Quesnel Cariboo Observer
Long-distance horseback riders from all corners of the province made the Hangman Springs Trails their home this weekend (Aug. 24-25) while competing in the Quesnel Canter endurance race.
Almost 70 endurance horse racers, ranging in age from 10 to 75, took their steeds along a series of looped trails in the Cariboo wilderness just north of Bouchie Lake.
Some of the contestants rode up to 50 miles a day, while others opted for fun rides of 12.4 miles.
Welfare of the animals is of utmost importance to the organizers as well as the competitors.
If the horse is not deemed to be in tip-top shape, the contestant cannot win the race.
The day before the ride, the horses come in and are pre-vetted to ensure that they are sound to ride, and for each loop that a rider and their horse completes, there is a detailed vet checkup to ensure the animal is capable of running the next leg of the race.
“We have two vets here and a treatment vet on call,” says co-organizer Erin Wilde.
She adds the number of vets is dependent on the amount of riders that take part.
“And each vet has a scribe, so it’s all documented and they have a working baseline of the horse’s condition.”
The goal of the sport is to finish quickly with your horse in excellent shape.
“A big part of it is being a team with your animal,” says Cambria Volonte, who came to Quesnel from Bridgelake to race on her horse, Toby.
“You want to make sure that they come in healthy and strong and tired. We always say it’s a healthy horse if it will eat, drink, pee and poo on the trail, so you’re watching all those things.”
The sport of endurance riding is an old one that is still in practice in many places throughout North America, the Middle East and Europe.
One of the most famous races is the Tevis Cup, which is a 100-mile race that follows the coastline of California. This year’s competition was won by an 18-year-old girl on a horse her family had acquired for free off of an ad they had seen on Craigslist.
While the Hangman Springs Trails are not quite the same, the consensus among organizers and riders was the course was a technical one.
“There’s some road riding, but the majority of it is double track,” says Wilde.
“There’s roots, there’s rocks, there’s some mud, and there’s the elevation gain. Our 50-mile riders have climbed an average of 2,000 feet and descended 2,000 feet in one loop, and both the other two loops are about an 1,800-foot elevation gain, so it’s a little hard on the horses.”
She adds the best breed for the contests are often Arabians, as they are known for their ability to recover quickly.
“Vets are looking at horses’ CRI [cardiac recovery index], so you take the horse’s resting heart rate and you ask them to trot down to a certain distance and come back and measure it again, and the average will give you where they’re at metabolically,” says Wilde. “Typically, Arabians recover a lot faster than a lot of different breeds.”
The Quesnel Canter was an Endurance Riders Association of B.C. race. There are about a dozen other races being held by the organization across the province.
For riders like Wilde, there is plenty of enjoyment to be had in checking out new trails.
“I love exploring new terrain,” she says, adding the people and the campsites also add to a sense of community among riders.
“We’re all here because we love horses. The biggest thing is exploring and finding new trails and seeing what our horses can do.”
Thursday, August 29, 2019
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
Bucket List Ride: Meg Sleeper Checks off the Quilty
August 20 2019
by Merri Melde-Endurance.net
When you see her stats: over 15,000 AERC miles, being a member of the USA squad that attended every World Endurance Championship from 2004-2016 (Dubai, Germany, Malaysia, USA, Great Britain, France, Slovakia), finishes and medals in multiple World and Pan American Championships, AERC Championship and National Best Condition titles, 2015 nomination by the Arabian Jockey Club for the HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies International Award in Endurance, and the 2017 Maggie Price award for excellence in Endurance - just to name a few accomplishments - the only thing surprising is that Meg Sleeper just rode in Australia for the first time this year.
Crossing the ocean to set foot and ride on her final continent (not counting Antarctica “I don’t think there are any rides there”), Meg - well known in the USA and around the world for riding her highly successful homebred endurance Arabians - completed the 100-mile Tom Quilty, Australia’s premiere 100-mile ride, on July 13, in Imbil, Queensland.
Her mount was Jay Randle’s Follydown Gai Emerald, a 21-year-old mare by Gai General X Formosa Park Faberge. The mare - the oldest horse in this year’s Quilty - had previously completed the Quilty in 2013 and 2015. Meg said, “I got to ride her two days before the Quilty when I got to the farm. She was great. She definitely thought she knew a lot more than I did. And she may have, I don’t know,” Meg laughed. “We did kind of come to terms in the ride, that I got to pick too. She actually accepted that very gracefully and she was simply fantastic all day. She was very experienced. She’s packed tons of kids around on different rides. She was just really professional and totally knew what she was doing.”
Seven of Jay’s Splendacrest endurance horses started the Quilty, with five finishing. Numerous ‘students’ of Jay’s accompanied the horses to ride and crew. “Jay has quite an amazing program, bringing kids along, from basic beginner riding to 100 mile rides. It was really fabulous just watching and meeting her and all the kids.”
299 horses and riders lined up at the starting line of the Quilty at midnight. Why the midnight starting time, common in Australia and New Zealand for 100 milers? “Because it is so much fun starting in the dark on a fresh horse!” joked Aussie endurance rider Linda Tanian. But seriously. “It is about utilising cooler weather conditions, tradition, [and] getting finished in daylight if possible,” Linda said, “as it can be mentally tougher going into the dark when both rider and horse are getting tired.”
Meg rode “Emma” at what she felt was a very easy moderate pace throughout the Quilty. “The mare felt really strong, but I had never ridden her before. So I ended up deciding partway through the ride that if we’re walking down a hill - there was a lot of elevation change in the ride - I’m just going to get off and walk her. And I let her eat as we went along.
“I hadn’t really realized we were pretty competitive. We weren’t anywhere near the front, but it was interesting, because I came in thinking, wow, I just had this really mellow lovely day; I got to see beautiful birds, the trail was gorgeous, and it was impossible for me to tell who was in what weight division. That’s not why I was there, I didn’t particularly care that much anyway.
“Coming in on that last loop, another rider asked me, ‘How many more loops do you have?’ I said I was on my last loop. And he said ‘Oh, wow, I hope someday I can finish in the daylight.’
“And I suddenly felt so lucky! I’d had a great day, it just felt very peaceful and comfortable.”
Meg and Emma did finish in the daylight, after just under 14 hours of riding, around 50th overall (of 194 finishers), and 23rd in the middleweight division. Five of the seven Splendacrest horses finished the Quilty, and Emma was the toast of the stable.
Meg had high praise for the facilities at Sterling’s Crossing Endurance Complex, built by long-time endurance rider Matthew Sample three years ago. The premises have a 60m x 40m fully lit, undercover area; a large pavilion for horse exams and jogging; permanent overnight camping sites; air-conditioned amenities block with toilets and showers; bathrooms with radiant floor heating; large, level, well-maintained and grassy outdoor areas; and direct access to some of Australia’s most desirable forestry trails.
Meg ranks the Quilty as one of the tougher 100-mile rides she’s done - and one of the most enjoyable. “The ride was amazing on so many levels. One thing I have always found special about international riding is learning how similar we all are and how friendly everyone is on trail.
“Everybody, all day, whoever you passed, would say, ‘Good luck to you.’ It was really striking to me how encouraging everybody was.”
When asked what’s next on her Bucket List, Meg indicates the horizon is limitless. “What i’m trying to do is, any opportunity that comes, I’m trying to take it,” she said. “That’s my goal.
“There are always some rides that you just go - wow - that was a rough day. But I learn something from every ride, and the people are always great wherever I go. I just love going different places, and this one was definitely one of the most special things that I’ve ever done.”
THE ANNUAL GOBI DESERT CUP KICKS OFF NEXT WEEK
Horse-canada.com
The annual Gobi Desert Cup will be held from August 28 to September 6.
In the heart of the Gobi Desert, Mongolia nomads from the last true horse culture in the world come together to train and condition the horses for the annual Gobi Desert Cup sponsored by TRM Nutrition. While some travel from thousands of kilometers away, they return each year for the 480 kilometer endurance ride that employs and provides sustainability for their nomadic way of life.
While the sun peeks over the horizon the herders bring in the horses who have wandered off into the night in search of grass and water. Soon, these horses will be tied to a traditional horse line awaiting an international rider there to test their horsemanship, their endurance, and fulfill their desire for adventure.
What better way to experience the vast expanses of Mongolia than on the back of a horse?
While many riders compete for the prized Gobi Desert Cup and prizes donated by our generous sponsors such as custom-made Setzi saddles for the first three finishers, others are there for the adventure and experience. Our goal is to provide a safe and incredible adventure to all that changes lives for the better- not only our riders but our nomads and their horses.
Many of you wonder who has been chosen to ride the 2019 Gobi Desert Cup from August 28 to September 6? We have the final list of riders here for you!
Sam Jones, Australia, 45
Sam is no stranger to Mongolia and won the 2014 Mongol Derby! Currently, Sam is a horse trainer working mostly with breakers and remedial cases. She says, “I would like to be able to do every race/ adventure/ endurance ride everywhere! But Mongolia holds a very special place in my heart and I cannot wait to return to the steppe. The more I have heard about the Gobi Desert Cup the more impressed I am, I am excited to be part of an event that gives so much back to the local community. My main goal for this race is to enjoy it! I find the isolation and wide open spaces make it easy to live in the moment and nothing beats riding a good horse across the steppe!”
Liann Wadewitz, USA, 31
Liann is a returning adult equestrian residing in Brooklyn, New York and spending most of her free time doing Roller Derby! She is attending The Gobi Desert Cup for the adventure and we are happy to give her exactly what she is craving.
Michelle Morges, USA, 35
Dr. Michelle Morges is a Veterinary Oncologist and medical acupuncturist. She works hard to play hard and combining travel with horses is about as good as it gets. Primarily a hunter/ jumper Michelle has been training to ride endurance just for this event. Let’s see if her mental determination and willpower will make her a contender.
Carmen Jackson, USA
Carmen hails from the San Francisco area and was one of the first riders to apply. She has made it her priority to train at Global Endurance Riding Center, our official training center and home of 2018 Individual winner, Christoph Schork. Carmen is the epitome of dedication and discipline. Will her long months and crazy calendar of training be enough to ride the entire 480 kilometers and six days across the Gobi Desert?
Cynthia Peticolas, USA, 62
Cynthia Peticolas is no stranger to endurance riding and adventure. She’s ridden endurance since 1991, ridden the 2,000 mile Pony Express route across the USA, and traveled by motorcycle through 7 countries. Now she is turning her attention to join us to experience Mongolia and her culture for the first time. Will her competitive nature kick in or will she just enjoy the ride? Either way, she is going to have the time of her life!
