Loomis' 'Horse Whisperer' still going strong

Retired vet, cowboy poet honored Sunday for equestrian career

By: Sarah Langford, Gold Country News Service
Thursday, July 7, 2005 12:05 AM PDT

(photo) Richard 'Doc' Barsaleau spends some quality time with his Arabian, Jade, at his Loomis ranch last Thursday. "There's just something about putting your hands on a horse every day," says Barsaleau, a retired veterinarian. Photo by Karina Williams/Auburn Journal

Settled back in a chair in his Loomis kitchen, sipping coffee and recounting his life as a horse show judge, Richard "Doc" Barsaleau is an equestrian legend.

Barsaleau, who turns 80 in August, is a retired veterinarian, past college professor, cowboy poet and veteran of World War II. He also served as a judge for the 100-mile Western States Endurance Trail Ride in its early days and is a co-founder of Loomis Basin Horseman's Association.

He's been known as "Doctor B" ever since his days at Colorado State University, Fort Collins where he received his doctorate of veterinary medicine in 1952. Barsaleau inherited his love for horses and horse culture from his father, Henry Barsaleau, who served in the 11th U.S. Calvary in Textile, Texas.

"I was raised in the stable on the business end of a manure fork and with a curry comb and brush," Barsaleau joked at his 5-acre ranch dubbed "Riders' Rest" in east Loomis last week. "Some people catch the horse 'bug' and some people don't. I guess I caught it."

Barsaleau practiced veterinary medicine in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California and Visalia, Calif., before moving to Loomis with his wife Maggie Barsaleau in 1970.

According to Barsaleau, Maggie, who currently "does the books" for local vet clinics in Lincoln, Rocklin and Roseville, is the perfect match for him.

"She's the greatest," Barsaleau says. "To put up with me she had to be. She's not a horse person but she let me be one. She's one in a million."

Doc's first visit to Northern Califonia, however, came earlier. In 1961 when Wendell Robie, founder of the Tevis Cup ride, asked Barsaleau to help judge the competition. The two had met while judging a horse show in 1952 - something Doc did for 37 years - and Robie remembered his old cronie.

"There's a lot that goes into endurance riding," Barsaleau said. "You're checking things like the preparation of the horse, its size, health and tolerance level. In endurance riding, the horse is your servant, and you'd better take care of it."

That first year of judging was followed by five more, and eventually Barsaleau served as the event's main veterinarian as well. He competed in the event himself 16 times, completing the ride 14 times and taking home three top-10 awards.

After moving to Loomis and retiring from his veterinary practice, Barsaleau taught animal health technician classes as Consumnus College in Sacramento and wrote the state's first board exam for veterinary technicians. He also helped start the Loomis Basin Horseman's Association in 1981 and has spoken at every Cowboy Poetry event in Loomis since its inception in 1995.

On Sunday, Barsaleau received special recognition for his contribution to the area's horse community, when an outdoor pavilion at Robie Equestrian Park, located about 7 miles south of Truckee, was dedicated to him in during a ceremony there. The pavillion marks the spot where the 100-mile ride starts each year, and where riders frequently gather before heading off on the ride.

According to Marion Arnold, president of the Wendell and Inez Robie Foundation granting the honor and grandaughter of its namesakes, Barsaleau was awarded the honor because of his incredible involvement with horses over the years.

"(He has a) tremendous depth of knowledge about horses," Arnold said. "He always puts the horse first, which is very important in endurance riding. We think he is very worthy of recognition."

While Doc's work with horses is restricted now - he has symptoms of Parkinson's Disease and has not ridden in a year - he remains active around his ranch, tending to his five horses and helping train young riders for the Tevis Cup, which takes place July 30 this year. Despite having worked with the animals his entire life, horses continue to play a theraputic and healing role in the life of this retired cowboy.

"There's just something about putting your hands on a horse every day," Barsaleau said. "I love their smell, their attitudes and their beauty, and I enjoy helping people get the most out of their horses.

"You know that old saying, 'The outside of a horse is good for the inside of a man'? I don't know why, but it's true."

Sarah Langford can be reached at sarahl@theloomisnews.net.

A scene straight from the Wild West - South Africa

By Fiona Leney
Published: July 8 2005 15:53 | Last updated: July 8 2005 15:53

A thin cloud of white dust, churned by dozens of milling hooves, is rising lazily, obscuring the camelthorn trees in the grey light of dawn. As the horsemen launch off into the veld, grooms and supporters adjust blankets clutched against the cold and nurse tins of lager. It may only be 5.30am but it?s never too early for a tinnie at a South African endurance ride.

