Australia: Remarkable horse, remarkable rider have staying power

manly-daily.whereilive.com.au - Full Article

13 May 11 @ 09:27pm by Brenton Cherry

MOST people approaching 70 could be forgiven for wanting to take it easy. Not Denis White.

Instead of putting his feet up, the Ingleside resident trained like a marathon runner to compete in the Cedar Ridge 80km Endurance race at Oberon over the Easter long weekend.

And he wasn’t just there for a scenic ride. On Jasali Shataan he beat a field of 86 other riders in a time of 4 hours, 51 min 22 sec - more than 40 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor.

It was his first endurance event in six years...

Read more here:
http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/remarkable-horse-remarkable-rider-have-staying-power/

Belgium: Mont Le Soie to organize the Young Riders Championship

Endurance-belgium.com

May 11 2011

It is a news for Belgium, but also for the neighbouring countries. The FEI has disclosed to information that Mont Le Soie finally got the right to organize the next European Championship for Young Riders. The event will take place on 8th of September. "The route is already well-known, but we will try too make it even better" commented Pierre Arnould, the organizer and also Belgian Chef d'Equipe. "We have the venue and the good infrastructures; we will rely on all Belgian forces willing to work for the sake ofg endurance" said the Belgian Coach.

2012 World Endurance Championships allocation

May 10, 1011

The FEI Bureau has allocated the 2012 World Endurance Championship for Seniors to Euston Park (GBR), August. (exact dates TBC).

In addition, the FEI Bureau allocated the 2012 FEI European Endurance Championships for Young Riders and Juniors, to Mont-le-Soie (BEL), 8 September

FEI Press Release: http://www.fei.org/media/press-releases/elections-and-allocation-fei-championships-and-finals

Great Britain: Report from World Class Start and Potential Squad – Mont le Soie Trip 30th April and 1st May

Endurancegb.co.uk - Full Story

4th May 2011

Full report from Andrea Baker – Chef d’equipe of the World Class Start and Potential squad.

Squad : Fiona Griffiths – Dear Kate, Annie Ings – Alpha, Sue Higgins – Aberllywds Another Rose, Lindsey Comben – Radhwan, Andrea Champ – Druimghiga Luxor, Claire Bruce – Ah Dhiba, Sue Rich – Czako , Louise Rich – Cziko, Lesley-Ann Parker – Velvet Echo

Along with Rachel Atkinson – Vanash

The trip began at the Dover Lairage stables on Tuesday 26th April. All horses arrived and squad members introduced to each other. This was the first time that a multi-squad trip had been arranged to a European Ride. A challenge, since we had riders out on Saturday and Sunday in the FEI classes - but nothing the squad management where not prepared for!

We headed off on the early morning ferry from Dover to Calais, and our three squad lorries made the drive to Southern Belgium arriving in the beautiful Ardennes Forest region at 5pm.

The venue at Mont le Soie is wonderful and has everything you need on site. The ride hosts once again provided us with super permanent stables, shavings beds and as much lovely hay as the horses could eat. During the day, horses where able to be corralled for most of the day.

Thursday and Friday where spend with the horses in the mornings, vet inspections, trot-ups and ridden exercise out on the course. The afternoons spent driving the course and following the extensive crew ‘road book’ instructions provided by the organisers to locate the assistance points.

On Friday, our 160k class entry - Rachel Atkinson with Vanash, vetted fit to start the ride. All riders attended the ride brief at 5pm since this would be the same for the Saturday and Sunday Classes.

On Saturday morning, Rachel rode out at 6am. The start was delayed for 15mins due to a horse unseating its rider, then galloping off into the forest alone! Not how you want to start a ride! The horse was found shortly after the other competitors started and under the 15min start rule, the rider re-mounted and re-joined the competition. That shows true spirit!

Various squad riders and crews supported Rachel throughout the ride, all day long. The MT where waiting at each vet gate and Vet, Farrier and Physio – worked alongside Rachel’s crew of Husband – Andrew and Daughter Kate.

Rachel rode the ride to plan and achieved 6th place in the 160k 3* Belgian Championship class. There where quite a few horse here from other European nations, using this as a test for the forthcoming Europeans at Florac later this year.

