Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article
An illegal shipment of equine drugs seized at Stansted Airport from a private jet owned by the Dubai government consisted of more than 200 doses of 15 different medicines.
By Pippa Cuckson
30 Sep 2013
Among them were injectables which should only be given by a vet and 100 doses of Tildren, a drug which encourages regeneration of bone tissue, and which if prescribed would only be given to a horse once or twice a year.
The extraordinary haul of medicines, which are not licensed for use in the UK, was seized and destroyed by the UK Border Agency and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate in May. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and the most powerful figure in British racing, has opened an internal investigation into how the plane was discovered to be carrying an array of powerful medicines of a kind which are prohibited under anti-doping rules in the sport of endurance racing.
The Stansted raid, revealed by The Daily Telegraph in September, was followed in August by a seizure by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of other unlicensed equine drugs at Moorley Farm. The farm, near Newmarket, is owned by Sheikh Mohammed’s Darley breeding operation and used as a summer base for his endurance racing horses, who spend the rest of the year in Dubai...
Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/10345923/Revealed-the-equine-drugs-seized-by-police-on-Sheikh-Mohammeds-Dubai-government-jet.html
Monday, October 14, 2013
Kentucky Horse Park in running for 2018 world games
Courier-journal.com - Full Article
October 3 2013
Written by Gregory A. Hall
The Courier-Journal
The World Equestrian Games could be coming back to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington in 2018, the international committee that conducts the event announced Thursday.
If chosen, the park would be the first two-time host for the quadrennial event that began in 1990 and includes eight equestrian world championships.
The Federation Equestrian International announced Thursday that it has received interest from Great Britain, the USA and Canada to host the 2018 world championships. The two U.S. cities under consideration are Lexington, which hosted the 2010 games at the horse park, and Wellington, Fla., another equestrian competition center near Palm Beach.
“The FEI World Equestrian Games is our flagship event, appealing to huge global audiences of equestrian enthusiasts and sports fans, and these expressions of interest by Great Britain and the USA alongside Canada are testament to the power of these Games,” FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos said in the statement...
Read more here:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20131003/NEWS01/310030038/Kentucky-Horse-Park-running-2018-world-games?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1
October 3 2013
Written by Gregory A. Hall
The Courier-Journal
The World Equestrian Games could be coming back to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington in 2018, the international committee that conducts the event announced Thursday.
If chosen, the park would be the first two-time host for the quadrennial event that began in 1990 and includes eight equestrian world championships.
The Federation Equestrian International announced Thursday that it has received interest from Great Britain, the USA and Canada to host the 2018 world championships. The two U.S. cities under consideration are Lexington, which hosted the 2010 games at the horse park, and Wellington, Fla., another equestrian competition center near Palm Beach.
“The FEI World Equestrian Games is our flagship event, appealing to huge global audiences of equestrian enthusiasts and sports fans, and these expressions of interest by Great Britain and the USA alongside Canada are testament to the power of these Games,” FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos said in the statement...
Read more here:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20131003/NEWS01/310030038/Kentucky-Horse-Park-running-2018-world-games?gcheck=1&nclick_check=1
Saturday, October 12, 2013
South Africa: Dansawil Arabian Stud Endurance Team Impresses South Africa
Thevoicebw.com - Full ArticleDansawil Arabian Stud Endurance team, sponsored by Nutri Feeds Botswana, competed over the weekend of the 4th and 5th of October at the Stella Endurance Ride in North West province in South Africa.
Endurance riding is the fastest growing equine sport in the world and Dansawil Arabians established in 1979 is one of the most experienced endurance Arabian Studs in Southern Africa.
The Stella ride consisted of a 40km novice horse track on Friday and a competitive 80km track on Saturday.
The Springbok Team riding time on this track is 04.02 hours. The track is one of the fastest in South Africa.
The Dansawil Team consisted of two Batswana riders, Willie Herbst and Tebogo Mosorwa.
The team was completed by Felicity Cooper and Louise Herbst as team manager and groom respectively.
Willie Herbst owner of Dansawil Arabian Stud and rider is one of the most experienced endurance riders in Southern Africa having successfully ridden over 16 000km...
Read more here:
http://www.thevoicebw.com/2013/10/11/dansawil-arabian-stud-endurance-team-impresses-south-africa/
Mont Saint Michel & Haras du Pin gear up for Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
Examiner.com - Full Article
October 11, 2013
The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy takes place August 23-September 7 in France. A group of journalists headed there October 9-12 to check things out. For three days they immersed themselves in the culture, savored the food and viewed the venues where the eight disciplines will be showcased.
Those eight disciplines include Dressage, Show Jumping, Reining, Vaulting, Para Equestrian, Driving, Endurance and Eventing. For the most part the first five will be taking place in the region of Caen. The close proximity of the venues one from the other makes it easier to get from venue to venue via the media shuttles.
If your accommodations are within the city of Caen, the time spent in shuttles will be less. However, for the Eventing and Endurance there will be a bit of a drive to get to the venues where those two events will be held.
Endurance will take place in the vicinity of Mont Saint Michel, a spectacular island commune whose central focus is its church which dates back to the eighth century. The church is surrounded by water which disappears when the tide is low but appears like a moat around this antique building during high tide...
Read more here:
http://www.examiner.com/article/mont-saint-michel-haras-du-pin-gear-up-for-alltech-fei-world-equestrian-games
October 11, 2013
The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy takes place August 23-September 7 in France. A group of journalists headed there October 9-12 to check things out. For three days they immersed themselves in the culture, savored the food and viewed the venues where the eight disciplines will be showcased.
Those eight disciplines include Dressage, Show Jumping, Reining, Vaulting, Para Equestrian, Driving, Endurance and Eventing. For the most part the first five will be taking place in the region of Caen. The close proximity of the venues one from the other makes it easier to get from venue to venue via the media shuttles.
If your accommodations are within the city of Caen, the time spent in shuttles will be less. However, for the Eventing and Endurance there will be a bit of a drive to get to the venues where those two events will be held.
Endurance will take place in the vicinity of Mont Saint Michel, a spectacular island commune whose central focus is its church which dates back to the eighth century. The church is surrounded by water which disappears when the tide is low but appears like a moat around this antique building during high tide...
Read more here:
http://www.examiner.com/article/mont-saint-michel-haras-du-pin-gear-up-for-alltech-fei-world-equestrian-games
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
Nightline 10/08: Mongol Derby: World's Longest, Toughest Horse Race
ABCNews.co.com
ABC's Nightline 10/08/2013, episode 210, features the Mongol Derby, the world's longest, toughest horse race.