Laetitia Goncalves, France/ Portugal, 29
Laetitia is a seasoned endurance rider and Captain of Team France. While only 29-years old, Laetitia has a strong record. She was a junior and senior rider for the French National Team. She has ridden in both the President’s Cup as well as Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Dubai World Cup four times. In the 2009 World Championship in Hungary, she placed 3rd individual and 1st team with Jasmine des Ayssades. More recently, she placed 8th in the 2016 World Championship Negrepelisse and 16th in the 2016 World Championship Samorin.
Laetitia said, “I am very excited to take part in such a different scenery, the Mongolian horses, the immersion within the local culture. I am looking forward to getting back to basics and being secluded from the modern world. I look forward to sharing this experience with friends for an unforgettable experience where we will share our passion.”
Will her impressive record give her a leg up on these non-traditional endurance horses? Only time will tell.
Sarah Bertaux D’Agier, France, 51
Sarah is a French national, married with two children. She lives in Dordogne and owns two endurance horses and two donkeys which they use to trail ride with friends and family. She discovered endurance about 10 years ago and has ridden in Chile, Mongolia, and Jordan. She never thought she would have the chance to go back to Mongolia! Sarah said, “Sportive by nature with a love for adventure, I had to jump at the opportunity to participate in The Gobi Desert Cup.”
Cassandra Carmona, France, 23
Cassandra is 23-years old and owns about 10 horses. She is passionate about eventing and endurance! Cassandra has 20 years experience with horses and the goal to have her own stable one day. She will be competing as a member of team France and no doubt, this will be a team to watch for during the race!
Virginie Jacquet Bournazel, France, 35
Virginie Bournazel is the manager of L’écurie des Collines for 15 years with her husband and their 11-year old son. They organise local trail rides, treks, and qualify young horses in endurance. She is qualified FEI* and her objective is to preserve her horses’ welfare. Virginie has a very busy professional life, but loves travelling and wish she was doing it more often! We can definitely scratch that itch for her this year!
Jennifer Sims, USA, 44
Jennifer is popular influencer on Instagram known as Styled Equestrian and more recently EqGlobetrotter, where she is known for her equestrian fashion and travels the world on equestrian holidays. Jennifer has primarily been in the hunter/ jumper world but started playing polo last year and is now riding endurance for the first time as Captain of Team EqGlobetrotter.
We asked Jennifer what she was most looking forward to in Mongolia, “Everything. Meeting everyone, meeting all of the horses and the Mongolians who are a part of the GDC. Pushing myself to accomplish something that most people would never be brave enough to attempt.“
Will this be the start of a beautiful relationship with endurance riding? Only time will tell.
Louis Geyer, S. Africa, 51
Meet Louis, owner and operator of Cape Winelands Riding in South Africa!
Louis said, ““I am the owner of a horse riding holiday establishment in South Africa, with 37 years of riding experience. I have ridden in a variety of disciplines including hunting, hunter trails and trail riding amongst others. I regularly go on multi-day trail rides, such as the Namib Desert ride in Namibia. Why the Gobi Desert Cup? Riding in Mongolia is a life goal for me, it is a cultural experience I look forward to. I would like to throw my support behind The Gobi Desert Cup. I look forward to riding in such a remote region on Mongol mounts. Sharing a passion with like-minded horsemen from around the world.”
Louis is no stranger to riding in open spaces and longer distances. But will that help him in Mongolia? We will find out.
Cortney Rothman, USA, 45
Meet Cortney who lives in Oregon, USA. Cortney says, “I have worked with many different horses both in the saddle and on the ground in my 45 years. I am in the best shape of my life as I also ski and surf on a regular basis. I’m inspired by wide vistas and plains, happy to be dirty and smell like horse for days at a time, camp under the stars, be too cold or too hot. I’m also so excited to learn and experience endurance riding and to visit such an incredible place.“
We can certainly check those boxes for Cortney and make her adventure a memorable one!
Olympia Granger, USA, 46
Olympia says, “My experience began at the age of 11-16, halted for 20 years, and restarted in 2010. My riding spans all disciplines – you can call me a bit of a dabbler. Gaming, barrel racing, hunter/jumper, cow working, and my latest obsession, polo. I’ve participated in multiple horsemanship clinics since 2012 with renowned clinician Buck Brannaman, Peter Campbell, Greg Eliel, and an up and comer Michael Sparling. Mainly though i trail ride one of my four horses who are all very different. Two quarterhorses, 1 thoroughbred, and 1 quarter/cross (polo pony) I ride weekly in both Western and English. I’ve traveled 3 x to Africa on horse safari, one being in Mashatu that requires intermediate/experienced riders only. The past 3 years I’ve become involved with riding and organizing the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons & Riders with their cross state ride across Washington State that involves riding 220+ miles over 17 days, mileages upwards of 27 miles per day. (3 break days) My attitude towards horses is what can i offer them.”
Apparently Olympia does it all and we can’t wait to see her experience Mongolia for the first time!
Sybil H.Mair, UK, 43
Meet Sybil a dressage rider and filmmaker from England. Sybil said, “I am enthralled by Mongolia. And having learned more about the ethos and objectives of the GDC, I feel that we are being given an extraordinary opportunity to explore another culture and people more intensely, to set and overcome our own personal challenges, and the rare chance to forge a relationship with another being and attempt to navigate a path together.“
Sybil will be uniquely challenged riding in the wide, open spaces of the steppe since she spends most of her time in the dressage arena. But we know that she can do it and go home with the knowledge she can ride anywhere.
Shelley Ensor, NZ, 51
Shelley is a lively Kiwi who heard about our ride on the news, when our 2018 rider Stephanie Scott was interviewed about her travel. She applied the same day! Shelley said, “I have been riding since I was young. I love a challenge and have broken my last 2 horses in, Jackson is a thoroughbred x and my Clydesdale Belle. Both different types that had their own challenges. I do the cavalcade every year which is a 7-day horse trek over difficult terrain with basic facilities. I saw this race on TV tonight and just loved what I saw. How exciting 😆😆”
Andrew Hogg, NZ
Andrew was intrigued by the ride when he found out friend Shelley was joining up, and decided to apply with her. Andrew noted, “I was brought up on a high country station near Albury in South Canterbury and have been riding since I was 7 years old. We did all our hill work shifting stock with horses and over the years I have broken in several. While working as a valuer in Auckland in the late 1980’s I had a string of ponies and played polo for the Auckland club however since getting married in 1993 I have restricted myself to cavalcade and weekend horse trips. I do an annual one week cavalcade with Shelley Ensor who had informed me of the Gobi Desert Cup and that she was doing it. I have always been very outgoing and like adventure and feel that the experience would be excellent.“
From following their training rides, it seems Andrew is a late to arrive but passionate about horses all the same. How will he do getting prepared each morning before sunrise? I guess we will find out soon enough!
Nigel Colefax, AUS
Nigel Colefax is an Australian that has competed the famous Shahzada three times, and completed it three times. It is no small feat to ride 400 kilometers successfully on one horse! So we asked Nigel why he was riding the Gobi Desert Cup and why others should as well. He said, “It will be a once-in-a-lifetime ride. The only ride in the world that offers this type of experience.”
We couldn’t agree more Nigel!
Helen Davey, Australia 48
Helen rode as a teenager before taking 20 years off and coming back several years ago. Since then she has been riding endurance as well as jumping and some cattle work. She trains with Sam Jones who she will be riding in Mongolia. Helen’s biggest challenge? She said, “Riding so many different horses with different personalities and gaits. It will use all my muscles and more!”
Monde Kanyana, S. Africa
Monde is no stranger to Mongolia and has ridden the Mongol Derby, even winning the Sportsmanship award! He is a horsemanship trainer and works on a game preserve in South Africa. We are so pleased to welcome him to The Gobi Desert Cup this year and show him how we prize horse welfare and the native culture. More, we hope he shows us and our nomads a thing or two about horsemanship!
Jillian Vickers, USA, 56
Jillian is living the equestrian life in Hawaii training horses, riders, and playing polo. Jillian said, “I’ve been a horse trainer and riding instructor most of my life. I start colts, ride English (hunter/jumper and basic dressage) and Western, show horses (pleasure and trail). I have played polo for the last 25 years and grew up riding competitive trail (NATRC) and endurance riding. I worked for about 15 years in the Arabian horse show industry before moving to Maui and starting my own horse business which I’ve had for 25 years now. It consists of lessons and training. I also breed Arabian horses! !I ride five or six days a week between two and four hours a day.”
It sounds like Jillian brings a lot of experience and passion to her work. Aloha, Jillian and we are sure you will find adventure with us in Mongolia!
Nayef Alenezi, Kuwait, 25
Nayef was a member of the Tennessee Tech Equestrian Team and competed in endurance. He lives currently in Kuwait City. When asked if he could handle a Mongolian horse he answered, “I trained my crazy Arabian horse and he taught me how to be patient and a lot about horsemanship. I love to spend time with horses and to explore places on horseback because I love the desert and nature.“
Twenty-one riders from all over the globe brought together by a passion for travel and horses. As you can see they vary in age and discipline but all want to experience Mongolia and support an amazing cause. We are happy to oblige and take them on the journey of a lifetime. A journey which employs and supports the local nomads for several months via the Mongolian Horse and Nomads Foundation through our annual event.
Please, please support them and cheer them on via our Facebook page where we will be posting ride updates and interviews. You may also track their progress across the steppe using the following link: https://share.garmin.com/gobidesertcup. Trust us the riders rely on your encouragement while they are far from home!
The annual Gobi Desert Cup will be held from August 28 to September 6.
In the heart of the Gobi Desert, Mongolia nomads from the last true horse culture in the world come together to train and condition the horses for the annual Gobi Desert Cup sponsored by TRM Nutrition. While some travel from thousands of kilometers away, they return each year for the 480 kilometer endurance ride that employs and provides sustainability for their nomadic way of life.
While the sun peeks over the horizon the herders bring in the horses who have wandered off into the night in search of grass and water. Soon, these horses will be tied to a traditional horse line awaiting an international rider there to test their horsemanship, their endurance, and fulfill their desire for adventure.
What better way to experience the vast expanses of Mongolia than on the back of a horse?
While many riders compete for the prized Gobi Desert Cup and prizes donated by our generous sponsors such as custom-made Setzi saddles for the first three finishers, others are there for the adventure and experience. Our goal is to provide a safe and incredible adventure to all that changes lives for the better- not only our riders but our nomads and their horses.
Many of you wonder who has been chosen to ride the 2019 Gobi Desert Cup from August 28 to September 6? We have the final list of riders here for you!