After our Saturday success – we set our 9 riders and horses off in the 120k 2* class on Sunday morning. Riders from France, Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands joined them. The class consisted of four loops and three vet gates. There was a compulsory re-check with the vets at the third.

The speed of the first loop was a little slower than last year, but a little too fast for a lot of our riders. The Mont le Soie ride is very hilly, forestry tracks, slippery tarmac and hardly any flat going. Mostly you are climbing back towards the venue and vet gates with the venue standing at 600mtrs.

Vet Gate 1 was very chaotic...

Read more here:
http://www.endurancegb.co.uk/html/item.asp?ItemId=2373

The VI-Andalucia Kaliber Fair Play

El Raid Blog - Gabriel Gamiz

May 10, 2011

They have already gotten the results of all tests that were conducted for anti doping during all stages of Kaliber VI-Andalucia,
ALL have been negative.

Congratulations to all riders participating in this great race, whose sportsmanship, have shown that the vast majority of Equestrian Endurance riders do not seek extra help for the competition.

This is normal in equestrian competitions, which are not to cut corners, but that training is the best aid to compete with the best results.
Link to full results :
http://es.scribd.com/doc/55093291/Result-a-Dos-Control-Antidopaje-Vi-Raid-Kaliber-Andalucia-1

II Raid Lluçanes a CEI *** 160km

El Raid Blog - Gabriel Gamiz

Saturday May 7, 2011

Final Results II Raid Lluçanes a CEI *** 160km

The second Raid of Lluçanes, a CEI *** 160 km is completed. The last phase has been good move, as Maria Alvarez came out with advantage of a minute and a half over Jaume Punti and two on Alex Luque, could not keep up and has dropped to 12'09Km / h in the latter phase going to a sixth place in the final standings.

Jaume Punti rode at 17'17Km / h in this last phase, but has been eliminated.

The winner of the test has been Alex Luque has traced the two minutes it took the head apart and running 17'59 km / h. was proclaimed winner of the CEI *** 160km.

The top three teams:

1 .- Alex Luque Moral to "Ikland" in 9h-38'-06''to 16'61Km / h and Retrieval. in 13'15.''

2 .- Silvia Yebra Altimiras in "Nerak Komando's" in 9h-55'-31''to 16'12Km / h 15'05 recovered.''

3 .- Nina Lissarraque with 'Ibn Jahia Horr "in 9h-56'-56''to 16'08Km / h and recovered in 11'-15.''

Have completed 37 pairs and 20 deleted or removed.

The final complete classification with lap times, recovery times and final standings can be found here at: Equestrian Endurance Timing Services.

Belgium: Mont Le Soie

Endurance-Belgium.com

by Leonard Liesens

We recorded 200 horses during this first-of-May week-end in Mont Le Soie. We had a bright weather, a bit chilly and windy but with clear skies most of the time. That was in the advantage of the horses even if the crew had to play with the rugs (putting on, removing, re-putting on) depending of the horse temperature and the sun playing with the clouds.

A lot of foreigners, actually a record for this 2011 edition. The ride manager is thanking all riders who did long hauls to reach Mont Le SOie, and also the Belgians, who honoured the ride. All in all, Mont Le Soie is becoming one of the endurance competitions on the international circuit.

The going was predicted as easier thanks to the rain which had fallen during the days before. But it didn't rain enough to soften the trails and the going was quite hard. As a consequence, the average speed was lower than previous years; riders had to cope with the circumstances, which is normally the case for endurance riders, isn't it? Finally the completion ratio is good, ranging from 60% to 70 % depending on the races.

On the 160, the course of events was crystal-clear. From the beginning, there was a pack of leaders setting the pace. There were the three French riderss (Begaud, Dumas, Couderc) accompanied by the Belgo-French Wendy Fallon. Elise Couderc has in fact Belgian connections as she used to live in Belgium for several years as a forestry technician where she rode Shanon from the early qualification stages. This quartet of riders was in fact a quintet until the 5th loop when Aurelie Wery was pulled for lameness of her gelding. A bit behind, the Belgian Di Geronimo, De Wasseige and Just. The Bristish lady Atkinson did also a good ride, constant in the pacing. Like the Dutch Van Wijk and the Swedish Hagman. They were probably there to look for a completion on 160km. Job done!

