Australia: Trans Tasman CEI***

Trans Tasman CEI*** - Aussie Teams
Date: Wed, 17 Aug 2005 12:42:31 +1000
Mal Caldwell AES Media

The AERA International Committee ,and the Australian Endurance Squad Board of management , are pleased
to announce the Australian teams for the Trans Tasman CEI*** to be held at Glen Innes on Saturday 8th October.

This ?friendly ? International competition with our New Zealand friends , reciprocates the inaugural event held in New Zealand.
The Kiwi?s worked very hard to care for the Australian team last year ,, and to provide us with very good horses.
We hope to repay this hospitality , and to establish the event as a permanent fixture on the Endurance Calendar

The Red Range track is considered by many to be Australia? s best 160k course.
With a strong organizing team in place , we look forward to a great event.

Team Chef D?Equipe Robin van der Wegen

CEI*** 160km

Joyce Corbett / Reeflex
Claudia Reid / Ningadoo Taban
Robert Sutton / Zenith Park Quigley
Britnee D?Hont / Syeda Simba

CEI** 110Km

Danielle O?Loughlin / Pravado
Tracey-Lee Whitehead / Kelkette Park Durack
Dean Stephens / Tarong Kelly
Luke Annetts / Tallawarra Quality

Reserves : Charmaine Smith / Meltharina Magic
Jenny Annetts / Churinga Witezan?s Dream

Australian Endurance Squad Youth Team CEI** 110k

Kristie McGaffin / Wybalena Lodge Shushka
Amily Daw / Castlebar Kadeen
Brooke Warner / Bramall Jazzmin
Sasha Laws-King / Tubbarubba Cheval

Australia: NSW State Championship 160km

Local endurance rider takes out the State Championship
Monday, 8 August 2005




Woodstock endurance rider, Annette Bailey, won the prestigious NSW State Championship 160km (100 miles) endurance ride, held at Manilla, near Tamworth on 24th July.

The ride was staged over four legs. The first two legs each covered 46kms through undulating to flat country north of Manilla. The 3rd leg crossed the Tamworth Highway and headed into undulating to steep country with the last leg travelling out towards Gunnedah and back into Manilla.
[More ...]

Jordanian princess vies for equestrian presidency

AFP
August 8, 2005

AMMAN -- Princess Haya, half sister of Jordan's King Abdullah II and wife of Dubai Crown Prince Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will run for the presidency of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), she told AFP on Sunday.

A keen athlete with a passion for riding, the 31-year-old princess represented Jordan at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games - the first Arab woman to do so -- competing in show jumping.

In a phone interview from London where she is currently, Princess Haya said she "will run in April for the presidency" of the FEI in the hope of promoting and revitalizing the sport across the globe "through a modern and efficient world-class body".

"Ensuring that the Federation is fully transparent and works in accordance with sound and modern financial systems is of utmost importance to me, and imperative for the development and growth of the equestrian sport internationally," she said.

Princess Haya has taken part in several international competitions, representing Jordan at Sydney 2000 and at the World Championships in Jerez 2002. She recently took part in the Dubai 2005 World Endurance Championship and is a member of the honorary committee of the Spanish Riding School.

The princess has represented Jordan in the FEI General Assembly and was chairperson of the Middle East and Western Asian sub-group from 1992-1996.

"I see equestrianism as a traditional sport with a modern future," the princess - who is daughter of the late King Hussein - said.

Princess Haya is also a member of the International Board of Directors of Right to Play, an athlete-driven organization dedicated to bringing sports and recreation to children affected by war, poverty disease and illness.

Riding in Memory

By CAROLYNN BRIGHT - IR Staff Writer - 8/08/05

Helena woman keeps vow to dying sister, by finishing 100-mile horse race

Bobbie Pomroy's family was waiting to congratulate her as she crossed the finish line at the Tevis Cup in California recently, with one notable exception ? her sister, Wanda Allen.

Jon Ebelt IR Staff Photographer - Montana City's Bobbie Pomroy recently completed a one-day grueling horse race that covered 100 miles of tough California terrain including such challenges as 100-degree heat, crossing rivers and maneuvering past a swing bridge.

Allen succumbed to lung cancer in 2001, leaving Pomroy to carry out her dream of riding her Arabian, Hopper, in the annual, daylong endurance race that travels the 100 miles between Lake Tahoe and Auburn.

"I told her I'd take her horse to the Tevis Cup and she sort of laughed," Pomroy said, her eyes misting over with tears as she recalled the conversation with her dying sister, and the promise she made.

Looking back, Pomroy admits that the solemn vow was somewhat laughable given that her riding experience at the time was next to none.


"She was the horse person," Pomroy said. "I was the runner."

And Pomroy is no recreational jogger. In fact, she has competed in several ultra-marathons over the years, including one that covers the same ground as the Tevis Cup ? six times.

Pomroy is credited with founding the Elkhorn Mountain Endurance Run with the aid of her husband, Jim.

Pomroy is still a runner, but she put ultra-marathons on the backburner while she learned to ride the spirited horse that her sister brought home as a yearling and trained.