Sam Jones, Australia, 45
Sam is no stranger to Mongolia and won the 2014 Mongol Derby! Currently, Sam is a horse trainer working mostly with breakers and remedial cases. She says, “I would like to be able to do every race/ adventure/ endurance ride everywhere! But Mongolia holds a very special place in my heart and I cannot wait to return to the steppe. The more I have heard about the Gobi Desert Cup the more impressed I am, I am excited to be part of an event that gives so much back to the local community. My main goal for this race is to enjoy it! I find the isolation and wide open spaces make it easy to live in the moment and nothing beats riding a good horse across the steppe!”
Liann Wadewitz, USA, 31
Liann is a returning adult equestrian residing in Brooklyn, New York and spending most of her free time doing Roller Derby! She is attending The Gobi Desert Cup for the adventure and we are happy to give her exactly what she is craving.
Michelle Morges, USA, 35
Dr. Michelle Morges is a Veterinary Oncologist and medical acupuncturist. She works hard to play hard and combining travel with horses is about as good as it gets. Primarily a hunter/ jumper Michelle has been training to ride endurance just for this event. Let’s see if her mental determination and willpower will make her a contender.
Carmen Jackson, USA
Carmen hails from the San Francisco area and was one of the first riders to apply. She has made it her priority to train at Global Endurance Riding Center, our official training center and home of 2018 Individual winner, Christoph Schork. Carmen is the epitome of dedication and discipline. Will her long months and crazy calendar of training be enough to ride the entire 480 kilometers and six days across the Gobi Desert?
Cynthia Peticolas, USA, 62
Cynthia Peticolas is no stranger to endurance riding and adventure. She’s ridden endurance since 1991, ridden the 2,000 mile Pony Express route across the USA, and traveled by motorcycle through 7 countries. Now she is turning her attention to join us to experience Mongolia and her culture for the first time. Will her competitive nature kick in or will she just enjoy the ride? Either way, she is going to have the time of her life!
Laetitia Goncalves, France/ Portugal, 29
Laetitia is a seasoned endurance rider and Captain of Team France. While only 29-years old, Laetitia has a strong record. She was a junior and senior rider for the French National Team. She has ridden in both the President’s Cup as well as Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Dubai World Cup four times. In the 2009 World Championship in Hungary, she placed 3rd individual and 1st team with Jasmine des Ayssades. More recently, she placed 8th in the 2016 World Championship Negrepelisse and 16th in the 2016 World Championship Samorin.
Laetitia said, “I am very excited to take part in such a different scenery, the Mongolian horses, the immersion within the local culture. I am looking forward to getting back to basics and being secluded from the modern world. I look forward to sharing this experience with friends for an unforgettable experience where we will share our passion.”
Will her impressive record give her a leg up on these non-traditional endurance horses? Only time will tell.
Sarah Bertaux D’Agier, France, 51
Sarah is a French national, married with two children. She lives in Dordogne and owns two endurance horses and two donkeys which they use to trail ride with friends and family. She discovered endurance about 10 years ago and has ridden in Chile, Mongolia, and Jordan. She never thought she would have the chance to go back to Mongolia! Sarah said, “Sportive by nature with a love for adventure, I had to jump at the opportunity to participate in The Gobi Desert Cup.”
Cassandra Carmona, France, 23
Cassandra is 23-years old and owns about 10 horses. She is passionate about eventing and endurance! Cassandra has 20 years experience with horses and the goal to have her own stable one day. She will be competing as a member of team France and no doubt, this will be a team to watch for during the race!
Virginie Jacquet Bournazel, France, 35
Virginie Bournazel is the manager of L’écurie des Collines for 15 years with her husband and their 11-year old son. They organise local trail rides, treks, and qualify young horses in endurance. She is qualified FEI* and her objective is to preserve her horses’ welfare. Virginie has a very busy professional life, but loves travelling and wish she was doing it more often! We can definitely scratch that itch for her this year!
Jennifer Sims, USA, 44
Jennifer is popular influencer on Instagram known as Styled Equestrian and more recently EqGlobetrotter, where she is known for her equestrian fashion and travels the world on equestrian holidays. Jennifer has primarily been in the hunter/ jumper world but started playing polo last year and is now riding endurance for the first time as Captain of Team EqGlobetrotter.
We asked Jennifer what she was most looking forward to in Mongolia, “Everything. Meeting everyone, meeting all of the horses and the Mongolians who are a part of the GDC. Pushing myself to accomplish something that most people would never be brave enough to attempt.“
Will this be the start of a beautiful relationship with endurance riding? Only time will tell.
Louis Geyer, S. Africa, 51
Meet Louis, owner and operator of Cape Winelands Riding in South Africa!
Louis said, ““I am the owner of a horse riding holiday establishment in South Africa, with 37 years of riding experience. I have ridden in a variety of disciplines including hunting, hunter trails and trail riding amongst others. I regularly go on multi-day trail rides, such as the Namib Desert ride in Namibia. Why the Gobi Desert Cup? Riding in Mongolia is a life goal for me, it is a cultural experience I look forward to. I would like to throw my support behind The Gobi Desert Cup. I look forward to riding in such a remote region on Mongol mounts. Sharing a passion with like-minded horsemen from around the world.”
Louis is no stranger to riding in open spaces and longer distances. But will that help him in Mongolia? We will find out.
Cortney Rothman, USA, 45
Meet Cortney who lives in Oregon, USA. Cortney says, “I have worked with many different horses both in the saddle and on the ground in my 45 years. I am in the best shape of my life as I also ski and surf on a regular basis. I’m inspired by wide vistas and plains, happy to be dirty and smell like horse for days at a time, camp under the stars, be too cold or too hot. I’m also so excited to learn and experience endurance riding and to visit such an incredible place.“
We can certainly check those boxes for Cortney and make her adventure a memorable one!
Olympia Granger, USA, 46
Olympia says, “My experience began at the age of 11-16, halted for 20 years, and restarted in 2010. My riding spans all disciplines – you can call me a bit of a dabbler. Gaming, barrel racing, hunter/jumper, cow working, and my latest obsession, polo. I’ve participated in multiple horsemanship clinics since 2012 with renowned clinician Buck Brannaman, Peter Campbell, Greg Eliel, and an up and comer Michael Sparling. Mainly though i trail ride one of my four horses who are all very different. Two quarterhorses, 1 thoroughbred, and 1 quarter/cross (polo pony) I ride weekly in both Western and English. I’ve traveled 3 x to Africa on horse safari, one being in Mashatu that requires intermediate/experienced riders only. The past 3 years I’ve become involved with riding and organizing the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons & Riders with their cross state ride across Washington State that involves riding 220+ miles over 17 days, mileages upwards of 27 miles per day. (3 break days) My attitude towards horses is what can i offer them.”
Apparently Olympia does it all and we can’t wait to see her experience Mongolia for the first time!
Sybil H.Mair, UK, 43
Meet Sybil a dressage rider and filmmaker from England. Sybil said, “I am enthralled by Mongolia. And having learned more about the ethos and objectives of the GDC, I feel that we are being given an extraordinary opportunity to explore another culture and people more intensely, to set and overcome our own personal challenges, and the rare chance to forge a relationship with another being and attempt to navigate a path together.“
Sybil will be uniquely challenged riding in the wide, open spaces of the steppe since she spends most of her time in the dressage arena. But we know that she can do it and go home with the knowledge she can ride anywhere.
Shelley Ensor, NZ, 51
Shelley is a lively Kiwi who heard about our ride on the news, when our 2018 rider Stephanie Scott was interviewed about her travel. She applied the same day! Shelley said, “I have been riding since I was young. I love a challenge and have broken my last 2 horses in, Jackson is a thoroughbred x and my Clydesdale Belle. Both different types that had their own challenges. I do the cavalcade every year which is a 7-day horse trek over difficult terrain with basic facilities. I saw this race on TV tonight and just loved what I saw. How exciting 😆😆”
Andrew Hogg, NZ
Andrew was intrigued by the ride when he found out friend Shelley was joining up, and decided to apply with her. Andrew noted, “I was brought up on a high country station near Albury in South Canterbury and have been riding since I was 7 years old. We did all our hill work shifting stock with horses and over the years I have broken in several. While working as a valuer in Auckland in the late 1980’s I had a string of ponies and played polo for the Auckland club however since getting married in 1993 I have restricted myself to cavalcade and weekend horse trips. I do an annual one week cavalcade with Shelley Ensor who had informed me of the Gobi Desert Cup and that she was doing it. I have always been very outgoing and like adventure and feel that the experience would be excellent.“
From following their training rides, it seems Andrew is a late to arrive but passionate about horses all the same. How will he do getting prepared each morning before sunrise? I guess we will find out soon enough!
Nigel Colefax, AUS
Nigel Colefax is an Australian that has competed the famous Shahzada three times, and completed it three times. It is no small feat to ride 400 kilometers successfully on one horse! So we asked Nigel why he was riding the Gobi Desert Cup and why others should as well. He said, “It will be a once-in-a-lifetime ride. The only ride in the world that offers this type of experience.”
We couldn’t agree more Nigel!
Helen Davey, Australia 48
Helen rode as a teenager before taking 20 years off and coming back several years ago. Since then she has been riding endurance as well as jumping and some cattle work. She trains with Sam Jones who she will be riding in Mongolia. Helen’s biggest challenge? She said, “Riding so many different horses with different personalities and gaits. It will use all my muscles and more!”
Monde Kanyana, S. Africa
Monde is no stranger to Mongolia and has ridden the Mongol Derby, even winning the Sportsmanship award! He is a horsemanship trainer and works on a game preserve in South Africa. We are so pleased to welcome him to The Gobi Desert Cup this year and show him how we prize horse welfare and the native culture. More, we hope he shows us and our nomads a thing or two about horsemanship!
Jillian Vickers, USA, 56
Jillian is living the equestrian life in Hawaii training horses, riders, and playing polo. Jillian said, “I’ve been a horse trainer and riding instructor most of my life. I start colts, ride English (hunter/jumper and basic dressage) and Western, show horses (pleasure and trail). I have played polo for the last 25 years and grew up riding competitive trail (NATRC) and endurance riding. I worked for about 15 years in the Arabian horse show industry before moving to Maui and starting my own horse business which I’ve had for 25 years now. It consists of lessons and training. I also breed Arabian horses! !I ride five or six days a week between two and four hours a day.”
It sounds like Jillian brings a lot of experience and passion to her work. Aloha, Jillian and we are sure you will find adventure with us in Mongolia!