As far as eliminations, there was one at the first loop cause by a fall (Van Cauter, Taborah de Sier). Bienfait gave up also after she felt from her horse at the start. Lut�ce de Crouz was looking for a selection in the Belgian Team from Florac but wasn't able to pass the 4th vetgate, horse lame.

On the contrary of the 160, the 120km-ride-for-juniors has had unexpected development during the last loop. The leader Anciaux did a hard job on the 3rd loop to increase the gap with the pursuers. That has the only tactic she could handle with her mare who needed more time to recover. So she started the last loop in the lead leaving the others 11 minutes behind. But her mare collapsed during the last climb back to the venue and was passed by three horses. At the end, Emeline Piron on Alicia finished first and detached. Alicia d'Havenne is a mare coming from the EWalraid program (a incentive program financed by the Wallonian region to help the breeders from Wallonia to promote their horses). She was trained and ridden by Dominique Evrard until recently (she brought her toward two selections in the Belgian team, Assisi and Lexington).

On Sunday, there were two international FEI rides, one CEI** 120km and one CEI* 100km. At the same time there were 100 horses coming for the national tests on 20 to 80km. On the 120km, the British Team (called the "World Class Start and Potential Squad") entered the ride with 9 horses. They did quite well as six of them completed the ride and it looked like they were happy as they confirmed their participation for next year. In the lead, victory for the good French mare Sharirah du Vent ridden by Simon Bellot.

More ride reports here:
http://endurance-belgium.com/pub/montlesoie/mls2011.htm

Photos and slide show here:
http://endurance-belgium.com/photos/mls2011/index.html

Fun photos here:
http://endurance-belgium.com/pub/montlesoie/romanphotos.htm

Spain: The Kaliber-Andalucia in Seville's April Fair 2011

El Raid Blog - Gabriel Gamiz

Thursday May 5, 2011

This morning, Thursday April Fair of Seville 2011, we had a festive gathering many of the participants of the VI Kaliber-Andalucia.

The Organizing Committee of this great trial of strength Equestrian, which runs through our land of Andalusia, has given us a meal in one of the booths in the exhibition area.

We conducted an all attendees, of course, about the race and horse, being the alma mater of this test José Manuel Soto who has captured all the eyes of the public who was walking near the house, everyone wanted to take some pictures with, as a memento of the visit to the fair in Seville...

More story and photos here:
http://ggjineteraid.blogspot.com/2011/05/el-kaliber-andalucia-en-la-feria-de.html

New Zealand: Double title for Masterton rider

Stepping Out: Gemma Haywood and Roselea Flaunt It go through their paces. Photo / Morocco Arabians
Times-age.co.nz - Full Article

Gary Caffell | 6th May 2011

Masterton's Gemma Haywood was a star performer at the 2011 New Zealand horse riding endurance championships at Kuratau, Taupo, over Easter weekend, winning titles in both the 80km one-star and 120km two-star events.

And she was not the only member of the Haywood family to feature prominently, with her mother Sandra picking up a third placing over 60km and her father Tony and brother Cole being part of their strapping team, along with Kelly Mason and Jordyn Piripi.

Good Friday saw Gemma Haywood competing in the 80km one-star competition on her homebred mare Roselea Flaunt It. They took the honours in a time of 4hr 54min. Haywood said she was "extremely proud" of her charge as she was in her first season of endurance and only completed the novice grading system in December last year.

The 120km two-star event was on Easter Sunday with Gemma Haywood and her homebred gelding Roselea Royal Fire crossing the start line at 2am and completing four phases of 30km each. The course was challenging with the uneven terrain including some hill work and that, along with the darkness, required extreme care to be taken to avoid injury...

Read more here:
http://www.times-age.co.nz/have-your-say/news/double-title-for-masterton-rider/3950662/

New Zealand: Andrea Smith takes out national endurance title

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

May 3, 2011

Andrea Smith and Glenmore Tariq zoomed home to win New Zealand's national CEI 3* Endurance Championship, completing the 160km at Lake Taupo over Easter in 9.34.55.

Riding in perfect conditions the combination travelled at an average speed of 16.7kph and finished unchallenged.

