify for the Tom Quilty, which is down in Tasmania in October,” Finn said.

“I haven’t had as long to qualify as everyone else and you need to have finished a 160km race to qualify and I missed out in my last two tries.

“The Tom Quilty moves around every year and next year it is in Queensland and the year after it is in WA, it is pretty hard for me to take a horse across, so this year is my best chance of doing Tom Quilty...”

Read more here:
https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/5522422/finn-hopeful-of-tom-quilty-qualification/

South Africa: Free State junior tops the log in Fauresmith endurance ride

FarmersWeekly.co.za - Full Article

By Sabrina DeanJuly 12, 2018 8:34 am

A 14-year-old Free State girl, Marjulyn Myburgh of Bethlehem and her Arabian mare, Rasheeq Amor, left the competition in the dust during the first week of July to come home in the fastest time in the annual Fauresmith 200 endurance race.

A 14-year-old Free State girl, Marjulyn Myburgh of Bethlehem and her Arabian mare, Rasheeq Amor, left the competition in the dust during the first week of July to come home in the fastest time in the annual Fauresmith 200 endurance race.

The three-day ride covers a distance of about 200km across mountainous terrain in the area around Fauresmith.

Myburgh, who is a member of the Free State Endurance Union, finished top of the log after completing the race in a time of about eight hours and seven minutes...

Read more here:
https://www.farmersweekly.co.za/agri-news/south-africa/free-state-junior-tops-log-fauresmith-endurance-ride/

Patagonia: The Gaucho Derby

TheAdventurists.com

A new world-class horse race in Patagonia.

We here at The Adventurists created the Mongol Derby a staggering 10 years ago. Not content with running the world's longest and toughest horse race for so long, we thought we should take our equine expertise across the pond. Behold, the Gaucho Derby.

What?
The Institute of Adventure Research shouted 'Gaucho Derby' at us quite loudly, then disappeared into their cave of intention. This can mean only one thing. Soon, they'll reemerge glorious, sweating and full of ideas that we'll then craft into an adventure that will redefine horse racing. Yet again.

It's going to be a long-distance, endurance event on horseback, in one of the most eyeball-meltingly brilliant spots on this planet.

Where?
Mr Tom initially wanted to do it in the North Pole, but we reminded him it was a bit chilly, had no horses and didn't really go with the name. So Patagonia it is. The Institute is investigating racecourse options in the mountains, deserts, pampas and grasslands of the southern section of the Andes.

When?
Plans are being crafted as we speak, with a Institute of Adventure Research-led pioneers edition penned for later in 2018 and the first full edition targeted at October 2019.

I'm sold.
Great. That's a wise life decision right there. Slap your email in the box below and we'll add you to the mailing list - giving you all the details of how the preparation is going, plus you'll get first dibs on sign up when it comes.

High-Speed Test for Three-Year-Old Sport Horses Scrapped Amid Outcry

Horse-Canada.com - Full Article

July 13, 2018 | Comments
by: Pippa Cuckson

A 5km test for three-year-old sport horses at speeds, which could exceed 30km/h (18.6m/h), has been scrapped by organisers of the FEI World Endurance Breeding Championships after outcry from riders and Arabian horse breeders.

The Samorin Equestrian Centre in Slovakia were the organizers of the event which was to featured speed trials for three-, four- and five-year-olds as detailed in this promotional flyer. The tests were intended to provide a supporting attraction during an Arabian Horse Festival starting September 29, which incorporates the official FEI 130km endurance championship for seven-year-olds. It is understood the FEI was unaware and had not been asked to approve the additional program, but it has intervened in recent days.

Astonished horsemen took to social media to call for a boycott. Others queried the “sanity” of any producer attempting to break-in and then prepare young horses for these onerous tests in just 10 weeks. All categories would have been required to achieve a heart-rate recovery of just 56 beats per minute within 10 minutes...

Read more here:
https://horse-canada.com/horse-news/high-speed-test-scrapped/

Great Britain: Endurance Nominated Entries for WEG

July 16 2018

The British Equestrian Federation (BEF) has today confirmed the nominated combinations selected by Endurance GB, which have been submitted to the FEI, for this year’s World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina (USA), 11-23 September 2018.

