Whelan set to retrace Genghis Khan’s 1,000 kilometer mail route through Mongolian steppes

photo: Amy Whelan with Max, one of her Arabian Horses. Mike James.

A ride to remember
Mike James The Independent April 16 2014

LOUISA — Riding 50 miles a day is no big deal to Amy Whelan.

She often saddles up for a quick 15 miles around her Lawrence County farm before breakfast. Her home-based boarding and training business feeds her passion for endurance riding, which pits her against other equestrians in daylong horseback treks.

Whelan has been riding so long and for so many miles it may seem she has spent most of her life in the saddle. And it all has led up to what she anticipates will be her ultimate adventure this August, a 1,000-kilometer ride across the Mongolian steppes retracing the 13th-century postal route established by Genghis Khan.

“It’s one of the last truly wild places on Earth,” Whelan said.

She will be riding Mongolian horses, a tough, stocky breed indigenous to the region, sleeping and eating with locals or on the ground, and competing against more than 40 other riders.

Whelan, 51, was introduced to endurance riding in her college years at Colorado State University, where she studied equine science.

Endurance riders race for 50 or more miles under conditions that tax the rider, but under tight veterinary supervision to ensure the health of the horses. Riders have to finish a 50-mile race within 12 hours and a 100-mile race within 24 hours. The races usually are on trail systems rather than on tracks.

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Marathon riding, to complete is to win..

This Easter weekend national sports media attention will be focused on some of Australia's fastest sprinters, as they compete in the country's most famous race, the Stawell Gift.

In Tasmania, four legged athletes and their riders are competing in a sporting title that will last for days not seconds.

120 endurance riders are competing this Easter in the Van Diemen Marathon, a horse ride up of to 240 kilometres, in rough and rugged country, around Scottsdale in Tasmania's north-east.

For one of Tasmania's seasoned riders, Trish Smith, the marathon is not a race.

"I'm the sort of endurance rider, I don't believe in calling it a race.

"It is not a race, it's a ride, our motto is 'to complete, is to win'", she said.

"Everybody who actually completes successfully with a horse fit to continue by the vet is a winner."

Trish has been training her Arab Rahn for years covering long distances.

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Stephen Rojek Named to AERC Hall of Fame

Posted by AERC, April 16

Longtime distance riding competitor Stephen Rojek, of South Woodstock, Vermont, became the newest inductee into the American Endurance Ride Conference’s Hall of Fame at their recent convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Rojek has amassed upwards of 25,000 miles of endurance competition since getting his start in 1986, including a staggering 176 100-mile rides. For rides of that distance, competitors have 24 hours to complete the ride. Fellow Hall of Fame member Valerie Kanavy of Fort Valley, Virginia, calls Rojek “The Centurion” because has more than a hundred 100-mile completions.

As he accepted his award plaque at AERC’s national awards banquet in front of hundreds of fellow riders, Rojek modestly mentioned his most memorable time on the endurance trails as “Kansas in ’96 when we won the gold medal” — that would be the United States’ gold medal-winning performance at the World Endurance Championships. Rojek has competed in the North American Championships and the PanAm games for endurance riding and has won regional and national endurance awards most every season he’s competed.

Presenting Rojek’s award was Susan Kasemeyer of Friendsville, Tennessee, the 2011 Hall of Fame winner. Kasemeyer, known for her saucy sense of humor, called Rojek “Mr. Clean,” and recalled his years of competing and managing endurance rides. She noted that he is also active in competitive trail riding, with an additional 30,000 Eastern Competitive Tail Ride Association miles.

Rojek’s wife Dinah came on stage to add a few words, stressing that “Steve is the finest human being I’ve ever known.” On rides, she said, “He will stop to help, try to fix your horse’s shoe, give you his only Easyboot.” Many an endurance rider has a tale to tell about Rojek taking time out to assist on the trail, without worrying about his own finish.

Rojek has ridden a number of horses, and with his predilection for 100s, has multiple horses with 100-mile equine mileage achievement awards. Currently he is campaigning Chi-Hi, a 2003 chestnut Arabian gelding (AHR 0602904), with 2,280 endurance miles, including 14 100-mile rides. Rojek is also bringing along Tupelo Ace, a 2003 grey Arabian gelding (AHR 0604175), with 425 endurance miles.

Once he made his way to the stage, he humbly thanked his presenters for the honor, saying, “I’ve gotten older. I have a bunch of miles,” before admitting, “I guess I’m famous.”

His advice to someone new to endurance riding? “Keep on trying. Don’t give up.”