The mere sight of alcohol is enough to set the head reeling after a night of downing Cape wine and Old Brown Sherry, between square dances to the sound of fiddle and accordion under a starlit sky.

We are here to ?groom? ? or help with the horses ? for our Afrikaner friends, a young couple who breed Arab horses for a hobby. Hurbey and Johannie have promised that here we will see a different side to the traditionally dour Afrikaner, and get a taste of true hospitality.

The farm at which the event is being held is beyond Zeerust, a town 200km northwest of Johannesburg on the border with Botswana. Unmarked dirt tracks have to be followed, turns made at crooked Jacaranda trees, farm gates with ?private property, trespassers will be shot? gone through. When we arrive, at a clearing in the middle of nowhere, it is like the meeting of a horsey secret society.

Massive farmers squeezed into khaki shorts stride around in suede veldskoene, the tribe?s hallmark footwear. Their equally massive wives, squeezed into floral Crimplene, prepare vats of stew and pap (cornmeal porridge) over open fires. All of them eye us suspiciously.

It is only once we have been rescued by our friends that the thaw, slowly, sets in. They introduce us to Rolf, an Afrikaner, yes, but slight, pony-tailed and quietly spoken. He is the current South African endurance riding champion.

Endurance riding is the equine equivalent of a cross-country marathon. Horses and riders gallop through scrub and bush (the rides are sometimes set in game parks, to provide an added incentive to speed), up mountains and through rivers and sand. Arabs are the mounts of preference for their stamina and speed. Thoroughbreds are just too fragile.

The riders, too, have to be tough. ?It?s an obvious sport for Afrikaners traditionally ? we like to test ourselves against the bush and even now if you farm it?s often easier to ride out to inaccessible places than to try and take motor vehicles,? Rolf tells us.

The endurance riding season starts in January, South African summertime ? and ends in May. As its popularity grown abroad, international interest ? and money ? is beginning to flow into the sport in South Africa.

Foreign riders, attracted by South Africa?s spectacular scenery and varied riding terrain, pay well to hire a good mount, and some competitors, such as Clint and Julie-Ann Gower, are offering tourists the chance to share their passion.

The Gowers offer week-long riding packages at their stud on South Africa?s Wild Coast ? south of Durban ? built around participation in an endurance event.

They are perfectly prepared to load guests and horses up and drive for hours to meets such as this one. But, as they themselves are quick to point out, what happens after the horses are tucked up at the end of the day is at least as important as the equine element.

The endurance ride is to the South African horseman what the hunt ball used to be to his foxhunting UK counterpart.

As the sun begins its African plunge to the horizon, there is a general rush to the bakkies, the pick-up trucks that are the vehicle of choice for serious outdoor enthusiasts here, and we take to the fuzzy green hills that peer across the border into Botswana. Bumping up tracks cut by livestock we finally arrive at the top of the hill just in time for that perfect gin and tonic (a generous concession to the English guests) as the sun goes down.

Around us, but apart (reminding me of the famous dictum that an Afrikaner farmer feels his neighbour is too close if he can see his chimney smoke from his homestead) are other little groups savouring the view.

A dark whirl of feather suddenly explodes from the track ahead; ?Look, a Mozambican nightjar,? calls our neighbour in English. We are touched that he cared so much to inform the tourists that he bothered to break out of Afrikaans.

Back at camp, and fortified by alcohol, we are introduced. To our astonishment, there is general pleasure that rooineks ? the contemptuous name for the sunburnt British soldiers that fought in the Boer war ? are interested in Afrikaners at all. We are accepted into the tribe.

At our own camp fire, ­Hurbey and Johannie make boerbrood: ?The best bread you will ever taste, man?. The dough is formed into little square buns and placed straight on the griddle to rise and cook. A friendly dispute arises with neighbours over whether this is in fact superior to their boer brot, which has been allowed to rise, then placed in a foil-covered tin and buried in the embers of their fire to bake.

After the race on the second day, the real celebrations begin. Each group has its own barbeque, or braai, but bakkies and the tents are ranged around in a loose circle, in a modern day take on the ox-wagons of their forefathers. First there is the awards ceremony. Rolf has won again on his dainty little mare. ?Don?t call her a pony,? hisses Hurbey with concern. ?You never call an endurance Arab a pony, no matter how small it is.?

Later, when we?ve all had too much to drink to know better, the band strikes up. At the end of a dance floor made from beaten earth and marked out by straw bales, four old men take up their fiddles and accordions and launch into sakie sakie, the Afrikaner equivalent to American square dancing.