Nayef Alenezi, Kuwait, 25
Nayef was a member of the Tennessee Tech Equestrian Team and competed in endurance. He lives currently in Kuwait City. When asked if he could handle a Mongolian horse he answered, “I trained my crazy Arabian horse and he taught me how to be patient and a lot about horsemanship. I love to spend time with horses and to explore places on horseback because I love the desert and nature.“
Twenty-one riders from all over the globe brought together by a passion for travel and horses. As you can see they vary in age and discipline but all want to experience Mongolia and support an amazing cause. We are happy to oblige and take them on the journey of a lifetime. A journey which employs and supports the local nomads for several months via the Mongolian Horse and Nomads Foundation through our annual event.
Please, please support them and cheer them on via our Facebook page where we will be posting ride updates and interviews. You may also track their progress across the steppe using the following link: https://share.garmin.com/gobidesertcup. Trust us the riders rely on your encouragement while they are far from home!
British team celebrates performance at FEI European Endurance Championships
Full article at Everythinghorseuk.co.uk
Great Britain’s Senior Endurance team posted its best result in nearly a decade by registering its first successful team finish since the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in 2010 at this weekend’s FEI European Endurance Championship.
The gritty performance saw four out of the five British riders complete the 160km championship distance, a feat only equalled by Spain, who took team Gold. With the top three riders from each team counting to the final team score, Great Britain took fifth place behind Bulgaria in fourth, a resurgent German team, bronze medallists in third and France taking silver in second place.
The last British team success back in 2010 saw the team of Christine Yeoman, David Yeoman, Beccy Broughton and Sarah Rogerson, finish sixth of 18 nations. Eleven countries lined up in this weekend’s FEI European Endurance Championships team competition.
Rachael Atkinson with Tannasg Psyches Realm and Annette Masterson with Shoshana were the first British riders home in 23rd and 24th place, completing at an average speed of 16.6km/hr. Rachael’s daughter Kate Atkinson followed closely behind completing in 26th place with DNS Ronaldo at an average speed of 16.13km/hr. The final completion went to Sarah Rogerson who crossed the line shortly after 9.15pm with Warrens Hill Rubyn, the pair notching up an average speed of 14.84km/hr. Nicola Thorne whose LM Bolena had been moving forward well, slightly ahead of the other team members, suffered the disappointment of elimination at vet gate three.
Chef d’equipe Liz Finney said:
"This was a fantastic team effort with everyone, riders and crews working so well together to achieve what we set out to do. It was disappointing for Nicki and we all felt for her as all the riders had worked so hard to get here but everyone gave of their best for the team.”
Team Farrier Kelvin Lymer, who first began working with the team back in 1992 said:
This is one of the best team performances I have seen in my years of involvement in terms of pulling together and bringing a positive attitude to the challenges of the ride. Every single person involved without exception got stuck in and helped each other. There was a really good atmosphere.”
Team Vet Georgina Vaughan said:
I feel really proud to be part of this fantastic team effort – the crews were amazing.”
Sunday’s FEI CEI 2* 120km Great Britain Nations Cup team also saw team success completing in seventh place, Carri Ann Dark taking 19th place at an average speed of 18.64km/hr with her mother Ann’s HS Drift, Bella Fricker, standing in 40th place with Spanish Heir and Linda Cowperthwaite taking 47th place with Evelyn Helme’s Krakatau. Fellow team members Fiona Griffiths and Annie Joppe were sadly eliminated.
One of the highlights of the FEI European Endurance Championships weekend was the performance of Ireland’s Tom MacGuinness, 69, who finished in 11th place in the European Championships with Siglavy Bagdaddy but went on to take 21st place in Sunday’s CEI 2* 120km ride with Chamaille Des Aubus, while Ireland took fourth place in the Nations Cup.
For more information visit on the eustonparkendurance.co.uk
Great Britain’s Senior Endurance team posted its best result in nearly a decade by registering its first successful team finish since the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in 2010 at this weekend’s FEI European Endurance Championship.
The gritty performance saw four out of the five British riders complete the 160km championship distance, a feat only equalled by Spain, who took team Gold. With the top three riders from each team counting to the final team score, Great Britain took fifth place behind Bulgaria in fourth, a resurgent German team, bronze medallists in third and France taking silver in second place.
The last British team success back in 2010 saw the team of Christine Yeoman, David Yeoman, Beccy Broughton and Sarah Rogerson, finish sixth of 18 nations. Eleven countries lined up in this weekend’s FEI European Endurance Championships team competition.
Rachael Atkinson with Tannasg Psyches Realm and Annette Masterson with Shoshana were the first British riders home in 23rd and 24th place, completing at an average speed of 16.6km/hr. Rachael’s daughter Kate Atkinson followed closely behind completing in 26th place with DNS Ronaldo at an average speed of 16.13km/hr. The final completion went to Sarah Rogerson who crossed the line shortly after 9.15pm with Warrens Hill Rubyn, the pair notching up an average speed of 14.84km/hr. Nicola Thorne whose LM Bolena had been moving forward well, slightly ahead of the other team members, suffered the disappointment of elimination at vet gate three.
Chef d’equipe Liz Finney said:
"This was a fantastic team effort with everyone, riders and crews working so well together to achieve what we set out to do. It was disappointing for Nicki and we all felt for her as all the riders had worked so hard to get here but everyone gave of their best for the team.”
Team Farrier Kelvin Lymer, who first began working with the team back in 1992 said:
This is one of the best team performances I have seen in my years of involvement in terms of pulling together and bringing a positive attitude to the challenges of the ride. Every single person involved without exception got stuck in and helped each other. There was a really good atmosphere.”
Team Vet Georgina Vaughan said:
I feel really proud to be part of this fantastic team effort – the crews were amazing.”
Sunday’s FEI CEI 2* 120km Great Britain Nations Cup team also saw team success completing in seventh place, Carri Ann Dark taking 19th place at an average speed of 18.64km/hr with her mother Ann’s HS Drift, Bella Fricker, standing in 40th place with Spanish Heir and Linda Cowperthwaite taking 47th place with Evelyn Helme’s Krakatau. Fellow team members Fiona Griffiths and Annie Joppe were sadly eliminated.
One of the highlights of the FEI European Endurance Championships weekend was the performance of Ireland’s Tom MacGuinness, 69, who finished in 11th place in the European Championships with Siglavy Bagdaddy but went on to take 21st place in Sunday’s CEI 2* 120km ride with Chamaille Des Aubus, while Ireland took fourth place in the Nations Cup.
For more information visit on the eustonparkendurance.co.uk
Monk and Lindsay Fisher Awarded Haggin Cup at 2019 Tevis
TheHorse.com - Posted by Marsha Hayes | Aug 19, 2019
The 17-year-old gelding finished ninth in the 100-mile Tevis Cup. This was his fifth consecutive Tevis, and he’s never finished out of the Top 10.
At the conclusion of the 2019 Tevis Cup, head ride veterinarian Mike Peralez, DVM, named ninth-place finisher Monk, ridden by Lindsay Fisher, DVM, of Napa, California, and owned by Chris Martin, of Penn Valley, California, the recipient of the Haggin Cup. The Haggin Cup is awarded to the finishing horse with the best condition during the Tevis awards banquet, in Auburn, California.
Peralez, who practices at Foothill Equine, in Arcadia, California, explained how the entire Tevis vet crew evaluated the Top 10 finishing horses. Each horse trots out and back, and then the rider or a designated handler runs alongside the horse around a chalk outlined 60-foot circle, allowing veterinarians to judge their impulsion and gait. The setup allows for spectators to view the judging, as well.
“We looked at soundness, metabolic recovery, and condition, and then we gathered and discussed our findings,” Peralez said The panel relayed their opinions to members of the Cup Committee. Committee members had also observed the horses and riders in action along the 100-mile trail.
Monk finished one hour and one minute behind Tevis Cup winner Sanoma Blakeley on RA Ares Bay. After trotting a small section of his first circle, Monk increased his speed and attempted to outpace his presenter, Ann Hall.
“I am definitely surprised and overwhelmed,” Fisher told the cheering crowd. She thanked Martin for pairing her with Monk back in 2008 when she was still in veterinary school. “I will always remember the first time I saw Monk, tied to the trailer, head down,” she recalled. “I had no way of knowing Monk would carry me all over the world competing in FEI endurance events.”
Now 17, Monk has completed five Tevis events in a row, always finishing in the Top 10. Monk’s ride time in 2019 was identical to his time in 2018, when he finished fourth. “Monk is a really special horse,” Fisher said. “I can’t describe what he means to me.”
The 2019 Tevis ended with a 53.8% completion rate, slightly better than most years. Peralez theorized that the ride’s later date this year might have given riders more training time, especially in a year with erratic weather.
The 65th Tevis will take place Aug. 1, 2020.
Outcry over death of horse at British endurance ride
Social media has erupted once more over the death of a horse at a endurance ride.
The UAE’s Ulla de Luc collapsed after a racing finish in the 120km** during the HH Sheikh Mohammed Festival at Euston Park in Suffolk yesterday afternoon (Sunday 18 August).
She was pronounced dead on the finish line minutes later. A video of the stricken 11-year-old being attended was viewed 50,000 times within 24 hours on the “Clean Endurance” Facebook page alone.
Debate became so heated on Endurance GB’s Facebook page that on Monday afternoon EGB removed an official announcement about the fatality. EGB said that while it understood “emotions are running high”, its social media policy had been breached by commenters “several” times.
In a statement, the Euston organising committee said: “It is with great sadness that we announce that Ulla De Luc, ridden by Ghanim Said Salim Al Owaisi (UAE) and owned by F3 Stables died while competing at Euston Park at 13.50pm on 18 August. A post-mortem will be carried out to ascertain the cause of death. At every FEI event, the maximum consideration is given to the safety and welfare of horses and competitors.”
Ulla was travelling at an average last loop speed of 28 kph – which is very fast for a British ride. The mare’s FEI record shows she had never been ridden in competition before by Al Owaisi, and had not completed a FEI ride since July 2018.
The mare is owned by the UAE’s premier F3 stables and was recently re-registered as trained by Ali Ghanim al Marri. Her previous trainer at the same stables, Khalifa Ghanim al Marri, has been provisionally suspended since February in connection with multiple prohibited substance positives returned by other horses in his care.
Ulla will be dope-tested as part of the compulsory post mortem. The official FEI vet did not attend the Sunday rides, but a FEI spokesman told H&H that sampling of other horses was undertaken by the veterinary commission.
The fatality has overshadowed the successful running at the same venue of the European endurance championships the previous day, in which Britain finished fifth of 11 teams. Spain took gold, France silver and Germany bronze. Rachael Atkinson (23rd; Tannasg Psyches Realm) and Annette Masterson (24th; Shoshana) were the first British riders home. Rachael’s daughter Kate (DNS Ronaldo) was 26th, while Sarah Rogerson (Warrens Hill Rubyn) also completed the 160km distance. Nicola Thorne (LM Bolena) was eliminated at vet gate three.
