Guillermo Gonzalez and Camerupt are 2013 Spanish Junior Champions

El Raid Blog

May 4 2013

Guillermo Gonzalez and Camerupt won the Spanish Junior/Young Rider Championships on May 4, 2013 in Sant Feliu Sasserra (Barcelona), Spain. Nuria Serrabassa riding Kasbah was second, and Gil Berenguer riding Shagya Irisz was third.

The 120 km ride was completed in 6:54.23 at an average of 17.81 kkm/h.

Complete results can be seen here:
http://www.ecuestreonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/fase4.pdf

Australia: Endurance rider ready for another big year

Bellingencourier.com.au - Full Article

May 1 2013

Bellingen rider Sharon Foster is all trained up for another year of endurance horse riding.

Foster has three horses on a fitness program ready for the endurance season ahead.

The Coffs Clarence Endurance Riding Club will be running its annual endurance ride on August 17 and 18.

There will be two 20km social rides, a 40km training ride and an 80km competition ride. All horse lovers are welcome. Last year, Foster covered a total of 1500km in training around the state forests in Bellingen.

And riding her trusted Arabian mare Maleka rode a total of 720km of competition, with a 100 per cent success rate...

Read more here:
http://www.bellingencourier.com.au/story/1470346/endurance-rider-ready-for-another-big-year/?cs=12

Australia: Tom Quilty Gold Cup closing date extended

Gympietimes.com.au - Full Article

1 May 2013

THE closing date to nominate for Australia's international endurance horse ride, the Tom Quilty Gold Cup, has been extended to May 15.

The 48th Tom Quilty Gold Cup will be held at Kilkivan from June 7-9, hosted by the Kilkivan Endurance Riders Club (KERC).

To qualify for the "Quilty", riders must successfully complete a 160km ride prior to the event.

Several lead-up endurance rides were cancelled due to unprecedented weather events including repeated heavy rains and flooding in south-east Queensland since January.

The most recent cancellation was the Far-A-Way endurance carnival, due to have been held at Imbil over Easter.

KERC president, Vern Berry said nominations to date for the Quilty were down on expectations because many key qualifying rides had been washed out...

Read more here:
http://www.gympietimes.com.au/news/tom-quilty-gold-cup-closing-date-extended/1849797/

Great Britain: Team Omar strike gold

Brechinadvertiser.co.uk - Full Article

04/05/2013

Despite the inclement weather and poor ground conditions over the early months of this year being responsible for delays in training programmes and competitive rides, Brechin based rider John Thomson and his pure bred Arabian endurance horse Prince Omar headed south for their first competitive ride of the season.

John and Omar joined 130 other combinations at the Endurance Great Britain National ride at Durham Valleys in early April with Team Omar taking on the 82 kilometres class.

The route, broken into a series of loops, followed sections of bridleways and disused railway lines making the going ideal for Omar’s flat speed conditioning.

Despite a temperature of minus two degrees Celsius in the early morning start, by the time Team Omar came into Vet Gate one the sun was up and the temperature had reached what seemed like a “tropical” 14 degrees Celsius.

By this stage Team Omar had covered the first 40 kilometres loop in under two and a half hours.

With the crew working flat out Omar was quickly vetted and the second loop covered in a time of two hours and 17 minutes to gain a National 2 award and gold standard.

“With the weather playing havoc with training plans and our first planned National ride in Cumbria cancelled there was always a slight worry about being fully prepared for a big distance early in the season,” explained John...

Read more here:
http://www.brechinadvertiser.co.uk/sport/local-sport/team-omar-strike-gold-1-2915443

Great Britain: Godolphin Trainer's Steroid Use Called 'Deliberate Flouting'

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By The Blood-Horse Staff • May 01, 2013 • Article #31788

The British Horseracing Authority (BHA), in a recap of a hearing into trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni's admitted use of anabolic steroids in some of his racehorses, called it a "deliberate flouting" of the rules of racing.