As couples flood on to the floor in jeans and checked shirts ? some men with small, evil looking hand-guns on their belts ? it strikes me that this is a scene straight from the Wild West. Change, it is true, has come. There are now some black riders in the events. But they are mostly grooms. None of them owns their own horses.

?Don?t go talking politics,? I am warned when I ask about this. ?It won?t go down well.? Many young Afrikaners like Hurbey and Johannie have embraced with enthusiasm the democratic South Africa that emerged 11 years ago. But the older generation often finds it hard to accept that years of privilege are over.

On a cultural level, the rise of English as the country?s post-liberation lingua franca has added to the feeling that Afrikaner identity is, once more, under threat. ?Last time we were so hemmed in was by you Brits in the Boer War,? says Hendrik, a giant of a man, chaperoning his daughter at her first ride. ?But, d?you know what, Engelsman,? he calls to my husband, ?My grandpa beat you rooineks at Spionkop good and proper!?

He bursts into laughter at the memory of a particularly ignominious British defeat during the war, then strides up and claps a hand on his back, while proffering yet another beer. Not for the first time, it strikes me that Afrikaners like to keep one veldskoene-clad toe firmly in the past.

A week?s riding holiday at the Gowers? farm, including participation in an endurance ride, costs around R5,000, excluding international flights, and onward transfer to East London airport. Further information and contact details on www.sunrayfarm.co.za

Royal Team set for Catus clash

SHAIKH Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa leads the Royal Team at the Catus International Endurance Horseride Championship which will be flagged off in France today.

The 120-km race is being held under the supervision of the International Endurance Federation.

Spain will be lining up 15 riders in this six-stage race which starts at 8.00 am (Bahrain time).

Brazil have three riders in the fray while Qatar two. Britain and Luxembourg will be each represented by one rider while UAE and the US are yet to confirm their participation.

Shaikh Nasser will be riding Australian-based Bawara Shabbi which will be making its European endurance debut. Shaikh Khalid will be astride Sunway River.

Royal Team members Yusif Tahar and Hamad Al Marissi will ride Australian-based Aloha Gooda and Sundry respectively while Fouad Jawhar will take part in the event on Sebastian.

Khalid Al Ruwae will not be taking part in the race as his horse Jallad is injured.

Helenans set to run and ride in Libby

By JENNIFER PENTON - IR Sports Writer - 07/09/05

Two runners, a horse and a 35 mile championship trail race through the Kootenai National Forest is just a few of the challenges to capturing the 25th Ride and Tie World Championship.

After only training with partners for two days, Becky Convery will attempt her first Ride and Tie.

"It is a great challenge," Convery said. "I will try it out and I hope to have fun."

The eventnn which is comprised of trail running, endurance ridding and strategynn will be held today, beginning at 9 a.m. near Libby.

Convery, from Helena, is a novice horse rider, but excels in running half-marathons and trail races.


Michelle Richardson, from Helena, will also be competing in the championship for her first time. Richards' partner, Pat Browning, is an experienced Ride and Tie rider from California.

Convery said she found out about the Ride and Tie through a Montana road race calendar and researched the event from there.

"When I went to the web site to see what it was all about I was immediately hooked," Convery said.

Convery said she was introduced to her partner, Janet Dodd from Spokane, Wash., through the Ride and Tie Association. Convery and Dodd met and trained last weekend for two days. The training was the only time the two would be able to strategize and prepare for the championships.

Convery then traveled to Libby on Thursday to attend pre-race events and make final preparations with Dodd.

"We have similar running abilities and will try to split the running throughout the race," Convery said. "We are not sure of a strategy other than to do the 35 mile race."

The Ride and Tie is not a new sport though it is not widely known. The organization has been in existence since 1971 to promote combined running and equine endurance. The goal of the Ride and Tie is to get all three team membersnn two humans and a horsenn across a cross-country course by alternating riding and running. The partners switch ridding the horse throughout the race while the other runner runs beside on the trail.

Teams will be traveling from Virginia, North Carolina and Californiann where the sport began. Several teams have also entered from Canada to compete for the championships.

Though it would seem as though there would be pre-qualifying for the world championships, Convery said there is no experience necessary to compete in the event.

According to a press release from Carol Ruprecht with the Ride and Tie Association, anyone is welcome to compete in the championship and the event is open to novice competitors.

"There is quite a mix of competitors," Convery said. "Some have been competing for 30 years and some are new."

Convery said she ran in the Helena Governor's Cup in May and since then has been running about three miles a few times each week to prepare for the Ride and Tie.