ABC's Nightline 10/08/2013, episode 210, features the Mongol Derby, the world's longest, toughest horse race.
Monday, October 07, 2013
FEI clamps down on unauthorised medicating of horses during competition
Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article
The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) is clamping down on unauthorised medicating of horses during competition as the crisis over doping and horse injuries in endurance racing deepens.
By Pippa Cuckson
04 Oct 2013
Just three days after revealing the FEI is rolling out a new injuries surveillance system (ISS), Telegraph Sport has learnt the FEI is banning ammonium chloride – a substance primarily associated with controversial analgesic technique of “nerve-blocking” – and proposing to limit crew numbers so that horses cannot be concealed from officiating vets.
The Swiss, Belgian and French equestrian federations were lobbying the FEI about “inequities” in Middle Eastern endurance before the drugs raids in May and August on properties owned by Sheikh Mohammed, the reigning endurance world champion and the most powerful owner in thoroughbred horseracing.
The source of the illegal drugs is now being investigated on Sheikh Mohammed’s behalf by his wife, Princess Haya of Jordan, president of the FEI, and Lord Stevens’ intelligence company Quest.
Endurance, which involves races up to 160km, is the only equestrian sport applying vet checks on the field of play during the event. Critics have cited the large size of “crews” – grooms and physios – employed by teams, sometimes as many as 12 per horse, for effectively obscuring it from view.
FEI judge Juliette Mallison told the leading German equestrianism magazine Reiten St Georg that when she was officiating in Dubai in February, two members of her veterinary team saw “a horse surrounded by numerous grooms, the neck covered with a towel, and a further groom inserted the catheter into the [jugular] vein for the infusion disguised in his jacket sleeve.” The horse was disqualified, the officials receiving “ the trainer’s angry abuse”...
Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/10357456/FEI-clamps-down-on-unauthorised-medicating-of-horses-during-competition.html
The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) is clamping down on unauthorised medicating of horses during competition as the crisis over doping and horse injuries in endurance racing deepens.
By Pippa Cuckson
04 Oct 2013
Just three days after revealing the FEI is rolling out a new injuries surveillance system (ISS), Telegraph Sport has learnt the FEI is banning ammonium chloride – a substance primarily associated with controversial analgesic technique of “nerve-blocking” – and proposing to limit crew numbers so that horses cannot be concealed from officiating vets.
The Swiss, Belgian and French equestrian federations were lobbying the FEI about “inequities” in Middle Eastern endurance before the drugs raids in May and August on properties owned by Sheikh Mohammed, the reigning endurance world champion and the most powerful owner in thoroughbred horseracing.
The source of the illegal drugs is now being investigated on Sheikh Mohammed’s behalf by his wife, Princess Haya of Jordan, president of the FEI, and Lord Stevens’ intelligence company Quest.
Endurance, which involves races up to 160km, is the only equestrian sport applying vet checks on the field of play during the event. Critics have cited the large size of “crews” – grooms and physios – employed by teams, sometimes as many as 12 per horse, for effectively obscuring it from view.
FEI judge Juliette Mallison told the leading German equestrianism magazine Reiten St Georg that when she was officiating in Dubai in February, two members of her veterinary team saw “a horse surrounded by numerous grooms, the neck covered with a towel, and a further groom inserted the catheter into the [jugular] vein for the infusion disguised in his jacket sleeve.” The horse was disqualified, the officials receiving “ the trainer’s angry abuse”...
Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/10357456/FEI-clamps-down-on-unauthorised-medicating-of-horses-during-competition.html
Scandal-hit racehorse owner Sheikh Mohammed orders 'junior wife' to head probe into banned equine drugs found on board Dubai government private jet
Dailymail.co.uk - Full Article
• Banned equine drugs discovered at Stansted on flight from Dubai
• Sheikh Mohammed has now ordered an investigation into the seizure
• His wife Princess Haya is to carry out the investigation
• British Horseracing Authority confident drugs were not for racehorses
By JAMES RUSH
PUBLISHED: 05:25 EST, 30 September 2013
The owner of the scandal-hit Godolphin stable has ordered a new investigation after banned equine drugs were discovered on a Dubai government private jet when it was searched at Stansted airport.
Officers from the UK Border Agency, along with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, seized the unlicensed products from a Dubai Royal Air Wing flight earlier this year, it has been reported.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, monarch of the gulf emirate, has now ordered his junior wife Her Highness Princess Haya, president of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, to carry out an investigation into the incident.
Read more here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2438560/Scandal-hit-racehorse-owner-Sheikh-Mohammed-orders-probe-banned-equine-drugs-board-Dubai-government-private-jet.html
• Banned equine drugs discovered at Stansted on flight from Dubai
• Sheikh Mohammed has now ordered an investigation into the seizure
• His wife Princess Haya is to carry out the investigation
• British Horseracing Authority confident drugs were not for racehorses
By JAMES RUSH
PUBLISHED: 05:25 EST, 30 September 2013
The owner of the scandal-hit Godolphin stable has ordered a new investigation after banned equine drugs were discovered on a Dubai government private jet when it was searched at Stansted airport.
Officers from the UK Border Agency, along with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, seized the unlicensed products from a Dubai Royal Air Wing flight earlier this year, it has been reported.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, monarch of the gulf emirate, has now ordered his junior wife Her Highness Princess Haya, president of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, to carry out an investigation into the incident.
Read more here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2438560/Scandal-hit-racehorse-owner-Sheikh-Mohammed-orders-probe-banned-equine-drugs-board-Dubai-government-private-jet.html
Sunday, October 06, 2013
FEI Endurance Strategic Planning Group meets in Lausanne
Oct 2013
The FEI Endurance Strategic Planning Group (ESPG) held its second meeting this week as part of the ongoing process of strategic planning to meet the needs of the FEI’s second biggest discipline.
The Group, which is chaired by Andrew Finding (GBR), spent a full day working on the development of a proposed strategic plan for Endurance that will address all of the challenges faced by the sport, and continued its work on the four key areas already identified that the Group believes require specific review to ensure that the discipline continues to grow in the correct direction - Governance and Structure; Culture and Responsibility; Communication; and Foundation for Growth.
During the meeting, which was held at FEI Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI), ESPG members were also briefed by FEI Directors from the Veterinary and Endurance Departments on progress already made following the round table session in July, including the imminent implementation of the Injury Surveillance System, the ongoing management and assessment of FEI Endurance Officials, and Rule changes for approval at the GA.
“The issues are complex and wide ranging but the core challenge is to put in place a plan that will promote substantially reduced malpractice while ensuring the levels of supervision, management and regulation are right for a global sport. At its heart will be a call for cultural change, for good governance and self discipline”, ESPG Chair Andrew Finding said.
