Wellingtonian prepares for 'longest and toughest' horse race, Mongol Derby

Stuff.co.nz - Full Article

Kiah Radcliffe
05:00, Jun 25 2022

A journey across rugged, treeless Mongolian grassland on a semi-feral horse isn’t everyone’s idea of a good time.

But for Siobhan Ryan, it’s what she’s been preparing for the past three years.

Ryan has been selected to compete in this year’s Mongol Derby - aptly referred to as the longest and toughest horse race in the world.

Covering a total of 1000km over a maximum of ten days, Ryan is expected to do 160km a day, changing horses every 35km. She said the Derby has a 50% completion rate...

Read more here:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/wellington-top-stories/129053941/wellingtonian-prepares-for-longest-and-toughest-horse-race-mongol-derby

FEI Board allocates key events until 2026

Inside.fei.org

22 June 2022 Author: FEI Communications

The FEI Board allocated major FEI Finals and Championships during its two-day in-person meeting taking place at the FEI Headquarters on 21 and 22 June.

The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final 2025, the FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final 2025, and the FEI Vaulting World Cup™ 2025 will be organised in Basel (SUI). The FEI Driving World Cup™ Final 2025 will take place in Bordeaux (FRA). In 2026, the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final and FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final will be held in Fort Worth (USA). The FEI Endurance World Championships 2024 will be held in Monpazier (FRA).

“Today the FEI Board made allocations until 2026 and, after some years of disruption due to Covid-19 and EHV-1, we have excellent sport to look forward to in the coming years,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“We are delighted that Longines CHI Basel will host the FEI World Cup™ Finals in three disciplines in 2025. The last time Switzerland, which is home to the FEI, hosted the FEI Jumping World Cup™ was in 2010, the very year when Longines CHI Basel was created. Switzerland has never hosted an FEI Dressage and Vaulting World Cup™ Finals so it is a welcome development. Since 2010, Basel has grown into a world class venue and we are confident that the FEI World Cup™ Finals 2025 will be organised at the highest level.

“The Jumping International de Bordeaux has held FEI Driving World Cup™ events for many years and hosted successful Finals in 2018, 2019 and 2020. We have no doubt that the 2025 Final will be organised with the traditional expertise and will attract the usual big crowd of cheerful fans.

“It is wonderful that the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final and FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2026 will travel to the United States. With only two years to go until the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games, excitement will be mounting and I’m convinced that it will be an event full of excellent sport, cheer and high energy.

“In addition, we allocated numerous championships for the next two years. The FEI Calendar is as busy as ever and we are looking forward to many unforgettable moments.”

The FEI Board also allocated the following Championships:

Jumping

• FEI Jumping South American Championship for U25, Juniors, Pre-Juniors and Children, Porto Alegre (BRA), 24-29 October 2023
• FEI WBFSH Jumping World Breeding Championship for Young Horses, Lanaken (BEL), second half of September 2024
• FEI Jumping European Championship for Young Riders, Juniors and Children, Kronenberg (NED), 11-14 or 18-21 or 25-28 July 2024
• FEI Jumping European Championship for Ponies, Opglabbeek-Sentower Park (BEL), mid-July 2024

Dressage

• FEI Dressage European Championship U25 and Young Riders, St. Margarethen (AUT), 16-21 July 2024
• FEI Dressage European Championship for Juniors and Children, Opglabbeek-Sentower Park (BEL), mid-July 2024
• FEI Dressage European Championships for Ponies, Opglabbeek-Sentower Park (BEL), mid-July 2024

Eventing

• FEI Eventing European Championship for Young Riders and Juniors, Strzegom (POL), 15-18 August 2024
• FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championship for Young Horses, Lion d’Angers (FRA), dates TBD 2024

Endurance

• FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Horses, Arborea (ITA), September 2024
• FEI Endurance European Championship for Young Riders and Juniors, Arborea (ITA), September 2024

Vaulting

• FEI Vaulting World Championship for Young Vaulters, Flyinge (SWE), 26-30 July 2023
• FEI Vaulting European Championship for Juniors and Young Vaulters, Bern (SUI), 15-21 July 2024

The Board decided to reopen the bid process for the FEI Driving World Championships for Young Horses for the years 2023 and 2024.

A summary of the other key decisions taken by the FEI Board is available here.

The Equestrianists Creates The Academy: the Launchpad to Derby Triumph

Equestrianists.com

June 17 2022

We've made an Academy for the world's biggest horse races...

In 2008 we started working on a brand new horsey adventure. The now Guinness world record holding 1000km Mongol Derby thundered into the record books in the summer of 2009.

But what we created turned out to be an entirely new equine sport and one that would grow to grab headlines around the world. Recently we split the horsey arm off into it's own branch called the Equestrianists (can you see what we did there?) as we launched our second race in Patagonia - the Gaucho Derby.

These adventuring behemoths are multi-horse relay races so each horse only rides 25 odd miles but the riders get a pounding. To stage one Mongol Derby we vet and train 1,500 horses with a crew of 500 people for just 45 riders from all over the globe. It's an absolute beast of a thing. Imagine thundering over the steppes of Mongolia on a rocket of a horse as you navigate yourself towards the finish line all the while living with the herding families for 10 days.