"Training is sporadic and short," Convery said. "I run a couple a days a week and my biggest distance training has been competing in half-marathons.

"If it was not for the training in the Governor's Cup I would not be able to compete (in the Ride and Tie."

The biggest challenge for Convery will be riding Rio, Dodd's horse.

"I am an intermediate runner, but I have not ridden in 20 years," Convery said. "I have basic ridding skills."

Rio will also be competing is his first Ride and Tie. Dodd has spent the past few weeks training Rio to follow instructions and riding long distances.

Dodd has also been working with Rio to prevent being spooked.

"The most difficult thing is to have the horse tired and spooked," Convery said. "Janet has been working on having someone follow behind Rio to prevent spooking."

Convery said she has always been interested in horses, but has not much of an opportunity to ride.

"I would like to have horses eventually and the Ride and Tie sounds like a great sport to incorporate some ridding."

There will be prize money awarded to the top team in each category as well as an overall first place win by a pro-am team.

A custom made eight pound horse saddle will also be awarded by a special drawing.

The event will be videotaped for Horse-TV to be aired on a special broadcast at a later date.

Scales Mound woman wins national endurance title

By Jane Lethlean

(photo:
Michelle Mattingley of Scales Mound poses with her Arabian horse DSAristoi at her home. Mattingley recently won the national title for endurance horse racing in Ashland, Mont. )

The Journal-Standard

Michelle Mattingley of Scales Mound loves horses. She always has. And that love has led her towards another love, endurance racing.

After 12 years of competing, she recently won the national championship at the American Endurance Ride Conference held in Ashland, Mont.

This event was at the Circle Bar Ranch, a working cattle ranch that dates back to 1883.

Mattingley's event followed a course through the ranch and into the Custer National Forest. Much of the course passed through various rock formations and followed Native American Trails.

Having conquered the American race, she hopes to be invited to the world games in Aiken, Germany in 2006.

Winning the race was a big accomplishment for Mattingley, but she has already earned other titles with the horses that she owns. For example, in 2001, she took a championship with a horse that she sold, which now lives in the United Arab Emirates.

"Endurance racing is a family sport," Mattingley said. "Both my husband Joe and I compete in events, mostly in the Midwest, but winning the recent national award was pretty exciting."


While she was happy to have the title from her most recent ride, she said one of the most coveted prizes to also receive is the Best Conditioned Award, given to the fittest hose in the competition. Her Arabian gelding, DSAristoi, earned that award.

Endurance racing is a test of horse's condition and stamina and the rider's intelligence. The grueling test takes horse and rider long distances - 50 to 100 miles - over varied terrain.

Because of the rigor of the race, it is done under veterinary supervision.

It also takes a "pit crew" to compete in endurance racing. Sometimes crew members accompany Mattingley to the race and other times she is able to assemble a team at the race site. Endurance horse racing, like car racing, has pit stops to water and cool the horse before getting back on the track.

A veterinarian examines each horse for any soreness or change in attitude, pulse, respiration and other physical factors. Failure to meet any of these criteria for racing can stop a horse from completing the course.

The American Endurance Ride is a 100-mile course, Mattingley said, that must be completed within 24 hours. A 50 mile course must be completed in half that time. The first racer to complete the course with the best time wins.

"As a horse lover, endurance racing allows me to not only ride one of my horses, but it also allows me to do this in some beautiful areas of the country," Mattingley said. "This type of racing is a team effort. You really have to know your horse. It is about trust.

"My husband and I have competed in the deep sand dunes of Manitoba, Canada and hard-packed the mountains of Vermont," Mattingley said. "We have also ridden the terrain of the Smokey Mountains and the flat sandy trails in Florida."

Long training needed

Mattingley said that it takes years of training to build up the trust that is needed to take a horse to an endurance competition.

"Endurance racing is an extremely challenging sport," Mattingley said. "I spend many hours working with my Arabians, making them an athlete. The training is rigorous."

Tucked away in the hills of Jo Daviess County, Mattingley trains her horses. She and Joe live in a picturesque part of the county that offers up just the right training ground. Horses graze along the hillsides visible from their long, twice-gated lane.

"Our property offers up just the right hills ... for training," Mattingley explains. "We have over five miles of trails that we use for training."

Mattingley grew up in a city and once she fell in love with horses, she says she couldn't wait to move to the country.

After she graduated from college, her first big purchase was a horse. She bought a thoroughbred from the Arlington track.

At her first competition in 1993, her horse did well during the 25-mile test, but she learned a thoroughbred is not the type of horse she needed to go further. She bought herself an Arabian and has been "hooked ever since."

