UAE: Better management could reduce horse doping cases

Thenational.ae

Sarah Tregoning
April 30. 2009

ABU DHABI - Better management could reduce the risk of competition horses testing positive for banned substances, according to an Emirates Equestrian Federation (EEF) official.

Alison Abrahams, a consultant to the EEF and a Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI)-accredited showjumping and endurance judge, said that until FEI rules differentiating between medication and substances used for cynical doping were refined, rigorous care was essential in stables.

Four of the FEI's 14 ongoing doping cases involve UAE nationals.

"There must be a lot of emphasis on education and the importance of strict controls in stables," said Ms Abrahams, who in 1996 became the first woman to win an endurance race in the UAE, and who is a world governing body steward.

"A lot of people are training horses here for different disciplines and they all want to do the right thing, but unless you know what is going on in your stable to the smallest detail, there could be risks."

Horse doping, which has long cast a shadow over international equestrianism, reared its head in the UAE recently when four endurance horses failed drugs tests.

Their riders, who are identified as the "person responsible": under FEI rules, have been banned from competing in FEI-affiliated events pending tribunal hearings.

Vijay Morrthy, head of endurance riding at the Emirates Equestrian Federation, admitted the use of banned substances in UAE equestrian sport was a problem. But given the hands-off management style of most riders in the country, he seriously doubted they knowingly administered such drugs.

"The rider may have some moral responsibility, but I don’t think he knows about these things," he said. "Given the stringency of the testing, no rider or any experienced person would ever dream of doing such a thing and getting away with it.

"These things are absolutely inadvertent, and we need to make sure nothing like this happens again."

At the Beijing Olympics six showjumpers tested positive, four of them on the same day for the same pain reliever, while last week 21 polo ponies, worth an estimated Dh8.1 million, died in Florida after being administered poorly-measured supplements before a match.

While some doping incidents are attempts to enhance performance, the FEI's first vice president, Sven Holmberg, said most cases were medical infringements.

"Out of 2,800 tests per year, we only have one per cent that are positive and that includes the relatively large number of positive tests we have seen in the Middle East. Of the positive tests, 90 per cent are medical violations," Mr Holmberg said recently.

He added that the FEI was working with the World Anti-Doping Agency to clarify the issues of doping and veterinary science in the rulebook.

Ms Abrahams believes positive tests could be reduced with better understanding of how medication is metabolised and stricter controls over administration.

"There are issues with doping versus medication in every country," she said. "It's easy to see how mistakes can be made when horses are all living together and sharing the same feed, but it is essential that if one horse is medicated in a yard, that others do not inadvertently receive the same medication."

Ms Abrahams said the issue of stable management was discussed at the recent season-ending meeting of the EEF, which was held to allow everyone involved to comment on the season and issues affecting horse sport.

"The veterinarian, Dr Jim Bryant, gave a great speech on how to medicate your horse and how to be as thorough and careful as possible in the administration of medicine," she said.

"It’s very easy to lose track when horses are living together, and that’s when you can get into trouble."

stregoning@thenational.ae

* With additional reporting by Hugh Naylor

Bahrain: Top GCC riders for Bahrain race

Gulf-daily-news.com

Thursday, April 30, 2009


A TOTAL prize money of BD5,000 is up for the grabs in the 120-kilometre Seniors Endurance Horseride Championship to be held tomorrow from 5pm at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The winner of the race will receive the biggest prize of BD900. Runner-up gets BD800, BD700 for third place, BD600 for fourth and BD500 for fifth.

The next five riders will receive cash prizes with BD400 going to the rider finishing sixth. The next four riders will get BD350, BD300, BD250 and BD200 respectively.

Patronage

This is the concluding event of the endurance season and is being held under the patronage of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Top riders from Bahrain and across the GCC are set to compete in this event which is set to conclude at 5.20am on Saturday.

Among leading riders are members of the Kingdom Stables team from Saudi Arabia besides other participants from the UAE and Oman who arrived in Bahrain yesterday.

Others who have confirmed their participation include riders from some of the top stables in Bahrain like the Royal Endurance Team, Al Khaldiya, Al Asayel and Al Fateh stables.