Read more at Horse & Hound
The UAE’s Ulla de Luc collapsed after a racing finish in the 120km** during the HH Sheikh Mohammed Festival at Euston Park in Suffolk yesterday afternoon (Sunday 18 August).
She was pronounced dead on the finish line minutes later. A video of the stricken 11-year-old being attended was viewed 50,000 times within 24 hours on the “Clean Endurance” Facebook page alone.
Debate became so heated on Endurance GB’s Facebook page that on Monday afternoon EGB removed an official announcement about the fatality. EGB said that while it understood “emotions are running high”, its social media policy had been breached by commenters “several” times.
In a statement, the Euston organising committee said: “It is with great sadness that we announce that Ulla De Luc, ridden by Ghanim Said Salim Al Owaisi (UAE) and owned by F3 Stables died while competing at Euston Park at 13.50pm on 18 August. A post-mortem will be carried out to ascertain the cause of death. At every FEI event, the maximum consideration is given to the safety and welfare of horses and competitors.”
Ulla was travelling at an average last loop speed of 28 kph – which is very fast for a British ride. The mare’s FEI record shows she had never been ridden in competition before by Al Owaisi, and had not completed a FEI ride since July 2018.
The mare is owned by the UAE’s premier F3 stables and was recently re-registered as trained by Ali Ghanim al Marri. Her previous trainer at the same stables, Khalifa Ghanim al Marri, has been provisionally suspended since February in connection with multiple prohibited substance positives returned by other horses in his care.
Ulla will be dope-tested as part of the compulsory post mortem. The official FEI vet did not attend the Sunday rides, but a FEI spokesman told H&H that sampling of other horses was undertaken by the veterinary commission.
The fatality has overshadowed the successful running at the same venue of the European endurance championships the previous day, in which Britain finished fifth of 11 teams. Spain took gold, France silver and Germany bronze. Rachael Atkinson (23rd; Tannasg Psyches Realm) and Annette Masterson (24th; Shoshana) were the first British riders home. Rachael’s daughter Kate (DNS Ronaldo) was 26th, while Sarah Rogerson (Warrens Hill Rubyn) also completed the 160km distance. Nicola Thorne (LM Bolena) was eliminated at vet gate three.
Read more at Horse & Hound
Monday, August 19, 2019
Mongolia: ‘He’s tougher than concrete’: 70-year-old cowboy wins world’s ‘longest race’
Credit: Sarah Farnsworth/Mongol Derby
Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article
Becky Murray
17 August, 2019
A 70-year-old cowboy described as “tougher than a box of concrete” has become the oldest winner of the world’s “longest horse race”.
American cowboy Bob Long, from Idaho, was the winner of the 2019 Mongol Derby, in which riders navigate across 1,000km of the Mongolian steppe.
Bob crossed the line at 11.03am Mongolian time on Wednesday 14 August following his seven-day “demonstration of horsemanship, fortitude and navigational skill”.
A spokesman for the race said Bob changed horses 28 times throughout the race. At each vet check Bob’s horses “vetted cleanly”, meaning he received no veterinary time-penalties.
“Plenty of the 2019 riders received medical treatment for ‘minor’ injuries, such as a broken nose, concussion and dehydration – but not Bob, whose solo adventure across the steppe has been one of the most impressive performances seen in the history of the Derby,” said the spokesman.
“Bob’s life has been built around horses. He trained and sold broncs to fund his university education, rode and trained mules for packing and hunting, and worked with young appaloosas and quarter horses. He is a master at the competitive sport of extreme mountain trail riding, and has many awards in that discipline, the ideal preparation for the most extreme race of them all, the Mongol Derby...”
Read more here:
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/hes-tougher-concrete-70-year-old-cowboy-wins-worlds-longest-race-694215
Friday, August 16, 2019
New Jerseyan, Heather Wallace to Officiate At Mongolian Horse Adventure the Gobi Desert Cup
Tapinto.net - Full ArticeBy TAPINTO HORSES STAFF
August 15, 2019 at 8:00 AM
RED BANK, N.J. — Red Bank resident, Heather Wallace will be working for the second year as an official and photographer for the Gobi Desert Cup, Aug. 27 to Sept. 6 starting in the capital of Ulaanbaatar and traveling through the Gobi Desert.
Wallace is the writer and photographer for the blog, The Timid Rider, which focuses on the struggling confidence of a returning adult equestrian. She is the award-winning author of non-fiction titles Confessions of a Timid Rider, which details her insights about being an anxiety-ridden, but passionate equestrian and Girl Forward: A Tale of One Woman's Unlikely Adventure in Mongolia.
This year she will again be attending this unique endurance ride as the photographer and official media guru. She looks forward to strengthening her relationship with the local nomads and to further draw attention to their dwindling lifestyle through her storytelling on social media, in photography, and as a producer on a documentary being filmed this year...
Read more here:
https://www.tapinto.net/towns/holmdel-and-colts-neck/sections/horses/articles/new-jerseyan-heather-wallace-to-officiate-at-mongolian-horse-adventure-the-gobi-desert-cup-7
Thursday, August 15, 2019
2019 Mongol Derby Day 8
TheAdventurists.com - Full ArticleAugust 14, 2019
It was a beautiful sunrise on the steppe this morning, and the crew at finish camp was up at the crack of ridiculous, getting ready for the flourish of riders set to cross the line today. As trackers sprung to life across the board, eyes turned to the horizon hoping to catch that first glimpse of Mongol Derby’s 2019 champion. At the close of business last night, it was Bob (RL) parked just beyond HS27, a mere fifty-ish kilometers from the finish line, and Wiesman (WN) thirty-some kilometers behind him. The odds were in Bob’s favour, what with his stellar, consistent riding from Day 1; but who could forget Wiesman’s come from behind? He started the race on the back foot, picking up a vet penalty on Day 1 which placed him somewhere in the middle of the pack; yet he rode his way quickly back into the ranks past the front of the chasing pack to give Bob something to think about (if he was thinking about that at all; by all reports he is a single-minded machine when he’s on a roll.) More than one Derby has been won and lost on the basis of heart rate penalties, and since Bob had a 25-minute technical penalty looming, anything could happen. Similarly, Wiesman was skating on thin ice penalty-wise with two heart rate penalties, and a third could cost him not only the race, but a place in the top five. Head vet Jeremy offered some insight into the respective strategies of Bob and Wiesman: Wiesman, an experienced endurance racer, monitors his horse’s heart rate methodically, while Bob plays to his navigation strengths by riding the straight line as much as possible. Two excellent horsemen, two serious contenders, which one would take the top honours?...
Read more at:
https://www.theadventurists.com/adventures/mongol-derby/updates/#1
Mongolia: Free State man picks up silver medal in 'world's toughest horse race'
TimesLive.co.za - Full Article15 August 2019 - 07:00
BY ERNEST MABUZA
South African Wiesman Nel, 40, came a remarkable second in the the 11th Mongol Derby, the competitors of which started finishing the 1,000km race on Wednesday.
There were 42 riders in the Mongol Derby endurance race this year, which is described as the world's longest and toughest horse race. They came from all over the world, including four from South Africa.
Nel, from Moolmanshoek private game reserve in the Free State, finished less than two hours behind the winner, American Robert Long.
Nel described the race, which began last Wednesday, as a great experience but said it was not easy, calling it "hardcore".
"You need to be fit for this. It's not for the faint-hearted. But what a great experience. Just to be out there and experience the hospitality of the Mongolians and their horses, their culture and the steppes has been a really great experience for me," he said...
Read more here:
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2019-08-15-free-state-man-picks-up-silver-medal-in-worlds-toughest-horse-race/
Idaho’s Bob Long oldest to win Mongol Derby
TSLN.com - Full ArticleAugust 14, 2019
Savanna Simmons
Bob Long had to pass a vet check at each horse station, including the very last, in which his horse’s heart rate had to be at or below 56 beats per minute within half an hour of his return in order to not receive a penalty. He received no vet penalties throughout the entire race.
While Robert Long celebrates a victory the 70-year-old has yet to realize the vast audience that closely tracked his progress in the United States. Long is the oldest man to win the Mongol Derby. The Wyomingite, who now resides in Idaho, finished the 1,000 km race, which is a nod to Genghis Khan’s horse messenger system, with the statement “My horse just won the Mongol Derby. It’s nothing, you just ride 650 miles on a death march. There’s nothing to it.”
The semi-feral Mongolian steppe horses are swapped out every 35 to 40 km and are vetted at each horse station. Long began a slow race, so much so that his partner Stephanie Nelson said they hadn’t really taken any photos of him (other than one of his involuntary dismount day one), so when he made his move and neared the front of the pack, the race organizers were scrambling for photos.
“They loved his demographic,” she said. “They thought he would ride two legs and fall off.”
The second-place rider South African Weisman Nel encountered a vet delay early in the race but managed to sneak up from behind to finish two hours after Long. Some of the 42 other riders are still making the trek to the finish line.
“Bob isn’t just the oldest, he has ridden better and stronger, camping out more than anyone else,” said Tom Morgan, founder of The Adventurists, the race organizers. “We opened up the course this year to make navigation a key skill again, and Bob absolutely nailed it. The man is tougher than a box of concrete...”
Read more here:
https://www.tsln.com/news/idahos-bob-long-oldest-to-win-mongol-derby/
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
70 Year Old Bob Wins 2019 Mongol Derby!
EverythingHorseUK.co.uk - Full Article14/08/2019 ehuknews
In an extraordinary, seven-day demonstration of horsemanship, fortitude and navigational skill, the USA’s Robert (Bob) Long, 70, became the oldest winner of the 1,000km Mongol Derby, the world’s longest horse race.
Bob, who has a PhD in Public Health, in 2013 retired from Healthwise, a company he helped build up from the ground.
Commenting on his success Bob joked:
It’s nothing – you just ride 650 miles. There’s nothing to it,”
I’ve only stayed overnight at one horse station; I’ve been staying with local families. They’re spectacular.”
Asked how it felt to be the oldest winner of the Derby, he replied dismissively:
Age is just a number.”
In doing so he battled the weather gods, who threw everything they had at the brave crazy riders, from torrential rain to burning sun and then freezing temperatures, and harsh terrain. All on the back of semi-wild, tough-as-teak Mongolian horses, who like to start the day by bucking their riders off just to show who’s boss.
Cowboy Bob, who is from Cheyenne, Wyoming but now lives in Boise, Idaho, completed the 1,000km race by changing horses 28 times...
