Karen Kroon Wins FEI North American Endurance Championship at 2005 Fair Hill International; USA Pacific South Wins Team Championship

By Classic Communications

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Karen Kroon of Cheyenne, WY, won the 2005 FEI North American Endurance Championship CEIO**** at the 17th annual Fair Hill International Festival in the Country in Elkton, MD, October 9-10.

Kroon won the continental championship?s Individual Gold medal by finishing the 100-mile ride in a time of 11:45:30 on Rokket, her 11-year-old bay Arabian gelding.

Dominique Freeman of La Honda, CA, who finished in 11:45:50 seconds on Jayel Super, a 13-year-old bay Arabian gelding owned by Stagg and Cheryl Newman, finished second behind Kroon, but as a citizen of Great Britain was not eligible for a medal in the North American Championship, which is open only to riders representing North American countries.

Winning the Individual Silver was Sandra E. Conner of Conowingo, MD who finished third overall with a time of 12:03:32 on Elegant Pride, a 10-year-old gray Arabian gelding owned by Lana Wright. The Bronze medal went to Betty Baker of Honeybrook, PA, who finished fourth overall with a time of 12:03:42 on Synematic, her eight-year-old gray Arabian gelding.

?To win is a real surprise to me,? said Kroon. ?My horse has the ability, but there was 10 inches of snow on the ground when we left Wyoming, so this was a real change of climate. We usually train at 7,000 feet and to come here and compete under such drastically different conditions, well, it?s a real thrill and a great honor for us to win.?

The Best Condition Award went to Rebel Fire Bask, owned and ridden by Nicole Chappell Wiere of Elk Grove, CA, who placed ninth with a time of 12:48:21. Receiving an Honorable Mention for Best Condition was the Bronze Medal-winning Elegant Pride,Karen Kroon Wins FEI North American Endurance Championship at 2005 Fair Hill International

The USA Pacific South team of Wiere on Rebel Fire Bask, Barry Waitte of Los Gatos, CA on LV Cambridge, Carolyn Hock of Riverside, CA, on GT Sando, and Heather Reynolds of Los Gatos, CA, on CP Magestic won the Team Gold. Hillorie Bachmann of Cupertino, CA, on CV Eli and Jeff Townsend of Los Gatos, CA, on Kann Sam Count also represented USA Pacific South, riding as individuals. The Team Silver went to Pacific North and the Bronze when to USA Central. USA Mountain was fourth, USA East was fifth, Canada East was sixth and Canada West was seventh.

Detailed results and further information on the 2005 Fair Hill International Festival in the Country is available at www.fairhillinternational.com.

Australia: Trans Tasman Challenge Results

FEI Open Division / 160

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1, Brook Sample - La Mancha Archduke, 9:13:32 **BC**

2, Donna Weismann - Hirstglen Fargo, 9:19:14

3, Howard Harris - Harmere Turfan, 9:19:33

4, Anne Jones - Carnarvon Cavalier, 9:36:33

5, Joyce Corbett - Reeflex, 10:05:00

6, Jodie Patterson - Abrock Gemma, 10:11:00

7, Daniele O'Loughlin - Pravado, 11:34:00

8, Maurice Gray - Ashraf Ibn Amir, 11:52:00

9, David Horton - Eskdale Espirique, 12:49:00

10, Ken Moir - Camelot Retreat Azada, 12:49:10



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Equestrians compete at Chamberlain Creek

By Jereen Anderson


The annual Chamberlain Creek 50-mile Endurance Ride out of Dunlop Camp on Hwy 20 took place Sept. 24. This equestrian event brought together horse and rider teams from Nevada, Trinity/Eureka, Novato, Potter Valley, England, Argentina and Mendocino. Twenty-six riders entered the 30-mile limited distance challenge and 46 riders went for the 50-mile event.

Being local turned out to be a good thing. The winner of the 50-mile race, for the second year in a row, was Mendocino rider Ed Anderson and his Arabian, Neekalos.

The team of Anderson and Neekalos set a new record for time last year with a finish of 4 hours and 26 minutes. Fifty-mile riders are allowed a maximum time of 12 hours to get an official completion.