The championship will be held over five stages. The first and second stages will be over 30 kms each, the third over 25 kms, the fourth 20 kms and the fifth and final stage cover 15kms.

The veterinary examination will be held on the day of the event at a purpose-built area inside the village. The examination will be held from 2pm to 4.30pm.

The top three riders will be honoured at the awarding ceremony on Saturday at the race venue.

Australia: Meg Wade Still Hospitalized

Tuesday April 28, 2009

Australian endurance rider Meg Wade remains unconscious in Canberra Hospital, after a fall from a horse while competing in the 100 km Tumbaramba endurance ride on April 4th.

She has been moved from ICU to the Neurological High Dependency unit, where she is breathing on her own and shows response to some stimuli. The doctors are pleased with her progress.

Her family and friends appreciate the overwhelming words of care and concern and support from around the world.

USA: Team USA Wins Silver at 2009 Pan American Endurance Championships

USEF Press Release: April 28 2009

By Joanie Morris and Vonita Bowers

Lexington, KY - Team USA put in a remarkable effort on the final phase at the 2009 Pan American Endurance Championships in Costa Azul, Uruguay to secure a Team Silver medal. They finished less than six minutes off the gold medal-winning pace of Argentina.

The American riders blazed through the final 15km phase: Cheryl van Deusen and on DA Al Capone (New Smyrna Beach, FL) and Stephen Rojek on Savvy (South Woodstock, VT) completed the final leg in just 37 minutes. Valerie Kanavy and LM Francesa Pharr (Fort Valley, VA) added to the effort with another strong final phase time and a sixth place Individual finish to secure a Team Silver medal.

The race was very close as the riders set off on the final phase, Team USA was just four minutes ahead of the Guatemalan Team and 25 minutes behind Argentina. The US riders made up considerable ground.

“We needed the riders to pick up the pace to assure a medal and the riders responded by turning in a phase speed of just under 16 miles per hour,” said Chef d’ Equipe Becky Hart. “The combined experience of not only the riders, but the crews, Team Veterinarian, and Team Staff contributed greatly to the overall result. This win was a true team effort.”

Gabrielle Mann and CM Big Easy (Bolinas, CA) served in the key anchor position in their first international competition. They delivered on their position and provided a security score in case one of the other members was unable to complete the competition. Her completion meant that the US Team was assured of at least the bronze, and allowed for a more aggressive strategy.

“Three of the American horses had to travel a long distance, and arrived with only a short time to prepare before the event. The horses and athletes adapted well to the short prep schedule and performed extremely well on a course that was quite different than what is common in the US. The result was a good performance,” said Team Veterinarian Jim Bryant. “They should be congratulated for the effort.”

Uruguay: King Begins State Visit To Uruguay

Bernama.com

April 27, 2009 14:47 PM

From Abdul Aziz Harun

MONTEVIDEO, April 27 (Bernama) -- Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah today began their state visit to Uruguay.

Their Majesties flew in to the Carrasco International Airport in a special aircraft at 6.15pm Sunday (5am Monday in Malaysia), and were greeted by Uruguayan Foreign Affairs Minister Gonzalo Fernandez.

The royal couple was accompanied by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin as the minister-in-attendance and several senior government officers.

This is the second visit to Uruguay by a Malaysian head of state. The first was in September 1995 by the late Tuanku Ja'afar Tuanku Abdul Rahman.

The current state visit is also to reciprocate the state visit to Malaysia by Uruguayan President Dr Tabare Vazquez Rosas in November 2007.

Tuanku Mizan and Tuanku Nur Zahirah are scheduled to have an audience with Vasquez tomorrow. In the evening, the President will host a state banquet in honour of Their Majesties.

The visit is expected to provide impetus for improving bilateral relations and symbolises the warm and close ties of friendship between the two countries.

Prior to the state visit, Tuanku Mizan participated in the Pan-American Endurance Race in Costa Azul, about 50km from here, on Friday at the invitation of Vasquez.

