Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Abu Dhabi: First-ever ladies-only equestrian endurance ride becomes a reality

Gulfnews.com - Full article

By M. Satya Narayan
January 20, 2009

Abu Dhabi: The Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba will be breaking new ground when they stage their first-ever ladies only ride on Friday.

"Friday's Shaikha Fatima Bint Mansoor Al Nahyan Ladies Endurance Cup will be the first ever ride only for ladies and the event is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister for Presidential Affairs," said Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, the Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Equestrian club during a press conference here yesterday.

"A total amount of Dh500,000 including two four-wheel-drive cars for the riders taking the first two places, will be up for grabs.

"All riders who finish will the 90km ride will be given cash awards," Al Nuaimi said.

More...

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Abu Dhabi: Al Jahouri wins Endurance Cup

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

By M. Satya Narayan
2009 January 17

Abu Dhabi: Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri, riding nine-year-old gelding EO Jaras, won the prestigious 160-km His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup 160-km ride on Saturday at the Dubai International Endurance City in Seih Assalam.

The Al Wathba Stables' trainer-cum-rider, who finished second in this ride last year, unleashed a terrific pace on the final loop of 19km to win from Dalpat Singh Ganpat Singh and Indian work rider with another Abu Dhabi-based stable ­- Al Reef.

Al Jahouri, who was fifth going into the final loop, whipped up a 30.87kmph speed on the grey Purebred Arabian gelding, and that effort saw him win the Omega-sponsored event.

"This is the second outing for this horse after he was eliminated despite finishing first in a junior ride. But today he was just classy and I always knew he would run a big race," said Al Jahouri, who holds the world record for a 120-km ride.

"I started well and finished the first 32kms in 5th place but later paced the ride and dropped to 11th and 10th positions in the next two loops of 32kms and 29kms," he said.

"When I went out on the final loop some of the best riders were ahead of me including last year's winner Omair Hussein. I am greatly satisfied with this win," he said.

Al Jahouri completed the 160-km ride in a timing of six hours 39 minutes and 11 seconds at a ride average speed of 24.05 kmph.

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Poland: Polish endurance horses in Abu Dhabi



Polskiearaby.com

2009-01-09

As KJ Champion informs, two horses, Cyryl 1995 and Cert 1997, are leaving on February 1st for the United Arab Emirates, to take part in one of the major endurance competitions of the world – HH The Presidents Cup, called Emirates International Endurance Village, held at Abu Dhabi on February 14th. Cyryl is going to be ridden by Beata Dzikowska, whereas Cert will be mounted by the current Polish Senior Riders` Champion, Kamila Kart. It should be pointed out that only the best horses are invited by the organizers, who analyzed their former endurance career and results. The KJ Champion team feels honored by the invitation.

Last year the competition was won by the Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, riding the 12-year-old gelding Kaysand Farrazah, in a time of 6:52:29, capturing also the Best Condition title.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Dubai: Hamdan leads UAE challenge today

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

By Alaric Gomes
January 16, 2009

Dubai: Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, heads a strong UAE field at today's second running of the His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup to be held at the Dubai International Endurance City.

The FEI CEI*** 160km ride, to be held over six loops from 6am today, is being organised by the Dubai Equestrian Club with sponsorship from Omega for the second year.

The ride has attracted a strong field of riders from all over the world, with the UAE squad led by Shaikh Hamdan the favourite to win the title.

More...

Great Britain: Maggie Maguire awarded the BEF's Medal of Honour

Endurancegb.co.uk

6th January 2009

Well-deserved international acclaim for Endurance Great Britain's Maggie Maguire who has been awarded the BEFs Medal of Honour. The Medal of Honour is primarily an award designed to recognise activities connected with international endeavour. It is awarded for outstanding services to the Federation with any one or more of its constituent sporting members.

Maggie retired from the EGB Board of Directors at the AGM in November 2008.. She had been the chairman of the International Committee for some years, providing huge support to our international teams.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Dubai: Hamdan-led team holds advantage

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

By Alaric Gomes
January 15, 2009

Dubai: Defending champion Omair Hussain Al Baloushi and last year's runner-up Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri believe a strong presence of UAE riders led by Dubai Crown Prince Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum holds a distinct advantage going into this weekend's His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup.

