12-member Bahrain team for endurance challenge

BAHRAIN announced a 12-member national team for the World Endurance Championship for Juniors scheduled from December 15 to 18 at the Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The team is captained by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and includes Breef first vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Shaikha Najla bint Salman Al Khalifa, Mohammed Abdulsamad, Abdulaziz Adam, Salem Al Otaibi, Ahmed Hassan, Shaikh Saqer bin Khalid Al Khalifa, Maytham Ahmed, Ebrahim Al Jebouri, Mohammed Abdulaziz and Fahad Sulaiman.

They were selected from among 24 riders according to their performance and results in previous races.

Shaikh Nasser praised the efforts of the organising committee, headed by General Organisation for Youth and Sports president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa to ensure the success of this event which coincides with the Kingdom's National Day celebrations and His Majesty King Hamad's accession to the throne.

Shaikh Nasser also welcomed the teams which arrived for the championship and said the event will be very competitive having the top junior riders from around the globe in the fray.

He said in Bahrain the sport has become popular and many young enthusiasts are taking part in the national championships which is a good sign as it will bring new talents to represent the Kingdom in regional and international events.

Shaikh Nasser extended his appreciation to His Majesty for his continuous support to all Bahraini team members as well as to other sports.

Meanwhile, a total of 140 riders, representing 30 countries, will be competing at this championship which will be over 120 kms and divided into five stages. The first two stages will be over 30km, 25km for the third, 20km for the fourth and 15km for the fifth.

Each country is allowed a maximum of six riders for the race to be held on December 17.

Among regional delegations which arrived yesterday included Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

The Jordanian delegation consists of Tareq Rabea, Yara Aslan, Shakeeb Qabbani, Hanna Bhouti and Ali Abu Rabea while the Qatari team includes Sa'ad Al Kuwari, Hamad Al Mirri, Shaikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Shaikh Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Thani, Abdulla Al Mirri and Khalid Al Attiya.

Mohammed Al Dekheel, Abdulaziz bin Amer, Abdulaziz Ebrahim, Ali Al Hashim, Bander bin Mahfood and Humood Al Shimmiri will be riding for Saudi Arabia while Shaikh Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Maktoum will be leading the UAE team which is one of the favourites for the championship.

Other team members are Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Shaikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Shaikh Juma'a bin Dalmook Al Maktoum, Shaikh Abdulla bin Faisal Al Qassimi and Rashid Saeed.

The horses also arrived in Bahrain via Holland on private jets. On arrival, the horses were moved to the quarantines section after special procedures arranged by the technical committee.

Most of the teams have fielded six riders for the championship while the US and Malaysia will be represented by only one rider each.

Top endurance chief in Bahrain

By RAMI HULAYYEL

INTERNATIONAL Equestrian Federation (FEI) president Infanta Dona Pillarde of Spain arrived in Bahrain last night to chair the FEI bureau meetings to be held on the sidelines of the World Junior Endurance Championship. This prestigious event will be held at the Endurance Village in Sakhir from December 15 to 18.

Pillarde was received by General Organisation for Youth and Sports president and organising committee chairman Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa.

Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) second vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, championship director Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa were also present to welcome Pillarde.

Pillarde said she was delighted to be in Bahrain and confident of Bahrain's ability to host such a big event. Pillarde added that Bahrain was one of the leading nations in hosting international endurance sevents and thanked the organisers for their efforts.

The FEI will hold its first meeting tomorrow to discuss the final preparations being made for hosting the event.

The FEI panel includes members from South Korea, Austria, UK, Sweden, South Africa, the US, Argentina, Venezuela, Norway, Dominican Republic, Australia, Brazil, Holland, Greece, Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland, France and New Zealand.

Meanwhile, officials and riders from Brazil and Botswana arrived yesterday and were welcomed on arrival by a special public relations team, headed by Yousef Bubsheit.

The technical committee members held a training course for security guards at the Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The guards, representing the National Guard, were given directives by the committee to follow the FEI rules and regulations.

A total of 140 riders, representing 30 countries from across the world, will be competing at this championship which will be over 120 kms divided into five stages.

The first two stages will be over 30 kms while the third stage will be over 25 kms. The fourth stage will be over 20 kms and the fifth and final stage will consist of 15 kms.

Teams arrive for endurance test

TOP nations began to arrive in Bahrain for the World Junior Endurance Championships to be held at the Endurance Village in Sakhir from December 15 to 18.

Riders from Australia, Namibia and Hungary were the first to arrive in Bahrain for this prestigious event to be held in Bahrain for the first time.

A 14-member Australian delegation consists of five riders and nine crew members.

Namibia's delegation also arrived yesterday with a total of 10 members, including six riders. Hungary landed on Tuesday and will be represented by two riders.

Technical committee co-ordinator Dr Abbas Al Haiki said participating horses had also started to arrive yesterday. The last batch of horses are expected to arrive by tomorrow.

Al Haiki is co-ordinating between the Bahrain Royal Equestrian Federation (Breef) and the Bahrain International Airport for the smooth transport of the horses to the Endurance Village.

"On arrival in Bahrain all horses will be loaded into specially designed boxes before beginning a 50-minute drive to Sakhir," said Al Haiki.

Al Haiki said the organising committee will also be providing shuttle bus service between the hotel and the venue of the championship and vice versa for all participating riders and officials. "The committee will also provide one four-wheel drive vehicle to each delegation on the day of the event," he said.