The Malaysian team clinched the first place among the six non-Pan American countries, which participated in the gruelling 120-km biennial challenge that involved a cross-country resistance race.

The six non-Pan American countries were Malaysia, England, France, Belgium, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

In the overall individual event, Tuanku Mizan, who rode Tormento, came in on 21st place while another Malaysian rider, Datuk Abdullah Taib, came in on 24th.

Tuanku Mizan clocked 8 hours 36 minutes, also to finish second in the non-Pan American category, while Abdullah took third place after clocking 9 hrs 21 minutes. Briton Dominique Freeman clocked 8 hrs 6 mins to win gold in the category.

Abdullah was seen with his right hand in a sling at the prize-giving ceremony at Santa Maria, Costa Azul.

He had suffered a fracture of the right shoulder after he fell from his horse, Horus. He managed to finish the race, riding the last five kilometres of the race with the injury.

Portugal: 2009 Monsaraz - Campeonato Nacional de Portugal

2009 Monsaraz

18 April 2009

Ana Margarida Costa and Gozlane du Somail won the 2009 Portugal Championships held 30 kilometers west of the Spanish border, near the historic medieval village of Monsaraz, in the beautiful hills of the Alentejo province. (Alentejo means "far from Tejo", the river belonging to Lisboa going to the Atlantic.)

Finishing 2 minutes behind Costa was Joao Raposo riding Titanic, followed by Roberto Paul Carranza riding Repoker.

Endurance.net coverage and results, and photos by Alice Proust at 2009 Monsaraz.

France: 2009 Uzes - 90 km, 125 km

2009 Uzes - France

CEI** 125 km: Robert PASTOR and INCHALLA were second on the first loop (00:00:29 seconds after the first), then first on the three following loops. He arrived under a sunny weather, while it was pooring with rain on the following riders.

Coverage on 2009 Uzes by Endurance.net

Photos and complete results by Brigitte Huard

USA Team takes Silver at Pan American Championship

The United States team started and finished 4 riders at the 2009 FEI Pan American Endurance Championship held in Uruguay. The Championship distance was 120 kilometers (75 miles).

Argentina won the Gold Medal, and Guatemala took Bronze.

USA Team results:
Valerie Kanavy riding LM FRANCESA: 6th place, 6:31 hours
Cheryl Van Deusen riding DA AL CAPONE : 11th place, 6:50 hours
Stephen Rojek riding SAVVY : 12th place, 6:50 hours
Gabrielle Mann riding CM BIG EASY: 21st place, 9:15 hours

Three of the USA horses were shipped from the USA. One horse was already in Uruguay. The 100 percent completion rate and the high placement of the individual riders was a great accomplishment for the USA, especially considering that they were among the few competitors whose horses where shipped from afar.

Team Chef d' Equipe Becky Hart was very pleased with the results. The USA is gearing up to host the next World Endurance Championship in 2010 and Ms. Hart is focusing all of her efforts on training and preparing USA riders and horses for a competitive showing at this event. The winning of Pan American Silver Medal was a great boost for this effort.

Full Pan Americano event coverage at http://www.endurance.net/international/Uruguay/2009PanAm/

Canada: World Endurance Championships

Ogilvyequestrianeng.blogspot.com

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Following on strong results achieved November 7, 2008 at the World Endurance Championships in Malaysia, Canada is now preparing for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

Placing 7th at the Championships, the team is made up of riders Wendy Benns (Pontypool, ON), Ruth Sturley (Owen Sound, ON), Yvette Vinton DVM (Simcoe, ON) and Bob Gielen (Norton, NB).

Throughout this year, results from both Canadian endurance teams (Canada East and Canada West) will be compiled for qualification for the WEG.

OE will follow the season with great interest : good luck to all riders!

Uruguay: Guatemala team wins bronze medal at Pan American Endurance Championship Uruguay 2009

Guatemala-times.com

Friday, 24 April 2009 - Barbara Schieber

The Guatemalan team, composed by four riders, won the bronze medal today at the Pan American Endurance Championship in Uruguay 2009. Argentina won the gold medal and the US obtained silver.