The BHA published the document April 30, just days after Al Zarooni, who trained for Godolphin, was suspended for eight years for 11 positive tests for ethylestranol and stanozolol. Blood samples were taken from the horses April 9, and the hearing before the BHA Disciplinary Panel was held April 25.

"The panel takes a very dim view of the sheer volume of horses who were subjected to these unlawful medication regimes," the BHA said. "This was a widespread systematic misuse of illegal substances which are absolutely prohibited under the rules..."

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/31788/godolphin-trainers-steroid-use-called-deliberate-flouting?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=welfare-industry&utm_campaign=05-02-2013

Jairo Rodriquez and Lyrical Breeze are 2013 Spanish Champions

El Raid Blog

May 2 2013

Jairo Rodriquez and Lyrical Breeze won the Spanish Championships held on May 2 in Sant Feliu Sasserra (Barcelona), Spain. The pair covered the 160 km in 9:28.15, averaging 17.11 km/h. Lyrical Breeze also received the Best Condition award.

Laia Muixi riding Flying Tornade finished second, and Bernat Casals riding Dzsamila-P finished 3rd.

10 of 34 starters completed the ride.

Full results can be seen here:
http://www.ecuestreonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/resultados_raid_ctoespana.pdf

Australia: Mudgee Endurance Ride celebrates 40th birthday

Mudgeeguardian.com.au - Full Article

April 29 2013

Mudgee Endurance Riders Club will dedicate its 40th anniversary ride on May 25 and 26 to its veterinarian of 36 years, the late Ray Gooley.

Planning is well underway for the 40th ride which will start from the Cooyal Progress Association Hall on Wollar Road.

The main event of 83 kilometres will head out at 6am on Sunday, May 26, and a 40-kilometre training ride will begin at 7am.

There will also be a 20-kilometre social ride on Saturday afternoon starting at 1pm. Vetting pre-ride takes place from 11am on Saturday.

Mudgee Endurance Riders Club member Pat Dickinson said the course is not difficult and travels along quiet lanes, private properties, fire trails and bush tracks...

Read more here:
http://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/story/1463873/mudgee-endurance-ride-celebrates-40th-birthday/?cs=1233

Swiss Protest "Negative Evolution of the FEI discipline Endurance"

4/26/2013

In a March 26, 2013, letter from the Swiss Federation, sent to the FEI and distributed to the National Equestrian Federations and European Equestrian Federation, the "negative evolution of the FEI discipline Endurance in the last few years" and the well being of the equestrian sport of endurance and its horses has been addressed.

The letter was written "on behalf of many worried riders, trainers and officials, but also observers in the public, media and animal protection circles." The letter stated, the "actual situation of FEI Endurance is taking forms that the Swiss Equestrian Federation cannot accept any longer."

The letter addresses the "multitude of witnessed and documented cruelties to horses… tremendous fracture frequencies… dangerous treatment protocols… as well as cheating actions before and during the Endurance races… in parallel with the non-taking of responsibility and function of certain officials…"

A "dramatic incidence of positive medication and doping cases" has been observed, along with inequity in competition.

The Swiss have petitioned the FEI to take immediate and efficient measures against the doping of endurance horses and the documented non-equity of competition.

The Swiss letter precedes letters of concern from the French Equestrian Federation, and the Belgian Equestrian Federation to the FEI in October of 2012.

The Belgian letter dated October 2, 2012, addressed (google translate) "the number of dead from exhaustion or horses euthanized due to spontaneous fractures has reached unimaginable proportions…" and requests the FEI take the (google translate) "necessary measures to ensure that perpetrators are actually banned from equestrian sport and that such actions quit permanently."

The French letter, dated October 12, 2012, addressed "a welfare issue concerning endurance discipline," pointing to 3 horse deaths during international endurance competition: "Concerned Horses dead after having passed vet gate inspections either during the track either after the end of the track… These cases are preoccupant for all endurance stakeholders. Here is a risk to tarnish the public perception of endurance discipline…"

No public comment so far from the FEI.