Both Mattingley and her husband hold down full-time jobs, but it is at the end of the day that they start the work they really love: their "full-time passion" for raising and training the 30 Arabian horses they own.

Sporthorse Concepts is what they call their business, which includes brood mares and a stallion.

With each competition that Mattingley enters, she keeps a different goal in mind.

"All courses are different and we have had our share of bad luck, too, " she says, adding, "DSAristoi, the horse I won the championship with is undefeated. I have a good feeling about being able to compete at the world level with him. That is my goal, to win the world games. That would be the ultimate challenge."

Mattingley says raising, training and racing horses is a big job for her and her husband.

"The horses are our life, it is our focus," Mattingley said.

Shaikh Khalid is 'youngest Arab rider'

AL Khaldiya Stables captain Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa yesterday won the 'Youngest Arab Rider' title after taking part in the Florac International Endurance Horseride Championship in France. Riding Asterida Izba, Shaikh Khalid finished 20th in the six-stage race held over a distance of 160 kms.

The race, which started at 4am yesterday, witnessed a strong European participation who competed against the Roay Team riders and UAE's contender Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi.

Royal Team rider Yusif Tahar also managed to finish the race despite experiencing difficulties, particularly in the second stage.

Meanwhile, Hamad Al Marissi, who was riding Sunway River, quit in the second stage.

The Royal Team left for the Catous region to train for the next race to be held on Saturday.

His Majesty King Hamad congratulated Shaikh Khalid on his achievement.

Mohammed?s Orkara wins Florac

By A Correspondent

4 July 2005

DUBAI ? Orkara, bred and owned by General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, with Katie Smith aboard won the Florac endurance ride in France.


Florac, one of the oldest rides in France dating back to 1976, is considered by many as the most difficult one in Europe.

Orkara, sired by Bakara, a full brother to Cheri Bibi the sire of Bengali D?Albert, a brilliant Arabian racehorse owned by Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance and Industry.

Orkara, a nine-year-old pure Arabian bay gelding, started his life as a racehorse trained by Bill Smith in the UK. He achieved moderate success on the racetrack which included a win at Stratford (UK) in 2001. Smith describes him as a very good looking horse beautifully proportioned but a ruffian and arrogant and aggressive horse not an easy ride.

When his racing days ended Smith sent him to Pierre Morvan in France for endurance training. In 2004 he completed a 120km ride at a very slow pace then in April this year Orkara finished sixth with Morvan over 160km at Le Vigan in France.

Smith said this win was much unexpected as the horse had been entered just to see if he could cope with the extremely tough conditions.

It was Smith?s daughter Katie that triumphed on Orkara, entering the record books as the first British rider to win Florac in its 30 year history. Smith is a talented rider having won major events in three equestrian spheres Arabian Flat racing, Hunter showing and endurance on a global scale. This world famous French ride that was motivated by the Tevis, the Mother of Endurance, in 1984 Florac was the venue of the first European Championship. It is currently organised by a newly-formed organisation, Association Equestrian Lozere Endurance (LEE) and W?rsan Stables Abu Dhabi were one of the major sponsors.

Orkara true to form was aggressive from the start where he tried his best to dislodge Katie. They were in the leading trio from 77 entries over the first stage of 33.5km ridden by the light of the moon. Katie and Orkara moved into pole position over the second stage of 43.3km the longest which included the climb to the summit of Mount Aiguoal.

They set out with a four minute advantage on third stage of 22.5 km which they maintain as they set out on the fourth stage of just 15.5km, the shortest but the hottest part of the day. Katie led a group of four riders who finished this leg at the same time.

Three of the group Smith, Pascale Dietsch (second place finish) Denis Pesce (third place finish) rode together over the penultimate stage of 18.9km and left together on the final loop of 20.4km which started with the long climb to the Collar of Montmirat christened ?The Justice of The Peace?.

The fourth rider Catherine Roland was eliminated after the fifth stage. UAE rider Adnan Sultan Saif Al Nuaimi, director general of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club finished 25th out of the 30 riders who completed the ride which also included Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain in the 20th position.

Just prior to receiving the trophy, a jubilant Katie overwhelmed by her success, commented: ?I can?t believe it. It?s unreal.

?He just charged off at the start.

?I had to let him choose his own speed as he would waste too much energy if I fought him.

He was just fantastic as he powered up the mountains. ?The last loop was the hardest a 10km climb then a very step descent. Three of us were riding together. We planned to take the descent slowly but suddenly four riders galloped up behind us so it turned into flat race over the last two kilometre.?