“We are working to present a clear strategy for consideration by all National Federations as well as the FEI Bureau. We are acutely aware of the importance of this work, but no committee can resolve all the challenges. Ultimately, it will be the quality of leadership in all National Federations that will resolve the issues we face.”
The Group will hold a further in-person meeting prior to the dedicated Endurance session at the FEI General Assembly in November. The ESPG will then produce a detailed strategic plan for consultation early next year.
Notes to Editors:
The FEI Endurance Strategic Planning Group (ESPG) is chaired by Andrew Finding, European Equestrian Federation Board Member and CEO of the British Equestrian Federation.
The members of the Group are veterinarian Brian Sheahan (AUS), chair of the FEI Endurance Committee; Joe Mattingley (USA), international Endurance rider; Saeed H Al Tayer (UAE), Vice President of the Dubai Equestrian Club and organiser of FEI World Endurance Championships; and veterinarian Jean-Louis Leclerc (FRA), an internationally respected and very successful chef d’équipe and team manager within the discipline.
The FEI Endurance Strategic Planning Group (ESPG) held its second meeting this week as part of the ongoing process of strategic planning to meet the needs of the FEI’s second biggest discipline.
The Group, which is chaired by Andrew Finding (GBR), spent a full day working on the development of a proposed strategic plan for Endurance that will address all of the challenges faced by the sport, and continued its work on the four key areas already identified that the Group believes require specific review to ensure that the discipline continues to grow in the correct direction - Governance and Structure; Culture and Responsibility; Communication; and Foundation for Growth.
During the meeting, which was held at FEI Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI), ESPG members were also briefed by FEI Directors from the Veterinary and Endurance Departments on progress already made following the round table session in July, including the imminent implementation of the Injury Surveillance System, the ongoing management and assessment of FEI Endurance Officials, and Rule changes for approval at the GA.
“The issues are complex and wide ranging but the core challenge is to put in place a plan that will promote substantially reduced malpractice while ensuring the levels of supervision, management and regulation are right for a global sport. At its heart will be a call for cultural change, for good governance and self discipline”, ESPG Chair Andrew Finding said.
“We are working to present a clear strategy for consideration by all National Federations as well as the FEI Bureau. We are acutely aware of the importance of this work, but no committee can resolve all the challenges. Ultimately, it will be the quality of leadership in all National Federations that will resolve the issues we face.”
The Group will hold a further in-person meeting prior to the dedicated Endurance session at the FEI General Assembly in November. The ESPG will then produce a detailed strategic plan for consultation early next year.
Notes to Editors:
The FEI Endurance Strategic Planning Group (ESPG) is chaired by Andrew Finding, European Equestrian Federation Board Member and CEO of the British Equestrian Federation.
The members of the Group are veterinarian Brian Sheahan (AUS), chair of the FEI Endurance Committee; Joe Mattingley (USA), international Endurance rider; Saeed H Al Tayer (UAE), Vice President of the Dubai Equestrian Club and organiser of FEI World Endurance Championships; and veterinarian Jean-Louis Leclerc (FRA), an internationally respected and very successful chef d’équipe and team manager within the discipline.
Uruguay dominates Pan-American endurance champs
Horsetalk.co.uz - Full Article
By Horsetalk.co.nz on Oct 03, 2013 in Just Briefly
Uruguay made a clean sweep of the FEI Pan-American Endurance Championships for Seniors, Young Riders & Juniors for the second year running last weekend
They took Team and Individual gold on home turf at the hippodrome in Trinidad, the capital city of Flores in southern Uruguay...
Read more here:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2013/10/03/uruguay-dominates-pan-american-endurance-champs/#axzz2gxDgGhMV
By Horsetalk.co.nz on Oct 03, 2013 in Just Briefly
Uruguay made a clean sweep of the FEI Pan-American Endurance Championships for Seniors, Young Riders & Juniors for the second year running last weekend
They took Team and Individual gold on home turf at the hippodrome in Trinidad, the capital city of Flores in southern Uruguay...
Read more here:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2013/10/03/uruguay-dominates-pan-american-endurance-champs/#axzz2gxDgGhMV
Malaysia: Month of Global Events
NST.com.my
3 October 2013
1. Sultan Mizan Cup 2013
Terengganu International Endurance Park, Setiu (Oct 4-6)
After its rebranding two years ago, the Sultan Mizan Cup 2013 has gained reputation as a world-class premier endurance event with past riders coming from France, Australia, Slovakia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
Formerly known as the Sultan’s Cup Terengganu Endurance Challenge, which has been ongoing since 2007, the annual event is fast gaining interest from locals especially the younger generation who are interested in equestrian, recreational horse riding and endurance racing.
The 120km race is held at the Terengganu International Endurance Park in Lembah Bidong in the district of Setiu, 50km north of Kuala Terengganu. Regarded as one of the world’s top notch endurance riding village, the park offers visitors and competitors the best of Malaysia’s hospitality.
During the race, riders are expected to have an arduous journey through an oil palm plantation, along the coastline and canal banks as well as through forests to get to the finishing line.
The last two races were won by Thailand’s Wipawan Pawitayalarp, who was also the first woman rider to win the Sultan Mizan Cup.
Read more here:
http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/holiday/month-of-global-events-1.367102
3 October 2013
1. Sultan Mizan Cup 2013
Terengganu International Endurance Park, Setiu (Oct 4-6)
After its rebranding two years ago, the Sultan Mizan Cup 2013 has gained reputation as a world-class premier endurance event with past riders coming from France, Australia, Slovakia, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand.
Formerly known as the Sultan’s Cup Terengganu Endurance Challenge, which has been ongoing since 2007, the annual event is fast gaining interest from locals especially the younger generation who are interested in equestrian, recreational horse riding and endurance racing.
The 120km race is held at the Terengganu International Endurance Park in Lembah Bidong in the district of Setiu, 50km north of Kuala Terengganu. Regarded as one of the world’s top notch endurance riding village, the park offers visitors and competitors the best of Malaysia’s hospitality.
During the race, riders are expected to have an arduous journey through an oil palm plantation, along the coastline and canal banks as well as through forests to get to the finishing line.
The last two races were won by Thailand’s Wipawan Pawitayalarp, who was also the first woman rider to win the Sultan Mizan Cup.