Dr Canabo Milo of the Royal Court and International Equestrian Federation's representative Dr Marcello Cante are the doctors in charge of the championship.

Meanwhile, a delegation of top specialists arrived in Bahrain to follow up the arrangements being made at the stables in Sakhir.

"The stables are now ready to receive the horses arriving from across the world," said Al Zo'bi.

"This tournament is a big challenge for us and other committees. We are working hard and giving off our best to gain the respect of overseas participants and officials."

Boudthib endurance ride on Thursday

By A Correspondent

30 November 2005



DUBAI ? The Boudthib Endurance Village, Al Khatem, Abu Dhabi, will play host to three endurance rides tomorrow. The rides are organised by the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation.


As many as 25 endurance riders are likely to participate in the 100km, CEI, two-star Boudthib Endurance Cup for Young and Junior Riders. The ride will be run in four loops of 30km, 30km, 24km and 16km respectively. Pre-ride inspection will be held on the same day from 5am to 6am and the ride is expected to be flagged off at 6.30am. There will also be a Best Conditioned Horse competition.

Sixty four riders will be taking part in the 76km Federation Qualification Ride which will be run in three phases of 30km, 30km, and 16km respectively. Pre-ride inspection for this qualifier will also be held on the same day at 5am and the ride will begin at 7am. The day will also feature a 46km Federation Qualifier for which 76 riders have confirmed their participation. The ride will be run in two stages of 30km and 16km respectively. With the pre-ride inspection scheduled to be held at 5am, this second qualifier will be flagged off at 7.30am. The Federation organises qualifiers at regular intervals to help riders and horses to qualify themselves to ride in higher category rides. The Boudthib Endurance Village, which is part of the Emirates Heritage Club, is the second endurance village in Abu Dhabi and the third in the UAE.

The Emirates Heritage Club is closely involved in the development of several traditional and cultural activities and sports in the country, including endurance riding. The club also provides vital training facilities for children in the UAE and the opening of its modern and excellently planned endurance village is being welcomed by the equestrian fraternity as an important step in the development and teaching of endurance riding in the UAE.

Endurance Village set to host top 4-day event

THE newly-built Endurance Village is ready as of this minute to host any top endurance event, declared World Junior Endurance Championship director and Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation's national teams manager Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa.

This top-level event will be held in the Kingdom for the first time from December 15 to 18.

Shaikh Daij said the village is equipped with world class facilities, including state of the art stables, veterinary rooms and all other related items for hosting such a prestigous event.

Shaikh Daij tipped the UAE riders as favourites to steal the show due to their vast experience in this sport.

Shaikh Daij thanked the organising committee chairman and General Organisation for Youth and Sports president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa for his continuous efforts in following up the organisation procedures and preparations.

Ireland: Bluegrass Horse Feed Put To The Test In Bahrain

Farming Life
Wednesday 30th November 2005

Blue Grass Horse Feeds is proud to announce its sponsorship of the Irish Young Riders team at the World Endurance Championships in Bahrain.

The championships, which will be held on 17th December, are a true test of endurance for horse and rider.

The Irish Young Riders team is made up of three 19 year olds - Emily Miller riding DVS Tahini, a 12-year -old Trotter X, Dawn Leadon-Bolger riding Damascus D?azat an 8-year-old pure bred Arab, and Philip Giles riding Millers Light, a 10 year old Irish Sport Horse.

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Shaikh Faisal races to victory

SHAIKH Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa of Al Talia Stable and Abdulla Al Khatiri of Al Showamek Stable clinched the 100-km senior and junior races respectively in the Season Opening Endurance Championship, organised by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef), yesterday at the Endurance Village premises in Sakhir.

Riding Chesterfield, Al Talia Stable captain Shaikh Faisal, who is also the Breef endurance committee head, proved too good in the Al Khaldiah Stable-sponsored event to finish first among 36 riders in five hours, 13 minutes and 40 seconds.

The race was divided into four stages with 30 kms each for the first two stages, 25 kms for the third and 15 kms for the fourth.

The battle for the senior race and the main prizemoney of BD1,000 was very close as Jabur Al Dossary, also of Al Talia Stable and on Lorraine, was pipped to second place by just three seconds.

Yousef Taher (5:26:12) of the Royal Endurance Team on Jamil finished third and was followed by French rider Jean Marie Oliver (5:45:24) of the Royal Endurance Team.

In the junior section, Al Asayel Stable's rider Abdulla, on Nakeer, bagged the biggest prize of BD700 beating 17 entrants in five hours, 32 minutes and 55 seconds.

Behind him was Mohammed Al Thawadi (5:38:04), on Fasheera, of Al Asayel Stable in second place. Third was Ahmed Abdulaziz (6:10:24), on Saham, of Al Salam Riding School while Royal Endurance Team's Mohammed Abdulaziz (5:38:04) came fourth on Muniki.

Breef acting president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who took part in the senior race, was forced to quit during the third stage following an injury to his horse Tawmarsh Tamrisk.

Two qualifying races, over 85 kms and 60 kms, were also held with 10 riders taking part in each event as part of a warmup for the forthcoming season.

Shaikh Khalid honoured the winners of the seniors race while General Organisation for Youth and Sports president Shaikh Fawaz bin Hamad Al Khalifa presented the awards to the junior race winners at the awarding ceremony in presence of Breef members and other officials. Meanwhile, the remaining local endurance races will be taking place after the World Junior Endurance Championship to be held in the Kingdom from December 15 to 18.