No doubt Orkara?s aggressive nature was an asset as he fought any horse that challenged his supremacy and Katie?s skill as a flat race jockey were a great attribute at this time.

Only fractions of a second separated the winning trio who had averaged 14.60kph.

Surprisingly Katie, a member of the British team for the last European and two World Championships, has not been selected by Endurance Great Britain for the Endurance Championship at Compiegne during the month of August this year.

Bahrain gear up for juniors horseride

PREPARATIONS are in full swing to host the World Juniors Endurance Horseride Championship on December 8 at the Endurance Village premises in Sakhir.

The event will be organised by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef).

Breef member Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Mubarak Al Khalifa said maintenance and upgradation work got underway immediately after the end of last season.

Shaikh Daij said there will be additional stables included at the village to house over 120 horses in addition to a veterinary clinic, a registration office and towers especially designed to hold the television cameras.

Other facilities include a modern cafeteria and seats for spectators and a media centre.

Shaikh Daij thanked Breef president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa for his support and encouragement.

Shaikh Nasser paid a visit to the village and inspected the facilities available.

Meanwhile, the championship's organising committee chairman and the General Organisation for Youth and Sports president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa yesterday chaired a committee meeting and reviewed latest preparations being made to organise this event.

The committee includes Breef second vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa and members Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, Ghalib Al Alawi, Arif Al Mansoori, Dr Khalid Hassan, Shaikh Mohammed bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, Mahmood Budrees, Haider Al Zo'bi and Abdulsahib Hassan

Sisters galloping into arms of Great Britain

By Ruth Loney
newsdesk@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

25 June 2005
Two of Northern Ireland's leading young international endurance riders, Helen (15) and Suzanne (19) Perry, from Dromore, have defected from the Irish team to ride for Great Britain.

The sisters, the daughters of Ken and Sharon Perry have been successful members of the Irish endurance squad but have now received their licences and in future will be competing for Great Britain.

Suzanne said that although it would be more difficult to qualify for events because of the higher class of rider, she hoped the change would mean they had more support and better competition opportunities.

The girls are aiming to represent Britain at the International Championships later this year at Bahrain. Both are consistent on the world circuit with Suzanne competing regularly in the Middle East and having sold two of her Arab horses to the defence minister Sheik Mohammed Al Maktoum of Dubai.

The Perry family run an extensive Arab breeding programme at Dromore where their international endurance horses are kept fit in a daily routine by Suzanne and her mother Sharon who are full-time in the sport.

Helen has had particular success in the last few weeks having had two major wins in England.

Last weekend Helen, in 28 degrees heat won the three-star 122km endurance race in Cirencester with her stallion Metallica. This was a hectic finish where Helen galloped to the last.

Recently Helen also won the international young riders 120km at Dukeries, Sherwood Forest in Nottingham with Wesam. Suzanne was also successful and won the 160km race with her Arab Irish draught cross pony Merry Dancer. The sisters also won the award for best condition of their animals.

Mrs Perry, said: "The girls are delighted to have both received their licences and are now aiming towards European and world championship selection. Their successes in England have been well noted by selectors and they are looking forward to serious competition."

Suzanne said: "We have been thinking about changing to Great Britain for some time and are both delighted to have received our FEI licences to compete."

Intercontinental Newsletter - 0205

Statistics on World Championships - Medals, Starts, Completion Rates, etc

[More ...]

IBM opens x86 Veritas cluster and storage shop | The Register

IBM opens x86 Veritas cluster and storage shop | The Register

Veritas and IBM have firmed up their ties with a new reselling agreement that will see Big Blue ship some of Veritas' better known software products with its servers.

In particular, IBM will resell the Veritas Cluster Server product and the Storage Foundation product - which includes Veritas' file system and volume manager. These software packages will be promoted alongside IBM's Xeon-based servers and its fleet of Xeon- and Opteron-based blades. IBM hopes to target customers running Red Hat or SuSE Linux and Microsoft's Windows operating systems with the reselling deal.

"We believe the Veritas products will add value to what already is one of the most robust, reliable and available x86 server lines on the market, and also help make it easier for our mutual customers in their server consolidation efforts to Linux and Windows on xSeries and BladeCenter servers," said Jim Northington, a VP at IBM.