Read more here:
http://www.nst.com.my/life-times/holiday/month-of-global-events-1.367102
The First Italian World Championships Was A Brilliant Success
Horsereporter.com - Full ArticleBy Pamela@horsereporter
September 30, 2013
The World Championships Young Horses held for the first time in our country ended last night with the closing ceremony and with the awards officialized by the FEI president Ian Williams. The World Champion title went to the French Aurelien Rocchia who rode Secret de mon Coeur. The second was the Spanish Silvia Yebra Altimiras, while the third was another French, Laurent Mosti.
There has been a strong urge and desire to impress and to leave the mark in occasion of the first World Championships Young Horses held in Italy. The dream of the organizing Committee of Garda Endurance Cup, the company which hosted the sporting event at the feet of the picturesque castle in Valeggio sul Mincio, has largely come true.
The special edition of the FEI World Championships Young Horses 2013 gave the thousands of people who rushed to the splendid Parco Giardino Sigurtà from Thursday to Saturday authentic, electrifying emotions...
Read more here:
http://www.horsereporter.com/?p=8009
Friday, October 04, 2013
Sheikh Mohammed: Swiss Federation questions inquiry
A leading equestrian federation has questioned the independence of a probe into Sheikh Mohammed's equine business.Former London police chief Lord Stevens was called in by the sheikh's wife to oversee an internal inquiry after illegal veterinary drugs were seized from a stables and private jet.
Sheikh Mohammed is the world's biggest owner of racehorses, but the latest questions focus on endurance racing.
The Swiss federation's Claude Nordmann would prefer an external investigation.
[More ...]
Wednesday, October 02, 2013
International Equestrian Federation to introduce injury surveillance system over allegations of horse deaths
Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article
The governing body of equestrian sport has pledged to introduce an injury surveillance system (ISS) this autumn in response to allegations that dozens of horses die each season while competing in Middle East endurance racing.
By Pippa Cuckson
10:00PM BST 01 Oct 2013
Following lobbying from European federations, who have observed a link between endurance racing in the Middle East and stress fractures, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has decided to monitor injuries more closely.
In Europe and North America, endurance racing is slower paced but the Middle Eastern sport often produces average speeds of 26kph on 160 kilometre (100 mile) championship tier rides.
Last year, a study in the British Veterinary Journal highlighted injury-inducing averages of 35kph in the last 15-20km of the straighter, flatter desert tracks.
Two recent seizures of unlicensed drugs – one in Newmarket in August and the other on a private jet at Stansted in May – were both linked to Sheikh Mohammed, the world’s leading racehorse owner and current endurance world champion.
They included extensive anti-inflammatories and analgesics which Swiss equestrian federation president Charles Trolliet, also a vet, described as the “classic endurance cocktail”...
Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/10348317/International-Equestrian-Federation-to-introduce-injury-surveillance-system-over-allegations-of-horse-deaths.html
The governing body of equestrian sport has pledged to introduce an injury surveillance system (ISS) this autumn in response to allegations that dozens of horses die each season while competing in Middle East endurance racing.
By Pippa Cuckson
10:00PM BST 01 Oct 2013
Following lobbying from European federations, who have observed a link between endurance racing in the Middle East and stress fractures, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has decided to monitor injuries more closely.
In Europe and North America, endurance racing is slower paced but the Middle Eastern sport often produces average speeds of 26kph on 160 kilometre (100 mile) championship tier rides.
Last year, a study in the British Veterinary Journal highlighted injury-inducing averages of 35kph in the last 15-20km of the straighter, flatter desert tracks.
Two recent seizures of unlicensed drugs – one in Newmarket in August and the other on a private jet at Stansted in May – were both linked to Sheikh Mohammed, the world’s leading racehorse owner and current endurance world champion.
They included extensive anti-inflammatories and analgesics which Swiss equestrian federation president Charles Trolliet, also a vet, described as the “classic endurance cocktail”...
Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/10348317/International-Equestrian-Federation-to-introduce-injury-surveillance-system-over-allegations-of-horse-deaths.html
Sheikh Mohammed under further scrutiny as trainer banned for doping continues to work in his Dubai stables
Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article
Sheikh Mohammed has opened himself up to further embarrassment following news that a former trainer who was banned for doping continues to work at Dubai stables owned by the Godolphin boss.
By Telegraph Sport
5:30PM BST 01 Oct 2013
Mubarak bin-Shafya was banned from endurance racing for two years in 2011 after several of his horses tested positive for stanozolol.
However, that has not prevented him from training thoroughbreds from the Al Aasfa Stables, owned by the Sheikh, near Dubai City.
And while there is no suggestion Sheikh Mohammed is involved in wrongdoing, the ongoing link with Bin Shafya, who is also a former colleague of disgraced Godolphin trainer Mahmood al-Zarooni, will cast yet further suspicion on the endurance horse operation.
More than 20 endurance horses trained in Dubai at stables owned variously by Sheikh Mohammed and other senior members of the Maktoum family have been involved in doping cases since 2005.
According to publicly available archives, 16 of the horses tested positive in competition to natural or manufactured steroids...
Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/10346444/Sheikh-Mohammed-under-further-scrutiny-as-trainer-banned-for-doping-continues-to-work-in-his-Dubai-stables.html
Sheikh Mohammed has opened himself up to further embarrassment following news that a former trainer who was banned for doping continues to work at Dubai stables owned by the Godolphin boss.
By Telegraph Sport
5:30PM BST 01 Oct 2013
Mubarak bin-Shafya was banned from endurance racing for two years in 2011 after several of his horses tested positive for stanozolol.
However, that has not prevented him from training thoroughbreds from the Al Aasfa Stables, owned by the Sheikh, near Dubai City.
And while there is no suggestion Sheikh Mohammed is involved in wrongdoing, the ongoing link with Bin Shafya, who is also a former colleague of disgraced Godolphin trainer Mahmood al-Zarooni, will cast yet further suspicion on the endurance horse operation.
More than 20 endurance horses trained in Dubai at stables owned variously by Sheikh Mohammed and other senior members of the Maktoum family have been involved in doping cases since 2005.
According to publicly available archives, 16 of the horses tested positive in competition to natural or manufactured steroids...
Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/horseracing/10346444/Sheikh-Mohammed-under-further-scrutiny-as-trainer-banned-for-doping-continues-to-work-in-his-Dubai-stables.html
Sheik Mohammed suffers more shame as Dubai drug scandal grows
Dailymail.co.uk - Full Article
By MARCUS TOWNEND
PUBLISHED: 16:48 EST, 1 October 2013
Further embarrassment has been heaped on Sheik Mohammed with confirmation that another horse trained at stables he owns has tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid.
The Federation for Equestrian Sport yesterday confirmed a hearing is pending after the discovery of 17-Hydroxyprogesterone Hexanoate — an anabolic steroid banned in male horses — in Orman De Cardonne.