The nominated combinations are (in alphabetical order);

Rachael Atkinson with her own Tannasg Psyches Realm

Caroline Cowley with her own HS Bellini

Dominique Freeman with her own Rising Heat, and Carla Eigenauer’s WCF Atillah

Nicola Thorne with Heather and Jeremy Reynolds’ Grand Ku, and Heather Reynolds’ Treasured Moments

Equestrian Team GBR is supported by the UK Sport National Lottery funded World Class Programme; the British teams are very grateful to the support they receive from official partners Dodson and Horrell, Equi-Trek, Falpro England, Musto, NAF and Point Two Air Vests.

Endurance GB Crowns 2018 Young Rider National Champion

11 July 2018. The British Young Rider National Championships took place this past weekend at Kings Forest, Thetford, in some of the toughest conditions seen so far this year.

Endurance GB is extremely proud to announce that the 2018 Young Rider National Champion is Endurance GB Spotlight Scholar, Ella Bunting, who rode Emma Daniel's Aly’s Estrella de Rock to victory last Saturday. The combination successfully completed the CEIYJ2* 120km ride at King’s Forest (GBR) in what can only be described as extremely challenging conditions. With temperatures well over 30 degrees centigrade, excellent horsemanship and understanding were required by all riders competing across the entire field of classes.

The Young Rider Championships was a closely fought affair throughout the day. Five of the entrants in the CEIYJ2* were eligible to compete for the coveted title. In the initial stages the British contingent was dominated by Charlie Chadwick (GBR) partnered by Aragorn, Charlie’s mother’s 14 year old Arab gelding. Chadwick sat in second place behind the class leader Hamdan Ahmed Mohd Al Marri (UAE) with a comfortable nine minute lead over 3rd and 4th placed Bunting and Katie Bedwin (GBR) respectively.

As the day progressed the extreme conditions took their toll with two combinations failing to qualify for their next respective stages. British rider Keighley Pomroy’s ambitions were dashed at Vet Gate Two where her horse Hathek was judged to have an irregular gait. Despite Chadwick’s early success her day was cut short at the fourth Vet Gate, just 16km from the finish, where Aragorn also failed to qualify for the final stage due to an irregular gait. This left the competition wide open between the three remaining British riders. Bunting left on to the final loop with a two minute lead over Bedwin, with Harry Ollis (GBR) riding Kirsty Wiscombe’s homebred bay mare, Yawl Hill Pollyanna, a further nine minutes behind.

Bunting and Bedwin rode the last loop together, as they had done the entire ride leading up to that point, ensuring their horses had company and were well motivated for the final stage. However, it was Ollis who put in the quickest final loop at 15.4kph – he successfully created a four minute lead over his compatriots, crossing the finish line in 2nd place behind 1st placed Al Marri (UAE), who had completed the course nearly two hours beforehand. However, Ollis’ joy was short lived as Yawl Hill Pollyanna was judged to be lame at the final vetting. Bunting and Bedwin crossed the finish line together, hand in hand, having tackled the tough course together all day – the perfect display of camaraderie, sportsmanship and support with just one second separating the pair’s final result. Both combinations passed the final vetting and the 2018 National Champion and Reserve Champion were crowned!

Various other classes took place over the weekend at the popular Thetford venue. Nicki Thorne, Chair of Endurance GB, said: “Special thanks to all those involved in ensuring a smooth and successful event despite the extremely testing conditions; the ride organising committee, the volunteers and officials, and of course, ongoing support from HPower Endurance and event sponsor Meydan.”

Amongst many other things participants were treated to, top class veterinary services, unlimited ice and a very tasty barbeque for all in attendance on the Saturday evening.

Germany: Close fight for victory in the Endurance Festival Bavaria

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

10 July 2018
Race Report made with the assistance of Ilka Fichtel

Babenhausen, Germany. 16 June 2018. The Endurance Festival Bavaria comprises a series of international endurance competitions combined with national rides and is organized by Endurance Team Klingbeil, headed by international rider Ursula Klingbeil.

The German Championships for Seniors and Juniors and Young Riders were also held at the event at the Riding Club Babenhausen.
The area meets all requirements for international events with a high number of competitors. Since April 2018 the timing system ERTZ has been used at the Endurance Festival.

The most discussed subject during the weekend was who would be the champion this year.
Would it be Melanie Arnold for the sixth time, or Bernhard Dornsiepen who was vice-champion for the past two years and victorious in 2003?...

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/close-fight-for-victory-in-endurance-festival-bavaria/

Australia: Anti-Vaxxers Are Targeting a Vaccine for a Virus Deadlier Than Ebola

TheAtlantic.com - Full Article

The vaccine for Hendra, a virus that can spread from horses to humans, has pitted owners against vets—revealing that science alone can't prevent the next global pandemic.