The Federation letters can be seen here:

Belgian Federation letter to FEI

French Federation letter to FEI

Swiss Federation letter to FEI

Abu Dhabi: Al Harmoudi wins Night Endurance Ride

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Khaled Abdullah Ahmad Al Harmoudi riding 12-year-old Ashraf Sparkling Polaris won the 120-km Al Wathba Night Ride

By M. Satya Narayan, Abu Dhabi Deputy Editor
Published: 09:16 April 27, 2013

Abu Dhabi: Khaled Abdullah Ahmad Al Harmoudi riding 12-year-old Ashraf Sparkling Polaris won the 120-km Al Wathba Night Ride at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi on Friday night.

Al Harmoudi was followed home by Dana Mohammad Sharif Al Mutawa on Syferpan Cosmo with Rashed Hamoud Humaid Al Junaibi on Sarah Jones Te finishing third.

The Night Ride began at 5.15 pm and winner crossed the finish line at midnight with a time of 4 hours 10 minutes and 37 seconds.

A total of 166 riders took part in the 120-km event that was run in four stages of 40km, 40km, 24km and 16kms.

The winner drove away a 4WD car for his effort while all those who completed the event shared a total prize fund of Dh 450,000.

UAE: Racing giant Sheik Mohammed is no stranger to doping controversies

Dailymail.co.uk - Full Article

By JONATHAN POWELL
PUBLISHED: 15:50 EST, 27 April 2013

Sheik Mohammed, founder of the shamed Godolphin operation, has been tainted previously by three equine doping infringements involving himself, his family and his horses.

Thoroughbred racing's biggest scandal continues to unfold following an eight-year ban for trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni after anabolic steroid stanozolol was found in some of Godolphin's horses.

But the Sheik has been in trouble with the same substance before. Both he and his son, Hamdan, the Crown Prince of Dubai, have been banned after traces were found in the horses they were riding.

And in a third case, a ban was handed out to a British rider using a horse borrowed from Sheik Mohammed that tested positive for another banned steroid.

The Sheik was suspended for six months in 2009 and fined £2,500 by the International Equestrian Federation after his mount Tahhan tested positive for banned substances, including stanozolol, in two competitions.

In addition, Tahhan's trainer, Abdullah bin Huzaim, was banned for 12 months.

In a statement at the time, the Sheik said he had a stake in 700 endurance horses but could not be expected to be aware of each one's medication protocol.

Yet only a month earlier, his wife, Princess Haya, the FEI president, had stressed that it was up to the rider to know how his horse was managed...

Read more here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/racing/article-2315865/Sheik-Mohammed-stranger-doping-controversies.html

Great Britain: The Godolphin scandal: a race for respectability

Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article

Newmarket is hoping confidence will return after the most serious crisis British racing has ever faced

By Cole Moreton9:00PM BST
27 Apr 2013

They step through the early morning drizzle with a catwalk grace. A dozen gorgeous horses in a line, worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, if not more. The traffic stops at the sight of them, because Newmarket is a racing town that respects these dawn patrols.

As the thoroughbreds cross the road, their hooves clatter and their riders mutter gossip to each other in many different languages. There is a lot to talk about. Their sport is reeling this weekend from one of the greatest scandals it has ever known.

“It is shocking, a complete surprise,” says Tim Cox, a historian and trustee of the National Racing Museum. “The use of steroids in this way, and such a public exposure, is unique in the history of racing.”

The discovery of illegal performance-enhancing drugs in 11 horses at the Moulton Paddocks, which sits behind locked gates on a hill two miles out of Newmarket, was such a huge shock because of the man who owns it. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is one of the most influential figures in racing across the world, with a massive training operation called Godolphin that is based both in Dubai and in this Suffolk town.