Coming home in second place, and also securing the Grassroots World FEI Qualifying Series win (over a maximum of seven CEI rides) was Taranaki's Sean Trafford and Sayfwood Rolling Stone. They were just under 30 minutes behind Smith, while one of last year's World Equestrian Games competitors, Jenny Chandler on Lace and Fineness, claimed third spot, in 10.04.37. Lace and Fineness was also awarded the Best Conditioned award...

Read more here:
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2011/05/016.shtml

UAE: First female jockeys to saddle up

Gulfnews.com

First female jockeys to saddle up
Hamdan gives green light for two Emirati riders to compete in The Netherlands

* By M. Satya Narayan, Chief Sports Reporter
* Published: 00:00 May 3, 2011

Abu Dhabi: Fatma Al Merri and Shattra Al Hajjaj will become the first female jockeys from the UAE when they don the silks in an official race to be held in Duindigt, The Netherlands on June 19.

Thanks to instructions from Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, the two endurance riders at his Seih Assalam Stables have been chosen to race in the Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival's Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Fegentri Cup race.

"For us this is a big step for our country. Shaikh Hamdan instructed me to support the Shaikh Mansour Festival and encourage Emirati jockeys," said Ali Al Muhairi, Racing Manager for Shaikh Hamdan.

"Both Fatma and Shattra have been very good endurance riders and now they have been training every day to take part in the flat race," he told Gulf News.

"We have two experienced jockeys training them and they have said that both Fatma and Shattra have been improving by the day. We have installed a starting gate and have also made an oval shaped course so that they train to race on the bends," said Al Muhairi, who is among the top endurance riders in the country.

Speaking to Gulf News, Shattra said she was looking forward to the new experience. "I am excited ever since I was named to race in Holland. I have to thank Shaikh Hamdan and Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak for all the support," said Shattra who has quit her job to take up equestrian sport full time.

Excel in flat racing

"I was 54kg when I started but now I am 52 and we have been working very hard. I have been involved in endurance riding for about a year now and have taken part in many events," she said.

Fatma has already won endurance rides and is hoping to excel in flat racing too. "I am very keen to do well. I have gained a lot of experience in the last two years in endurance and now I am really enjoying this exciting new prospect," said the Grade 12 student of Al Rayya School.

"The facilities provided by Shaikh Hamdan for us are very useful and we want to do well for his sake and for the country's sake. It has been very exciting since we started training for the flat races and I want to stay focused," said the Emirati school girl.

The prize money for the Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Fegentri Cup race to be held on June 19 at the Duindigt race course in The Netherlands is €20,000 (Dh108,714).

France: 2011 Uzes

3 May 2011


2011 mai 2nd CEI* 100 Km Qualifier World 7 years Championship
Guillaume Raffalli came first on Oahira la Majorie at 19.88 km/h.
12 qualified for the World 7 years Championship out of 40 starters

Complete results and photos here:
http://www.brigitte-huard.com/02-05-11-Uzes-100km-qualif,838,21,en,f.html



2011 mai 1rst Uzès CEI* open, 90 Km SHF, 20 Km, 40 Km, 60 Km
A chinese delegation was there
Complete results and photos here:
http://www.brigitte-huard.com/01-05-11-Uzes-90km,837,21,fr,f.html


2011 april 30th Uzès CEI** 125 km
Complete results here:
http://www.brigitte-huard.com/30-04-11-Uzes-125km,822,21,fr,f.html

Bahrain: Al Khatri wins endurance ride

Gulf-daily-news.com

May 1, 2011

MOHAMMED Hilal Al Khatri of Al Asayel Stable won the End-of-Season Endurance Ride Championship early yesterday morning at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

Al Khatri, riding Al Andell Muscat, overcame a poor start to clinch the 100-kilometre event in a total ride time of four hours 20 minutes and four seconds.

The race was organised by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef), and it was held under the patronage of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first vice-chairman and Breef president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Shaikh Khalid was in attendance during the event's final moments and he later presented the top three finishers their respective trophies.

The ride's complete distance was divided into four stages, with the first two legs covering 30 kilometres apiece, followed by a 25-km third leg and a 15-km final stage.

