HM The King Attends Endurance Race

Manama, May. 4, (BNA) His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, watched today concluding race of the Endurance Horse Racing Championship season which covered a distance of 100 Kilometers and in which a number of Bahraini and GCC riders took part.

date: 04 05, 2006

Manama, May. 4, (BNA) His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, watched today concluding race of the Endurance Horse Racing Championship season which covered a distance of 100 Kilometers and in which a number of Bahraini and GCC riders took part.
On his arrival, HM the King was received by the President of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (BREEF), Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, First Deputy President of BREEF, Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Endurance Committee Head, Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa and a number of organizing committee heads. HM the King met participating riders in the championship whom expressed their thanks and appreciation for HM the King's patronage and his care and support for Bahraini riders and the sport in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Then HM the King watched part of the race which was flagged off by Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. On this occasion, HM the King congratulated Shaikh Nasser on winning the race and congratulated all the riders in the championship. He also expressed his appreciation for the efforts exerted by Shaikh Nasser and Shaikh Khalid along with the organizing committee members in managing the championship successfully and providing the participants with all the necessary requirements. HM the King hailed the international achievements in the Junior and Youth World Endurance Championship which reflects the competence of Bahrain riders in all events, wishing them further success. Shaikh Nasser won the season finale, Mohammed Ali from Ahmed Al Fateh stable came second and Shaikh Mohammed bin Nawaf Al Thani from Qatar came third. At the conclusion of the race Shaikh Khalid and Shaikh Faisal presented the winners with their trophies.

Dalal for endurance showdown

KUWAITI rider Dalal Al Jari confirmed her participation in the final endurance race of the season, organised by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) on Wednesday midnight at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

Al Jari, who is the only Kuwaiti female in the fray, said she is delighted to take part in Bahrain endurance races for the second time after competing in a race last season.

The event is over 100 kms and divided into four stages with riders from the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain taking part. The first two stages covers 30 kms each, third stage 25 kms and fourth 15 kms.

Al Jari, who owns a stable after her name, said one of the reasons why she decided to come to Bahrain and participate was to gain more experience competing against top GCC riders.

"I am glad to hear the news of endurance races being organised in Bahrain. I wanted to come here earlier this season to compete in previous races but because of some academic commitments I could not make it," said the 19 year-old Kuwaiti.

"I am so grateful for the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation under its president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa for the great hospitality and kindness to me and other GCC delegations," Al Jari said.

Meanwhile, the Royal Endurance Team, captained by Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, continued preparations for the race with intensive training sessions at their stable in Zallaq area.

The team include top class veteran riders, including Yousef Taher and Abdulhaq Qadoori.

The organisers approved the technical team which will supervise the championship. The team is headed by Vijay Murthy of India and includes Bahrain's Abdulsamad Al Mousta, Mohammed Dadulla, Ali Ghuloom and Mahmood Abdulsaheb.

The veterinary committee was also formed and includes veterinarians from Belgium, Saudi Arabia, India and Bahrain. The Bahraini veterinarians are Dr Abbas Al Haiki, Dr Ebrahim Yousef, Dr Adam Sabeel, Abdulrahman Abulshook, Dr Farida Abdulrazzaq, Dr Sabah Al Ka'abi and Dr Yousef Ebrahim.

HRH Pricess Haya Bint Al Hussein New FEI Presidents

The election of the 13th FEI President held on 1 May took place over two rounds. The total valid ballots cast consisted of 123 National Federations (102 present and 21 represented by a proxy), and 15 Bureau Members.

The results of the first round were as follows:

HRH Pincess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan ? 68 votes
Freddy Serpieri ? 52
HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark ? 16

Consequently, HRH Princess Benedikte was eliminated. As neither of the candidates had received a 2/3 majority as required by the FEI Statutes, the voting continued with a second round.

The results of the second round were as follows:

HRH Pincess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan ? 82
Freddy Serpieri ? 52

A 2/3 majority was also required for the second round, which neither of the two candidates obtained (According to the number of valid ballots, the 2/3 majority consisted of 89 votes). However, Freddy Serpieri chose to withdraw and HRH Princess Haya was declared the winning candidate.

Edaran Endurance Classic 2006

Tuesday, April 18th, 2006



The Edaran Endurance Classic 2006 was launched today at the Corus Hotel in downtown Kuala Lumpur. Two Arab horses were brought in especially for this launch. Desert Queen and Desert Princess, recently imported from Australia, were ridden by Tuan Hj. Mohd Shu?aib?s ?princesses? Nabilah and Nabihah.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the Edaran Endurance Classic is being held. It takes place at ar-Raudhah Equine Centre, Jalan Kampung Bunga Raya, Kuang Selangor, from 5th to 7th May.