Read more here:
https://everythinghorseuk.co.uk/70-year-old-bob-wins-2019-mongol-derby/
Malaysia: Young riders eyeing top-10 finish in world meet
NST.com.my - Full Article
By Fadhli Ishak - August 14, 2019
THE national junior squad will be eying a top 10 finish when they take to the track for the FEI World Endurance Championships for Young Riders and Juniors in Italy next month.
Team manager Mohamad Din Mat said the squad - which is comprised of Muhammad Faris Haikal Hassan Sa'ari, Muhammad Aimin Azfar Nazulki, Nur Qasrina Amani Zakaria and Muhammad Yusuf Luqman Zakaria - will be placing their focus on the team event at San Rossore on September 17-18.
"We recently competed in a series of tournaments in Argentan and Jullianges in France to qualify, which we did, and also prepare for the world juniors," said Din.
"We had utilised new horses which we have leased from their owners in France and will be using the same horses in San Rossore.
"I believe our riders have adjusted well to their horses and have a good understanding with them now..."
Read more here:
https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2019/08/512661/young-riders-eyeing-top-10-finish-world-meet
By Fadhli Ishak - August 14, 2019
THE national junior squad will be eying a top 10 finish when they take to the track for the FEI World Endurance Championships for Young Riders and Juniors in Italy next month.
Team manager Mohamad Din Mat said the squad - which is comprised of Muhammad Faris Haikal Hassan Sa'ari, Muhammad Aimin Azfar Nazulki, Nur Qasrina Amani Zakaria and Muhammad Yusuf Luqman Zakaria - will be placing their focus on the team event at San Rossore on September 17-18.
"We recently competed in a series of tournaments in Argentan and Jullianges in France to qualify, which we did, and also prepare for the world juniors," said Din.
"We had utilised new horses which we have leased from their owners in France and will be using the same horses in San Rossore.
"I believe our riders have adjusted well to their horses and have a good understanding with them now..."
Read more here:
https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2019/08/512661/young-riders-eyeing-top-10-finish-world-meet
Florida's Abbi Bell's marathon trek in Mongol Derby ends on Day 7
News4jax.com - Full Article
Middleburg resident covered more than 400 miles in endurance horse race
By Justin Barney - Sports Editor
Posted: 6:57 PM, August 13, 2019
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Abbi Bell had never done anything quite like the Mongol Derby, and made it more than halfway through the event billed as the world's longest and toughest horse race.
The Middleburg resident covered roughly 412 miles through the first seven days of the endurance horse race before retiring from the event Tuesday...
Read more here:
https://www.news4jax.com/sports/abbi-bells-marathon-trek-in-mongol-derby-ends-on-day-7
Middleburg resident covered more than 400 miles in endurance horse race
By Justin Barney - Sports Editor
Posted: 6:57 PM, August 13, 2019
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Abbi Bell had never done anything quite like the Mongol Derby, and made it more than halfway through the event billed as the world's longest and toughest horse race.
The Middleburg resident covered roughly 412 miles through the first seven days of the endurance horse race before retiring from the event Tuesday...
Read more here:
https://www.news4jax.com/sports/abbi-bells-marathon-trek-in-mongol-derby-ends-on-day-7
Tuesday, August 13, 2019
2019 Mongol Derby Day 7
RoisinScribbles Journal - Full Article
Published on 13th August 2019
Welcome to the update for Day 7!
The big surprise today, for me at least, was the sheer volume of riders getting off their horses and throwing in the metaphorical towel.
Alanna Watt and Holly Rivett join Molly Pearson, Ava Drake and Sam Franklin in the adventure class.
Anne Binnendijk, Abbi Bell, Patti Long and very surprisingly Ahmed Al-Ghurair retired. Harriet Bond, Erin Nagle, Rendel Rieckmann, Ella Mildon, Jacqueline Knopfel, Sally Conway and Naomi Crombeem accepted defeat and gave up on the adventure class. They join Pip Chisholm and Vasin Govender. Why did Ahmed suddenly bin and get in a car for Ulaanbaatar? Nobody seems to know.
Why at this late stage have so many riders stopped racing? I suppose it is easy, watching the race from afar, to feel like it is nearly finished. It is, for Robert. Lots of these riders are still at least two days away from the finish line, which after seven days of spending every daylight hour on a series of naughty little horses, has understandably lost a lot of its allure.
Sympathy to those who have Just Had Enough - sometimes accepting defeat is harder than carrying on. Well done for making a tough decision. Props to those who are hanging on in there, also - many riders who don't get an official finish for whatever reason reappear on the start line at a later date. It's hard leaving something so enormous unfinished.
What about the front of the race?
Today, like yesterday, belongs to Robert Long who continued to pull away in spite of the heat, the fierce competitors behind him and the distance he has ridden. How has he done it?...
Read more here:
https://roisinscribbles.journoportfolio.com/articles/2019-mongol-derby-race-update-day-7/
See all updates here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Mongolia/2019MongolDerby/
Monday, August 12, 2019
2019 Mongol Derby: Bob V’s Statistics
TheAdventurists.com - Full StoryAugust 12, 2019
It’s day six of the mighty 2019 Derby and all eyes are glued to screens as 71 year old Bob Long (RL), currently in first place, continues to eat up the miles enroute to the finish line. He could even cross the line tomorrow night (August 13) after seven days of brilliant riding.
Every Derby is significant in its own right, but this year’s edition is especially captivating because at age 71, Bob could be the oldest competitor to actually finish the race let alone the oldest to win it all. This brings to mind a number of ponderings: What’s the average age of competitors in the Derby? Who was the oldest winner to date? The youngest? What age group is more likely on average to produce a winner or a finisher?...
Read more here:
https://www.theadventurists.com/adventures/mongol-derby/updates/#1
See all updates here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Mongolia/2019MongolDerby/
2019 Mongol Derby Day 6
TheAdventurists.com - Full Article
August 12, 2019
Day 6:
Jump in, let’s go
Lay back, enjoy the show
Everybody gets high, everybody gets low
These are the days when anything goes
Every day is a winding road…
– Sheryl Crow
There’s only one thing certain about this race: no two Derby days are ever the same, but that just makes it more fascinating. When we closed up action on Day 5, we had the front runners gunning for HS20, a few of them camping out and expecting to rocket into the station, do a quick changeover and be well on to their way to HS21 before the rest of us had time to wipe our bleary eyes and brew a coffee. Two medical evacuations late yesterday threw a wrench into that plan, however, and HQ called a race hold for the morning of Day 6 until medical teams could get back in place. Most riders no doubt enjoyed the extra bit of R & R, especially since the weather once again did a complete 180 sometime in the night and began bucketing down...
Read more here:
https://www.theadventurists.com/adventures/mongol-derby/updates/#2
See all updates here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Mongolia/2019MongolDerby/
Nominated List Announced for FEI Meydan World Endurance Championship for Young Riders and Juniors
www.endurancelifestyle.it/toscanalifestyle2019
The 18th September, the 2019 edition of Toscana Endurance Lifestyle will host the World Endurance Championships: the FEI MEYDAN WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP YJ that will see riders face off in a race of 120 km.
This prestigious event dedicated to the "Under 21" category, will take place in the beautiful, and at the same time exciting, Tuscan course. It will be a unique ride due to the characteristics of the circuit, which requires considerable technical qualities. The exclusivity of the ride cannot ignore the scenery, a natural landscape that makes it amazing.
The list of nominations, 114 entries from 35 nations, can be seen here:
http://www.endurancelifestyle.it/toscanalifestyle2019/sport_files/fe88d5db48a8af43e46f8034401d98e2.pdf
Sunday, August 11, 2019
2019 Mongol Derby Day 5
RoisinScribbles Blog - Full Story
Published on 11th August 2019
by Roisin Magee
Welcome to Day 5 of racing!
You have to take your hat off to these riders. Although day 5 is when the reality of the distance starts to bite, it has taken this long for one of the front runners to succumb.
Sally Conway started the day at the front of the race, but she finished it in the blood wagon. What on earth happened? Radio silence from the organisers. She's in UB presumably being checked out by doctors, so possibly an involuntary dismount - rotten, rotten luck and wishing her the speediest possibly recovery. The race won't be the same without this gritty cowgirl from Taroom, Queensland (Australia) raising money for mental health awareness and support in rural communities. A fantastic cause as this is a serious issue for country people living in isolation - you can donate online here.
Naomi Crombeem joined her; less of a surprise only because Rachel Roman had been forced to leave her behind at HS12 earlier in the day. She's sick. No further details here, either, but every year as exhaustion kicks in riders' bodies start to fail in a variety of weird and wonderful ways. This can be chafing, injuries, heatstroke, hypothermia or just a plain old spot of puking and … I won't go into details. Alanna Watt's mum reads this with her cup of tea in the morning.
What riders who are not experienced in ultra-endurance events (that's everyone other than Sampie as far as I'm away) may not realise is that you don't always get fair warning. Everything is manageable until it suddenly isn't and tired riders do not have razor sharp reflexes...
Read more here:
https://roisinscribbles.journoportfolio.com/articles/2019-mongol-derby-race-update-day-5/?fbclid=IwAR04rnBh4GkpkSsnApe655Oclg3ah3vT3ZV5xFyjK5-7GSz7I4efkno01_o
Follow the race here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Mongolia/2019MongolDerby/
CEI 2* at Rancho Guayacan, Guatemala
On August 3 and 4th. Guatemala National Federation had our longest Endurance ride for this season. The event was hosted at the Rancho Guayacan facilities which provide an amazing atmosphere for a night ride. The 1* and 40km Ride where started early in the afternoon. Guatemala´s south cost hot and humid weather commanded a smart strategy by riders to maintain pace and care for the horses. Unfortunately some combinations faced elimination early on, with only 1 rider finishing the 80km Ride. Damyan Serovic on his Experienced mare Moka finished at a speed of 14.65 Km/h.
The 2* ride was started at 5 Pm with a bit better temperature conditions. During the whole night Jaime Mansilla on Maximus HEP and David Castañeda on Gallardo, dueled for the lead. Making for a very exiting ride that had all spectators on their toes. Both riders finished the loops within seconds of each other, with Gallardo showing faster recoveries. However at the end it was Maximus HEP long stride that took the win. Jaime and Maximus finished at 18 Km/h, with David and Gallardo not far behind. Gallardo took home a well deserved Best Conditioned award.
To close the event Eric Vasquez riding Rashid OV, made a splendid job of managing his horse and winning the 2* Young Riders event, accompanied by the lights of dawn.
Our next event will be on October 5th. On which our national youth championships we held.