Al Khatri had a relatively slow start to his campaign as he found himself in 14th position after the opening leg. But he battled his way into the top six after the second stage and was in contention in fifth after the third, from where he raced to the front for a strong finish during which he registered an average pace of 23.07kph.

Al Khatri built a comfortable two-minute gap ahead of his closest rival in the end. Nezar Hassan Mohammed of Hawar Stable, riding Tirroan, finished as the runner-up with a total ride time of 4:22:43.

Mohammed had a consistent showing in the event, never moving out of the top since the start.

Saud Fawzi Al Doseri of Al Shawamek Stable, saddled on Dum Dum, came in third place with a total ride time of 4:26:42. Al Doseri was the leader after the penultimate stage, but he could not hold on to his lead at the end.

Khalifa Saad Sharida Mubarak of Al Asayel riding GE Lady finished fourth in 4:28:50; teammate Bader Ateeq Edham on Al Jared was fifth in 4:29:29; while Abdulla Yusuf Al Qasimi of Al Magawir Stable and riding Jellaby Kafour came sixth in 4:29:44.

The championship's early leader, Raed Mahmood of Al Shawamek, could not claim a place among the event's top finishers. After taking the lead at the end of the first two stages, Mahmood dropped to fourth after stage three and was not classified in the final rankings.

New Zealand: New Endurance Champions are Crowned

NZEquestrian.org.nz

28/04/2011 3:45:45 p.m.

Andrea Smith riding Glenmore Tariq completed a thoroughly deserved victory on Good Friday at Endurance’s Nationals, at Kuratau, Lake Taupo, in the CEI 3* 160km ride, finishing in an impressive time of 9.34.55 and uncontested in the final stages.

For Smith and her homebred horse the victory was doubly sweet as they had come so far at the same venue earlier in the season, at the North Island champs, only to be given out lame in the final hurdle, that particular time they crossed the line in second.

This time round however there were no concerns for Smith; riding in perfect conditions they shaved over an hour off their previous time, finishing at an average speed of 16.7kph and looking in fine form the whole way.

Coming home in second place in his hundred mile race, and also securing the Grassroots World FEI Qualifying Series win (over a maximum of seven CEI rides) was Taranaki’s Sean Trafford and Sayfwood Rolling Stone, just under 30 minutes behind Smith, while one of last year’s WEG competitors, Jenny Chandler onboard Lace and Fineness claimed third spot, a respectable time of 10.04.37. Lace and Fineness was also awarded the Best Conditioned award the following day.

Also contested at these Nationals, and for the first time in several years, was the CEI JY 3* 160km ride, for riders under 21 years of age. For the past few years these riders have had to compete against adults, and some still chose to do so, but the FEI now allow them their own class. These young riders had a successful day with a 75% completion rate and first buckles for most. 16 year old Emma Mason from Wellington, riding Taralea Sheer Illusion was the top in this class, coming home also uncontested in a time of 11.25.24, almost one hour ahead of Georgia Smith and Aurora Australis. Third place was Tessa Deuss and Aspen Hills Santa Ana. All three horses a tribute to these young riders who worked so hard to bring them to this level. Best Conditioned Horse was awarded to Taralea Sheer Illusion.

Having a successful weekend also was Gemma Haywood from Wairarapa. Riding Roselea Royal Fire on Easter Sunday, the pair took home the CEI 2* 120km title from some close contesters, their total time of 7.57.05 enough to secure the win. In Second place was Marie Wakeling on Tokopuhe Kid, just over 2 minutes behind Haywood, and third, and later Best Conditioned, was awarded to Jessica Scheffer riding Sheba, their time of 8.03.27.

There was also a young rider 2* 120km class and this was won by Leanne Ireland and Alshar Blue Levi, riding sensibly in a time of 8.46.57, ahead of Emma Armstrong and Blue Thunder Shimar and Stacey Jones, Makahiwi Pretoria.

Winner of the CEN 120km ride was Australian Errol Watt, riding Raewyn Carter’s Maioro Tahi, their time 9.59.07

There were two CEI 1* classes; the 80km on Good Friday and the 100km on Saturday. Gemma Haywood rounded out her weekend by winning the CEI 1* 80km ride, on Roselea Flaunt It, while South Islander Charlotte Wadsworth, and Avaasha NZL, claimed the Young Rider class of this distance.