July 9 2018
BRENDAN BORRELL

Cedars ernest was a certifiable goofball. He was a purebred Shire, a type of British draft horse that once specialized in hauling carts of ale. Nicknamed Ernie, he tipped the scales at more than a ton, and had a chocolate-brown coat with luxuriant white hair feathering his hooves. His owner, Nicole Carloss, a horse trainer in Queensland, Australia, adopted him in 2013, when he was 7 years old, and he immediately found his place in her family.

“He would burst open the screen door and try to do the dishes with you,” Carloss said. When her children played in their sandbox, Ernie would plop his front hooves down next to them. Carloss took Ernie to compete in shows throughout the state, where he would strut around with a sequined browband. “He stole everybody’s heart,” she said.

In August 2016, Carloss came home from work and headed out to the fenced pasture to visit Ernie. He lifted his head dolefully, like Eeyore from Winnie-the-Pooh. His eyes were empty, his breathing was strange, and he wobbled when he walked. Carloss suspected he might have been bitten by a snake, but she saw no fang marks on his legs.

She called a local veterinarian and described Ernie’s symptoms. The vet asked Carloss if her horse had been vaccinated for Hendra.

“No,” she replied.

Carloss had anticipated the question, but that didn’t make it any less unsettling. Hendra is a deadly virus that is endemic in Australia and is spread by bats. Since the first documented outbreak in horses in 1994, Hendra has killed 102 of the animals. It kills people, too: On seven occasions, it has crossed from sick horses to the veterinarians and other professionals attending them, leading to four excruciating deaths...

Read more here:
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/07/anti-vaxxers-horses-hendra/559967/

The Timid Rider Takes Mongolia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Equestrian Author and Photographer to Attend the Gobi Desert Cup

[Red Bank, New Jersey July 9, 2018] Small business owner Heather Wallace is known as an animal massage therapist, author, equestrian blogger at The Timid Rider, and photographer. With a varied skill set and strong work ethic, she is most recently known for her best-selling book, Confessions of a Timid Rider, which is an Amazon bestseller in three categories.

While no stranger to hard work, Heather will be challenging herself this August as the Media Consultant for the second annual Gobi Desert Cup taking place this August in Mongolia. Serving as a writer and photographer to document the journey, she is also acting as liaison for international riders and the global press.

Co-founded in 2017 by FEI 3* Endurance Rider, Camille Champagne and leading Mongolian veterinarian Naranbataar Adiya, the Gobi Desert Cup is a 480 kilometer multi-stage endurance race through the Gobi Desert, riding Mongolian horses every day for 6 days over 80 kilometers (approximately 50 miles). This challenge is the only one of its kind to combine endurance while positively supporting Mongolian culture and their horses.

To follow her journey or learn more about the Gobi Desert Cup, contact Heather Wallace at 1+732-784-7195; email heather@timidrider.com; or https://www.timidrider.com.

South Africa: Mongol Derby is Neigh big deal for Drummond biker

HighwayMail.co.za - Full Article

Samantha Anderson is one of the lucky few who were chosen to tackle the intense Mongol Derby in late July.
July 7, 2018

SAMANTHA Anderson has swopped her 1909 Humber pedal cycle for ponies to tackle the gruelling 1 000km Mongol Derby.

The reason is, “Motorbikes can’t love you back,” joked Sam.

She took a leap of faith by adding her name to the pool of entrants wanting to take part in the Mongol Derby.

Sam said being accepted was a wake-up call as she had never ridden endurance on a horse and was faced with the exciting and stupidly daunting challenge of riding 1 000kms in 10 days on semi-wild Mongolian ponies with no comforts or support.

To go from zero to hero she enlisted the help of her family and friends.

“I owe a life time debt of gratitude to a number of people who have been amazingly generous to me,” said Sam. Her partner, Kevin Tebbutt, Dube Pricemoor, Craig Gillespie, Craig Egbrink, Pete Dommit, Mark and Elsa Fraser and Wiesman Nel have all helped. She said there were three she owed a special thanks to who have helped shape her abilities in preparation for the event.

“The first is Glynn Redgrave, an extremely talented horse whisperer who had the terrible job of trying to teach me to ride unbacked race horses at Summerveld in the hopes that I would learn to handle semi-wild ponies.”

