Young Riders Championship : Namibia keen to put on good display

By RAMI HULAYYEL

A YOUNG but experienced Namibian team will be looking forward to put up a good performance at the Gulf Energy World Junior Endurance Championship to be held from Thursday to December 18 in Sakhir.

The 20-member delegation includes six riders aged between 15 and 18 who were the first team to start preparations in Bahrain as soon as they reached the Kingdom 10 days ago.

"We had a good preparation programme which started in January after the World Senior Championship in the UAE. After that we began to make arrangements for coming to Bahrain," said the team's chef d equipe Zelda Von Schauroth who is also the mother of rider Udo and his younger sister Izolde.

The remaining four riders of the team are 18-year-old captain Stefanius Pienaar, Wanette Hanekom, Marlene Rensburg and Karel Grunschloss.
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Young Riders Championship: Team Australia

By RAMI HULAYYEL

AUSTRALIAN riders are leaving nothing for chance in their bid to finish at the top in the Gulf Energy World Junior Endurance Championship to be held in Bahrain from December 15 to 18 in Sakhir.

Comprising six riders, the Australian delegation was among the first teams to arrive in Bahrain and since then they have been training at the Endurance Village which is the venue of the event.

"We started our preparations for this championship three years ago by taking part in a number of events in Australia," said the team's chef de equipe Robin Van der Wegen.

Presently, there are 21 members from Australia in Bahrain and 14 more officials are expected to arrive on Tuesday, four days before the race.">Gulf Daily News: "Aussie riders aim for top slot

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AERA Home Site

2008 WEC in Malaysia!

From: "Steph Teeter" <stephteeter@endurance.net>
To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Subject: 2008 WEC in Malaysia!
Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2005 21:43:51 -0300

Important Endurance Dates:

2006 ASIAN GAMES
The Asian Games to be organised in Doha in December 2006 will include
competitions in Jumping, Dressage, Eventing and Endurance.

2006 World Breeding Endurance Championship for Young Horses: Compiègne
(FRA), 26 August

2007 World Young Riders Endurance Championship: Eizeiza/Buenos Aires (ARG),
17 March

2007 European Open Endurance Championship: Barroca d’Alva (POR), 7 September

2007 Pan American Endurance Championship: Woods Park, Manitoba (CAN), 7 July

2008 World Endurance Championship to Malaysia at a venue and date to be
confirmed

Aussie riders aim for top slot

By RAMI HULAYYEL
AUSTRALIAN riders are leaving nothing for chance in their bid to finish at the top in the Gulf Energy World Junior Endurance Championship to be held in Bahrain from December 15 to 18 in Sakhir.

Comprising six riders, the Australian delegation was among the first teams to arrive in Bahrain and since then they have been training at the Endurance Village which is the venue of the event.

"We started our preparations for this championship three years ago by taking part in a number of events in Australia," said the team's chef de equipe Robin Van der Wegen.

Presently, there are 21 members from Australia in Bahrain and 14 more officials are expected to arrive on Tuesday, four days before the race.

Der Wegen said the team was recently announced and the selection was made according to the abilities and conditions of the horses as well as the riders.

"Our horses are very well qualified. They have completed many 160 kms races throughout the year and we are quite confident of them doing well here as well," he said.

However, Wegen confirmed that his priority is to see his young riders complete the race without injury problems and then if the horses are doing well on the day, they will work hard to be among the top.

"We are all satisfied with the environment here in Bahrain which is very important for all the teams taking part. The course here is very comfortable for riding and the organisers are providing enough safety measures for the participants," he said.

Brooke Warner, aged 14, is the team's youngest rider and she will be riding 10-year-old horse Piabun Ellalong.

Brooke, who started riding at the age of nine, is also one of the championship's best young riders. She won the 130-km Capricorn Cup in January while her last achievement was finishing top at the Tevis Cup in the US in July.

Interestingly, she won last year's Shahzada 400-km Memorial Ride for juniors which was held over five days in Australia.

Other team members are Kristie McGaffin, Sasha Laws-King, Amily Daw, Luke Annetts and his younger sister Jennifer.

