Endurance rider found dead near Georgetown

Endurance rider found dead near Georgetown
Doctors perform autopsy on the Vacaville woman

By: Penne Usher, Journal Staff Writer
Tuesday, July 11, 2006 9:51 PM PDT

An autopsy was being conducted Tuesday on a Vacaville woman who was found dead on the Dru Barner trail Saturday during the Gold Country Endurance Ride near Georgetown.

Pamela Page Briles, 59, was participating in the endurance ride at Dru Barner Equestrian Park and was found lying on the trail by other riders.

Cherryl Holbrook, ride manager, said Tuesday that about 29 miles into the 30/50 mile ride two doctors on horseback found the body.

"A couple riders, both physicians, came up upon her," she said. "They were going to give her CPR, but turned her over and determined that she was already dead."

Emergency crews from El Dorado County responded, but were unable to revive Briles.
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Lt. Marc Adams of the El Dorado County Sheriff's Department said Tuesday that a preliminary autopsy report indicates the rider most likely died from an existing medical condition.

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USA: Tevis horse plunges ...

A rattlesnake spooked a Roseville woman's horse Sunday as she was training for the upcoming Tevis Cup race sending both horse and rider over an embankment.

Rebel, a 13-year old Arabian, is feared dead after plunging more than 200 feet from the Western States Trail near Deadwood into the American River Canyon below.
Nicole Wiere, a veteran horsewoman, was out for a ride with friend and fellow equestrian Shawn Bowling Sunday afternoon when a rattlesnake on the trail, one-and-a-half miles from the Deadwood Cemetery, spooked Bowling's mule and Rebel.


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Endurance test for riders

The Bahrain Royal Endurance team, lead by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Fredration president Shaikh Nasser bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and Al Khaldiya Stables team captain Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, will race today in the Thatford Endurance Challenge in England.

This race is part of the Bahrain team's preparations for the upcoming World Endurance Race which will be held in August in Germany, and also for the World Youth Endurance Race in September this year.

The Thatford event will consist of three races - the first one will be a 160km race which will start at 5am, the second will be an open race over 120km starting at 6am, while the third will be for the youth category and over 120km starting at 6.15am.

This will be the second race for Shaikh Nasser, who took part in a race last month to get prepared with his teammates for the World Endurance Race in Germany next month.

Shaikh Nasser, riding Jassim, will take part in the 160km race along with Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa on Hazali.

Shaikh Khalid will take part in the 120km open race, riding Karemba, and Salem Al Otaibi riding Jaleel and Sa'ad Al Yami riding Sandeena will also take part in this race.

Shaikha Najla bint Salman bin Sager Al Khalifa will be taking part in the youth category riding Lelek, while her teammates Mohammed Abdulaziz riding Batar, Mohammed Abdulsamad on Silver Diamond and Jaffar Merza riding Jallad will all be taking part in this race.

CHAMPIONNAT DE FRANCE OPEN D'ENDURANCE EQUESTRE

Pour un coup d?essai, la "grande semaine de l?endurance" 2005 à Saint Galmier fut une grande réussite. L?édition 2006 élève son niveau pour rentrer dans le groupe 1 et accueillir le Championnat de France CEI*** 160 km et la CEN* 90 km sélective pour le championnat du monde des 7 et 8 ans à Compiègne.
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Les Deux Jours de Montcuq

AROUND THE WORLD IN 30 YEARS

The internationally known, prestigious endurance race, "Les Deux Jours de Montcuq" is embarking on its 30th year of existence. During those 30 years the founder, Pierre Passemard traveled around the world observing and participating in other endurance races, gaining a lot of experience and contacts. This enabled him to be able to bring together, here in the South West of France, international riders of the highest caliber, forging it into one of the preeminent races of its kind.

While many races have come and gone over the years, historically "Les Deux Jours de Montcuq is one of the oldest sustaining endurance races in the world. With few alterations, the course has remained the same, mapped over some of the most outstanding, unspoiled, rugged countryside of France relentlessly challenging some of the finest riders from all over the globe.

With this in mind, the officials of the "Deux Jours de Montcuq" wish to invite you to enter the premier classic endurance race of France, to compete with some of the world's best riders and horses in the beautifully unique venue of the "Quercy Blanc" on the 30th anniversary of its running.

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Rashid and Ahmad eager to get going at Euston Park

By M. Satya Narayan, Staff Reporter


Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Rashid Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum and Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum will be looking to just complete today's 160-km three-star endurance ride in Euston Park in UK.

Both the UAE riders have already qualified for the World Equestrian Games' (WEG) endurance event, to be held in Aachen next month. But today's 160-km event is important for Shaikh Rashid and Shaikh Ahmad as it will be their third 160-km event before the World Championship.

If both the riders complete today's event then they will be eligible to choose any one of the 12 horses that have qualified from the UAE.

If they do not complete the three 160-km three star events then they will have to ride the same horse with which they have completed one of the other two rides.

Shaikh Rashid recently won the 160-km three Star event in Gubbio, Italy while Shaikh Ahmad had finished fourth in the 160-km three-star event in Cirencester ride last month.

Apart from Shaikh Rashid and Shaikh Ahmad - who is the defending champion after having won the gold medal at the WEG in Jerez, Spain - Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum and Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum will also be riding today, but in the 120-km three star event.

Shaikh Hamdan and Shaikh Majid, along with His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, have already qualified in the open section with victories in three 160-km rides already.

Shaikh Majid has already tasted success in the European circuit this season, winning the 160-km three-star event in Peruggia, Italy, last month.

Apart from these top riders, quite a strong contingent of UAE riders will be in the fray in this Kings Forest event at Euston Park.

The UAE horses that have been named for the August 21 Endurance Championship in the World Equestrian Games in Aachen are also expected to use today's 120-km event as preparation.

"This is an important ride for the UAE and we are hoping that Shaikh Rashid and Shaikh Ahmad complete," said Esmail Mohammad, trainer of endurance horses for Shaikh Mohammad.

"The horses have all been doing well since they were shifted from Dubai after the UAE season and most of them will be having an outing today," said the trainer.

The endurance horses from the UAE have been based in New Market and have been taking part in the rides in Europe ahead of the WEG to be held in Germany.

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.