The Guatemalan team is:
Senior Category
Fernando Paiz Larrave, horse: Balek El Tornado
Laura Paiz Larrave, horse: Princesa del Mirasol
Jaime Humberto Mansilla Vargas, horse: Julieta
Clarisa de Wit, horse: TBO Faisan

All Guatemalan participants in the equestrian endurance championship obtained positions among the first 20 finalists.

Fernando Paiz Larrave, horse: Balek El Tornado - position 9
Laura Paiz Larrave, horse: Princesa del Mirasol - position 6
Jaime Humberto Mansilla Vargas, horse: Julieta - position 13
Clarisa de Wit, horse: TBO Faisan - position 12

Janio Jonston individual competitor - position 19

Andres Primo Gonzales, competitor junior category - position 12

The competition among the participating countries was fierce, riders from Argentine, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, U.S., Canada, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Guatemala, England, Belgium, Malaysia, the King of Malaysia was also a competitor.

Guatemala has been improving it's performance in equestrian endurance at international events every year for the last 4 years.
Today is a very special day, beating, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay who have very tough and experienced teams, is a dream come true for the Guatemalan riders.

We send the team our warmest congratulations! Job well done.

VIVA GUATEMALA.

Uruguay: 2009 Pan American Championship

2009 Panamericano de Endurance

Senior 120 km Finish

1. 6:15 Martin Lateulade - Diyo Bayo (URU)
2. 6:15 Pio Juan Miguel Olascoaga Amaya (URU) - Btovi Dorado
3. 6:28 Juan Cruz Caceres (URU) - Spartaco In

Young Rider 120 km Finish

1 5:50 Martina Spelanzon (Arg) - RP Dardanell
2 Cristina Mutis (Col) - Gaine Four
3 Fernando Jr. Spelanzon (Arg) - FS Bucefalo


Team Standings at Finish

1 Argentina
2 USA
3 Guatemala

Young Rider Team Standings at Finish

1 Argentina - YR

Full Coverage on Endurance.net

Guatemala: Team Ready for Pan Americans

Original Article: Guatemala Times - Friday, 24 April 2009 15:43 Barbara Schieber
The Guatemalan team, composed by four riders, won the bronze medal today at the Pan American Endurance Championship in Uruguay 2009. Argentina won the gold medal and the US obtained silver.

The Guatemalan team is:
Senior Category
Fernando Paiz Larrave, horse: Balek El Tornado
Laura Paiz Larrave, horse: Princesa del Mirasol
Jaime Humberto Mansilla Vargas, horse: Julieta
Clarisa de Wit, horse: TBO Faisan

All Guatemalan participants in the equestrian endurance championship obtained positions among the first 20 finalists.

Fernando Paiz Larrave, horse: Balek El Tornado - position 9
Laura Paiz Larrave, horse: Princesa del Mirasol - position 6
Jaime Humberto Mansilla Vargas, horse: Julieta - position 13
Clarisa de Wit, horse: TBO Faisan - position 12

Janio Jonston individual competitor - position 19

Andres Primo Gonzales, competitor junior category - position 12

The competition among the participating countries was fierce, riders from Argentine, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, U.S., Canada, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Guatemala, England, Belgium, Malaysia, the King of Malaysia was also a competitor.

Guatemala has been improving it's performance in equestrian endurance at international events every year for the last 4 years.
Today is a very special day, beating, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay who have very tough and experienced teams, is a dream come true for the Guatemalan riders.

We send the team our warmest congratulations! Job well done.

VIVA GUATEMALA.

[More ...]

USEF Names Team for 2009 Pan American Endurance Championships

he USEF has named the following horse/rider combinations for the 2009 Pan American Endurance Championships to be held in Costa Azul, Uruguay on April 24, 2009.