He is also the ruler of Dubai, who has spent a large portion of his estimated £10 billion fortune using sport to promote his desert state as a centre of excellence, innovation and sportsmanship. The Sheikh has declared himself “appalled and angered” by the discovery and “locked down” the stables until they are proved to be clean, but what will this do to his reputation? This is not just a story about the secretive world of horse racing. It goes way beyond that, into the realms of international politics, power and pride...

Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/drugsinsport/10022365/The-Godolphin-scandal-a-race-for-respectability.html

Great Britain: Mahmood al-Zarooni's time with banned trainer raises questions

Guardian.co.uk - Full Article

Chris Cook
The Guardian, Thursday 25 April 2013

• Mubarak bin Shafya was suspended for steroids
• Godolphin play down significance of connection

As Simon Crisford, Godolphin's spokesman, fielded questions about Mahmood al-Zarooni on Thursday, he found himself answering queries about another trainer banned for the use of anabolic steroids with whom Zarooni had a strong association. Before being hired as Godolphin's second trainer in Newmarket, Zarooni served as assistant in Dubai to Mubarak bin Shafya, who was banned from the separate sport of endurance racing in 2011 over the use of stanozolol, one of the steroids that Zarooni has admitted using.

Crisford played down the significance of Shafya in Zarooni's racing education, saying that the latter had served 10 years under another trainer, Ali al-Raihe, compared with just one under Shafya. He pointed out that Shafya's case came after Zarooni had been hired, adding of Shafya: "He didn't get banned from thoroughbred racing. I wouldn't have been aware of that."

Pressed as to whether Shafya's case raised any concerns for Godolphin over Zarooni, Crisford said: "What are you trying to imply? We didn't take it into consideration."

Shafya was banned for two years by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the governing body for Olympic equestrian events as well as endurance racing after Castlebar Kadeen, a horse he trained, tested positive for stanozolol at an event in Abu Dhabi in November 2010...

Read more here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2013/apr/25/mahmood-al-zarooni-trainer-questions

Australia: Kilkivan setting for ultimate test

Gympietimes.com.au - Full Article

26 April 2013

RIDERS, horses and strapping crews will travel from across Australia and overseas to compete in the Tom Quilty Cup in Kilkivan in June - the ultimate test of endurance where participants aim to complete a 160km course within 24 hours.

The first heavyweight or middleweight division competitor across the finish line wins the 2013 Tom Quilty Gold Cup award. The original perpetual cup is a permanent exhibit at the Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland.

For most competitors, the overall aim is to complete the five-leg course and receive an esteemed Quilty Buckle Award. In the spirit of the ride's motto - To Complete is to Win - a specially crafted belt buckle goes to every successful competitor in recognition of the high standard of horsemanship required to complete the rigorous course. This means many long hours in the saddle and the careful tending of tiring horses.

At the end of the race, each mount is vetted and must be deemed in sound condition and fit to continue.

In 2013, the 48th Tom Quilty Cup is expected to attract a record number of rider/horse teams, Kilkivan Endurance Riders Club president Very Berry said...

Read more here:
http://www.gympietimes.com.au/news/kilkivan-setting-for-ultimate-test/1844102/

Dubai ruler shuts down England stable after doping scandal

NZWeek.com - Full Article

April 25 2013

Souce: Xinhua
Publish By Thomas Whittle

DUBAI, April 24 — Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum ordered Wednesday the closing of his Godolphin horse stables in Newamarket, England, after one of the stables trainer was charged with doping.

Samples from 11 of his horses at his Moulton Paddocks stables run by trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni revealed to contain anabolic steroids, a forbidden substance that can increase a horse’s endurance.

In an official statement, Sheikh Mohammed said “I was appalled and angered to learn that one of our stables in Newmarket has violated Godolphin’s ethical standards and the rules of British racing...”