Twenty-year-old rider Kristie qualified for this event after completing three 160-km races this year, including the Capricorn Cup in May when she finished third. Her last victory was in the FEI Ivory Rock Ride in 2003 which was over 160 kms.

Amily, also 20, competed in many races this year during which she won two events - the 80-km Muegonga Ride and the CEI Rosedale Ride which was over 120 kms.

Sasha, the second youngest team member aged 16, had her first international appearance four years ago in the 160-km Canberra Challenge junior which she won.

Her other remarkable results were winning the CEI Windorah Ride youth race in the same year and in the last three years she clinched a first-place finish in a 160-km race.

Luke booked his berth in the Bahrain event after completing three 160-km races last year. The most remarkable results for the 20-year-old rider since he began to ride in 2001 were winning both the FEI Kilkivan and Windorah rides which were over 160 kms.

His younger sister Jenny, 19, has gained quite a good experience in the last two years during which she participated in 13 races, including the 90-km CEI Lovers Ride which she won in the youth category.
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120 Entries received for today?s Endurance Race

By A Correspondent

8 December 2005


DUBAI ? A total of 120 horses have been entered for the first Endurance race of the 2005 ? 2006 season, sponsored by Dubai Waterfront, to be held today at the Dubai International Endurance City.

Today?s Dubai International Endurance City Ride is over 120 km organised by the Dubai Equestrian Club with a start time of 6am.

Riders from 13 separate nations will be competing today, including Her Royal Highness Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, wife of General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. Dubai Crown Prince and UAE Minister of Defence. Princess Haya, who is President of the Dubai Equestrian Club, will be riding the Ismail Mohammed-trained Rabdaan.

Also competing in the race will be Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum who is the current FEI Open European Champion following his success in Compiegne, France.

Nakheel, the UAE?s premier property developer, is a key player in realising the vision of Dubai for the 21st century: creating a world class destination for business and tourism.

With 14 major developments and US$30 billion of real estate projects, Nakheel?s portfolio includes the spectacular Ibn Battuta Mall and the iconic and internationally acclaimed waterfront developments The Palms, The World, and Dubai Waterfront ? the largest waterfront development in the world.

Saeed H. Al Tayer, Vice-President of the Dubai Equestrian Club, said: ?We welcome Dubai Waterfront as partners in the 2005 ? 2006 Dubai Endurance season.

?We thank them for their support of the first race of the new season and we hope that equestrian fans from around the UAE will take this opportunity to come and watch the race.?

Spectators are encouraged to attend each of the races and watch from the vantage points at the Dubai International Endurance City, where there are excellent facilities, free admission and free car parking.

All spectators are entitled to enter prize draw with the opportunity to win AED15,000 first prize, second prize is AED10,000, a third prize of AED5,000 and 20 other prizes of AED1,000 each. The prize draw is free to enter and each spectator will be given one prize draw ticket.
The Dubai International Endurance City is easy to get to, from the Dubai Autodrome roundabout on the Emirates Road, follow the signs to the Bab Al Shams Desert Resort and Spa and the venue is located beside the hotel.

Britain's riders eye podium slot

By RAMI HULAYYEL

BRITAIN have fielded a strong six-member squad for the Gulf Energy World Junior Endurance Championship to be held in Bahrain from December 15 to 18 and are confident of winning the top medals.

Crew member Peter Moon is quite optimistic of his team putting up a good performance in this 120-km event and be among the top three on the podium by the end of the day.

"We have come here to win medals," said a confident Moon. "Since we arrived here a few days ago, we have been doing some stretching and warming up and we should start practising tomorrow," he said.

Managed by chef de equipe Sue Broughton, the team was selected last September and since then have had many training camps all around the UK, including a week-long training camp at the premises of International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) in Newmarket and three sessions in Wolverhampton.

"We had a squad of nine riders which was further reduced to six. The selection was made depending on the riders fitness, experience and the horse's pedigree," he said.

Interestingly Moon's 17-year-old daughter Zara will be taking part in the championship on Yamavar which is also 17 years old and is the oldest horse in the event.