The CEI*** 160km ride to be held at the Dubai International Endurance City on Saturday, has attracted a field of some of the top endurance riders from across the globe.

And though the field includes the top three on the 2008 FEI World Rankings, Al Baloushi still believes the title will stay back in the UAE, given the home advatange.

"Every rider out there will be a threat," predicted defending champion Al Baloushi.

"There are a lot of good riders and superb horses in the ride, but the competition will be among the local riders," added last year's runner-up Al Jahouri, the trainer-cum-rider from Al Wathba Stables.

More...

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Saudi Arabia: The Al Khalediah Festival Cup



On 27th January 2009, the FEI CEI *** 120 KM Prince Khaled‘s Cup Endurance Challenge 2009 will be a door opening event to the FEI World Class Endurance in the K.S.A.

In the challenge, riders will have to plot through various terrains, undulating slopes and sandy areas in the subtropical cool air in the morning and night. The Looping will be marked with flags prominently at strategic points to guide the riders for looping distance and direction. Along the trails, there will be designated water points providing drinking water and ice water for cooling at approximately every 5km. Throughout the course, riders will need to go through compulsory stops after each loop called Vet Gate, for cooling their horses, whilst ensuring the safety and welfare of their animal from the checks performed by a highly expert team of endurance veterinarians.

This is a joint adventure between the Al Khalediah Arabian Horse Festival and Intl. Endurance Equestrian Events. It will take place at Al Khalediah Farm, Tebrak, which is 90km from Riyadh on the road to Makkah (Holy place), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (K.S.A). With its excellent facilities and infrastructure, the venue is set to provide excellent facilities suited to overseas and local participants, officials and visitors.

Endurance sport is still fairly young in K.S.A. and as part of the state‘s efforts to promote sports tourism, the staging of The Prince Khaled‘s Cup Endurance Challenge 2009 will help boost this sport in the Kingdom.

More information at Alkhalediah Festival

Bahrain: Breef endurance race for women

Gulf-daily-news.com

15th January 2009

THE Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) is organising the first Women's Endurance Horseride Championship on January 31 at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

Breef general secretary Ghalib Al Alawi said the race is a CEI 2 event, over 120km and is only open to women of all ages and nationalities.

Al Alawi said registration for this championship will be open from Sunday while the last day for accepting forms is January 29.

He added that the participants must be registered at the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) with their horses having an international passport.

Al Alawi said the passport is being issued by the FEI in order to allow each horse to participate in either any CEI or FEI-level events.

He thanked Breef president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa for giving his directives to organise this event for the first time this season.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Abu Dhabi: Endurance challenge for women

Gulfnews.com

Staff Report
Published: January 13, 2009

Abu Dhabi: The inaugural Shaikha Fatima Bint Mansour Al Nahyan Ladies Endurance Challenge, a ride exclusively featuring lady riders from the UAE and outside, will be held on Friday, January 23, at the Emirates International Endurance Village (EIEV) in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi.

The CEN 90-kilometre ride is open not only to all lady endurance riders having a valid endurance riding license issued by the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation but also for any non-resident foreign riders nominated by their respective National Federations.

This is the first time an endurance ride exclusively featuring lady riders is being held at Al Wathba, thanks to the keen support for such events from Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister for Presidential Affairs and Chairman of EIEV.

Shaikh Mansour, who is currently competing in the Body Weight ride series, provides a substantial boost to equestrian activities in the country. In fact, he was the architect behind a long-distance horse race for persons with special needs, which was held at the EIEV in Al Wathba in February last year.

Taleb Dhaher Al Muhairi, Secretary General, UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, stated: "Endurance riding is a reflection of our country's deep-rooted history and tradition and love for the horses. If highly successful, this will be an annual event henceforth. We thank Shaikh Mansour for supporting this event".

