Local rider going to Worlds

When Mary-Anne Dorchester first started with horses, she had dreams of one day becoming an Olympic representative, but little did she know one day she would be on the biggest stage in a different type of horse riding, endurance riding.

Leigh Hammond
Sports
Wednesday July 05, 2006

ary-Anne Dorchester with her horse Shadow. Dorchester will soon head to Germany as part of Team Canada at the World Equestrian Games.
photo by John Robinson/Pics of You

When Mary-Anne Dorchester first started with horses, she had dreams of one day becoming an Olympic representative, but little did she know one day she would be on the biggest stage in a different type of horse riding, endurance riding.
"This wasn?t even on the radar when I started the sport," said Dorchester, who leaves for Aachen, Germany on August 1.
"My goal used to be the Olympics, in Dressage, but it just turned out not to be my forte in riding."
Before Dorchester could be chosen as part of Team Canada for the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Germany, she had to finish a Federation Equestre Internationale sanctioned event, which meant 100 miles in 13-hours-20-minutes.
In an event held last year in Drayton Valley, Dorchester not only made the qualifying time, she thrashed it, finishing in a time of 11:23.
Even though she had made the qualifying time, it didn?t automatically mean she was on Team Canada. She then had to be selected to the team, which she said was a roller-coaster ride all in itself.
"We were told the decision would be made by April 1, but we didn?t find out until the beginning of May. I went from thinking I had a good shot, to thinking there was no shot, back to thinking I did."
Dorchster explained she didn?t have the highest goals when she began with the sport.
"I didn?t even think 50 miles was on the radar, but the sport is like that," she said. "You can start low and move up once you get the confidence."
She also said the training regimen has changed a bit. Early on, she would do slower, longer rides, but now that she and her horse Shadow have moved up, the training at a faster pace.
"I?m not so much nervous, as I am overwhelmed," Dorchester said. "To have to opportunity to go to worlds and be able to ride the only horse I have ever used is really something special."
Shadow, whose show name is SH Rock N? Roll, is 15-years-old, but Dorchester says he is very focused on race day.
The cost of going to Germany for the race is about $30,000. Dorchester has received a great deal fund raising support for the trip.

Fauresmith Endurance Race ends today

South Africa
July 06, 2006, 17:00

The 33rd annual Fauresmith Endurance Race ended with almost no injuries and a lot of excitement. The race of three days over 200km of tough terrain, is regarded one of the toughest endurance races in the world. The race kicked of with 220 horses, but only 173 finished.

On the last day of the race the air was filled with excitement as spectators wait in anticipation for the first horses to cross the finish line. It was Francois du Preez (17) from Tzaneen who had this honour. Du Preez, the junior prize winner, says: ?I am riding for a long time, last year I came second and this year I won.? But once you cross the finish line, it doesn't mean you completed the race successfully. The horses must first pass a test to determine whether they are still uninjured and in healthy condition.

Eduard Penning, a Mpumalanga farmer, finished this gruelling race in 08:35. It is the fourth time he has participated in the race with his horse Rodi. Penning says: ?I'm tired, but I'm satisfied. My horse is tired as well, it was a tough going, and it was very, very good competition against me, but I'm very glad that we've done it.?

There were only two injuries during this year's race - a broken arm and a broken collarbone. This was the first year that the horses had their own ambulance.

USA: Jamie Saults to Manage USEF Endurance

Lexington, KY
Jamie Saults, who was USEF Director of Reining for three years, has returned to manage the USEF Endurance High-Performance program through this summer's 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. Jamie takes the program over from Mary Lutz, Director of Endurance and Para-Equestrian, who tragically died in a riding accident on June 9th.

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Endurance Sports - Tevis in Top 10 of all ....

For those with a hankering to see how far their own personal envelopes can go, we've compiled the Top Ten Toughest Endurance Races in a slide show. Held from Alaska to the middle of the Atlantic, they run the gamut from horseback riding to mountain biking, canoeing to sailing, running to triathloning, and everything in between. Just bring your willpower and plenty of fluids--you're going to need 'em.

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GBR: 2006 WEC Team announced for Aachen

The final horse and rider assessment for team selection before the 2006 World Equestrian Games was held during the Cirencester Park Ride on Saturday 17 June and gave the selectors the opportunity to see many aspiring International riders from all three international Squads under very testing competitive conditions....

For Aachen the team squads comprise 6 horses and 5 riders rather than the usual 6.