Why Endurance: Get Yer Motor Running

Endurance riding is like long distance running in many ways. Each person has their short and long term goals that hopefully align with their short and long term capabilities. The big difference is that your partner in this, your horse, is a flight animal and as such has abilities to "outrun " or overtax their system and running gear. It is our tough job to prepare ourselves and our horses to easily perform the distance and pace asked of them. With smart riding, a good horse with the right preparation, great speed and distance can be safely and easily accomplished. With adequate rest in between, this same horse can be competitive for many years. Some day when you’re bored, checkout our AERC lifetime horse records. When the flag drops, the BS stops. Mags Motivator is a great example: 10 years racing, over 3,000 lifetime miles and at 17 years old finishes 2 minutes behind the winner and wins Best Condition at this year’s National Championship 100!

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Kiwis eye WEG spots at NZ’s endurance nationals

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 16, 2014

The country’s best endurance combinations are en route to Mayfield in Mid Canterbury for this weekend’s Fiber Fresh National Endurance Championships, the finale of the season and the last chance to impress selectors for the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games.

In coming days nearly 100 horses – along with their riders, grooms, and supporters – will flood into the tiny town of Mayfield for the even, based at the town’s A&P Showgrounds.

New Zealand’s best chance of standing atop the podium at the Games in Normandy in August could well lie with its endurance team. The team of five riders will be chosen in late May to go to France.

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Changes to endurance task force following criticism

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 16, 2014

The FEI Bureau has changed the make-up of the task force charged with finding practical solutions to the problems within endurance, following criticism of its composition. It has also changed its position on accepting funding for the task force from Dubai.

The FEI said the bureau decided during its monthly telephone conference on Tuesday to review the membership following what it said were comments from several national federations.

The two United Arab Emirates representatives, Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, who is general manager of the Dubai Equestrian Club, and lawyer Andrew Holmes, will be removed.

The first replacement is Sheikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, of Bahrain, who chairs the FEI Regional Group VII, which has been at the centre of a year-long storm over welfare concerns and what some national federations view as a cavalier approach to the rules by some riders and some officials. Federations have also been angered by the level of doping infractions in the region in recent years.

The FEI said Al Khalifa had a full understanding of the situation in the Middle East.

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Long-distance riding more than just horsing around

Posted: Monday, April 14, 2014 4:30 am
By Susan Sharp | FME News Service


SALADO — Michael Campbell hopes more people will give long-distance horse riding a try.

Campbell, 64, is the new head of the American Endurance Ride Conference, dedicated to long-distance, competitive horseback riding. The group is established across the United States as well as in Canada.

A longtime horse owner, Campbell stood near his stable, watching a friend brush one of his seven Arabian horses, which he described as the “most spirited” of all the breeds.

He remembered his first long-distance horse ride with friends in Central Texas. Afterward, his friends asked him whether he would try endurance riding again.

“I said, ‘Yes,’” Campbell recalled. Since then, he has said “yes” to many more rides, accumulating more than 11,000 miles during the past 20 years.

The endurance rides fall into several categories: The shortest distance is 25 miles; the longest is 100 miles and must be completed in 24 hours.

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FEI cancels hosting deal for 2015 European Endurance Champs

The FEI has cancelled its host agreement with the Danish organisation planning to host the FEI European Endurance Championship in 2015.

The Association Molsridtet expressed its regret over the FEI’s decision, appearing to suggest it felt the world governing body could have done more to find a workable solution over differences between them.

The association was formed in Denmark in 2009 to participate in the development of endurance riding and in 2012 it was awarded the hosting of the championship.

The organising committee said in a statement released today that it had prepared much of the event and made appointments regarding the venue, accommodation, and the renting of facilities. It said it had the full support of local government officials and both Danish and foreign companies.

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Horse races man – and it’s the MAN who wins! Marathon runner streaks past four-legged counterpart in unusual race across moorland, bridleways and lanes - finishing 10 minutes ahead

Published: 14:57 EST, 11 April 2014 | Updated: 15:29 EST, 11 April 2014



He is the youngest person to have conquered 100 marathons and holds the world record for being the youngest and fastest person to run 10 marathons in 10 days.

But Adam Holland has added another first to his list of achievements - beating a horse in a 10-mile race.

The 27-year-old won the unusual contest, taking on Tango, a five-year-old 14.2 hands high Appaloosa Welsh Horse.

The pair raced through the Devonshire countryside, taking on moorland and bridleways near Tavistock.

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Task force named in push for “level playing field” in endurance

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 12, 2014

The task force set up to develop practical solutions to solve the problems within endurance includes the head of Equestrian Sports New Zealand, Jim Ellis.

The task force, announced this week by the FEI, has been asked to develop practical solutions to ensure horse welfare and a level playing field at endurance events globally.

It will also look at deploying modern technology in a bid for equality and integrity in all endurance competitions.

The FEI says it is hopeful that some of the solutions offered by the task force will be ready for implementation in time for the endurance competition at the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France, in August.

The world of endurance has been split amid concerns over the level of doping infractions, welfare issues, and what some consider to be a cavalier approach to the rules shown by some officials and competitors in several Middle Eastern competitions within the FEI’s Group VII.