"Yamavar is the most experienced horse in this championship. It has taken part in many events in the UK, Spain and Italy so we are quite confident that it will do well here in Bahrain," said Moon.

Zara has been riding in endurance races since she was eight. She is studying arts, graphics and mathematics in the UK and will do her final qualifying examinations when she returns home.

Qualified

Other team members are Philip Hirst, Abigail Lockett, Gemma Parkin, Alice Beet and Anna Williams who is the daughter of the FEI Endurance Committee director Dr Ian Williams.

Anna, who is aged 21, will be riding HS Saboteur, a new horse which only qualified for this championship this year.

"She has taken part in qualifying rides in the UK and recently went to Argentina where she took part in an invitational ride along with Hirst," said Moon.

Living abroad in Switzerland, Anna had been to the Gulf region and specially to the UAE where she worked for sometime.

Hirst will be riding his mother's horse Vlacq Khamul which took part in the European Championship a few months ago. It was leading the race but unfortunately it took the wrong turn and had to pull out after losing valuable time.

Alice, one of the youngest talents in the UK, is the only team member yet to arrive. She is expected to land in Bahrain on Saturday.

"Alice started riding last year in Dubai and qualified on a number of horses in 120 kms events, including one in the UK," said Moon.

But Alice will be competing in this championship on Harmatan de Lozere, a horse owned by Dubai Crown Prince and Defence minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The horse is also arriving on Saturday.

Twenty-one-year-old rider Gemma, who will ride Lutandorvici, is another young talented girl who is expected to put up a good performance in the championship.

Gemma started riding in endurance races since she was eight and was the British national champion in 2003. She recently finished third in the 160-km FEI Dukers Race in the UK.

Abigail is aged 20 and will be riding Delorto Zaranz, another veteran horse which won last year's 160-km Summer Celstis Ride, one of the major endurance events in the UK.

Slovakia - Riders thrilled to be in Bahrain

SLOVAKIA'S lone participant Silvia Hrebikova led the chorus in praise of top class facilities available at the Endurance Village in Sakhir ahead of the World Junior Endurance Championship scheduled to be held from December 15 to 18.

"I have been training in Bahrain for almost a week and the environment here at the Endurance Village is outstanding," said Silvia.

Silvia will be riding an 11-year-old mare Fathia in this 120-km race which will be divided into five stages.

Other teams who continued practising for this prestigious event were also equally impressed and said they were thrilled to be in Bahrain for this top class championship.

"This championship is going to be very tough for everyone and I expect to see some teams perform amazingly well and achieve stunning results," the Slovak said.

Slovakian veterinary doctor Martina Kina also lauded the equipments available at the village.

"Our team has come to Bahrain with a lot of hope and we are looking forward to a good result although there are other world class riders from Europe and South America," she said.

Kina said she was impressed with the state-of-the-art facilities at the veterinary clinics and is looking forward to use them during the championship.

"The stables at the village are well designed and they can accommodate all the horses and yet avoid chaos before the race," she said.

Team coach Feras Bulbul said the delegation had prepared well for this championship and had a long-term training camp in Europe.

"We have gone very far in terms of preparing Silvia and we have faith in her to clinch one of the top positions in the championship to underline the improved standards in our country," he said.

Quarantine manager Dr Alex Atock said having 140 horses under one roof was very difficult and by achieving it Bahrain has proved its organisational skills.

"Most of the delegations have fielded six riders each which is the highest number of entrants allowed for this event," he said.

Freedom

"With so many horses in the fray, Bahrain still managed to reduce the number of horses in each stable to give more movement for freedom around that area," he said.

Endurance Village director Khalid Fakhro said the village is now well geared and ready to host any world championship.

"The village with all its hi-tech facilities and supplies can be compared to any world class villages. The whole world will be watching the best riders competing here and the Bahrainis should be proud for hosting the event," he said.

Fakhro said the village was built in a short time for this event. "For the past few days, all the teams have been practicing at the village and they praised the conditions here and the overall atmosphere," said Khalid.