Mexico: February 20,21 Valley de Tlacolula, Oaxaca




Endurance Mexico website




Bahrain: Royal Victory

Gulf Daily News


By RAMI Hulayyel

SHAIKH Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum raced to victory in yesterday's 120-km endurance horseride, the second round of the Endurance Grand Prix staged at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.The UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai steered his horse Tahhan to top place in four hours, 53 minutes and 14 seconds following a fierce battle with Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa (4:53:53) and Dubai Crown Prince Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (5:00:15) who finished second and third respectively.

Shaikh Nasser, the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president, rode Farhoz De Paute while Shaikh Hamdan was astride Eo Fawati.

Top riders from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE competed in this challenging event.

The five-stage race started with 30 kms for each of the first two stages and was followed by a 25-km third stage. The fourth stage was over 20 kms while the fifth and concluding stage consisted of 15 kms.

Shaikh Nasser, who led the Bahraini riders, kicked off the race on a high note by finishing the first stage first in one hour, nine minutes and 43 seconds.

Having finished fourth overall in the first round held in Abu Dhabi, Shaikh Nasser completed this stage ahead of Shaikh Hamdan (1:11:16) who came second while Shaikh Mohammed (1:12:15) was third.

In the second stage, Shaikh Mohammed leapfrogged Shaikh Nasser to steal the lead in 2:25:22. Shaikh Hamdan was second in 2:25:11 while Shaikh Nasser went down to third in 2:25:22.

Shaikh Mohammed maintained his lead after the third stage which ended in his favour with a total time of 3:28:05 while Shaikh Nasser (3:29:31) moved up to second while Shaikh Hamdan (3:29:44) was third.

In the fourth stage, Shaikh Hamdan came back strongly to lead in 4:20:31, just four seconds ahead of his father Shaikh Mohammed who dropped to second while Shaikh Nasser (4:20:46) went down to third.

Shaikh Mohammed regained his lead in the fifth stage and cruised to victory.

Honoured

Joining Shaikh Nasser in this five-stage race was Breef first vice-president and Al Khaldiya Stable leader Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa and other prominent Bahraini riders.

The winners were honoured at an awarding ceremony held right after the race which was attended by His Majesty King Hamad. His Majesty, who witnessed the race, congratulated the winners and wished others success in future races.

Earlier, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander Shaikh Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa and National Guard Commander Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa attended the flag-off along with His Majesty.

Yesterday's race was sponsored by Unicorn Investment Bank and telecast live on Bahrain Sports Channel.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Australia: Horse Flu Free State a Winner



Qt.com.au - Full Article

Felicity Caldwell | 11th January 2009

THE Toft family received a belated Christmas present recently when the world officially acknowledged Australia was equine influenza (EI) free.

The official recognition from the World Organisation for Animal Health follows a sustained surveillance and compliance effort in the 12 months since the last notified case of equine influenza on Christmas Day, 2007.

Tallegalla endurance horse breeder Peter Toft said the most significant announcement for the industry was when people were allowed to move their horses and go about their normal activities.

But the official recognition was great news for Australia, as it would reassure international industry members.

"That can help put a bit more confidence in the international market for our horses," Mr Toft said.

More...

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Abu Dhabi: Mohammad scores giant victory

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

By M Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
January 10, 2009

Abu Dhabi: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, won the second round of the 120-km Giants Endurance Challenge (Body Weight) Ride series in Bahrain on Saturday to emerge as the overall leader with the final round left.

Riding Tahhan, Shaikh Mohammad completed the gruelling 120-km distance in a time of four hours 53 minutes and 14 seconds to finish ahead of Bahrain's Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa on Firhos de Paute.

Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, came third aboard EO Fawati and Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, fourth on Carrallio.

More...

Friday, January 09, 2009

Bahrain: Mohammad leads UAE challenge at Giants Endurance

Gulf News
photo:Shaikh Mohammad and Shaikh Hamdan practise for today's Giants Endurance Challenge (Body Weight) Ride series in Bahrain.

By M Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
Published: January 09, 2009, 23:48

Abu Dhabi: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs and Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai are part of the 22-strong UAE line-up for today's second round of the Giants Endurance Challenge (Body Weight) Ride series in Bahrain.

