~Abu Dhabi~ Arabian Nights 100 CEI***

Ridecamp
27April04


The August 28 100, CEI*** ride in Oreana, has a new name:

~Abu Dhabi~ Arabian Nights

, and a new sponsor '

Emirates International Endurance Village

'.

We're going to make this a fun weekend for all, food-entertainment-goodies, as well as a top notch event. The course was designed for the US Squad in preparation for the 2004(5) WEC in Dubai - so it will be fairly flat and fast.

But* the good news is that if you don't want to race, there will be a full moon - and you can just dawdle along (or hang out in the shade) during the heat of the day, and finish the ride at night, by the light of the moon! You will have 24 hours to complete the course, and there are no cutoff times. We will have some very special turtle awards, and the Owyhee desert is spectacular in the moonlight...


This is an open AERC 100, and an FEI CEI*** ride. I can mail you an entry packet, or you can print off the website:

http://www.endurance.net/oreana/arabiannights/

Steph


p.s. Bill Basham, the Gourmet Chef will be cooking all weekend!

[More ...]

La Baule 2004

La Baule CEIO*** Event Coverage
Pamela Burton



Premier riders from 12 nations including Australia, Britain, Belgium, France, Germany, Holland, Ireland, Italy, and the UAE are expected to arrive for the May 8 Super League endurance ride at La Baule, France.

The endurance venue, which begins at 8:30 AM beach-side in this lovely Atlantic Coastal town, will travel inland through 6 stages and several small villages before returning to the beach for the before-dark expected finale. Sixty riders are expected at this years ride, twice the amount of entrants in 2003, the 1st CEIO at La Baule.

I will be covering the La Baule ride for EnduranceWorld.Net....tough assignment, but someone had to do it. France is very organized in it's Equestrian competitions, more-so than many countries, as it is totally underwritten (read morally and financially) by its National Federation.

EnduranceWorld.Net will explore this lovely coastal area of France and take you along on the competition trails that will travel some of the medieval backroads of Brittany.

This event is the CEIO for France for 2004. The designation is given to one country for one competition per year. In order to obtain this label, the event must be of the highest quality. This top quality event will give endurance riders a venue to further hone their skills, looking forward to the World Endurance Championship in January 2005.

The UAE will surely maintain the challenge to duplicate the individual first place last year of Shk. Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktom, while the French team, who won the first CEIO at La Baule in 2003, will be looking to repeat their Gold Medal win.

The International teams will look forward to two other CEIO events, Newmarket in Great Britain on June 27, and Gubbio, in Italy on September 17-19 in this Competition series .

In France, Endurance is the second largest equestrian discipline by number of licensed participants, after jumping.

In 2003, a crowd estimated at 3,000-4,000 people watched the finish of the competitors, who had begun their ride at 7 am. The 2004 ride will still start at the beach site at low tide at 8:30 am, and will travel through many of small and medieval cities in the area. Some ride modifications have been made to reduce road travel, and the trail is slightly more difficult in technicality as a result.

A la prochaine, Pamela

Event Coverage Site

Intercontinental newsletter: 07/04

Intercontinental Newsletter
NEWS & MESSAGES
07/04

In this letter you’ll find:

• Important Message from Manoj Jalan, India
  
• Canter into Europe”: Central European Endurance Cup 2004
  
• Message from Suzanne Dollinger: Answer to Ian William’s letter (15th April 2004) concerning the message of Sergio Tommasi published in newsletter 06/ 04
  
• Gulf News: Several riders qualified for Senior World Championship 2005
  

[More...]

FEI General Assembly. Paris, 16-22 April 2004

FEDERATION EQUESTRE INTERNATIONALE
FEI PRESS NEWS
FEI GENERAL ASSEMBLY
Paris, 16-22 April 2004

A record number of National Federations took part in the 2004 FEI General
Assembly hosted by the French Equestrian Federation. The six days of
meetings (16 through 21 April) were held in a cooperative and friendly
atmosphere.

In connection with the General Assembly, both the Bureau and the Executive
Board met twice. A total of 26 different meetings took place throughout the
week, which represents the highest number of meetings ever organised in the
framework of an FEI General Assembly.

[More ...]

FEI Endurance: US Federation and FEI Debate

US National Federation and FEI Correspondence
FEI Certificate of Capability, Qualifications, World Rankings, Welfare of the Horse

To National Federations: "As you will be aware, a recent review of the Endurance 4* qualification criteria has shown that the existing wording is not as clear as first thought and may be in need of further consideration and review... "

and [More...]

Egypt: Riding the dunes

Riding the dunes
by AL-AHRAM

The fourth Al-Ahram Al-Arabi Endurance Ride took place in the desert overlooking the Pyramids. Nashwa Abdel-Tawab followed the pack with photographer Mahmoud Moussa

From top: Sheikh Hazza, centre, and celeberating with teammates by waving the UAE flag; Ragab and Mahmoud; Hazza and the Saqqara Pyramid in the background

Once again this year I found myself in the desert, surrounded by a sea of dunes, of shifting sands, and of the rhythmic pounding of hooves. From dawn until dusk, 52 horses and their riders explored the Sahara sands.

[More ...]

USEF: An Open Letter to the FEI.

An Open Letter to the FEI.

Arthur W. Priesz, Jr., Esq.
USEF Vice President of Endurance

It is with a deep sadness and regret that this letter is drafted. However, too often issues within the Endurance Discipline are dealt with out of simple expediency or, worse, in the self-interest of those involved. This has been especially true Internationally, and occurs too much at home as well. Unfortunately, when it happens Internationally, it is displayed on a much broader and more visible stage. This must stop. We need debate, not to determine a “majority” position, but to determine what is “right” in keeping the Horse first.



Representatives of the United States Equestrian Federation attending the FEI General Assembly in Paris in April will be prepared to publicly debate these issues, and others. However, this open letter to you will also be distributed to other Endurance Nations to encourage debate and consensus regarding these issues. This is another unfortunate moment for this discipline, especially following the Paris Endurance Forum of only 13 months ago and the preceding disasters at Jerez.

[More ...]

USEF Comments on proposed FEI Rules Changes:

http://www.enduranceworld.net/countries/us/FEIIssues/sid0001.htm