The following horse/rider combinations will represent the US at the Pan American Championships:

Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Breed/Age/Sex/Owner

Valerie Kanavy/62/Fort Valley, VA/LM Francesa Pharr/Arabian/10/M/Valerie Kanavy
Gabrielle Mann/35/Bolinas, CA/CM Big Easy/Arabian/14/G/Gabrielle Mann
Stephen Rojek/64/South Woodstock, VT/Savvy/Arabian/13/G/Dinah and Stephen Rojek
Cheryl Van Deusen/49/New Smyrna Beach, FL/DA Al Capone/Arabian/14/G/Cheryl Van Deusen

Both Team and Individual medals will be awarded at this competition, which will be run over a course 120 km in length.

Endurance.Net Event Coverage...]

France: 2009 Uzes

Results and Photos

1. Fabrienne Labret

2. Philippe Tomas

3. Jean-Philippe Frances

Uruguay: King of Malaysia arrives in Uruguay for equestrian competition

Mercopress.com

Monday, April 20th 2009

The King of Malaysia is expected Monday in Uruguay to participate in a equestrian endurance competition scheduled for next Friday. An advance party of King Mizan Zainal Abidin, 46, is already in Uruguay selecting horses and addressing security issues for the monarch and his immediate collaborators.

The 120 kilometres endurance competition in different terrains and which is particularly demanding for the horse and rider is part of the Pan-American calendar of the discipline.

Contrary to a normal equestrian raid which follows established routes, the endurance competition is basically a cross country resistance race in different circuits and distances, with five stops for vets to check health conditions of the horses.

“Besides the excitement of the competition the most important factor in the health and running conditions of the horses that is why the checks”, said Diego Carrasco one of the organizers of this week’s event.

The Pan-American competition is disputed every two years, and Uruguay won the gold medal in 2005 and in the junior competition two years later in Argentina. In 2007 Uruguay obtained silver in Campinas, Sao Paulo state, Brazil.

Carrasco said that a good relation was established between Malaysian and Uruguayan riders last December when the world endurance competition took place in Malaysia.

“Malaysians were impressed with the Uruguayan horses resistance and adaptability and have since been buying horses in Uruguay”, said Carrasco who added that in the Arab Emirates there are also “Uruguayan horses and Uruguayan staff looking after them”.

Some Arab sheiks have also purchased land in Uruguay to train their horses.

“A good resistance horse like any long distance runner needs a lot of training, every day, meticulously to ensure he’s ready for the competition”, said Carrasco.

King Mizan Zainal Abidin will be participating with a group of seven riders, out of a total of 85 that have registered for the competition. Riders will be coming from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, United States, Uruguay, Belgium, Arab Emirates, Spain, Britain and Holland and will be running in Senior and Young categories, one star, 80 kilometres and two stars, 120 kilometres.

“The advance delegation of the King has already checked the circuit and love Uruguay because they can move freely and they are impressed by the landscape”, underlined Carrasco.

Mizan Zainal Abidin was sworn in the post as Malaysia 13th king in December 2006. In 1998 he succeeded his father Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah, as sultan of the state of Terengganu, one of the nine hereditary states that occupy the throne for five year periods. Malaysia is the only country in the world to have a rotating monarchy.

Mizan Zainal Abidin, was educated in Australia and Great Britain and is a well known sportsman including soccer, golf, diving, taekwondo and equestrian disciplines.

FEI to tidy up doping regulations

Thenational.ae

Sarah Tregoning

April 19. 2009

LAS VEGAS - A high-ranking International Equestrian Federation (FEI) official yesterday outlined steps that the governing body is taking to clarify its doping regulations in the wake of a number of prominent positive drugs tests, including one case in the UAE.

Sven Holmberg, the FEI's First Vice President & Jumping Committee Chairman, yesterday said a commission had been established in conjunction with the World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) to thrash out rule clarifications.

The commission has been in existence for a number of years but achieved greater significance in a spate of the recent, high-profile doping cases.

It emerged this month that Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will face an FEI tribunal after one of his endurance horses tested positive for a banned substance.

In a statement issued on April 6, Sheikh Mohammed asserted that a horse he had ridden in international competition tested positive for guanabenz, used to treat hypertension, and a metabolite of stanozolol, an anabolic steroid.

"While completely unaware and utterly condemning the administration of these substances, His Highness has volunteered his acceptance that he is legally the person responsible," read the statement.