The 11-year-old, ridden by Mohammed Ali Al Shafar and trained at Al Reef stables, tested positive after winning the President of the UAE Endurance Cup in Abu Dhabi on February 16. The case is yet to be submitted to tribunal.
Read more here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/racing/article-2440411/Sheik-Mohammed-suffers-shame-Dubai-drug-scandal-grows.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
By MARCUS TOWNEND
PUBLISHED: 16:48 EST, 1 October 2013
Further embarrassment has been heaped on Sheik Mohammed with confirmation that another horse trained at stables he owns has tested positive for a banned anabolic steroid.
The Federation for Equestrian Sport yesterday confirmed a hearing is pending after the discovery of 17-Hydroxyprogesterone Hexanoate — an anabolic steroid banned in male horses — in Orman De Cardonne.
The 11-year-old, ridden by Mohammed Ali Al Shafar and trained at Al Reef stables, tested positive after winning the President of the UAE Endurance Cup in Abu Dhabi on February 16. The case is yet to be submitted to tribunal.
Read more here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/racing/article-2440411/Sheik-Mohammed-suffers-shame-Dubai-drug-scandal-grows.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Tuesday, October 01, 2013
Italy: French riders steal the show
Khaleejtimes.com - Full Article
Hisham Al Gizouli / 30 September 2013
French riders scooped the gold and bronze medals of the FEI 120km World Championship for Young Horses, Garda Endurance Cup at the Garda Lake, Italy on Saturday.
Aurelien Rocchia, astride Secret De Mon Coeur crossed the finish line first, followed in by Yebra Al Timiras, representing Spain, aboard Espoir De Bozouls while Laurent Mosti, riding Doria De Jansavis claimed the bronze medal for the French contingent. Doria De Janasavis itself was also named the Best Condition Horse.
Rocchia held on very strongly when he was attacked on the line by the Spanish rider to cover the distance in 6 hours, 10 minutes and 37 seconds at an average speed of 19. 427km/hr.
The race was held under the directives of Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, as part of the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and has attracted 65 riders representing 12 countries from UAE, Italy, France, Spain, Slovakia, Portugal, Oman and elsewhere...
Read more here:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/inside_sport.asp?xfile=/data/nationsports/2013/September/nationsports_September292.xml§ion=nationsports
Hisham Al Gizouli / 30 September 2013
French riders scooped the gold and bronze medals of the FEI 120km World Championship for Young Horses, Garda Endurance Cup at the Garda Lake, Italy on Saturday.
Aurelien Rocchia, astride Secret De Mon Coeur crossed the finish line first, followed in by Yebra Al Timiras, representing Spain, aboard Espoir De Bozouls while Laurent Mosti, riding Doria De Jansavis claimed the bronze medal for the French contingent. Doria De Janasavis itself was also named the Best Condition Horse.
Rocchia held on very strongly when he was attacked on the line by the Spanish rider to cover the distance in 6 hours, 10 minutes and 37 seconds at an average speed of 19. 427km/hr.
The race was held under the directives of Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, as part of the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and has attracted 65 riders representing 12 countries from UAE, Italy, France, Spain, Slovakia, Portugal, Oman and elsewhere...
Read more here:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/inside_sport.asp?xfile=/data/nationsports/2013/September/nationsports_September292.xml§ion=nationsports
Great Britain: BHA is too quick to insist drug seizures nothing to do with racing
Theguardian.com - Full Article
Greg Wood
The Guardian, Sunday 29 September 2013 17.24 EDT
Sheikh Mohammed's endurance horse operation comes under scrutiny after drugs seized from Dubai government jet
When it emerged earlier this month that 124 illegally imported veterinary products had been seized in a raid at a property in Newmarket owned by the world's most powerful racehorse owner, the British Horseracing Authority appeared adamant it had nothing to do with them.
"This is a matter for Defra [the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which conducted the raid]," a BHA spokesman said. "In the view of Defra, there is no link between the seizure and the racing industry and the products were not intended for use on thoroughbreds."
Even then, it seemed quite casual, not least in the context of the Godolphin doping scandal which broke in April.
The horses which were found to have been doped with anabolic steroids by Mahmood al-Zarooni, including Encke, a Classic winner, are still serving their six-month bans from the sport. The account given by the BHA, which ejected Zarooni from racing with what felt like extraordinary speed a few days after the first positive tests at his stable, offers a vague and scarcely credible account of how he could have acquired industrial quantities of banned steroids.
Nor has it produced a satisfactory explanation of how he then managed, with the help of three junior staff, to dope at least 22 of his horses, and probably more, on a near-daily basis without anyone else realising what was happening. Zarooni did all this, apparently, while also spending all but a few days of the winter in Dubai.
Now, as it becomes clear that the structures and accountability in Sheikh Mohammed's endurance horse operation leave a lot to be desired, the BHA's breezy dismissal of any possible link with the racing side of the Sheikh's equine interests appears unwise at best...
Read more here:
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2013/sep/29/bha-sheikh-mohammed-drugs
Greg Wood
The Guardian, Sunday 29 September 2013 17.24 EDT
Sheikh Mohammed's endurance horse operation comes under scrutiny after drugs seized from Dubai government jet
When it emerged earlier this month that 124 illegally imported veterinary products had been seized in a raid at a property in Newmarket owned by the world's most powerful racehorse owner, the British Horseracing Authority appeared adamant it had nothing to do with them.
"This is a matter for Defra [the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which conducted the raid]," a BHA spokesman said. "In the view of Defra, there is no link between the seizure and the racing industry and the products were not intended for use on thoroughbreds."
Even then, it seemed quite casual, not least in the context of the Godolphin doping scandal which broke in April.
The horses which were found to have been doped with anabolic steroids by Mahmood al-Zarooni, including Encke, a Classic winner, are still serving their six-month bans from the sport. The account given by the BHA, which ejected Zarooni from racing with what felt like extraordinary speed a few days after the first positive tests at his stable, offers a vague and scarcely credible account of how he could have acquired industrial quantities of banned steroids.
Nor has it produced a satisfactory explanation of how he then managed, with the help of three junior staff, to dope at least 22 of his horses, and probably more, on a near-daily basis without anyone else realising what was happening. Zarooni did all this, apparently, while also spending all but a few days of the winter in Dubai.
Now, as it becomes clear that the structures and accountability in Sheikh Mohammed's endurance horse operation leave a lot to be desired, the BHA's breezy dismissal of any possible link with the racing side of the Sheikh's equine interests appears unwise at best...