This year they added a mere two minutes to that time and were awarded the coveted Best Condition Award. Using stringent criteria, best condition honors a horse out of the top ten finishers which the veterinarians decide is best suited to run for the doctor at the end of the ride.

Other locals in the top ten were Lari Shea of Mendocino on Indiana Jones coming in second, and Jeannie Pepper of Albion on North Bey, finishing seventh. Both teams received recognition by the veterinarians for their high best condition scores.

Emily Bloom from Fort Bragg was the first junior (under 16) to complete the 50-miler. Diana Dalton also finished the 50 in fine form, as did Cynthia Ariosta of Fort Bragg on Spirit. Other riders included Cathy DiVito of Potter Valley, Forrest Tancer of Sebastopol, Sky Carruthers of Argentina and Rebecca Bailey of England. Both Carruthers and Bailey are working at Ricochet Ridge Ranch in Fort Bragg at this time.


Many coastal folks worked hard in helping ride manager Marianne Gerssing put on this event. Among the volunteers were Calamity Paul, Steve Eliason, and Cynthia LeDuc of Fort Bragg, Gail and John Joseph and Dory Kwan and her daughter Ella from Albion.

"To finish is to win," is the motto of the endurance riding and anyone who has done a distance ride on a horse in all varieties of weather and terrain, soon learns the beauty and truth of these words.

72 riders compete in Endurance Ride
Wednesday, 12 October 2005

A picture perfect weekend greeted the 72 riders that came to Woodstock on 24 & 25 September to compete in the 80km ride and take part in the 40km training ride. The district put on its best conditions allowing horses to travel over tracks that were soft under foot, with just a touch of humidity that hinted at the storms that would come just after the last floats drove out of the showground on Sunday afternoon.
The 80km ride was won by Peter Norman from Nowra on a 13 year old pure Arabian gelding, "Bellarine Pasha", in a riding time of 4 hours 37 minutes. The last rider completed the course in a time of 8 hours and one minute, well and truly within the maximum riding time of 9 hours. Successful local riders were Nikki Tucker riding "Sanlargo Mystique", Robin Gossip on "Sudan, Petrina Besedic riding "Anabriar Khaboul" and Erica Allan on "Ebony".


The course travelled through the properties of Guy Geeves and Yvonne Cousins, John and Kit Cooley, Clare Mcginniskin and Pat Macree, Andrew and Annette Bailey, Barry and Penny Gay and Barry and Jenny Blinman. All these landowners provided a magnificent backdrop for riders from all over the State to experience our marvellous district in all its seasonal glory.

The ride was supported by many locals including Graham and Karen Gay, Brett Blinman, Margaret Hamilton, Alan Carter, Larah Eamens and members of the Cowra Cadets working in the timing tent. Kit and John Cooley were ever present in the Vetting area taking pulse rates before the horses presented to the vets. Dawn Cummins stewarded a gate for the best part of the morning and the Cowra Cadets also helped by sitting at the many gates that remained opened for the duration of the ride. The Cowra Cadets also catered a magnificent dinner on Saturday night with funds raised going towards their end of year festivities.

Dirt bikes were given a work out by Phil Tucker, Steve Green and Luke Tidswell who went around the course to open gates and check markers at 4.30am on Sunday and then shut all the gates at the end of the day. The Cowra Bush Fire Brigade provided excellent communications over the entire course and the Woodstock Bush Fire Brigade provided backup water for the horses. Other helpers included Nicole O'Connor who pencilled for the vets and Chris Newham and Judy O'Connor who ably assisted in the canteen.

Endurance riding provides an excellent opportunity for horse riders to enjoy country that they would not normally experience. Participants travel over courses that are well marked and watered and it never fails to amaze riders just how much the horses enjoy the whole "socialisation" with other horses.

The training ride concept built into the sport allows for riders to experience the course, without necessarily having to do a whole endurance ride of 80kms or more. This takes the pressure off having to train and feed to the same extent as having a fitter horse to do the longer distances.

Next year, Lachlan Endurance Riders will hold its normal format of 80kms and 40kms and will also have a 20km ride for those wishing to have a taste of the sport. For more information on endurance riding, contact Karen Rhodes on 63450 257 ah, or Annette Bailey on 63450383 or go the NSW Endurance Riders Association web site at www.nswera.asn.au

Bahrain pair for endurance test

ROYAL Endurance Team riders Salem Al Otaibi and Mohammed Abdulaziz will be taking part in an endurance horseride race in France on Friday.