The test, administered by Sheikh Mohammed's staff, influenced his decision to pull out of a recent UAE endurance race and report the findings to the FEI. He has now received a suspension pending results from the tribunal.

This incident comes after four horses, one a bronze medallist, all tested positive for the banned pain reliever, capsaicin, on the same day at the Beijing Olympics last year.

Although Holmberg, speaking from the Thomas and Mack Centre in Las Vegas, venue of the Rolex FEI Showjumping World Championship, could not comment on individual, he said work was being done to clarify the distinction between substances administered for medicinal reasons and others given to horses as performance enhancers.

"There will be changes to the rules," said Holmberg, who is number two to FEI President, Princess Haya Bint Hussein, wife of Sheikh Mohammed. "We have a separate set of rules for doping and medication. It’s a problem of striking a balance between legal requirements on one side and veterinary science on the other.

"If a horse is sick then they need to be treated properly - violations for medical substances can mean the rider has come back to competition too early. That’s a much less serious offence than if you are giving the horse performance enhancers."

The vast majority of positive tests, said Holmberg, fit into the medical category.

"Out of 2,800 tests per year, we only have one per cent that are positive and that includes the relatively large number of positive tests that we have seen in the Middle East." he added. "And of the positive tests, 90 per cent are for medical violations."

The World Championship concludes on Sunday.

stregoning@thenational.ae

New Zealand: Record smashed at Endurance champs

full article at Stuff.co.nz


photo: RUNNER UP: Masterton-based Jenny Champion, riding Freckles, finished second at the National Endurance Championships held in Wairarapa at Easter.
The New Zealand record for a 160-kilometre (or "hundred miler") endurance horse race was broken at the Mitavite National Endurance Championships held in Wairarapa at Easter.

Mark Tylee of Owhango in the central North Island, riding his 12-year-old part-Arab mare Class Act, smashed the previous New Zealand record for a one-day 160km endurance ride by a considerable margin, completing the distance in eight hours, 24 minutes and 37 seconds - an average speed of more than 19 kilometres per hour.

Tylee's victory in the three-star event was Tylee's third national championship win, and the 20th 160km ride he has successfully completed, a remarkable tally for a rider who is only 25 years old.

Tylee was chased hard by Wairarapa rider Jenny Champion, riding her 13-year-old Arab mare Freckles, who had won the national title from Tylee the previous year.

Champion had caught up with Tylee on the final 20km loop of the six-loop ride, and the pair covered much of the final loop at a gallop, averaging nearly 25kph. However after Champion's mount slipped about 8km from home she felt the horse was not able to sustain the pace, allowing Tylee to regain his lead, and he finished six minutes ahead of Champion.

Young South Island rider Kylie Avery won the two-star 120km championship ride in just under six hours on her part-Arab stallion Silands Jasark, while the junior 120km title went to Michael Wakeling riding Delahaye Finali, cruising to victory 45 minutes ahead of his nearest rival.

The one-star 107km ride was won by Anita Lamb riding Bushlands Dees Pride, while the junior title went to Vanessa Tiffen, riding Gazzah.

A total of 94 horse and rider combinations from around New Zealand took part in the weekend championships, which was based at Whareama, east of Masterton, and took riders across rolling and flat Wairarapa farmland.

Competitors enjoyed three days of perfect sunshine over the Easter weekend, and their night loops of the ride (The 160km and 120km rides began at 1am and 3am respectively) were made easier by the light of the full moon.

Shane Dougan, President of Wairarapa Endurance and CTR Club, which hosted the championships, said the level of competitiveness of horses and riders was the highest in many years.

"It is fantastic to see so many top riders and horses performing at their peak. In the three-star ride we had at least a dozen competitors still in the leading bunch nearly to the end - we haven't seen such a competitive field in a championship event for many years."

The relatively flat track and good conditions underfoot also meant a high proportion of horses successfully completed the course, and contributed to the record-beating ride times, with nine riders in the 160km ride finishing in less than nine hours, Dougan said.

"It was a fast track but it was also a challenging one - and it certainly made for some exciting competition."