The combinations selected to represent Great Britain are:

Sally Hall and Bob?s Your Uncle
Linda Hams and Perfeq Hidden Challenge
Tricia Hirst and Vlacq Khamul
Ann Jobson and Samson
Chris Yeoman and LM Taquillero/ Farouk De Lozelle

Non-travelling joint reserves:

Avril Bruce and Auchendean Khalif
Sophie O?Hara Smith and Sky Consort
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GBR: Long riders put up a great show

Two Powys riders are celebrating impressive performances at a major international Endurance Festival. Llansantffraid rider Gail Andrews and Meiford?s Trica Hirst both produced great performances in Cirencester, the latter doing enough to book her place at the World Equestrian Games.

Competing in the National Championships, known as the Summer Solstice over a 100-mile testing course, Andrews finished third riding Vlacq Gilfae.

The race started at 4.30am and temperatures hit a very humid 28 degrees during the day.

Hirst, meanwhile, produced the goods in the FEI three star 100 mile race ride.

This was the final selection ride for the British senior team squad of five to go to Aachen in August for the World Equestrian Games.

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Summers Wins Final Endurance Observation Trial

Susan Summers won the third and final 100-mile observation endurance ride to put her in contention for a spot on the U.S. Endurance Team at the World Equestrian Games.

June 16, 2006 -- Susan Summers, riding Mags Motivator, finished first in a ride time of 9:54:59 at the CEI*** 100-mile endurance ride in Ashland, Mont., on June 11. Her average ride time of 10.48 miles per hour put her four minutes ahead of second-place finisher, Heather Stevens, riding RSA Count Laquen.

Forty riders took the trail in the 4:30 a.m. eastern Montana dawn. The trail would take them over ranch land and through the Custer National Forest. Twenty-six Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) riders began this third and last observation ride, hoping to land one of the coveted slots on the U.S. Endurance Team that will compete at the World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen, Germany, in August. A total of 16 riders finished the combined AERC Open, Arabian Horse Association (AHA) Region 6 Championship, and FEI/CEI*** ride, including 11 riding the FEI division.

Summers rode much of the trail in the company of her husband, Dennis, who was eliminated after the fourth loop. "I had a plan," she said. "I wanted to finish in 10 or 10.5 hours with my horse looking good, eating and being sound. I had all the confidence in the world in my horse to do the speed that I asked of him today." Summers also won the Region 6 AHA Championship, as well as a Kanavy saddle for best condition, which was awarded after the final inspection on June 12.

Summers was happy with the team coaching and support she's gotten as a member of the National Training Squad. "They are people that can appreciate what we're doing and will consider our ideas," Summers said. "We've had good farrier help this year."

"We always enjoy sharing our part of the country with other riders," said Ride Manager Jan Stevens. "We had riders from Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, California, Texas, Canada and the Middle East. It was well attended, and the weather cooperated for the most part." She thought the 40 percent completion rate was partly due to the weather. "We had cool days leading up the ride but the heat the day of the ride was more than we anticipated."

National Chef d'Equipe Tom Johnson wants the entire experience to be a positive one for the National Training Squad.

"In general all of the nominated riders who presented at the three Observation Trials were very well prepared for the challenge," Johnson said. "Many of the teams have been working toward this goal since last year [via participation in the selection rides in 2005, and participation in the training clinics], and that preparation showed. I believe that we have the deepest pool of talented teams from which to pick that we have ever had--the selectors will be facing some tough choices to select the best from these best. While it will be a challenge, having so many good teams from which to choose is a very good problem to have."

Jennifer Niehaus of California won the first observation ride on her nominated horse, Cheyenne XII, in a ride time of 9:49:39 on May 20 in Oreana, Idaho. Joe Mattingley of Illinois won the second ride on May 27 in Rapid River, Mich., aboard SA Laribou in a ride time of 9:15:53.

The National Team selection process will narrow the competitors to a pool of 12 horse/rider combinations and six ranked alternates. This short list of riders will attend one of two training events on July 1 and July 8. The team of riders selected to represent the United States will be named following the training events and will depart for Aachen, Germany, the first week of August. The 100-mile world endurance championship will be held August 21. Watch for exclusive coverage of the championship on EquiSearch.com.

The United States Equestrian Federation is the governing body of U.S. endurance competition at the international level. The American Endurance Ride Conference is the national affiliate of endurance in the U.S. and governs the sport at the national level.