Read more here:
http://www.nzweek.com/world/dubai-ruler-shuts-down-england-stable-after-doping-scandal-61699/

UAE: Goldolphin driving force Sheikh Mohammed served athlete suspension for doping in endurance race

Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article

24 April 2013
By Pippa Cuckson

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the driving force behind Godolphin Racing, served a six-month “athlete suspension” in 2009, after a horse he rode tested positive for prohibited substances in endurances races – in which a tough indigenous Arabian breed are usually preferred to the thoroughbreds used in flat racing – in Bahrain and Dubai.

The discipline, which involves long-distance treks of 100 miles, is the Fédération Equestre Internationale’s fastest-growing sport. However, the increase in popularity has been accompanied by a disproportionate incidence of doping in the Middle East. Endurance has also provided embarrassment for the sheikh’s junior wife, HRH Princess Haya of Jordan. She was elected president of the FEI in 2006 on a ‘clean sport’ mandate, and hired former Metropoliran Police Commissioner Lord Stevens to beef up integrity.

The FEI administers eight disciplines, including the Olympic sports of show jumping, eventing, and dressage, yet endurance accounts for eight of 11 doping cases currently under investigation, seven of which involve Arabic riders, three from the United Arab Emirates. Further, seven UAE riders were disciplined in medication control cases in 2012, six in 2011.

One repeat offender was Mubarak Khalifa Al Shafya, stripped of his FEI Open endurance title in 2008 while manager and trainer at Sheikh Mohammed’s Al Asaafa stable. Mubarak then trained thoroughbred racehorses for the sheikh in Newmarket and Dubai. In 2011, the FEI were concerned that five endurance horses managed by Mubarak had tested positive in the previous two years.

Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/10013617/Goldolphin-driving-force-Sheikh-Mohammed-served-athlete-suspension-for-doping-in-endurance-race.html

Abu Dhabi: Car and cash prize of Dh450,000 on offer for Al Wathba Night Ride

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Endurance village to sign off 2012-13 season with 120km event on Friday

BY M. Satya Narayan, Abu Dhabi Deputy Editor
Published: April 23, 2013

Abu Dhabi: The Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba will sign off its 2012-13 endurance season with a 120km Al Wathba Night Ride on Friday, with a car and Dh450,000 on offer as prizes.

Entrants will get off to a mass start at 5.15pm and the ride will involve four stages of 40km, 40km, 24km and 16km.
“This is the last ride of the 2012-13 season here at Al Wathba and is being held under the instruction and directives of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Shaikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” said Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.

“The winner will be rewarded a 4WD car, while the prize fund of Dh450,000 will be distributed among all riders who complete the 120km event. Riders will wear helmets fitted with battery-operated headlights to help them negotiate the course at night,” he added...

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/car-and-cash-prize-of-dh450-000-on-offer-for-al-wathba-night-ride-1.1174271

A new book on the history of equestrian sports in Bahrain to be issued

BNA.bh

22/04/2013

Manama, April 22 (BNA)--The Media Office and Information Centre of Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa will issue a book on the history of equestrian sports in the Kingdom of Bahrain, starting from horse racing to showjumping and endurance races.

The decision was in compliance to the directives of Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chairman, Bahrain Olympic Committee President and Honorary President of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation.

The book will include the support and backing of Bahrain’s leadership to equestrian sports since its birth, down to the prosperous era of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

It also highlights the history of horses in the Kingdom, its most prominent strains and competitions that were held during horse racing, showjumping and endurance events, in addition to the most important figures that supported these races as well as horses owners, who had the finest horses, besides leading Arabian breeds in Bahrain.

The Media Office and Information Centre, headed by Director Tawfiq Al Salhi, will work on putting all Shaikh Nasser’s directives into writings and document it in this first-of-its-kind release.

Shaikh Nasser said that issuing this book comes under the guidance of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the first supporter to horses in Bahrain, and aims to document the equestrian sport in the Kingdom, which has a long honorable history thanks to the continued backing of the nation’s leadership.

