WEC: Bahrian National Endurance Team

Endurance challenge for top riders
Gulf News

THE Bahrain national endurance horseride team, led by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, arrived in the UAE for the World Championship on Thursday starting at 5pm Bahrain time at the endurance village premises in Dubai.

The six-member Bahraini team qualified for this event after completing three races over 160 kms last year. The team will be hoping for victory in this one-day event over a distance of 160 kms with 186 riders representing 48 countries in the fray.

Shaikh Nasser qualified for the championship following his success at the Bahrain Endurance Championship, the New Market Race in the UK and Florac Race in France.

The remaining riders are Breef first vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa of the Royal Endurance Team, Shaikh Daij bin Salman bin Mubarak Al Khalifa of Al Talia Stable, Shaikh Salman bin Saqer Al Khalifa of Ahmed Al Fateh Stable and Royal Endurance Team's Hamad Al Maraisi and Yousef Taher.

Team manager Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa said a meeting will be held today for officials of the participating teams. The opening ceremony is also scheduled for today at 6pm Bahrain time while the riders' weigh-in will be held tomorrow at 7am Bahrain time.

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WEC: Course Description Announced

The course at the Dubai Endurance City will be laid out in a sequence of 6 stages. The competitors will, at the end of each stage, present to a standard "Gate to Hold" for a mandatory rest and evaluation period. The competition clock will stop for each entrant when they pass through the In Time gate in to the hold area.

Riders must then present their equine for evaluation of metabolic and mechanical characteristics within 30 minutes. Following the presentation of the equine to the evaluations, the hold time begins. This time varies with each phase (gate), ranging from 30 minutes early in the competition, to 40 minutes in the later stages of the event.

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www.emiratesendurance.com

WEC: Australian Border Riders go for Gold

Border riders to go for gold at world event
The Border Mail 19Jan05
DI THOMAS

TWO Border endurance riders have arrived in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and are making final preparations before they take on the worlds best at the World Endurance Riding Championships next week.
Meg Wade, of Burrowye, and Kristie McGaffin, of Wodonga, are among a team of six Australians who will join riders from more than 40 other countries in the sports premier event.

McGaffin will celebrate her 21st birthday on the day of the race on January 27 and her twin sister Naomi has also flown to Dubai as a member of the Australian crew.
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WEC: British Endurance team settles well in Dubai

The riders and horses of the Senior World Endurance Championship British team are settling in well in Dubai after all but two flew out via Heathrow earlier this month, Beccy Broughton and Sarah Kellaway having been out there since late last year with their horses.

The team are staying in the purpose-built Endurance City, at the Bab Al Shams Hotel, designed and built in just thirteen months and only recently opened. The City, like Athens, has hundreds of men working 24/7 to finish the complex before the Championships, which take place on Thursday 27 January.

Rachael Claridge, Sarah Tyson, Katie Smith and Pam James stabled their horses overnight at the Chiltern Equine Clinic based in Chalfont St Giles, where the animals were examined by the team vet, Hugh Salmon, and equine osteopath Gavin Schofield, before going on to enjoy excellent hospitality at RAF Uxbridge the night before departure. All the horses travelled well during their seven hour flight, cared for by professional grooms supplied by Darley Transport.

Since arriving, both horses and riders have been working on fitness and acclimatisation, power-walking some 10-15km twice a day through the desert with riders also going swimming and using the hotel gym. Daily temperatures are between 20-25 degrees (C) with a few spots of rain and a deceptively dehydrating cool wind, so everyone is drinking plenty of water. Team officials Jo Chisholm and Hugh Salmon have also been working on their fitness for the big day.

The team riders have been able to experience vetting procedures under race ride conditions already as a 120km Nation Day Ride took place on Thursday (13 January). Sarah Kellaway had a young horse entered, ridden by Phil Hurst, and Beccy Broughton crewed for Anna Williams, daughter of FEI Head of Endurance & Reining, Ian.

For more information on how the team are progressing in Dubai, visit the Endurance GB website: www.endurancegb.co.uk and click on "Jo's Diary".


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USA: Fun In The Sun Endurance Festival

Fun In The Sun Endurance Festival (FITS) is slated for February 28 thru March 5 near Dunnellon, Florida. The ride will take place on the Goethe State Forest with the basecamp on private property next to the Goethe State Forest Headquarters at The Apex.

FITS offers a wide array of rides for the endurance rider. Each day will have either a 50 or 55 mile endurance ride and a 25 or 35 mile limited distance ride. In addition, there are two 3-day Pioneer rides being offered. To top that off, we are hosting three 2-day 100 FEI CEI*** rides (the 2-day 100 rides are not AERC sanctioned). Additional sanctioning for each day will come from SERA and SEDRA.

Riders coming to the Goethe State Forest to ride the Fun In The Sun Rides will be grateful to have such well-marked, scenic trails with nice footing. Basecamp is a large open field with primitive camping. It will open for the riders on February 24th.

