Kanavy hopes to revive US domination

Gulf Daily News
By M. Satya Narayan, Staff Reporter

Aachen, Germany: Two-time world endurance champion Valerie Kanavy is here at the World Equestrian Games endurance championship in a new role.

A regular competitor on the international circuit, Kanavy won the second of her gold medals in the UAE in 1998. She also has a silver medal to her credit, finishing second behind her daughter Daniella.

Here in Aachen, Kanavy is the Chef de Equipe of the US team, a role which is certain to bring out the fighting qualities that she displayed as a rider par excellence.

Since 1998 the US domination over the endurance sport has been halted with France and the UAE grabbing most of the limelight.

"Yes, we have lost out to other countries. But we are working towards regaining the past glory," Kanavy told Gulf News as she went about directing her team of five riders.

"In the past the US equestrian authorities have not taken some constructive advice from the riders. However, now I can try and implement some of the ideas and I am confident that we can be back as a strong force," said Kanavy.

Becky Hart won three world titles after another American Cassandra Schuler won the first title at the inaugural event in 1986. Valerie and her daughter won the next three before the French put an end to the US domination in 2000 with a 1-2-3 finish. In 2002 the UAE won the individual gold and France took it again in 2005.

"We have a strong talent as far as riders are concerned. But it is also true that riders from the UAE have become world-beaters in a short span of time. His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is an ace horseman and under his guidance the UAE have done very well," she said.

The grandmother-champion from US, however, stated that she had not quit competitive riding and was looking forward to getting back to the saddle.

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WEC: Ubach and Hungares take Games' first gold

The Independent Online

A massed start of 159 endurance riders from 42 countries got the World Equestrian Games off to a spectacular start at 6am yesterday.

But there was a long 160 kilometres and some drenching rain ahead before Spain's Miguel Vila Ubach cantered into the main arena at Aachen on the sodden grey Hungares and Spain claimed their first endurance gold medal.

Yesterday's route took riders through three countries - Belgium and the Netherlands as well as Germany. It took more than 12 hours for the Spaniard to finish and some of his opponents spent much longer in the saddle.

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WEC: Bahrain's pair complete race

Gulf Daily News

SHAIKH Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa successfully completed the 160-km endurance race at the World Equestrian Games yesterday in Aachen, Germany.

Riding Shar Ruskhkin, Shaikh Daij was the first to complete the race among the five-member Bahraini team, led by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president Shaikh Nasser who was riding Ganda Koy.

Shaikh Daij was 10th and Shaikh Nasser 15th.

The race was held under heavy rains. The remaining team members were Breef first vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Shaikh Salman bin Saqer Al Khalifa and Yousef Taher.

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WEC: Spaniard heads off French riders to win Endurance

Today in Aachen, the Spanish rider Miguel Vila Ubach (ESP), 33, aboard the grey Arabian gelding Hungares, won the Individual world title in Endurance.

Two young French ladies join him on the podium: Virginie Atger, 22, on Kangoo d'Aurabelle in silver and Elodie Le Labourier, 24, on Sangho'Limousian in bronze.

This is the first time since the FEI World Endurance Championships began in 1986 that a Spanish rider has won the supreme title.

This definitely was an emotional victory. After 160km in six loops and a riding time of 9 hours 12 min 27 seconds, the winning pair entered the main stadium to cross the finishing line in a torrential downpour. The crowd cheered loudly the new World Champion and the tears of rider and crew were streaming down with the rain drops.

"I knew we were good but I don't believe I'm here today," a happy Miguel declared at the press conference that followed his arrival. "I was a European Champion back in 1999 and I've been dreaming for another title ever since but I'd never have thought it would be this one."

The pair were in 47th position after the fourth vetgate but this had not discouraged them. On the contrary, they had been saving their strength for the last 13km loop. "I knew my horse could fly over the last bit. We rode out of the vetgate, I saw the French girls and decided to follow them as I was sure they would get good placings. The horse felt so strong that we found ourselves quite up front. And then I felt we could make it and decided to just go for it.
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Kiwi finishes 8th in endurance - International horse news; equestrian event news, equine news - Horsetalk

Horsetalk.co.nz


Shane Dougan was the toast of the New Zealand team and his horse the centre of overseas attention after the combination finished eighth in the endurance at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany today.