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Sponsorship reshuffle as endurance reform plans outlined

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 11, 2014 in News

Efforts to resolve the problems in endurance are gathering pace, with the FEI announcing “concrete steps” to bring about change, including Dubai-sourced funding for the recently announced special task force.

Changes announced today include a sponsorship reshuffle affecting the upcoming FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games.

The FEI has provided more details over the special task force aimed at finding practical solutions to bring the endurance controversy to an end.

The issue has split the endurance riding community over drug infractions and welfare concerns in the sport centred on the FEI Group VII nations of Dubai, Bahrain and Qatar.

National federations on both sides of the Atlantic have raised the possibility of a breakaway group unless the FEI can rein in the problems, including what some view as the cavalier approach to endurance rules taken by some competitors and some officials.

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More than 120 entries for inaugural Dubai Desert Triathlon

Published: 18:32 April 10, 2014
Gulf News

Dubai: Dubai’s newest sporting event, the Dubai Desert Triathlon, will have more than 120 teams for the inaugural event, organisers announced on Thursday.

The Dubai Sports Council has partnered with Meydan Racecourse to develop an innovative event which combines the traditional heritage Emirati sport of endurance horse racing with the triathlon disciplines of running and cycling.

Organisers say they are delighted with the response received, not only locally, but also internationally, with registrations far exceeding expectations.

“We are very pleased with the response we have had from the triathletes and endurance riders. It is clear that they are excited and enthusiastic to be part of something which may well be a world first,” said Nasser Al Rahmah, Director of Sports Events Department at Dubai Sports Council.

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Endurance eliminations: Researchers probe risk factors

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 11, 2014 in News, Research

British researchers investigating risk factors and the reasons for the elimination of horses from endurance races have revealed the first evidence that faster speeds decrease the likelihood of completion.

However, their research was unable to detect an association between speed and specific reasons for elimination.

Annamaria Nagy and colleagues at the Centre for Equine Studies, part of the Animal Health Trust, have been following several lines of research into endurance horse eliminations, with their findings published in the Equine Veterinary Journal.

Around 40-45 percent of horses are eliminated from international endurance rides globally for various reasons, the researchers said.

One strand of the research involved analysis of FEI endurance rides involving 30,741 horse starts, in a bid to identify risk factors for elimination for lameness, elimination for metabolic reasons, and the likelihood of completion.

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Sheikh Mohammed backs task force charged with bringing "level playing field" to endurance racing

Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article

Planned rule changes include overhaul of operations at events, where officials have been criticised for turning a “blind eye” to rule-breaking, and greater use of technology

By Pippa Cuckson
7:53PM BST 08 Apr 2014

Sheikh Mohammed, whose Dubai stables have been at the centre of the doping and horse injury crises in Middle East endurance racing, is supporting the creation of a task force to implement rule changes, the International Equestrian Federation has revealed.

The task force will include representatives of IMG, because of its “extensive experience in reviewing and modernising competition structures in other sports”.

Sheikh Mohammed met FEI vice-presidents, John McEwen and Pablo Mayorga, and secretary general Ingmar De Vos on March 30 and offered his “full support” for measures to bring a “level playing field” to the sport...

Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/10753367/Sheikh-Mohammed-backs-task-force-charged-with-bringing-level-playing-field-to-endurance-racing.html

Great Britain: Cornwall Farmers backs rider in world title bid

Thisisthewestcountry.co.uk - Full Article

8 April 2014

Cornwall Farmers is supporting endurance rider Nicky Sherry as she trains for the World Equestrian Games, due to be held in Normandy, France this summer.

Nicky, from St Breward on Bodmin Moor, is a member of the UK Elite Senior Team Squad. Endurance riders embark on controlled long distance riding up to 160km, with veterinary check points to ensure each competing horse is in good health.

Cornwall Farmers and Patch & Acre are supporting Nicky’s training by providing supplies of their own-brand ‘Super Cool’ horse feed which she now uses for grey Arab mare Silver Zourra, who Nicky will be riding at the Games...

Read more here:
http://www.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/news/cornwall_news/11131892.Cornwall_Farmers_backs_rider_in_world_title_bid/

Endurance riding in Rambouillet (France)

Next 2 and 3 May will be held the "Raid Yvelines Al Shaqab Cup", i.e the traditional (29th edition) international Endurance appointment in Rambouillet, which the Qatari Stud Al Shaqab has joined as a partner of the CEI***.

A positive partnership since the association Enduro Cheval, who has negotiated this partnership without any other consideration than the use of her image, receives assistance to optimize the organization of the 2014 edition, which offers this CEI*** support of French national selection for the World Equestrian Games, but also a CEI**, a CEIYR** and two CEI*.

Optimization that will delight the two hundred expected riders, the public, the exhibitors and the institutional partners of the association (the Yvelines General Council, the city of Rambouillet, the Regional Council of Ile-de-France, the Fédération Equestre International, the French equestrian Federation), and all towns and villages invested in the race.