The CEI 1* 100km ride featured an exciting gallop finish – Wellington rider Sandy McCuan and Mizraim Silver Gym just getting the nod over Natalie Bickerton and Makahiwi Gazelle. Amanda Walton and Lotus Blue Moon finished first in the Young Rider section, their time 6.43.05, and the CEN 100km Junior event was won by Brigitte Smith and Craig Royston Melba.

Also on Sunday were the CEN 60km events, won respectively by Eileen Hart and Montana Rein in the Senior and Charlotte Berrett and Aspen Hills Balalaika.

Full results can be found on http://www.nzequestrian.org.nz/Resource.aspx?ID=11818

Call for Canadian Endurance Riders to Compete in China

Endurancecanada.ca

April 27 2011

Dear Canadian Endurance Riders:

A wonderful opportunity has presented itself! Endurance Canada has just learned that an invitation has been issued for upwards of four (4) Canadian riders to participate in an endurance competition in China.

This exciting news came following a recent path finding mission that was led by the Equine Canada Export Market Development Program (EC Export). Here is an excerpt from a recently published press release that will be issued in the coming days:


Path Finding Mission to China

This past March, six individuals, focused on the high-level goal of branding Canada’s equine industry, participated in a path finding mission to China. Over the course of five and half days, the delegation had discussions with numerous Chinese national federation and committee directors, government officials and horse and equine business owners. The delegation was led by Susan Stewart of SS Visions, a consultant specializing in export market development strategies, who was contracted by Equine Canada. It also included stakeholders from Canada’s Thoroughbred racing, reining and rodeo and barrel racing sectors, and a dedicated communications expert.  Drawing on sector-specific experts ensured knowledge-based discussions on this path finding mission.

Be sure to watch for the full release which will be distributed by Equine Canada. If you are not on their mailing list, it will also be featured at HYPERLINK "http://www.EquineCanada.ca/Export" www.EquineCanada.ca/Export and on the program’s Facebook page at HYPERLINK "http://www.Facebook.com/ECExport" www.Facebook.com/ECExport.


The Invitation – Will You Accept?

While in China, Susan Stewart, who manages EC Export, was personally invited by the Mayor of Chongqing Municipality to attend the 90 km endurance race that will be held there on June 11–12, 2011.  At that time, an invitation was also extended to include three or four of Canada’s endurance riders. Endurance Canada is working closely with Susan to send a team to China. Susan has confirmed that she will be participating in the event with a focus on managing the communications and publicity for Canadian activities associated with it. In this capacity, she will be able to provide guidance and insight to the Canadian riders in addition to helping organize their participation.   

A conference call has been scheduled between Susan and the Chairs of Endurance Canada International and the Endurance Canada Committee for early next week. During that call we will map out some of the details of the trip and get a sense of the budget associated with it. We already know that the costs to attend will be significantly reduced thanks to the generosity of our hosts in China.

Prior to this conference call we need to know: ARE YOU INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING?

For more information, see
http://www.endurancecanada.ca/news.htm

Orfeo Des Iviers - Belgian Arabian Horse of the Year: WAHO Trophy

April 4 2011

Every year, the WAHO (World Arabian Horse Organization) honors an arabian horse in every country by awarding the WAHO TROPHY.

Often in Belgium, as the association is mainly managed by breeders from the show ring, it is a show horse which is awarded. But the mentality is slowly changing in Belgium, leading the board of the Belgian Studbook to award the trophy to a sport horse.
So this year the WAHO Trophy went to ORFEO DES IVIERS, a horse who had a very long career in endurance (4 World Championchips, 2 European Championships) and won several international races.

Chaque année l'organisation mondiale du pur sang arabe, la WAHO, met à l'honneur un cheval arabe dans chaque pays en lui décernant le "WAHO TROPHY".