Aachen pre-ride: Leo's story/photo/results

Le déplacement vers Aix la Chapelle était court pour les belges, mais leurs dents étaient longues même si la Belgique se présentait avec une équipe de chevaux peu habitués à un événement de tel type. Le temps où les belges s'engageaient sur une course comme des oiseaux pour le chat est révolu. Les résultats engrangés par nos cavaliers à l'étranger et sur les championnats y ont contribué. La politique de l'équipe nationale belge et ses résultats ont aussi été un élément moteur.
//
The journey to Aachen was short for the belgians, but their teeths were a lot longer that the short trip they had to do for reaching Aachen. The time when belgians entered a race with reduced ambitions is over. Results achieved abroad by individuals and on championships played a big role.
[More ... (French/English)]

Germany: Liesens wins Aachen

Endurance Test: Belgian outsider Liesens wins in Aachen
06.14.2006

Belgian rider Leonard Liesens has won the international Endurance WEG test event in Aachen. The competition also served as the German National Endurance Championship which was won by Melanie Arnold, who finished as best German combination in third place. Sweden won the team competition.

It was a day full of surprises. The fact, that in the evening the corks popped in the camp of the new German Champion Melanie Arnold could have been forseen (see "Three questions for Melanie Arnold") whereas the victory of the Belgian outsider, Liesens with Arazzi, ahead of French rider Raphael Muller was completely unexpected. Liesens reached the finish at the show grounds in the Aachener Soers 13 hours and 39 minutes after the 5 am start.

[More ...]

US: AERC NC 50 (Unofficial Results)

From Jan Stevens - AERC NC Ride manager

Entrants in the 50 were 52 starters with 37 finishers. Winning time was
4 hours 41 minutes

50 Mile Results

PLACEMENTS FEATHERWEIGHT

1ST MICHELLE MATTINGLEY
2ND LINDA PACHOLKO
3RD HEATHER STEVENS
4TH AUTUMN WHITT
5TH GENIE WUNDERLICH
6TH KAREN BINNS DICAMILLO
7TH SUSAN SUMMERS
8TH NATALIE SCHNEIDER

LIGHTWEIGHT
1ST CECI BUTLER
2ND MEG SLEEPER
3RD JAN WORTHINGTON
4TH GAIL ZECK
5TH CARLA EIGENAUER
6TH VICKIE WEIPLER
7TH LYNN LEE
8TH ROBERTA HARMS

MIDDLEWEIGHT
1ST ELROY KARIUS
2ND CINDY WAGNER
3RD DENNIS SUMMERS
4TH SUSAN KEIL
5TH DAVID SCHNEIDER
6TH DAVID COOTWARE
7TH KRISTEN HAMMOND

HEAVYWEIGHT
1ST ED KIDD
2ND DIAN WOODARD
3RD CROCKETT DUMAS
4TH CARL KIMBLER
5TH PEGGY CLARK


JUNIOR
1ST ELIZABETH RUSSELL
2ND MARISSA STEVENS
3RD JESSICA DICAMILLO
4TH SARAH REMELTS
5TH KIRSTIN KENYON
6TH MARY KATHERINE CLARK

BEST CONDITIONED
1ST MICHELLE MATTINGLEY

COMPLETIONS
RJ WETZEL
AL PAULO
JERRY RIVKIND

US: AERC NC 100 Results (Unofficial)

From Jan Stevens - NC ride manager

Entrants in the 100 were 56 starters with 29 finishers. Winning time
was 10 hours 15 minutes.

100 Mile Competition
PLACEMENTS FEATHERWEIGHT

1ST LOIS MCAFEE
2ND CHERYL DELL
3RD PATTI CRAWFORD
4TH CAROL GILES
5TH KRISTAN FLYNN
6TH JOANNE THOMAS
7TH CAROL WADEY

LIGHTWEIGHT
1ST JOHN CRANDELL III
2ND JAN WORTHINGTON
3RD CASSANDRA SCHULER
4TH GAIL ZECK
5TH MJ JACKSON
6TH JAZON WONDERS
7TH MEG SLEEPER
8TH DIAN STEVENS

MIDDLEWEIGHT
1ST ELROY KARIUS
2ND CHRISTOPH SCHORK
3RD DAROLYN BUTLER

HEAVYWEIGHT
1ST BARRY WAITTE
2ND JULIUS BLOOMFIELD
3RD CROCKETT DUMAS
4TH KEVIN WATERS
5TH LINDA HOWARD

JUNIOR
1ST RAE ANNE WADEY
2ND ROBIN WADEY

BEST CONDITIONED
1ST ELROY KARIUS

COMPLETION
CHRISTY JENZEN
ALISIJA ZABAVSKA
ANITA SINNOTT
CLAUDIA HARPER

[RC] OD 100 mile Results

>From: Ridecamp Guest - Wendy Fournier

>==========================================
>
>1st Daryl Downs
>2nd Danielle Kanavy McGunigal
>3rd Wendy Mattingley Fournier
>4th Susan Horne
>5th Jeff Crandall
>6th Becky Carter
>7th Christi
>8th Holly sisters from Tenn.
>9th Libby Lopp
>10th Kate Deniser
>BC Danielle McGunigal
>
>
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FEI European Open Championship

FEI News:
18/05/2005

FEI European Open Championship

Following the cancellation of the event by the British Organising Committee, the Italian, Dutch and French Federations contacted the FEI with offers of assistance to organise the FEI European Open championship in an alternative venue.