Shaikh Mohammad is expected to ride Tahhan while Shaikh Mansour, who finished second behind Abdullah Bin Huzaim in the first round in Abu Dhabi, will be riding Carrallio. Shaikh Hamdan is expected to be on EO Fawati while Bin Huzaim will be riding Shahab.

A total of 39 riders are expected to battle for honours in today second round that will be run over 120-kms at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir. Today's ride gets off to a mass start at 6.00 am and all participating riders must weigh at least 75 kilogrammes without riding equipment. The final leg will be held in Dubai and points accumulated over the three rounds will decide the overall champion.

Bahrain: Royal Welcome

Gulf-daily-news.com

9th JANUARY 2009

HIS Majesty King Hamad yesterday welcomed the UAE Vice-President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum who arrived in Bahrain to participate in the 120-kilometre Endurance Horseride Grand Prix.

This five-stage event will be held tomorrow at the Bahrain International Endurance Village.

Shaikh Mohammed was also given a warm welcome on arrival by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and other federation officials.

Shaikh Nasser, who is also captain of the Bahrain Royal Endurance Team, will lead Bahrain along with Al Khaldiya Stables captain Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Shaikh Hamdan and Shaikh Majid, sons of Shaikh Mohammed, are also be in the fray along with the UAE's presidential affairs minister Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Ahmed Harmash, who finished second and third respectively in last month's first race of the series at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Abu Dhabi.

The Bahrain race, divided into five stages and the second of a three-race series, is sponsored by Unicorn Investment Bank and top riders from Bahrain and the UAE are in the fray.

Thursday, January 08, 2009

FEI Online Rankings as of 19/12/2008

FEI.org - Complete List















RankRider NameNFPoints
1Jack BegaudFRA1977
2Pio Juan Olascoaga AmayaURU1631
3Laurent MostiFR1338
4Mohd Ahmed Ali Al SuboseUAE1140
5Abdulla Thanki Bin HuzainUAE1136
6Meg WadeAUS1032
7Majid bin Mohd Al MaktoumUAE989
8Vincent DupontFR939
9Ghazi Mohammed Al DoseriBRN873
10Sh Rashid Dalmook Al MaktoumUAE816

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

New Zealand: NORTH ISLAND ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009


NZ NORTH ISLAND ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009
Hosted by Taumarunui Endurance Club at Aria
Photos and Results

Bahrain: UAE riders for Grand Prix

Gulf Daily News

UAE vice-president, Prime Minister and the ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum will lead a strong field of UAE riders in the 120-kilometre Endurance Horseride Grand Prix. Eighteen of the UAE's best riders have confirmed their participation in this race which is the second round of the series and takes place on Saturday at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir. Shaikh Hamdan and Shaikh Majid, sons of Shaikh Mohammed, will also be in the fray.

Prominent UAE entrants include UAE's presidential affairs Minister Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Ahmed Harmash, who came second and third, respectively, in last month's first race of the series at Emirates International Endurance Village in Abu Dhabi.

Other participants are Tahnon Al Beloshi, Mubarak Khalifa, Hassan Al Beloshi, Buti Al Mazrooi, Salem Al Sabosi, UAE-based South African Gerardson Foslo, Joseph Tick of Astonia, Ahmed Al Mirri, Khalifa bin Galatya, Abdulla Saeed, Ali Al Sabri and Hamad Al Ghuwais.

A delegation from Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's Media Office yesterday arrived in Bahrain and inspected the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The UAE officials praised the preparations of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) to host this round of the championship.

The race will be telecast live on Bahrain Sports Channel. Officials from the channel also toured the race venue by Shaikh Nasser's Media Office director Tawfeeq Salehi who explained the latest preparations at the village.

The organising committee has finalised its preparations through arranging the facilities inside the village besides preparing the race route.

Meanwhile, the Bahraini riders continued to gear up for the Bahrain event, to be sponsored by Unicorn Investment Bank.