After breaking three ribs in her first couple of weeks of training, Sam was undeterred and still trains with Glynn every Friday...

https://highwaymail.co.za/296901/neigh-big-deal-for-drummond-biker/

Bermuda's Endurance Pioneer

FEI.org - Full Story

09 July 2018
Text by Stacey Stearns

Marvin Brangman of Bermuda will become his country’s first-ever Endurance entry in the FEI World Equestrian Games™ when he travels to Tryon in September.

Although a Bermuda resident, Marvin Brangman moved to the USA in 2000. He is a horse trainer in LaGrange, Georgia and an ordained minister at the Fellowship Christian Center International of Newman, Georgia.

His first Endurance ride was as recently as 2015, while he also trains in Dressage, Jumping, young horses and western. In May he completed the two-year process of qualifying for the FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG), where he will be riding MM Godiva Chokalat, who is owned by Lori Shifflet and Vicky Stanislawski...

Read more here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/marvin-brangman-endurance-profile

Australia: Stirling’s Crossing to host endurance state Championships

MySunshineCoast.com.au

5 July 2018

The 2018 Queensland Endurance Riders Association (QERA) State Championships will be hosted in Imbil next week and has attracted riders from as far afield as Scotland and Japan as part of the 180-strong contingent of riders tackling the course at Stirling’s Crossing Equestrian Complex.

Hosted by Stirling’s Crossing Endurance Club, the event is expected to bring over 600 people ― including riders and their support crews ― to the Mary Valley town from 13-15 July, as the riders take on the diverse forestry terrain around the complex over 80km and 160km distances.

Event host and owner of Stirling’s Crossing Equestrian Complex, Matthew Sample said those tackling the challenging 160km ride ― including riders as young as eleven ― would set off at midnight on Friday with many riding most of Saturday to complete within the 24-hour cut-off time.

“There’s a reason why our motto in endurance riding is ‘to complete is to win’ as even those who take out the championships will spend at least ten hours in the saddle to complete the 160km ride,” Mr Sample said.

“This event is truly unique and will give endurance riders the opportunity to take on a great challenge while bonding with their horses on one of Australia’s best endurance courses.”

“We anticipate we will have many riders who will be taking on their first 160km at this event, QERA has offered free entry to all Junior QERA members and the Stirling’s Crossing Endurance Club has offered free entry for all open riders who wish to attempt this distance for the first time.”

“Anyone who has not yet completed this distance can use this ride as an opportunity to qualify for next year’s prestigious Tom Quilty Gold Cup which will be hosted at the Stirling’s Crossing Equestrian Complex in July 2019. All riders must have completed a 160km to participate in the Tom Quilty Gold Cup and as there aren’t many of these rides on the annual calendar, the State Championships is a perfect opportunity.”

Stirling’s Crossing Endurance Club President Kim Moir said that amongst the first-timers were several eleven-year-olds looking to qualify now in preparation for the 2019 Tom Quilty Gold Cup, as the ride also has a minimum age requirement of 12 years.

“It’s a real coming of age for our young riders to tackle a 160km, particularly when it’s an opportunity to qualify for the sport’s most prestigious ride which is expected to attract over 300 riders from across Australia to our Imbil complex next year,” Ms Moir said.

“These kids have completed 80km and 120km rides but a 160km ride requires a whole new set of skills and incredible commitment, so there will be a high level of excitement for both horse and rider which really adds to the energy of the event.”

“Endurance riders have the utmost respect and admiration for their horses as the sport is only suited to horses that have exceptional athleticism, intuition, intelligence and a very competitive nature.”

“The ride course sees riders return to the complex for vetting every 30-40 kilometres so vets can check on the horses’ wellbeing and ensure they are in a good condition before they set off on their next leg.”

Mr Sample said the course for the QERA State Championships was very similar to that for next year’s Tom Quilty Gold Cup so this event provided an excellent opportunity for all riders to get a feel for the terrain.”

“We have a fantastic field coming to this event, both for the 160km and for the 80km ride which starts at 6am on Saturday morning so we can expect to see very competitive times and a great day out on the track,” Mr Sample said.

“At Stirling’s Crossing Equestrian Complex we are lucky to have unique trails through the Imbil State Forest; camping onsite for riders, their teams and their horses and facilities that are unmatched at any other endurance venue so these events are always a fantastic experience for the whole family.”

The list of competitors in the QERA State Championships includes the current Queensland Champion, Matthew Gadsby (Tweed Heads, NSW), the 2017 Pat Slater Cup winner Kaylea Maher (Imbil) and previous Tom Quilty Gold Cup winners Brook Sample (Kenilworth) and Jessica Langridge (Imbil).