The FEI accepted the French Federation?s offer to run the championship in Compiègne, near Paris. Compiègne had effectively organised the 2000 World Endurance Championship and the Organising Committee has a great experience in the staging of equestrian events. The Championship will take place between the 25 and 28 August 2005 and be part of the Horse Festival of Compiègne. The exact schedule and further details will be communicated next week.

The FEI wishes to thank all Federations concerned and looks forward to a successful championship in Compiègne.

Emilie Lambert (FRA), Team Gold at 2003 European Endurance Championship

FEI European Open Championship

FEI News:
18/05/2005

FEI European Open Championship

Following the cancellation of the event by the British Organising Committee, the Italian, Dutch and French Federations contacted the FEI with offers of assistance to organise the FEI European Open championship in an alternative venue.

The FEI accepted the French Federation?s offer to run the championship in Compiègne, near Paris. Compiègne had effectively organised the 2000 World Endurance Championship and the Organising Committee has a great experience in the staging of equestrian events. The Championship will take place between the 25 and 28 August 2005 and be part of the Horse Festival of Compiègne. The exact schedule and further details will be communicated next week.

The FEI wishes to thank all Federations concerned and looks forward to a successful championship in Compiègne.

Emilie Lambert (FRA), Team Gold at 2003 European Endurance Championship

Cradle Mountain Chateau Tom Quilty Gold Cup - cancelled

History in the making.

For the first time in it's forty year history, the Cradle Mountain Chateau 40th Tom Quilty Cup Endurance ride has been cancelled mid event.

The ride started at midnight in steady rain, and as dawn broke conditions deteriorated. In driving rain, and cold winds, the horses began to find the going difficult, and there were several falls, fortunately with no injuries.

The advance motorcycle trail bike crew were unable to access parts of the fourth leg , and the four wheel drive vehicles were unable to establish checkpoints, or to access the track for safety and rescue work .

Faced with a deteriorating situation on the local weather radar, and many withdrawals at the end of the third leg , the organisers made the courageous decision to end the ride.

Horses already out on leg 4 were recalled as they approached the checkpoints. All horses who had completed the third leg (110k) were deemed to have completed ,as long as they passed the compulsory two hour represent to the vet panel.

The leading horses in each division, at the end of leg three, will be declared as winners.

Toft endurance has provisionally swept the prize pool, although no official results have yet been announced.

Mal Caldwell Sheffield Tasmania

[More ...]

Quilty event remains true to its origins

THE Tom Quilty Gold Cup event has proven beyond a doubt that Australian horses are as tough as any in the world, according to event patron Ron Males.

Mr Males has been involved in the cup, which is now the national endurance riding championship, since its inception 40 years ago.

He worked with R. M. Williams and Tom Quilty in setting up the inaugural ride in 1966.

R. M. Williams wanted a race to see if Australian riders and their horses were as tough as American competitors in the 100-mile Tevis Cup.

Tom Quilty put up 1000 in prize money and Mr Males organised and marked out the course.

Mr Males has since competed in 21 events and holds the record for the most consecutive Tom Quilty silver belt buckles.

They are awarded on completion of the event within 24 hours.

"It's hard to think of a highlight," Mr Males said.

"But that first race, it was out of this world.

"Racing in Australia over 160 kilometres, which is 100 miles, was just unreal.

"But we did it, we succeeded."

Sheffield is the site of this year's Tom Quilty, which begins at midnight tomorrow.

It is also the site of another of Mr Males' personal highlights.

"Eighteen years ago at Sheffield I came in second on Chase Sadaqa and we won best condition, which is as prized as winning," he said.

"I've only just arrived, but from what I've seen this year's course looks great."


VETERAN: Tom Quilty Gold Cup patron Ron Males relaxes after arriving in Sheffield yesterday. Mr Males was involved in the establishment of the event 40 years ago and has 21 Quilty silver buckles. Picture: Karleen Williams.