Read more here:
http://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2013/sep/29/bha-sheikh-mohammed-drugs
Sheik Mohammed's reputation takes another almighty hit just months after Al Zarooni's eight-year ban
Dailymail.co.uk - Full Article
By MARCUS TOWNEND
PUBLISHED: 05:41 EST, 30 September 2013
For the reputation of Sheik Mohammed – indeed the whole of Dubai - on the international stage of equine sport, suddenly the words damage limitation are starting to seem inadequate.
The revelation that a consignment of unlicenced veterinary products was destroyed earlier this year after being seized on a Dubai government jet which had landed at Stansted airport thrusts the ruler of Dubai into an unwanted spotlight once again.
The seizure of products one veterinary expert has described as ‘potentially toxic and dangerous to horses’ is connected to another find which emerged earlier this month at a farm near Newmarket which was part of the Sheik’s estate.
It was being used for the training of Endurance Horses...
Read more here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/racing/article-2438614/Sheik-Mohammeds-reputation-takes-almighty-hit.html?ico=sport%5Eheadlines
By MARCUS TOWNEND
PUBLISHED: 05:41 EST, 30 September 2013
For the reputation of Sheik Mohammed – indeed the whole of Dubai - on the international stage of equine sport, suddenly the words damage limitation are starting to seem inadequate.
The revelation that a consignment of unlicenced veterinary products was destroyed earlier this year after being seized on a Dubai government jet which had landed at Stansted airport thrusts the ruler of Dubai into an unwanted spotlight once again.
The seizure of products one veterinary expert has described as ‘potentially toxic and dangerous to horses’ is connected to another find which emerged earlier this month at a farm near Newmarket which was part of the Sheik’s estate.
It was being used for the training of Endurance Horses...
Read more here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/racing/article-2438614/Sheik-Mohammeds-reputation-takes-almighty-hit.html?ico=sport%5Eheadlines
Saturday, September 28, 2013
2013 Pan American Championships
September 27 2013
Oriana Ricca of Uruguay won the 125-km 2013 Pan American Championships on September 26, 2013 at Trinidad, Uruguay, aboard Amrillo HLM. She finished 27 seconds ahead of Argentina's Gabriel Morgui and HLP Astica. Uruguay's Nicolas Rodriguez Villamil riding JQ Safi Zafra won the bronze medal. USA's Mae Chase-Dunn finished 12th aboard Chamalu. Uruguay won Team Gold, Brazil won Team Silver, and Chile took Team Bronze.
Maria Pereira of Uruguay won the 125-km FEI Young Rider Pan American Championship aboard SM Lady Adela, by 2 minutes over Uruguay's Frederik Maidana aboard JQ Zarial. Paula Llorens of Chile, riding Sandek, took the bronze medal. Two USA Young Riders participated in the race. McCamey Kimbler finished 13th aboard SB Nazeem, and while Mallory Capps crossed the finish line on Serena Hab, her horse did not pass the final vet inspection. 21 Young Riders started the ride and 13 finished. Uruguay won Team Gold, and Chile took Team Silver.
For more results see
http://race.sistracking.com.uy/index.php
Oriana Ricca of Uruguay won the 125-km 2013 Pan American Championships on September 26, 2013 at Trinidad, Uruguay, aboard Amrillo HLM. She finished 27 seconds ahead of Argentina's Gabriel Morgui and HLP Astica. Uruguay's Nicolas Rodriguez Villamil riding JQ Safi Zafra won the bronze medal. USA's Mae Chase-Dunn finished 12th aboard Chamalu. Uruguay won Team Gold, Brazil won Team Silver, and Chile took Team Bronze.
Maria Pereira of Uruguay won the 125-km FEI Young Rider Pan American Championship aboard SM Lady Adela, by 2 minutes over Uruguay's Frederik Maidana aboard JQ Zarial. Paula Llorens of Chile, riding Sandek, took the bronze medal. Two USA Young Riders participated in the race. McCamey Kimbler finished 13th aboard SB Nazeem, and while Mallory Capps crossed the finish line on Serena Hab, her horse did not pass the final vet inspection. 21 Young Riders started the ride and 13 finished. Uruguay won Team Gold, and Chile took Team Silver.
For more results see
http://race.sistracking.com.uy/index.php
Friday, September 27, 2013
US Riders Head to Pan American Endurance Championships
By Kathleen Landwehr
Lexington, KY - Three individuals will represent the U.S. at the Pan American Endurance Championship on September 26. McCamey Kimbler, Mallory Capps, and Mae Chase-Dunn have traveled to Trinidad, Uruguay with Chef d'Equipe Emmett Ross to contest the championship. The Pan American Endurance Championship has divisions for both Senior and Young Riders/Juniors, as the competitors travel 120km in an attempt to earn top honors.
Seventeen-year-old Kimbler (Aberdeen, South Dakota) will compete in the Young Riders/Juniors division with SB Nazeem, an eight-year-old gelding owned by Haras Santa Barbara. Kimbler has had several top performances this year, beginning 2013 with a third-place finish in the CEIJY2* at the Indian Springs Endurance race. She followed this up by winning two 120km CEIYJ2* races over the weekend in early May at the Spruce Woods Provincial Park. In July, Kimbler finished fourth in the 120km race that was part of the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North. With top placings under her belt this year, she hopes to have another top performance in Ururguay.
Capps, a 19-year-old resident of Cumming, Georgia, will also compete in the Young Riders/Juniors division. She will partner with Alex Robaina's 12-year-old mare Serena Hab. Capps began the 2013 season with a win at FITS in the 90km race, as well as an eight-place finish the following day in the 120km race. In May, she and Serena Hab finished ninth in the CEIJY2* Costa Azul, Canelones in Uruguay. The pair aims for a similar result at the Pan American Endurance Championship.
As the sole U.S. competitor in the Senior division, Chase-Dunn (Riverside, California) will ride Chamalu, a 12-year-old gelding owned by Gabriel Alvarez. She has accumulated three fourth-place finishes this year at the Shine and Shine Only, Biltmore Challenge, and Almanor Hustle races.
Lexington, KY - Three individuals will represent the U.S. at the Pan American Endurance Championship on September 26. McCamey Kimbler, Mallory Capps, and Mae Chase-Dunn have traveled to Trinidad, Uruguay with Chef d'Equipe Emmett Ross to contest the championship. The Pan American Endurance Championship has divisions for both Senior and Young Riders/Juniors, as the competitors travel 120km in an attempt to earn top honors.