The event is open to the public. To find out more please visit the website of the Stirling’s Crossing Endurance Club www.stirlingscrossingendurance.asn.au.

Haras La Perseverancia race was a tough event in Uruguay

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

6th July 2018
Race Report made with the assistance of Lucia Olascoaga.
Photo Credit: Pio Endurance

Haras La Perseverancia, Costa Azul, Canelones, Uruguay. 22-24 June 2018. The midpoint of the season arrived recently in Uruguay, bringing with it the last chance to qualify for the next World Equestrian Games.

Some riders/trainers focused specifically on the next world championship and others on qualifying the new and interesting horses that appear in all the 1star races, dreaming of the next opportunity to show the quality of the horses in international events, and of course representing the country with “La Celeste”.

A CEI3* 160km, the most important race, began at 7am on the Saturday. The competition was divided in 5 loops of 40km, 36.5km, 36.5km, 31.2km and a final loop of 16km.

The race was led in the first three loops by Pedro Sosa riding AM Fartak. Participants consistently arrived together, but AM Fartak’s team along with a good heart rate held the best formula to start the next loop in front.

The best horses in the track were Vice Pan American champion Caetec CSM with Monica Pinto Lima and the promising LG Sajj with Fernanda Villar. This horse is the brother of LG Moneera, the mare who had a great performance in the last World Championship in Slovakia...

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/haras-la-perseverancia-race-was-a-tough-event-in-uruguay/

Great Britain: Disabled riders show endurance

Hastingsobserver.co.uk - Full Article

ANDY HEMSLEY
July 4 2018

Riders from Fairlight Hall Riding for the Disabled Group competed at the RDA’s South East Region’s sixth annual Endurance Ride.

The event enjoyed splendid sunshine and saw 1km, 2km and 3km rides on paths and tracks across the gorgeous setting of fields and woodland on Underriver Farm near Sevenoaks, courtesy of Sophie and Charles Honnywill.

Joanna Sale, from Riding for the Disabled, said: “Feedback from the day was very positive, particularly given the wonderful Kent countryside that the riders were able to appreciate at its best..."

Read more at: https://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/disabled-riders-show-endurance-1-8555743

Australia: WEG Endurance Team Announcement

Equestrian.org.au

July 5 2018

Equestrian Australia (EA) is pleased to announce its Team for Endurance at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018, in the USA.

Australian Endurance legend Penny Toft heads the list of athletes, and, remarkably, it will be the fifth occasion that she has represented Australia at an FEI World Equestrian Games.

“I am honoured to represent Australia at what will be my fifth World Equestrian Games. I have never been more ready for this big event,” said Toft.

“I am also especially proud of the fact that I will be competing on one of our home-bred horses, Dream Dancer te.”

The selected team is:

Penny Toft and Dream Dancer te
Naomi O’Shaughnessy and Castlebar Party Girl
Jodie Salinas and FLF Go Flight Leader
Stella Harbison and Magical Mikada
Reserve:

Samantha Jones and Wallace Hill Sundance
Congratulations to both riders and horses, we wish them the best of luck.

Horse of the Month: Nobby

FEI.org Stories - Full Article

July 3 2018

In our latest Horse of the Month feature, we get to know more about this WEG Endurance legend...

Nobby and his rider Maria Mercedes Alvarez Ponton are the most successful Endurance partnership of all time.

They are the only horse and rider combination to ever have held World and European titles simultaneously.

In 2008, Nobby won the World Endurance Championship in Malaysia, and then In 2009, he won the European Endurance Championship in Italy. Nobby then went one to win the World Equestrian Games Endurance title in the USA in 2010.

This impressive horse then won his fourth major title in a row in 2011 when defending his European title in France...

Read more here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/horse-month-nobby

FEI WEG 2018: Preparations in Full Swing

FEI.org - Full Article

27 June 2018

How Mark Bellissimo's dreams are becoming a reality at Tryon International Equestrian Center ahead of FEI WEG 2018...

It’s one of sport’s great events and it’s now just over two months away… yes, the FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) is getting ever closer.

For those who can’t quite wait until WEG gets under way on September 11 to see the magnificent Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) in all its glory, the Equestrian World cameras recently visited the venue for the successful test events.

Equestrian World also caught up with American tycoon and TIEC chief executive Mark Bellissimo, whose vision of creating one of the world’s leading equestrian centres will be realised when the sport’s stars travel to North Carolina in September...

Read more here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/weg-2018-preparations