It took Pomroy four years ? including countless hours of riding, and a lot of bumps and bruises ? to get herself and Hopper prepared and qualified for the strenuous ride.

"For the first couple of years, it was a chore to go out and ride," she said. "Now, I wake up and think, ?I get to go out and ride."'

However, at 5:15 a.m. on race day, Pomroy wasn't too sure about what she had gotten herself into.

"It was scary at the start," Pomroy said.

She explained that the 199 horse/rider teams were separated into three groups ? she threw her lot in with the highly competitive teams so she could get ahead of the pack and leave the more unpredictable horses behind.

However, the start was still a cramped, mad dash in the beginning, and Hopper had a tendency to kick should another horse get too close.

Just the same, Pomroy said it wasn't long before she and Hopper established their place in the pack, allowing them to concentrate on the obstacles that stood between them and the finish line.

One such obstacle was a swinging bridge that the pair had to cross.

"She had never done anything like that before," said Pomroy, who explained that Hooper quickly accepted the swaying motion of the bridge as she trotted across, Pomroy leading the way.

Next was the treacherous stretch of trail that the team had to cross at night, in the dark.

Pomroy explained that riders weren't allowed to use headlamps because the harsh light might blind the animals, so many people used glow sticks to illuminate the path.

Pomroy and Hopper chose to forge ahead without any such aid, with Hopper feeling her way along the route which bordered a steep ravine.

"I kept telling her, ?Careful girl. Pay attention. You're such a good girl,'" Pomroy said.

Then, Pomroy was nervous about crossing the American River, only a few miles from the finish line.

She recalls watching the horse ahead of her ? at least two or three hands taller than 14-hand Hopper ? get shorter and shorter as it walked into the water.

But Hopper forged ahead, swimming when she had to, Pomroy said.

Above all the obstacles, Pomroy dreaded the oppressive heat most. In the valleys, temperatures soared to well above 100 degrees at times.

According to Pomroy, her bargain with Hopper was that she would dismount and run the valley portions and ride out of the steep ravines in an effort to help Hopper beat the heat and fatigue that Pomroy knew would surely set in.

Pomroy says her heart dropped when, on the way out of one of the canyons, Hopper let out a huge sigh and stopped moving. Pomroy pushed her on, but Hopper stopped again.

At that point, Pomroy jumped off Hopper and ran alongside her until they reached the crest of the ravine.

"After that, she was fine," said Pomroy, adding that she almost believes Hopper's break on the trail was really a way of gauging Pomroy's commitment to finishing the race, and to Hopper. She passed.

Looking back, Pomroy thinks her sister might have had a good laugh at seeing her hoof it out of the canyon as she had in past ultra-marathons, but this time, with Hopper in tow.

According to Pomroy, all the years of training, and the stress of the actual race, were well worth it when the finish line came into view.

"It was absolutely wonderful," she said. "My family was there and I know my sister was there in spirit."

Sitting in her desk at the Montana Affiliate of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation office last week ? her inner thigh and leg still raw from being chafed by the saddle ? Pomroy could honestly say she was content.

"We did it," she said.

Now, Pomroy said, she just has to choose her next challenge.

Al Talia stable to sponsor endurance race

AL Talia Stable will be sponsoring today's South African Endurance Horse Race following the success of last year's race.

Sponsoring the 160-km race stresses the status that the stable and endurance racing in Bahrain have reached both domestically and internationally.

The leader of Al Talia stable Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa said that this step was taken because of the strong ties with the race's organising committee, which was built through the numerous and multifaceted contacts that the stable has had with them which includes buying and selling of horses and exchange of visits.

Shaikh Faisal added that the main goal of the sponsorship is to gain media coverage for Bahrain and to put the Kingdom in general and endurance racing, in particular under the spotlight.

He also hoped that the internationally accredited race being held under the supervision of the International Association for Endurance Racing will be a success for those goals to be accomplished.

Ridge resident wins trophy

100-mile ride nets award for Roush

By Brian Hamilton, brianh@theunion.com
July 27, 2005


Though the Western States Trail Ride is most commonly referred to as the Tevis Cup, the name of the trophy presented to the overall winner of the 100-mile, one-day ride, Michele Roush says that, given the choice, she'd rather win the Haggin Cup.

And considering she's a veterinarian, that personal preference seems an appropriate one.

Roush wrapped up her third finish in six starts in the annual event on Sunday, crossing the finish line in ninth place and earning her prized Haggin Cup, the award presented to the top-10 finishing horse determined to be in the best physical condition following the ride.

"I've always thought anybody can go out and ride fast," said Roush, a North San Juan resident. "To me, (the Haggin Cup) is a bigger deal than the Tevis Cup. It's judged on both horse and the rider. It's a comprehensive award."

Roush rode Cayenne, a horse she first rode just months earlier in an endurance riding event in Nevada, in the 51st annual Western States Trail Ride, crossing the finish line at 12:12 a.m. Sunday morning - nearly 19 hours after starting the ride at 5:15 a.m. Saturday morning.

"At that race in Nevada, I rode three different horses on three different days," Roush said. "And on that third day, I rode Cayenne. He did the Tevis last year, with his owner from Utah, so I knew he could do it.