Seventeen-year-old Kimbler (Aberdeen, South Dakota) will compete in the Young Riders/Juniors division with SB Nazeem, an eight-year-old gelding owned by Haras Santa Barbara. Kimbler has had several top performances this year, beginning 2013 with a third-place finish in the CEIJY2* at the Indian Springs Endurance race. She followed this up by winning two 120km CEIYJ2* races over the weekend in early May at the Spruce Woods Provincial Park. In July, Kimbler finished fourth in the 120km race that was part of the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North. With top placings under her belt this year, she hopes to have another top performance in Ururguay.
Capps, a 19-year-old resident of Cumming, Georgia, will also compete in the Young Riders/Juniors division. She will partner with Alex Robaina's 12-year-old mare Serena Hab. Capps began the 2013 season with a win at FITS in the 90km race, as well as an eight-place finish the following day in the 120km race. In May, she and Serena Hab finished ninth in the CEIJY2* Costa Azul, Canelones in Uruguay. The pair aims for a similar result at the Pan American Endurance Championship.
As the sole U.S. competitor in the Senior division, Chase-Dunn (Riverside, California) will ride Chamalu, a 12-year-old gelding owned by Gabriel Alvarez. She has accumulated three fourth-place finishes this year at the Shine and Shine Only, Biltmore Challenge, and Almanor Hustle races.
Great Britain: Endurance challenge comes to Newbury
Newburytoday.co.uk - Full Article
Friday, 27th Sep 2013
Reporter: Malcolm Howe Sports Editor
Email: sport@newburynews.co.uk
Contact: 01635 886629
NEWBURY will be hosting its first ladies Endurance long distance horse riding event next year as part of the fifth World Arabian Horseracing Conference.The conference itself will be staged at London’s St James Theatre but the 400 delegates from around the world will be decamping to Newbury for two days on May 31 and June 1 for racing and the endurance run.
The endurance run will see an early morning start from The Racecourse with riders covering 120 kilometres.
Final course details and vantage points have yet to be arranged, but John Robertson of Endurance UK said: We hope to be able to stage the race for international teams of five lady riders aged 14 and up and with seven horses, of which the top three will score...
Read more here:
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2013/endurance-challenge-comes-to-newbury
Friday, 27th Sep 2013
Reporter: Malcolm Howe Sports Editor
Email: sport@newburynews.co.uk
Contact: 01635 886629
NEWBURY will be hosting its first ladies Endurance long distance horse riding event next year as part of the fifth World Arabian Horseracing Conference.The conference itself will be staged at London’s St James Theatre but the 400 delegates from around the world will be decamping to Newbury for two days on May 31 and June 1 for racing and the endurance run.
The endurance run will see an early morning start from The Racecourse with riders covering 120 kilometres.
Final course details and vantage points have yet to be arranged, but John Robertson of Endurance UK said: We hope to be able to stage the race for international teams of five lady riders aged 14 and up and with seven horses, of which the top three will score...
Read more here:
http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/2013/endurance-challenge-comes-to-newbury
Great Britain: Shahkeira Wins Highest Futurity Evaluation Score
Thisiscornwall.co.uk - Full Article
Equestrian by Kathryn Pearn, September 25, 2013
THE potential endurance horse, Shahkeira, gained the highest score ever awarded to an endurance horse in the 2013 Baileys Horse Feeds/British Equestrian Federation Futurity Evaluation series held at Tall Trees Arena, Camelford.
Jo Claridge from Phoenix Field Arabians, Cardinham, has been breeding horses for 23 years and Shahkeira is out of her mare, Shahlua.
The filly scored 9.23 to emerge with an elite premium indicating that this youngster has the potential and outlook to perform at international level.
"Shahkeira is the sixth foal we've bred from Shahlua and the fifth one by R Ali Bey," said Jo. "Shahkeira's full brothers, Ali Shahrif and Ali Shahmahl did well at the Futurity and Ali Shamahl has just competed in his first pleasure ride..."
Read more here:
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Newquay-district-grassroots-sport-September-25/story-19842807-detail/story.html#axzz2g6QRNk8v
Equestrian by Kathryn Pearn, September 25, 2013
THE potential endurance horse, Shahkeira, gained the highest score ever awarded to an endurance horse in the 2013 Baileys Horse Feeds/British Equestrian Federation Futurity Evaluation series held at Tall Trees Arena, Camelford.
Jo Claridge from Phoenix Field Arabians, Cardinham, has been breeding horses for 23 years and Shahkeira is out of her mare, Shahlua.
The filly scored 9.23 to emerge with an elite premium indicating that this youngster has the potential and outlook to perform at international level.
"Shahkeira is the sixth foal we've bred from Shahlua and the fifth one by R Ali Bey," said Jo. "Shahkeira's full brothers, Ali Shahrif and Ali Shahmahl did well at the Futurity and Ali Shamahl has just competed in his first pleasure ride..."
Read more here:
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Newquay-district-grassroots-sport-September-25/story-19842807-detail/story.html#axzz2g6QRNk8v
Australia: Howe lost for words
Mudgeeguardian.com.au - Full Article
John Howe would never know the feeling of scoring a century in an Ashes Test at Lords but winning the Best Managed Horse award at the annual Shahzada ride could come close.
The Green Gully horseman was the “overall winner” of the ultimate endurance event.
He becomes the third local in five years to win the event’s top award after Garry Bennett in 2009 and Sue Todd in 2010.
Howe, who achieved his 10,000 kilometres rug at the Mudgee Endurance Ride in May, was stunned to be named the winner of Shahzada.
“I was absolutely speechless. It was a big surprise,” he said.
“I came to Shahzada hoping to get my ninth buckle because I’m 60 next year and I always want to get my 10th when I turn 60..."
Read more here:
http://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/story/1797855/howe-lost-for-words/?cs=1485
John Howe would never know the feeling of scoring a century in an Ashes Test at Lords but winning the Best Managed Horse award at the annual Shahzada ride could come close.
The Green Gully horseman was the “overall winner” of the ultimate endurance event.
He becomes the third local in five years to win the event’s top award after Garry Bennett in 2009 and Sue Todd in 2010.
Howe, who achieved his 10,000 kilometres rug at the Mudgee Endurance Ride in May, was stunned to be named the winner of Shahzada.
“I was absolutely speechless. It was a big surprise,” he said.
“I came to Shahzada hoping to get my ninth buckle because I’m 60 next year and I always want to get my 10th when I turn 60..."
Read more here:
http://www.mudgeeguardian.com.au/story/1797855/howe-lost-for-words/?cs=1485
FNB Namibia Endurance Champs
Namibiasport.com.na
Submitted by editor on Fri, 08/23/2013 - 14:05.
The annual FNB Namibia Endurance African Championships will be held in Walvis Bay on Wednesday, August 28.
FNB Namibia has supported this event for the past five years and recently announced a sponsorship of N$50 000 for this year’s event.