This event will be held over 160 kms.

The participation of both riders follows the directives of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) deputy president Shaikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa and will part of their preparations for the World Juniors Championship to be held in Bahrain in December.

Salem and Mohammed extended their thanks and appreciation to Shaikh Khalid for this decision and confirmed their keenness to give off their best in regional and international championships.

Meanwhile, Breef have invited all the stables in the Northern Governorate to attend an important meeting today at 6.30pm at the federation's premises in Awali.

Shaikh Khalid said the meeting will be held to solve the problems stables and provide them various facilities for the new season following directives from His Majesty King Hamad.

Group Developing Standards For Secure Cell Phone Hardware

Sept. 27, 2005
By Rick Merritt
EE Times

SAN JOSE, Calif. ? An ad hoc industry group has taken its first step toward delivering in the first half of 2006 a hardware-security standard for cellphones.

The Trusted Computing Group released 11 user scenarios that are the basis for the spec it will release before next June.

The TCG established a standard for verifying the integrity of PCs more than a year ago. It specifies use of a security device, called the Trusted Platform Module (TPM), that creates cryptographic keys to identify a system?s integrity and provide secure data storage and execution space as needed. Developing a version of that spec for the more complex mobile sector has so far proved slow going.

That is due in part to the wide variety and diversity of stakeholders in the cellular industry. Active members in the TCG?s mobile work group include Authentec, Ericsson, France Telecom, IBM, Infineon, Intel, Lenovo, Motorola, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, Sony, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments, VeriSign, Vodaphone and Wave Systems."

British young riders seek gold in desert

Anna Tyzack
27 September, 2005

Endurance GB has announced the young rider team for the World Championships in Bahrain 05

Six experienced young endurance riders will be vying for gold at the FEI World Young Rider Championships in Bahrain (17 December). Endurance GB named the six-strong team following strong performances at the final team selection ride at Sherwood recently.

Four of the horse and rider combinations will journey to Bahrain at the beginning of December in order to start acclimatising their horses to the fierce Middle-Eastern temperatures. The remaining two are already based in Dubai, ensuring their horses are well used to the hot conditions.


?Acclimatisation will be the biggest single difficulty?, says Endurance GB international chairman Maggie Maguire. ?The British-based horses will be used to winter conditions.?


Zara Moon and Philip Hirst have both been selected to represent Britain for a second time. Moon, who is last year's EGB overall champion, will be partnering her International horse Yamavah. Dubai-based Hirst will be riding his mother's Vlaq Khamul.


Anna Williams is another experienced team member, who has represented Britain on two previous occasions. Wiliams will be partnering the eight-year-old H S Saboteur, who completed his first 120km in one day at Cirencester 2005. Alice Beet from Surrey will be partnering Harmatan de Lozere, who she qualified in Dubai last year, and Gemma Parkin, from Derbyshire will be riding Lutandorvici.


Abigail Lockett, from Stafford has been selected with the experienced Delorto Zaranz, who has already competed abroad at Wicklow Hills 1999 and was at the WEG in Jerez in 2002. Winscombe-based Rachel Harvey is reserve with Sarah Ryson's Prince Imperial.


?All the young riders are excellent,? Maguire says. ?They have all had a lot of success.?


Competitors will be required to journey 120km through the desert during the course of one day. ?Consistent cantering in a rhythm is the key to conserving energy,? says Maggie Maguire, ?In this country rides often require lots of stopping and starting but in the desert you can pretty much canter the whole ride?.


Each of the riders has completed at least one 120km endurance ride since November last year and are accustomed to pacing distances according to the physical build of their horse and the terrain and weather conditions.


They will all use heart monitors to check the conditions of their horse throughout the course of the Championship ride and will be required to present their horse to the vet at various set intervals to be checked as fit to continue.


?It is a considerable test,? Maguire explains, ?It is all about doing it within the capabilities of the horse?.


The team will be given advice by team vet Adam Driver who has spent the last two winters in Dubai and who understands the conditions and the impact they have on foreign horses.