Full Results of the event
40Km
1 Luis Miguel de la Roca Carmeloo (BC winner)
2 Paola Estrada Divina
3 Miguel de la Roca Jallardia
4 Oliver Madrid Tsuki
80Km CEI1*
1 Damyan Serovic Moka (BC Winner)
120Km CEI2*
1 Jaime Mansilla Maximus HEP
2 David Castañeda Gallardo (BC winner)
3 Pedro Moran Forte
120 km CEIYR2*
1 Erick Vasquez Rashid OV (BC winner)
Text by Tuni Briz
Photos by
Gaby Zibara
Fernando Paiz L
Stephanie Aizenstatd
Jaime Mansilla/Maximus HEP, Winners of the CEI 2* photo Stephanie Aizenstatd
David Castañeda/Gallardo 66 and Pedro Moran/Forte 60. Getting ready to start the 2* Photo Gaby Zibara
Fernando Paiz and Eric Vasquez with Rashid OV winning as dawn looms on the horizon. Photo F. Paiz
The 2* ride was started at 5 Pm with a bit better temperature conditions. During the whole night Jaime Mansilla on Maximus HEP and David Castañeda on Gallardo, dueled for the lead. Making for a very exiting ride that had all spectators on their toes. Both riders finished the loops within seconds of each other, with Gallardo showing faster recoveries. However at the end it was Maximus HEP long stride that took the win. Jaime and Maximus finished at 18 Km/h, with David and Gallardo not far behind. Gallardo took home a well deserved Best Conditioned award.
To close the event Eric Vasquez riding Rashid OV, made a splendid job of managing his horse and winning the 2* Young Riders event, accompanied by the lights of dawn.
Our next event will be on October 5th. On which our national youth championships we held.
Full Results of the event
40Km
1 Luis Miguel de la Roca Carmeloo (BC winner)
2 Paola Estrada Divina
3 Miguel de la Roca Jallardia
4 Oliver Madrid Tsuki
80Km CEI1*
1 Damyan Serovic Moka (BC Winner)
120Km CEI2*
1 Jaime Mansilla Maximus HEP
2 David Castañeda Gallardo (BC winner)
3 Pedro Moran Forte
120 km CEIYR2*
1 Erick Vasquez Rashid OV (BC winner)
Text by Tuni Briz
Photos by
Gaby Zibara
Fernando Paiz L
Stephanie Aizenstatd
Jaime Mansilla/Maximus HEP, Winners of the CEI 2* photo Stephanie Aizenstatd
David Castañeda/Gallardo 66 and Pedro Moran/Forte 60. Getting ready to start the 2* Photo Gaby Zibara
Fernando Paiz and Eric Vasquez with Rashid OV winning as dawn looms on the horizon. Photo F. Paiz
Saturday, August 10, 2019
2019 Mongol Derby Day 4
TheAdventurists.com - Full Article
August 10, 2019
Day Four – what a day this has been for one and all. We’ve had riders stretched between horse stations 11 and 16 with the lead swapping around like a game of three card monte, keeping HQ on their collective toes and our field crews on the move. The weather on the steppe did a complete flip-flop from wet, cold, and dreary to hot, dry, and bleary, putting the riders’ nerves, reserves, water supply, and limits to the test. Mother Nature Mongolia Style – she’s not for the faint of heart. The change in temperatures also brought a new wrinkle with respect to racing strategy: the cold damp weather may have made for a miserable ride, but it may have also helped keep those horses’ heart rates down. Holy heart rate penalties, Batman! After a veritable scarcity of penalties in the first three days of racing, the vets were busy today handing out heart rate penalties, marking up those pristine vet record cards that the riders guard with their lives.
This is not to say that the riders are riding irresponsibly – quite the contrary...
Read more here:
https://www.theadventurists.com/adventures/mongol-derby/updates/?fbclid=IwAR0bidCrOCXBkvCf1dpKBQcdtMTcvZ4ansrAcAyBRWJo7lUQri563xJRMjE#1
Daily updates here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Mongolia/2019MongolDerby/
2019 Mongol Derby Day 3
TheAdventurists.com - Full Story
August 9, 2019
Derby Day Three and it’s been three days of ride-rinse-repeat here (emphasis on the “rinse” – the rain has been relentless) on the steppe, and we are starting to see a more definitive split between the front runners and the back-packers. At the front end, the rat pack of 21 riders pushed on through five-horse stations to bring race action to horse station 12 – a mere 350+ ish km from the start line. Only 650+ more kilometres to go, guys – a piece of cake!
The lead has toggled back and forth between the front runners numerous times during the day, and our eyeballs have been crossed trying to keep tabs on who was doing what, where and why. The superb navigation skills of Ahmed (AA) Bob (RL) kept us all engrossed as their course zigged where other riders chose to zag, but ultimately cost them some precious time in the form of technical penalties for missing some mandatory course markers...
Read more here:
https://www.theadventurists.com/adventures/mongol-derby/updates/?fbclid=IwAR0bidCrOCXBkvCf1dpKBQcdtMTcvZ4ansrAcAyBRWJo7lUQri563xJRMjE#1
Daily updates here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Mongolia/2019MongolDerby/
Thursday, August 08, 2019
2019 Mongol Derby Day 2
August 8, 2019
Rounding up on a very wet day two probably most demonstrated by the overcrowding at horse station seven where the leading 20 (yes 20) riders are drying out – at least they will warm up in the cosy, if somewhat smelly environment of drying clothes, socks and bodies in warm sleeping bags (whoops who forgot the dry bags eek) …. Having eaten a hearty meal of noodles around a GER fir – 5*s at least!
Meanwhile behind them at Horse Station six and Horse Station five…
Camping in a Ger about 10 km past Horse Station six is RRO … She has messaged in safe and sound. But Event Manager Louise Crosbie (LC) is still heading out to double-check.
Navigational errors including Alana Watts (AW) & Holly Rivett (HR) heading were seen heading off to Russia before corrective measures lead them back to a Derby Horse Station and Katie Hasse (KH) and Kelsey Eliot (KE) parting ways in an apparent disagreement of route...
Read more here:
https://www.theadventurists.com/adventures/mongol-derby/updates/?fbclid=IwAR0bidCrOCXBkvCf1dpKBQcdtMTcvZ4ansrAcAyBRWJo7lUQri563xJRMjE#1
Daily updates here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Mongolia/2019MongolDerby/
Heather Wallace to Official in Mongolian Horse Adventure the Gobi Desert Cup
August 7 2019
Heather Wallace, The Timid Rider, will be working for the second year as an official and photographer for the Gobi Desert Cup, 27 August - 6 September 2019 starting in the capital of Ulaanbaatar and traveling through the Gobi Desert.
Heather Wallace is the writer and photographer for the blog, The Timid Rider, which focuses on the struggling confidence of a returning adult equestrian. She is the award-winning author of non-fiction titles Confessions of a Timid Rider, which details her insights about being an anxiety-ridden but passionate equestrian and Girl Forward: A Tale of One Woman's Unlikely Adventure in Mongolia. This year she will again be attending this unique endurance ride as the photographer and official media guru. She looks forward to strengthening her relationship with the local nomads and to further draw attention to their dwindling lifestyle through her storytelling on social media, in photography, and as a producer on a documentary being filmed this year.
The Gobi Desert Cup is a multistage endurance race on Mongolian horses unlike any other equestrian adventure. Founded in 2016 by FEI 3* Endurance Rider, Camille Champagne, the Gobi Desert Cup is a multi-stage endurance ride and cultural experience through the Gobi Desert, riding trained and conditioned Mongolian horses every day for six days over a total of 480 kilometers.
This challenge is the only one of its kind to combine equestrian adventure and distance riding while positively supporting Mongolian nomadic culture and their horses before, during, and after the event. Combining the safety protocols and regulations of three international endurance organizations with semi-wild Mongolian horses, the event occurs over multiple terrains from dunes to rolling, verdant hills. Each of the 21 international riders will ride six horses in six days, testing their horsemanship, their endurance and their sense of adventure. Each horse is chosen specifically for their physical strength and quiet temper and trained specially for the race by our team of Mongolian herdsmen and veterinarians.
Heather is proud to be part of an organization dedicated to the awareness and sustainability of the last true horse culture through her work with the ride and its Non-Government Organization, the Mongolian Horse and Nomads Foundation and share their mission worldwide.
Please contact Heather Wallace, Media Coordinator at heather@timidrider.com for more information or follow her live updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gobidesertcup.
Heather Wallace, The Timid Rider, will be working for the second year as an official and photographer for the Gobi Desert Cup, 27 August - 6 September 2019 starting in the capital of Ulaanbaatar and traveling through the Gobi Desert.
Heather Wallace is the writer and photographer for the blog, The Timid Rider, which focuses on the struggling confidence of a returning adult equestrian. She is the award-winning author of non-fiction titles Confessions of a Timid Rider, which details her insights about being an anxiety-ridden but passionate equestrian and Girl Forward: A Tale of One Woman's Unlikely Adventure in Mongolia. This year she will again be attending this unique endurance ride as the photographer and official media guru. She looks forward to strengthening her relationship with the local nomads and to further draw attention to their dwindling lifestyle through her storytelling on social media, in photography, and as a producer on a documentary being filmed this year.
The Gobi Desert Cup is a multistage endurance race on Mongolian horses unlike any other equestrian adventure. Founded in 2016 by FEI 3* Endurance Rider, Camille Champagne, the Gobi Desert Cup is a multi-stage endurance ride and cultural experience through the Gobi Desert, riding trained and conditioned Mongolian horses every day for six days over a total of 480 kilometers.
This challenge is the only one of its kind to combine equestrian adventure and distance riding while positively supporting Mongolian nomadic culture and their horses before, during, and after the event. Combining the safety protocols and regulations of three international endurance organizations with semi-wild Mongolian horses, the event occurs over multiple terrains from dunes to rolling, verdant hills. Each of the 21 international riders will ride six horses in six days, testing their horsemanship, their endurance and their sense of adventure. Each horse is chosen specifically for their physical strength and quiet temper and trained specially for the race by our team of Mongolian herdsmen and veterinarians.
Heather is proud to be part of an organization dedicated to the awareness and sustainability of the last true horse culture through her work with the ride and its Non-Government Organization, the Mongolian Horse and Nomads Foundation and share their mission worldwide.
Please contact Heather Wallace, Media Coordinator at heather@timidrider.com for more information or follow her live updates on Facebook at www.facebook.com/gobidesertcup.
Wednesday, August 07, 2019
2019 Mongol Derby Day 1
August 7, 2019
Holy thundering hooves of wonder that was one hell of a start to the race. Currently your correspondent is exhausted after getting no sleep for a week in the run up to the launch so I apologise in advance for the brevity of this update.