Earlier, Yang Berbahagia Dato? Abdul Hamid Mustapha, chairman of Edaran Endurance Classic welcomed the media and guests to the press conference. This year the Edaran Endurance Classic?s main ride is a CEI*** 120 km event. It is one of 5 qualifying events for the Doha Asian Games this year. There are three other rides, an 80 km, a 40 km and a 15 km Young Riders Guided Ride.

With RM45,000 in prize-money they have still managed to attract international interest. American Stephanie Teeter, most famous as the person behind Endurance.Net makes her second visit to Malaysia. Begian Leonard Liesens is a veteran endurance rider who competed in the World Equestrian Games in 1998. He is Belgian national champion and recently won the WEG Trial at Aachen.

Both Teeter and Liesens are expected to ride in the 80 km ride. They will ride on Sabah horses that are being brought in and specially conditioned for the Edaran Endurance Classic.

Sixty-three entries have been received so far for this year?s event. For more information about how you can enter the Edaran Edurance Classic, please visit their website at www.edaranendurance.com.

Dato? Abdul Hamid said that the Edaran Endurance Classic had a role to play in the run-up to the World Equestrian Championships that will be held in Terengganu in 2008. ?We believe that endurance riders, both local and international, aiming to participate in the prestigious WEC 2008 will seek out opportunities in Malaysia to train and build up their endurance skills for the 2008 event.?

EAM Executive Secretary Major Yap, who is on the Ground Jury of this event, answered a few questions from Equestrian.Com.My about the significance of the event. He confirmed that it is one of five qualifiers for December?s Doha Asian Games. Two of the events have previously been held. Edaran Endurance Classic is the third. After Edaran there will be two more qualifiers left, in Kelantan in June and in Terengganu in August. He said the qualifier that was held in Mardi will not be taken into account as the distance had been shortened. He said that the best five riders and horses would be short-listed for the Doha Asian Games. Overseas results would also be taken into account, providing it was at 120 km or longer.

When asked about current standings after two events, Maj. Yap said that the EAM had the results of the first two events and would publish qualification standings ?soon.?

Final race of endurance season is set

OP riders from Bahrain and the GCC will take part in the last endurance race of the season, organised by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef), on Wednesday starting at midnight at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The race, to be held under the patronage of Breef president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, will be over 100 kms and divided into four stages. The first two stages will be over 30 kms each, 25 kms for the third and 15 kms for the fourth.

Shaikh Nasser welcomed the participants from across the Gulf and wished them the very best in the championship. The awarding ceremony will take place right after the race.

Meanwhile, the Breef will be assisted in organising the race by officials from the Oman Equestrian Federation (OEF) who are expected to arrive in the Kingdom on Tuesday.

The Omani team delegation will be headed by OEF president Mohammed bin Isa Al Fairooz and will include eight riders.

Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan al Nahyan (UAE) files an appeal

FEI News

29/04/2006 - Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan al Nahyan (UAE) files an appeal

The FEI has received notice that Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan al Nahyan (UAE) has filed an appeal with the Swiss Federal Supreme Court to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) which had disqualified him as the winner of the 2005 World Endurance Championship.


Note to the editor :
On 10 March 2006, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) issued its decision in the matter of the appeal concerning the winner of the 2005 FEI Endurance World Championship, Sheikh Hazza bin Sultan al Nahyan (UAE). The rider was disqualified after his horse Hachim tested positive to the prohibited substance Methylprednisolone.

The FEI Judicial Committee had dismissed the positive medication case concerning Hachim, due to an irregularity in the usual legal procedure, whereby Sheikh Hazza was denied the possibility to send a witness to the laboratory to attend the confirmatory analysis.

In this case, the CAS panel was faced with determining where the delicate balance should lie between the strict liability afforded to riders by the FEI?s medication control rules and the due process rights of athletes. The FEI Judicial Committee panel that initially considered the matter decided on the basis of the facts and law before them that under the circumstances, Sheikh Hazza?s procedural rights prevailed. After considering very substantial briefs as well as new written and oral testimony from all parties, the CAS panel decided that the balance rather lies in favour of the rules enacted by the FEI General Assembly to ensure a level playing field.

The decision of the Judicial Committee is published on the Legal section of the FEI website www.horsesport.org. The decision concerning the appeal will be published in due course on the CAS website: www.tas-cas.org.

Competitive trail riding trotting to popularity

BRIGHTON -- When Sandra Wright started participating in competitive trail rides with her horse, Skky, two years ago, she knew she was taking up the right hobby.

Her first 15-mile ride on the trails in Brighton was so enjoyable, Wright logged 240 miles in her first year of entering competitions. She said she could feel a change in her horse's attitude and behavior when they got on the trail.

"Three miles into the ride I realized this was what my horse wanted to do," said Wright, a Howell resident. "He was so happy. It just felt like that was what he was made to do."
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