"One of his strengths is that he is very good downhill and the Tevis is a downhill race, pretty much."

In January, Roush rode in the World Endurance Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates atop PR Tallymark, a horse owned and ridden by Steve Shaw of Santa Cruz in this year's Tevis Cup.

"I didn't really know (Cayenne) really well, but I certainly know him better now than I did last Friday," she said. "He just goes and does his own thing.

"Tallymark is high maintenance, where I have to do a lot of positioning with him to do his best. But Cayenne, just works it out and seems to do what he needs to do."

Greenwood's Cathy Richardson claimed the Tevis Cup, as the first to the finish at Auburn's McCann Stadium, riding SMR Fif d'Or across the finish line at 11:06 p.m. Saturday. Richardson was also the 2001 winner of the Haggin Cup.

Though complete results of the event are not yet available, Roush said that nearly 200 riders and horses started the event, with 88 finishing.

Among the local finishers, Colfax's Char Antuzzi rode Galahad across the finish line at 3:28 a.m. Sunday, while Grass Valley's Kimberly Nunez was right behind, as she and Tenook's Magic Wind reached the end point at 3:30 a.m. Sunday. Grass Valley's Frank Smith rode his 10-year-old mule Batman to the finish by 3:30 a.m. The finish was Smith's eighth completion of the course.

Robert and Melissa Ribley, also of Grass Valley, each finished the event at 4:58 a.m. Sunday, with Melissa riding Oak Hill Tidbit and Robert atop Oak Hill Rambler.

Three other area riders and their mounts were pulled from the event at Robinson Flat, the 36-mile mark of the event. Penn Valley's Beverly Altevers and her mount Flash of Elegance were pulled from the race, as was Grass Valley's Ina Hutchings and Rebel Dancer, along with Colfax's Chuck Mather and Dance of Hallani.

To contact sports editor Brian Hamilton, e-mail brianh@theunion.com or call 477-4240

Shaikh Majid In UK Endurance triumph

Khaleej Times
From A Correspondent

26 July 2005



IN HEAVY rain Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum won the FEI 160-km Euston Park Endurance ride sponsored by Emirates International Endurance racing. He rode the French bred mare, Al Wadha, on who his brother Shaikh Hamdan had won the 160-km ride at Newmarket last year.


The 160-km course had been designed by James MacEwan and John Robertson who was also the FEI technical delegate.

The ride started and finished at Euston House whose parkland was the location of the central vet gate. The route was divided into six loops 35-37-35-19-17 and 19-km. The first and third legs of 35km were over the same route as were the fourth and last leg of 19km.

The courses ran over the farmland and woods of Euston Estate, courtesy of Lord and Lady Euston, and the tracks through Kings Forest courtesy of the Forestry Commission.

The ride officials included Ian Williams, Director of Endurance at the FEI. He praised both the organisation and the course. ?A well organised and well run event which produced a top class 160-km ride.

?More incredible is that their were no gates to open and no road work, an accomplishment rarely achieved by rides in the UK. The numbers might have been few but the competitive level was very high.?

At 5am on a cool summer morning 36 riders were flagged of by Maggie Maquire Vice-Chairman of Endurance GB, who also presented the awards. Two stalwarts of endurance in the UK, Lesley Dunn and Margaret McKiddie, led the first stage.

Dunn went on to finish third on Franzara and McKiddie?s horse, Bonnie Anne, was eliminated lame at the end of the penultimate stage.

From the second leg the UAE riders dominated the pace with Shaikh Hamdan, Shaikh Ahmed and Shaikh Majid leading.

They were closely followed by their father General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Minister of Defence, and his wife Princess Haya bint Al Hussein.

In the later part of this leg Shaikh Mohammed retired his young horse Alidar whom he felt was not sound and Princess Haya also retired her favourite horse Al Aghar who was in top form.

The three brothers and Mohammed Ali Al Shafar had established a comfortable lead by the end of the third stage but at the end of the fourth Shaikh Hamdan retired his mount Horisk De Grazette on the advice of Shaikh Mohammed who considered the horse had done sufficient and performed very well. The heavy rain was persistent as the three UAE riders completed the final two legs. The grey gelding Mukatel ridden by Al Shafar tired over the final stage to cross the finish third but was eliminated lame at the final vetting.

The two brothers rode together over the final 19-km and crossed the finish simultaneously, Shaikh Majid just a length ahead. Shaikh Ahmed was riding a young horse, the French bred Jaysk, and he commented: ?I was not sure if he would succeed at this distance but he did, due to my father?s excellent training.?

Only five riders completed and Dr Fred Barralet, President of the Veterinary Commission, said: ?A lot of retirements at the midway stage were made by riders who felt that distance was adequate for their horse who could well be competing in the Europeans next month.? The heavy rain that started at midday also influenced some riders who retired before the finish. Katie Smith, the recent winner of Florac, described the going as very slippery and very difficult. The winning ride time was 8.32.01 an average of 18.98kph.

In fourth place was Spaniard Antoino Moreno who was riding the USA bred Jassas, owned by Shaikh Mohammed.

The last rider to finish was Susan Hawes from the UK more than three hours after the winner.