After being baked in the sun for the training sessions, the riders had their first slap about the face by the weather of Mongolia. The skies opened just as the riders started to tack up. What began as a slow drizzle evolved into a pre-longed soaking that made sure it was hanging around most of the day. Our concerns for the riders turned from heat stroke to hypothermia.
They lined up and ripped out into the wilderness at about 10:30am Mongolia time.
Bob Long (RL) and Frank Winters (FW) (Both hailing from the USA) pushed into the front pack showing all these young whippersnappers how it’s done. Frank somehow managed sneak out of HS2 forgetting to go through the vet check and came right back to loose his place in the front herd and leaving Bob to continue to show some most marvellous horsemanship…
Read more here:
https://www.theadventurists.com/adventures/mongol-derby/updates/?fbclid=IwAR1ejBla9Dg3x3rIOOVqgE1bLJfH41AzsYMSkWyFs7TpmrkmhB_QvYtVHyM
Daily updates here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Mongolia/2019MongolDerby/
Entries Announced for FEI European Endurance Championship
August 7 2019
The definite entries have been announced for the Meyday FEI Endurance European Championships which will be held on August 17 at Euston Park in Great Britain.
67 riders and 72 horses from 20 countries are on the entries for the 160-km Championship.
The entries can be seen here.
The Meydan FEI Endurance European Championship takes place on Saturday 17th August as a part of the HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum UK Endurance Festival.
Updates on the event can be seen at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/GreatBritain/2019EuropeanChampionship/
The definite entries have been announced for the Meyday FEI Endurance European Championships which will be held on August 17 at Euston Park in Great Britain.
67 riders and 72 horses from 20 countries are on the entries for the 160-km Championship.
The entries can be seen here.
The Meydan FEI Endurance European Championship takes place on Saturday 17th August as a part of the HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum UK Endurance Festival.
Updates on the event can be seen at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/GreatBritain/2019EuropeanChampionship/
Monday, August 05, 2019
More than £1,000,000 prize money & participation support announced
Endurance-world.com - Full Article
Info@endurance-world.com
4th August 2019
HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s support announced for UK Endurance Festival with Prize money and participation support of more than one million pounds sterling.
Euston Park, Thetford, Suffolk, Great Britain. Sunday 4 August 2019. The UK Endurance Festival will be staged under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Organisers of the Euston Park Endurance rides have announced that the investment in the UK Endurance Festival (15th- 19th August) of total prize money and participation support will be more than one million pounds sterling.
This year’s Festival includes the Meydan FEI Endurance European Championship which takes place on Saturday 17 August over 160km. This is followed on Sunday 18 by a CEIO2* (Nations Cup) as well as a CEI2*YJ, a CEI1* and a CEI1*YJ and then on Monday 19 there are nine national rides over a variety of distances. The Pony Club Endurance Championships will take place on Thursday 15 August. The Festival is staged across some of the best endurance tracks in Europe with the variety of terrains that this area of Suffolk and Norfolk offers.
Alongside the prize money, the financial packages offered for the International competitors competing in the following rides: CEI1* 80km, CEIYJ1* 80km, CEI2* 120km, CEIYJ2* 120km are:
- A contribution to ferry and travel costs of £500 per horse for all non UK based competitors in all classes providing they pass the Pre Ride Veterinary Inspection and start.
- A starting award of £500 per horse in all classes providing they complete the first loop and pass the Veterinary Inspection.
- A finishing award of £500 per horse in all classes providing they pass the final Veterinary Inspection....
Read more here:
https://endurance-world.com/more-than-1000000-prize-money-participation-support-announced/
Info@endurance-world.com
4th August 2019
HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s support announced for UK Endurance Festival with Prize money and participation support of more than one million pounds sterling.
Euston Park, Thetford, Suffolk, Great Britain. Sunday 4 August 2019. The UK Endurance Festival will be staged under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Organisers of the Euston Park Endurance rides have announced that the investment in the UK Endurance Festival (15th- 19th August) of total prize money and participation support will be more than one million pounds sterling.
This year’s Festival includes the Meydan FEI Endurance European Championship which takes place on Saturday 17 August over 160km. This is followed on Sunday 18 by a CEIO2* (Nations Cup) as well as a CEI2*YJ, a CEI1* and a CEI1*YJ and then on Monday 19 there are nine national rides over a variety of distances. The Pony Club Endurance Championships will take place on Thursday 15 August. The Festival is staged across some of the best endurance tracks in Europe with the variety of terrains that this area of Suffolk and Norfolk offers.
Alongside the prize money, the financial packages offered for the International competitors competing in the following rides: CEI1* 80km, CEIYJ1* 80km, CEI2* 120km, CEIYJ2* 120km are:
- A contribution to ferry and travel costs of £500 per horse for all non UK based competitors in all classes providing they pass the Pre Ride Veterinary Inspection and start.
- A starting award of £500 per horse in all classes providing they complete the first loop and pass the Veterinary Inspection.
- A finishing award of £500 per horse in all classes providing they pass the final Veterinary Inspection....
Read more here:
https://endurance-world.com/more-than-1000000-prize-money-participation-support-announced/
Saturday, August 03, 2019
Belgium: Flanders Endurance Festival in Lanaken
Endurance-world.com - Full Article
3rd August 2019
Race Report made with the assistance of Jan Deprez
Pietersheim Castle, Lanaken, Belgium. Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July 2019. To put this event in a context, we should rewind one year to the summer of 2018.
For the first time, on July 29 2018, a national competition (CEN) was organised on the settings of the Pietersheim Castle in Lanaken (Flanders/Belgium). The organiser, Belgian riding club ‘Vlaamse Lange Afstand Ruiters’ or simply VLAR, is the most important Belgian -an probably also Benelux- CEN-organiser. The terrains of the castle were leased and the organisation, under the chairmanship of Jan Deprez, received 98 entries. A pretty good number considering Belgian endurance has been confronted with a falling number of participants in recent years...
Read more here:
https://endurance-world.com/flanders-endurance-festival-in-lanaken/
3rd August 2019
Race Report made with the assistance of Jan Deprez
Pietersheim Castle, Lanaken, Belgium. Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 July 2019. To put this event in a context, we should rewind one year to the summer of 2018.
For the first time, on July 29 2018, a national competition (CEN) was organised on the settings of the Pietersheim Castle in Lanaken (Flanders/Belgium). The organiser, Belgian riding club ‘Vlaamse Lange Afstand Ruiters’ or simply VLAR, is the most important Belgian -an probably also Benelux- CEN-organiser. The terrains of the castle were leased and the organisation, under the chairmanship of Jan Deprez, received 98 entries. A pretty good number considering Belgian endurance has been confronted with a falling number of participants in recent years...
Read more here:
https://endurance-world.com/flanders-endurance-festival-in-lanaken/
Friday, August 02, 2019
Great Britain: Borden horse trainer to take on Mongol Derby in Mongolia
Kentonline.co.uk - Full Article
By Ellis Stephenson
estephenson@thekmgroup.co.uk
Published: 12:12, 01 August 2019
A horse trainer will take on the challenge of a lifetime as she prepares to ride in the world's toughest horse race.
Michelle Brister, 38, of Eyehorn Farm in Borden, is undergoing a regime of hypnotherapy to get in the right mindset for the Mongol Derby, as well as meeting regularly with a personal trainer.
The competition sees 40 horse riders from around the world travel 1,000km on semi-wild ponies across Mongolia for 10 days from Wednesday, August 7.
There will not be any signage to guide the participants, who will each be given a GPS tracker to wear and an emergency beacon.
It is expected to take between eight and 10 days to complete.
Every 40km the participants will change the animals they will be riding from 6.30am until 8pm each day.
She will be completing the challenge in a bid to collect £50,000, which includes £10,000 to cover entry costs and £40,000 for Cancer Research UK...
Read more here:
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sittingbourne/news/horse-trainer-to-take-on-mongolia-derby-209665/
By Ellis Stephenson
estephenson@thekmgroup.co.uk
Published: 12:12, 01 August 2019
A horse trainer will take on the challenge of a lifetime as she prepares to ride in the world's toughest horse race.
Michelle Brister, 38, of Eyehorn Farm in Borden, is undergoing a regime of hypnotherapy to get in the right mindset for the Mongol Derby, as well as meeting regularly with a personal trainer.
The competition sees 40 horse riders from around the world travel 1,000km on semi-wild ponies across Mongolia for 10 days from Wednesday, August 7.
There will not be any signage to guide the participants, who will each be given a GPS tracker to wear and an emergency beacon.
It is expected to take between eight and 10 days to complete.
Every 40km the participants will change the animals they will be riding from 6.30am until 8pm each day.
She will be completing the challenge in a bid to collect £50,000, which includes £10,000 to cover entry costs and £40,000 for Cancer Research UK...
Read more here:
https://www.kentonline.co.uk/sittingbourne/news/horse-trainer-to-take-on-mongolia-derby-209665/
Thursday, August 01, 2019
Australia: Undusting the Pevy power couple on the Horses' birthday
Singletonargus.com.au - Full ArticleAlex Tigani
August 1 2019
This week the Singleton Argus caught up with local endurance riding stars Gary and Debbie Pevy of Jerrys Plains.
In Australia, every horse has its birthday on the first day of August each year - known as the horses' birthday.
Fittingly, the pair invited us to their home to share some stories from their careers while also exploring the sentimental features of their property.
MEET DEBBIE PEVY - OUR ENDURANCE RIDING HERO...
Read more here:
https://www.singletonargus.com.au/story/6306322/undusting-the-pevy-power-couple/
Australia: Nelligen ready for horse invasion for annual Currowan Endurance Ride
Naroomanewsonline.com.au - Full ArticleJoel Erickson
July 31 2019
The Currowan Endurance Ride continues to grow, with 2019 expected to be the biggest year yet.
The ride, which is held near the Clyde River in Nelligen, is expected to crack 150 riders for the first time this year according to organiser Jenny Shepheard.
"We're looking at about 155 riders at this stage, and we had 140 last year," she said. "We're also expecting a few late entries on the day, so it'll be quite bigger than last year.
"We're currently trying to chase up another vet to accommodate the increased numbers.
"When we started, the 10-kilometre ride only had six riders, but this year we've got 38. It's a very popular ride with locals who want to bring their children to have a go, or adults who want to get in to endurance riding..."
Read more here:
https://www.naroomanewsonline.com.au/story/6303425/nelligen-ready-for-horse-invasion-for-annual-currowan-endurance-ride/?cs=1615
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