Festivities will kick off with a Welcoming Party hosted by Gulf Coast 4 Star Trailer Sales at the Black Prong Equestrian Center. Riders will enjoy a driving demonstration first at 3:30 pm and will end with a Bar-B-Q being served around 4:30 pm.

The Kanavy Saddle Co is sponsoring the ride by offering a saddle to be raffled off to each day?s participants. That?s right, six saddles! Another sponsor is Southern States Feed who will be giving a horse nutrition talk on Thursday March 3rd along with a pizza party. Other sponsors include Equipads, Mobile Milling, Highermark, Animal Tacker, Tropical Rider, and Leather Therapy.

The ride?s web site is up and running at www.fitsenduranceride.com . Riders will find entry forms, schedules, trail descriptions, local information, and links to the sponsors.

Entries are due by February 14 at the request of management so we can get a head count. Entries can be mailed, emailed, or phoned in. Riders can pay when they get there. For more information contact:

Jan Stevens;
H.C. 71 Box 1203;
Ashland, MT 59003;
phone (406) 784-2469 or
email at circlebarranch@rangeweb.net .


Ride Web Site

UAE: 2005 Nations Cup Report

Mohammed and Mansour declared joint winners of National Day Cup
by Amith Passela ~ Khaleej Times
14 January 2005


DUBAI ? General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence, and Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, created a history of sorts when they were declared joint winners of the National Day Cup here at the Dubai Endurance City yesterday.


General Shaikh Mohammed and Shaikh Mansour crossed the finish line together in a bunch of six horses, covering the FEI-CEI Three Star 120km trip in five hours 20 minutes and 29 seconds.

The National Day Cup staged for the first time outside Abu Dhabi was deemed as a dress rehearsal for the Dubai FEI Endurance World Championship at the same venue on January 27.

The First Gulf Bank-sponsored race showcased the new state-of-the art facilities to the foreign riders, crew and officials already in the endurance village for the world event that returns to Dubai after the 1998 edition held for the first time outside Europe and the United States.

Shaikh Mohammed astride 11-year-old Arabian gelding Al Naa?is and Shaikh Mansour onboard the rangy eight-year-old bay Ro Saad, crossed the finish line in one of the now familiar hands-held gesture in a bunch of six that included Abdulla Khamis Ali Saeed, Yousef Ahmed Al Bloushi, Hassan Abdulla Al Hammadi and Ahmed Jassim Al Hammadi.

Shaikh Mansour said the race was an excellent launch pad for the host team. ?It was a fast run race and it showcased the readiness of the UAE team?s title defence. We are thinking positively at the world championship and I feel the UAE team will be the one that all have to beat come January 27.?

Shaikh Mansour remained in the leading group and was third into the final loop behind Al Reef Stables lead rider Abdulla Khamis Ali Saeed on 12-year-old Arabian gelding Shiranna Bokhara and his stable mate Yousef Ahmed Al Bloushi astride a former flat race horse 11-year-old El Hadzin Deleyre.

Both Shaikh Mohammed and Shaikh Mansour are in the 12-member UAE?s World Championship team.

Sultan Ahmed Sultan bin Sulayem finished 13th on nine-year-old Irex du Mas whilst two more members of the UAE squad, Shaikh Hazza bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his younger brother Shaikh Khalid, took 19th and 20th spots respectively.

Shaikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Shaikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum and his brothers Shaikh Hamdan, reigning world champion Shaikh Ahmed and Shaikh Majed, Shaikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum and Ali Al Muhairi, either retired or were eliminated. The race drew 120 entries and was run over five loops.

Shaikh Mansour remained in the leading group throughout the race after coming in second behind Mubarak Khalifa bin Shafya in the opening loop.

Shaikh Mohammed worked his way up from 40th place to go into the final loop in fourth with over eight minutes behind the leader Abdulla Khamis. Shaikh Mansour was third behind Yousef Ahmed in the final loop.
[Images of the Ride]

WEC: Bahrain Announces Team Members

Bahrain 6 Member Team Announced


The six member Bahrain team:
  Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa (Team Captain)
  Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa
  Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa
  Shaikh Salman bin Saqer Al Khalifa
  Hamad Al Meraisi
  Yousef Taher


A SIX-MEMBER Bahraini endurance horseride team is taking parting part in the seniors race at the World Endurance Horseride Championship in Dubai on January 27.

Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president and team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa will lead the team in the day-long event which will cover a distance of 160 kms.

Breef national teams manager Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, who is also taking part in the race, said Shaikh Nasser approved the list of riders for this event.

The remaining four riders of the team are Breef first vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Al Khaldiya Stable, Shaikh Salman bin Saqer Al Khalifa of Ahmed Al Fateh Stable, Hamad Al Meraisi and Yousef Taher - both of the Royal Endurance Team.

Shaikh Daij added the Bahraini riders will be taking part in both the individual and teams races along with world class veteran riders.

The six Bahraini riders qualified for the World Championship after successfully completing three races over similar distance, including events held earlier this year in Europe, Australia, Africa and Bahrain.


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