Breef president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and his brother Shaikh Khalid will lead the Bahraini hopes in this race which will be divided into five stages.

The first and second stages will each cover 30km, the third will be over 25km, 20km for the fourth besides 15km for the fifth and final stage.

Shaikh Nasser steered Omsura Nasrohn to a fourth-place finish in the first round while Shaikh Khalid, who was unable to complete the race, said he is determined to make a strong comeback on Saturday.

Both Shaikh Nasser and Shaikh Khalid are looking to take a place on the podium before heading for the third and final round, scheduled for February 28, at Dubai International Endurance City in Seih Assalem.

After the deciding race, the rider with the highest number of points will be crowned overall champion. The top 10 in each race of the series are gaining points.

Among a race's top finishers, the winner earns 100 points, while second gets 80, third 70, fourth 60, and fifth 50 points. Riders classified sixth through 10th will also come away with points.

Each participating rider must weigh at least 75 kilograms without riding equipment, and must be registered with the International Equestrian Federation.

Tuesday, January 06, 2009

UAE: Top UAE riders for Bahrain event Mohammad leads UAE's charge

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

By M. Satya Narayan
January 06, 2009

Abu Dhabi: UAE riders led by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, along with Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, are likely to dominate the second leg of the FEI Three-Star Giants Endurance Challenge (Body Weight) Ride Series to be held in Bahrain on Saturday.

The ride is being organised at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The Bahrain Royal Endurance and Equestrian Federation (Breef) will see the UAE's top riders take on some of Bahrain's best and many others from around the world.

More...

Bahrain: Five stages for endurance race

Gulf Daily News

ORGANISERS of the 120-kilometre Endurance Horseride Grand Prix, scheduled for Saturday, yesterday approved five stages for the race.

The Bahrain event, which is the second of a three-leg series and will be organised by the Bahrain Royal Endurance and Equestrian Federation (Breef), is taking place at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The Breef decided to have 30km for each of Saturday's first two stages, 25km for the third, 20km for the fourth besides 15km for the fifth and final stage.

In the first round of the 120-km Endurance Horseride Grand Prix, held at Emirates International Endurance Village, Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi, Royal Endurance Team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa steered Omsura Nasrohn to a fourth-place finish.

The hosts dominated the podium yesterday when Abdulla bin Hazim was the first to complete the race, followed by UAE's Presidential Affairs Minister Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan in second place with compatriot Ahmed bin Harmash third.

The third and final round is scheduled for February 28 at Dubai International Endurance City in Seih Assalem where the rider with the highest number of points will be honoured. The top 10 riders in each race of the series are gaining points.

Among a race's top finishers, the winner earns 100 points, while second gets 80, third 70, fourth 60, and fifth 50 points. Riders classified sixth through 10th will also come away with points.

Each participating rider must weigh at least 75 kilograms without riding equipment, and must be registered with the International Equestrian Federation.

Meanwhile, Bahrain's Royal Endurance Team manager Dr Khalid Ahmed Hassan said the team is training on daily basis ahead of this event, adding that he is confident to see his riders among the top finishers.

On his part, route committee head Fahad Al Rumaihi said the committee has finalised its preparations for this event which started last week.

Al Rumaihi said the committee's has succeeded in its mission thanks to directives from Shaikh Nasser and Breef first vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Breef general secretary and ground jury committee head Ghalib Al Alawi confirmed that his committee members are ready to receive the participants from Bahrain the UAE.

Al Alawi said this race promises to feature stronger competition than in the first round in Abu Dhabi as more riders from both countries have approved their participation for the second leg.

Shaikh Nasser, the Breef president, expressed his appreciation for race sponsors Unicorn Investment Bank, especially its chief executive officer Majid Al Rifaee.

Shaikh Nasser also said he was proud that Bahrain is hosting such a prestigious race, which has been approved by the International Equestrian Federation.

Great Britain: West Sandford rider wins iconic endurance challenge on debut appearance

Julian Johansen and his Arab gelding CF Samuel won the two-day 80km class at the Golden Horseshoe Ride. (Julian Johansen) CreditonCourier....