Ingrid Goeieman, Manager Sponsorships and Donations at FNB Namibia:
“Apart from the fact that this is a sport event and FNB Namibia is the number one supporter of a variety of sporting codes in Namibia, we also appreciate the fact that this event is about endurance, stamina and a never-give-up- attitude,” she said.
“These are all qualities we admire in our staff as well as clients, ranging from SME owners to big corporate clients and we therefore wholeheartedly support such occasions,” she added.
Zelda von Schauroth of Namibia Endurance said:
“Namibia Endurance hosts their 18th flagship event with an expected record amount of entries. Apart from the four Namibian teams, heavy weight, senior standard weight, no weight and young rider teams, there are also teams from South Africa and Botswana. We expect between 180 and 200 horses to depart before sunrise in very misty conditions on a course lit with blinking lights.”
She went on to say that the course this year was very challenging and interesting with the second loop of the 120km being over the notorious Dune 7, a huge challenge for horse and rider.
The third leg is a picturesque loop along the coastline allowing horses and riders to enjoy the welcome sea breeze. An expert panel of veterinarians will be ready to examine horses after every loop of approximately 30km, making sure the horses are fit to continue to the next loop. Should a horse have the slightest signs of lameness or dehydration, the horse would not be declared fit to continue.
Von Schauroth: “Exciting changes were made to the course and the safety of horses and riders were the primary motivation for the changes and riders were relieved that the danger of riding close to the tar road has been eliminated. The tar road to the airport has become extremely busy due to increased mining activities in the area and is therefore a significant danger to competitors. Prevailing winds have also changed the face and ascent of Dune 7. The changes are a great improvement and will certainly enhance the quality of the event.”
The FNB Namibia Endurance African Championships is run under the auspices of the FEI, Federation Equestrian International, the mother body of equestrian sport worldwide. Distances are national rides of 40km and 80 km and FEI distances are 90 km and 120 km.
Namibian Endurance horses have become extremely popular and have attracted many foreign buyers. This has brought about a professional dimension to the sport with owners and trainers becoming more scientific and market related. Interest from foreign clients has also boosted the breeding programs in Namibia and has resulted in the improvement of the full spectrum of the sport and horses.
Submitted by editor on Fri, 08/23/2013 - 14:05.
The annual FNB Namibia Endurance African Championships will be held in Walvis Bay on Wednesday, August 28.
FNB Namibia has supported this event for the past five years and recently announced a sponsorship of N$50 000 for this year’s event.
Ingrid Goeieman, Manager Sponsorships and Donations at FNB Namibia:
“Apart from the fact that this is a sport event and FNB Namibia is the number one supporter of a variety of sporting codes in Namibia, we also appreciate the fact that this event is about endurance, stamina and a never-give-up- attitude,” she said.
“These are all qualities we admire in our staff as well as clients, ranging from SME owners to big corporate clients and we therefore wholeheartedly support such occasions,” she added.
Zelda von Schauroth of Namibia Endurance said:
“Namibia Endurance hosts their 18th flagship event with an expected record amount of entries. Apart from the four Namibian teams, heavy weight, senior standard weight, no weight and young rider teams, there are also teams from South Africa and Botswana. We expect between 180 and 200 horses to depart before sunrise in very misty conditions on a course lit with blinking lights.”
She went on to say that the course this year was very challenging and interesting with the second loop of the 120km being over the notorious Dune 7, a huge challenge for horse and rider.
The third leg is a picturesque loop along the coastline allowing horses and riders to enjoy the welcome sea breeze. An expert panel of veterinarians will be ready to examine horses after every loop of approximately 30km, making sure the horses are fit to continue to the next loop. Should a horse have the slightest signs of lameness or dehydration, the horse would not be declared fit to continue.
Von Schauroth: “Exciting changes were made to the course and the safety of horses and riders were the primary motivation for the changes and riders were relieved that the danger of riding close to the tar road has been eliminated. The tar road to the airport has become extremely busy due to increased mining activities in the area and is therefore a significant danger to competitors. Prevailing winds have also changed the face and ascent of Dune 7. The changes are a great improvement and will certainly enhance the quality of the event.”
The FNB Namibia Endurance African Championships is run under the auspices of the FEI, Federation Equestrian International, the mother body of equestrian sport worldwide. Distances are national rides of 40km and 80 km and FEI distances are 90 km and 120 km.
Namibian Endurance horses have become extremely popular and have attracted many foreign buyers. This has brought about a professional dimension to the sport with owners and trainers becoming more scientific and market related. Interest from foreign clients has also boosted the breeding programs in Namibia and has resulted in the improvement of the full spectrum of the sport and horses.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Australia: Wagin to host endurance ride
Waginargus.com.au - Full Article
Sept. 18, 2013, 10 p.m.
IN October next year Wagin will host the Tom Quilty Gold Cup 100 Mile Endurance Ride.
The Tom Quilty ride is the premier event on the national calendar and the one event that every endurance rider wants to compete in.
Riders leave with pitched excitement at midnight on Friday night, trying to complete the gruelling course before midnight on Saturday. It is a test for both the horse and rider against the terrain and the elements.
Horses are vetted stringently before the ride and along the way at various checkpoints and then at the end of the ride. If all vet criteria is met the horse and rider are deemed fit to continue and ultimately receives the coveted silver buckle for completion.
In 1966 RM Williams organised the first 100 Mile (160km) endurance ride in Australia. At that time he approached his friend Tom Quilty, of Springvale and Bedford Down stations in the Kimberley, to sponsor the ride...
Read more here:
http://www.waginargus.com.au/story/1783137/wagin-to-host-endurance-ride/?cs=1539
Sept. 18, 2013, 10 p.m.
IN October next year Wagin will host the Tom Quilty Gold Cup 100 Mile Endurance Ride.
The Tom Quilty ride is the premier event on the national calendar and the one event that every endurance rider wants to compete in.
Riders leave with pitched excitement at midnight on Friday night, trying to complete the gruelling course before midnight on Saturday. It is a test for both the horse and rider against the terrain and the elements.
Horses are vetted stringently before the ride and along the way at various checkpoints and then at the end of the ride. If all vet criteria is met the horse and rider are deemed fit to continue and ultimately receives the coveted silver buckle for completion.
In 1966 RM Williams organised the first 100 Mile (160km) endurance ride in Australia. At that time he approached his friend Tom Quilty, of Springvale and Bedford Down stations in the Kimberley, to sponsor the ride...
Read more here:
http://www.waginargus.com.au/story/1783137/wagin-to-host-endurance-ride/?cs=1539
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