A new way to start your equine adventure

All that epicness presents a unique set of challenges for riders - it's no small undertaking. You can't race if you don't know which end of a horse goes forwards because we want to look after our trusty horse partners so we need people who can actually ride.

After getting a little addicted to these equine wonders we decided to find a way to make these titans of adventure as accessible as possible to us normal humans. So we've created a whole new thing we're calling The Academy.

These are week-long introductions to the sport that take place in the regions where the full races are staged. They serve as training and an introduction to this new sport along with diving headlong into the local culture. From simulated race days, workshops from our experienced crew to the chance to live and ride alongside the local people who make these races quite incredible, The Academy is a great way to dip your toe into the world of equine adventure racing.

And if it goes well, you can qualify for a full race. Then maybe you'll be spread across the pages of the world's press as you fly over the line in first place on some future gigantic race.

So if you have dreams of being Genghis Khan or riding Hidalgo take a look at this... https://equestrianists.com/the-academy/?mc_cid=859c7a1b3a&mc_eid=7c8bc2cd62

Australia: Territory girls Jess and Nat are taking on the Mongol Derby

SOCKING IT TO CANCER: Jess Di Pasquale and Natalie Hall will race 1000km through the Mongolian Steppe to raise money for Sock it to Sarcoma. Picture: Jess Di Pasquale.

KatherineTimes.com.au - Full Article

By Joe Colbrook
June 17 2022

Two Northern Territory women will compete in the Mongol Derby later this year, a 10-day horse race through 1000km of the Mongolian Steppe.

Katherine resident Jess Di Pasquale and Darwin-based Natalie Bell are taking on the race, billed as the toughest in the world, to raise money for two charities: Sock it to Sarcoma and Steppe and Hoof...

Read more here:
https://www.katherinetimes.com.au/story/7781627/taking-a-steppe-for-sarcoma/?cs=1459

British endurance runner wins 22-mile race against horse

ErieNewsNow.com - Full Article

Monday, June 13th 2022, 9:35 AM EDT
Gareth Everett/Huw Evans Picture Agency
By Sana Noor Haq, CNN

It's one of the ultimate tests of man against beast and over the weekend a Briton got the better or his four-legged rival to cross the finish line first and win the Whole Earth Man V Horse race in Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales on Saturday.

Ricky Lightfoot, who is a 37-year-old firefighter from the village of Dearham in Cumbria, in north west England became only the third person to claim victory in the history of the race, in which runners are pitted against horses to see who can outrun the other...

Read more here:
https://www.erienewsnow.com/story/46678840/british-endurance-runner-wins-22-mile-race-against-horse

Australia: Bremervale Justice Challenge 2 at Inglewood

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

11th June 2022
Race Report made with the assistance of Alexandra Toft
Photo Credit: Sarah Sullivan

Inglewood, Queensland, Australia. Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 June 2022.

The sun has set on the Bremervale Justice Challenge 2 and many combinations took this opportunity to further their preparations for the upcoming Tom Quilty Gold Cup in New South Wales on the 8th of July 2022.

Over two days, 111 horses and riders competed in events ranging from 40km to 160km. On Friday afternoon nominations and vetting commenced and then came the rain. The rain was hard and heavy for several hours, including for the start of the National 160km ride which began at midnight on Friday night. Ten combinations undertook this challenge, some aiming to qualify for the Quilty....

Read more here:
https://endurance-world.com/bremervale-justice-challenge-2-at-inglewood/

Great Britain: Man v Horse endurance event returns to Powys town after two years

Countytimes.co.uk - Full Article

8 June 2022
By Gavin Grosvenor

Man V Horse, one of the world’s most legendary off-road races, is making its return after a two-year break on Saturday.

Running for over 40 years, the marathon event – sponsored for seven consecutive years by the UK’s number one peanut butter brand, Whole Earth – is an epic 22.5-mile challenge which pits humans against horses across a multi-terrain course.

Located in Llanwrtyd Wells, Man V Horse draws hundreds of runners and athletes annually with a jackpot prize available for the person who beats the first horse and rider...

Read more at:
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/20194883.man-v-horse-endurance-event-returns-powys-town-two-years/

Spring competition in Ademuz

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

3rd June 2022
Race Report made with the assistance of Albalat Endurance
Photo credit: Eva Lazaro Arribas

More than 50 riders from 8 different nationalities came together to enjoy the wide tracks in this remarkable area.

With 6 different categories for teams to choose from on the Saturday (CEI3*160km, CEI3*140km, CEI2* CEI1*, CEIYJ2* & CEIYJ1*) plus national CEN options, and local competitions on the Sunday there was something for everyone. The tension of an early start and a long day for the long distance 3* teams; high speed sprint finishes from the shorter 1* distances, and young horses experiencing their first competition. It was a busy event, with both the Foreign Judge, Dianne Luke and Technical Delegate, Jan Fredrik commenting on the friendly atmosphere which prevailed throughout the weekend...

Read more here:
https://endurance-world.com/spring-competition-in-ademuz/