Wairarapa Endurance and CTR Club is grateful for the support of Wairarapa landowners who allowed the course to go through their properties, the local community, and the generosity of sponsors, especially major sponsors Mitavite, Trust House and Tuff Rock.

[More ...]

Australia: Meg Wade in Coma after fall

Horsedealsmagazine.com

14 April 2009

Meg Wade was competing in the TUMBARUMBA ENDURANCE RIDE on the weekend, (photo coverage to follow tomorrow), Horse Deals has received information that apparently her horse shied at a puddle and she fell and lay unconscious, fortunately only 100 yards from a checkpoint. Ambos & a doctor attended very quickly and she was airlifted to hospital in Canberra, still unconscious. Lastest news is that she was in an induced coma last night and still in ICU this morning.

Meg is so widely known and respected both here and throughout the middle east and Europe, Our thoughts and prayers are with her, and hopefully they will be enough to see her back on her horse soon!

Malaysia: Tuanku Mizan Finishes Third In MGIER Endurance

Bernama.com

April 12, 2009

MELAKA, April 12 (Bernama) -- Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin finished third in the 80km ride on the closing day of the Melaka Grand Invitational Endurance Ride (MGIER) 2009 at the Hang Jebat Stadium, Krubong today.

Adorning number 77, the Royal Terengganu Endurance Stable (RTES) horseman, who rode "Jakim Murphy", ended the race in 5hr 5mins 55 secs.

Only 14 of 26 participants completed the race which was won by another RTES horseman, Mohd Nizan Muda, who mounted "Camelot Retreat Basha".

He crossed the finishing line in 4hr 55mins 35secs ahead of runners-up Master Scaff's Mohd Shahlan Hamzi Mohd Noor, who astride "Duke" (5hr 24secs).

Riders from Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, France, Germany, the United States and host Malaysia vied for the titles in the 40km, 80km and 120km endurance races.

In the 120km event, a State of Terengganu Endurance Team rider Wan Mohd Kamaluddin Wan Yusuff clocked 9hr 13mins 55secs to emerge winner by a whisker by astriding "Idais Tobiha".

Mounting "Two Step", Raja Adib Raja Mahmood of Bukit Kiara Equestrian and Country Club finished a close second by merely two seconds behind the winner.

Tuanku Mizan's children, Tengku Muhammad Ismail and Tengku Nadhirah Zahrah took part in the 40km event.

Melaka Yang Dipertua Negeri Tun Mohd Khalil Yaakob and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam gave away the prizes.

UAE: Equestrian officials discuss endurance season and new rules

Gulf News
Staff Report
Published: April 13, 2009, 23:06

Abu Dhabi: More than 70 veterinary doctors, trainers, riders, stable owners and equestrian officials attended an 'End of Endurance Season' meeting organised by the Emirates Equestrian Federation on Sunday at Fairmont Hotel, Dubai.

The meeting was organised by the Emirates Equestrian Federation (formerly UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation) to discuss the UAE's domestic endurance season and to share the experiences of various officials involved in the discipline.

The focus of the seminar was primarily on the new FEI rules (which came into effect in January this year), National Rules, Veterinary issues and medication control.

Taleb Dhaher Al Muhairi, Secretary General, Emirates Equestrian Federation, welcomed the gathering and stated that it was imperative to have such meetings at the end of every season so that experiences and problems could be shared and solved and an amicable solution arrived at to avoid future impediments.

Dr. Hallvard Sommerseth, Head of Veterinary at the Federation discussed several veterinary-related problems, elaborated on the changes in the new FEI rules and the National rules.

Dr. Sommerseth said that the UAE had a very brief season for endurance (4 to 5 months) compared to many European countries (for instance in France it extends over 9 months) He said the country had done exceedingly well despite the weather conditions.

Giving details of the endurance rides, Dr. Sommerseth said there were 61 rides including 22 FEI rides, covering a total of 5,540 kilometres and featured 3,288 starters and as many as 1,528 riders, which amounted to "46.47 per cent completion which is comparable to anywhere in the world".