Souvent en Belgique, puisque l'organisation est principalement gérée par des éleveurs actifs dans le monde du show, c'est un cheval reconnu pour sa beauté qui est nominé et reçoit le titre belge. Mais il faut reconnaître que la mentalité commence à changer dans le milieu du pur sang arabe. La versatilité du cheval arabe est reconnue, est louée dans les écrits des organisations telles que la WAHO et l'ECAHO, mais dans la réalité ce sont encore les caractéristiques de beauté de l'arabe dit 'de show' qui dominent.

Story and photos on Orfeo des Iviers here:
http://merritravels.endurance.net/2010/09/mon-amour.html

Belgium: April 30-May 1 Mont Le Soie Update

April 27
There will be more than 70 horses at the start of the various qualifications rides (from 30 to 80km), including a dutch armada which will get the taste of the hilly Ardennes. We can also expect a couple of dozen horse on the novice 20km ride. So all in all a good week-end for the Belgian endurance. Follow this link for the CEN entries

April 24
The list of starters is now available (follow this link.) There will be eighty couples competing on the various races during the week-end. This is the first time that Mont Le Soie will be welcoming as many as participants. The weather forecast are favorable : there will be sunshine and clouds with normally no showers.

April 15
It announces a very good level of participation, both on Saturday then Sunday. A dozen small Dutch, German five or six, eight French, a British armada will test the waters and the hilly eastern Belgium.

ATRM, the French company for the timing of peak endurance races, will be there to manage the race and give us as usual flash rankings, timed to the second table redéparts, etc..

And last but not least, the commentator appointed Herve Guesdon we will enjoy his dynamism and his insightful comments.

The configuration of the loops has not changed from previous years.

For more information see:
http://www.endurance-belgium.com/navigation/index.htm and
http://endurance.net/international/Belgium/2011MontLeSoie/

Great Britain: World Class Start and Potential Squad set off for Belgium

EnduranceGB.co.uk

26th April 2011

Andrea Baker, Chef d'Equipe for the World Class Start and Potential Squad has reported that all horses and riders are fit and well and will meet at Dover on Tuesday 26th April to begin their Team trip to Mont Le Soie in Belgium. The ride is to take place on Saturday, 30th April 2011.

The Team comprises:
Andrea Champ - Druimghigha Luxor
Lyndsey Comben - Radwhan
Fiona Griffiths - Dear Kate,
Sue Higgins - Aberllywds Another Rose,
Annie Ings - Alpha

Also travelling with the Team are those members of the Potential Squad
looking to add to their FEI qualifications and support the Team:
Rachel Atkinson - Vanash,
Claire Bruce - Ah Diba,
Lesley-Ann Parker - Velvet Echo,
Sue Rich - Czako and
Young Rider Louise Rich - Cziko.

We wish them all the best for a safe and successful trip.

100km ride set for Bahrain local stables

Gulf-daily-news.com

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

THE Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) will be holding a 100-kilometre endurance ride for Bahrain's local stables on Friday.

Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first deputy chairman and Breef president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa announced the event yesterday. It is set to take place at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

Shaikh Khalid made the decision to hold the ride based on the applications from several owners of local stables.

The race will start at 5pm and it will feature four stages. The opening stage will be 30 kilometres in distance, followed by another 30km second stage. The third will be over 25km, while the fourth and final leg will cover just 15km.

The mandatory veterinary examinations for all participating horses will be held on race day from 3pm.

Shaikh Khalid said he is certain the race will be a tightly contested affair, with the large number of riders expected to participate. He wished the participants the very best in the ride, which he assured will be organised to the best abilities of Breef.

Australia: 2011 NSW State Championships at St Albans on 11th and 12th June

AERA.asn.au

The beginning of your quest for THE BIG THREE awarded by the NSW ERA

There will never be a better place to do a 160km ride than St Albans at the NSW State Ride……

There was a fantastic success rate at the Forgotten Valley Classic there two years ago. Experience the fabulous tracks and scenery that all us Shahzada tragics know so well and qualify for the Quilty (if you need to) in South Australia in September, another part of the Big Three. All you have to do is complete Shahzada in August after completing the State Ride in June and you and your horse are off to South Australia for the opportunity to achieve The Big Three.

This photo shows Katrina Bodewes and her horse Booramby Silver Elk who achieved the Big Three in 2010.

Lots of tears at the presentation this year, such a supreme effort and fantastic bond of horse and rider…….

come and give it a go!