Shaikh Nasser stressed the importance of knowing the correct history of horses in the Kingdom and its races, especially those held in the past decades, in addition to showjumping and endurance competitions...

Read more here:
http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/557565

The Purebred Arabian Horses of Iraq, by Mohammad Al-Nujaifi

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 20, 2013 in Reviews

For many in “the west”, the very mention of Iraq can conjure up mostly negative connotations of war and strife.

But for horse lovers – arabian horse lovers, particularly – the country and the immediate region should be celebrated and appreciated far more that it currently is as the origin of the world’s oldest and most influential breed.

This new book by Iraqi arabian breeder and racing enthusiast Dr Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Nujaifi sheds much light on Iraq and its neighbors and their horse-loving traditions.

The Purebred Arabian Horses of Iraq – Myths and Realities
by Dr Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Nujaifi
Hardcover, 239pp, RRP £35
ISBN 978-1-909339-01-9
Available from Amazon or Medina Publishing

The author needs no introduction in arabian racing circles in Iraq and in Europe, being the top owner for all races in all countries in 2012 according to the statistics of the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) – the third consecutive season he has held the title.

Dr Al-Nujaifi breeds both purebred and anglo-arabian racehorses at his Al-Nujaifi stud farm north of Mosul, where his family has raised Arabians since 1638...

read more here:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2013/04/20/the-purebred-arabian-horses-of-iraq/#.UXMZBCtAT_o

Thailand: An enduring passion

Bangkokpost.com - Full Article

Published: 20 Apr 2013
Newspaper section: Muse

Despite having just returned from her most recent competition, the 2013 Endurance Horse Ride in Fontainebleau, France, neither jetlag nor a pre-Songkran workload could fizzle Wipawan Pawitayalarp's exuberant enthusiasm in relaying her experience.

What she thought would be just a warm-up for her horse, Mulawa Angelus, turned into a victory of a kind.

"I had not hoped to win at all because it was such a large-scale competition, with professional riders from all over the world competing. It was also cold, and my horse was not used to that kind of weather," said Wipawan, an award-winning Thai endurance rider.

In the first phase of the ride, she and her horse were off to a good start, being in the top five. They continued to speed through the snowy course at such a rate that she could hear the air whizzing past. On the last 3km of the track, holding third place, another horse overtook them, bumping them down to fourth.

"At the time, I wasn't completely deflated or disappointed, because my intention in this competition was really to just test the water and gain experience. For me, to complete [the race] is to win," she explained.

However, at the last corner, things took a turn when the rider who had passed her took a fall.

"I asked him if he was ok, and when he said he was, I just did my best to complete the race. I ended up winning third prize and got to stand on the podium," she recalled with excitement in her voice...

Read more here:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/women/346141/an-enduring-passion

Great Britain: New classes turn Golden Horseshoe ride into a festival of endurance

Thisiscornwall.co.uk - Full Article

April 19 2013

The Golden Horseshoe ride on Exmoor is to become a 'festival of endurance' this year (May 12-14) as organisers add three new tests and an invitation-only para class, with a number of high-profile para riders set to take part.

New competitive classes for 2013 include the Exmoor Extra (120km split into three rides of 40km each day for advanced combinations), the Exmoor 40 (a 40km ride for those competing at Open level or above) and the Exmoor Novice (a 40km ride for novices, with slower completion speeds).

The programme, which includes the 48th running of the famous Golden Horseshoe – in its early days 75 miles and now a daunting 100 miles – is completed by the two-day Exmoor Stag class over 80km and 40km routes, the 80km one-day Exmoor 80 and the popular Exmoor Experience class, where the two 40km-a-day rides are designed to give riders and horses a taste of competition over the very testing Exmoor terrain.

Read more here:
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/New-classes-turn-Golden-Horseshoe-ride-festival/story-18745076-detail/story.html#axzz2R2v160ge