Eketahuna's Dougan and his 10-year-old Arabian stallion Vigar Riffal produced New Zealand's best ever endurance result at a World Games on the way to overtaking a dozen other combinations in an extra quick final loop of the 160km journey.

Dougan averaged 41kph in the final of the six loops after finishing the first in 70th place of the 160 starters.

"He could have gone quicker," an ecstatic Dougan said afterwards. "There was plenty left in the tank, he's a great little horse. It was very slippery out there but it has been a real thrill to be at the World Games and something I will remember all my life."

Marlborough's Kylie Avery, the team's youngest member at 20 and her nine-year-old part-Arabian stallion Silands Jasark also performed with distinction to be the only other combination to finish for New Zealand in 22nd place.

The New Zealand team of five - one individual combination and four members riding as a team - were part of a high attrition rate in today's competition where the test of fitness and stamina for both horse and rider also had to endure torrential rain in the last two laps which made the going treacherous.

New Zealand received an early set-back when the experienced Brian Tiffan and Sonny failed the first vet check with the horse pulling up lame. It was a disappointing final outing for the combination as the 13-year-old homebred Anglo-Arab gelding is to be sold to overseas interests.

With pressure on the remaining three team riders having to complete the course to be in with a chance of a medal, the New Zealanders made significant strides in the second lap. Australian-based Howard Harris and Harmere Turfan worked their way into second place and the Kiwis into third overall.

Although Harris slipped back over the ensuing two laps, Avery and Dougan were making inroads and kept the trio in the hunt for a team bronze right up until the penultimate loop.

Harmere Turfan lost his footing in the conditions causing lameness which resulted in the pair being vetted out, leaving the remaining two-horse team of Dougan and Avery out of the medal count.

The individual combination of Philip Graham and Wolfgang Amadeus also faced bad luck on the fifth loop when the 11-year-old Anglo Arab gelding also suffered a leg injury and was ruled ineligible to carry on.

"It was great to be a part of this team and just a shame it didn't work out how we thought it was going too," Dougan said. "But that's the way it goes. It was a pretty hard track with a lot of rock and hard surface."

Dougan, who nearly pulled out of the trip because of financial constraints, is now in the happy position of weighing up a variety of tidy offers he has had for Vigar Riffal.

WEC: Ubach is the champion

By M. Satya Narayan, Staff Reporter
Aachen: Spaniard Miguel Villa Ubach came from nowhere to bag the gold in the endurance championship at the World Equestrian Games yesterday.

The 13-km final stage came to a dramatic end after leader Shaikh Rashid Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum's chances of the gold ended on the slippery track amid pouring rain. Sultan Bin Sulayem, riding Galagolan du Desert, produced a sterling show to finish eighth after being placed 22nd at one point during the ride.

With the visibility almost nil, the final loop of the 160-km race crippled all top six riders, which included Shaikh Rashid, Portugal's Raposa, Spain's Jaume Punti Dachs, Belgian Valerie Ceunick and Bahrain's Shaikh Duaij Bin Salman Al Khalifa, none of them figuring in the top three.

The 32-year-old Ubach, 1999 European Open champion riding eight-year-old grey gelding Hungares, was eighth midway through the stage. He, however, came up with a searing finish to win the gold, while the French duo of Virginie Atger and Elodie Le Labourier took the silver and bronze.

The battle for the team honours was still on at the time of going to the press.

Earlier in the morning, the five-member UAE team lined up with 152 other riders from 41 countries to underline their domination in the sport.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry, followed the progress of the UAE riders. But even before the end of the first two stages, the UAE suffered major setbacks.

The rain-affected terrain took its toll and Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum's 10-year-old Bay Arabian gelding Nashmi (lame) and Shaikh Mayed Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum's 11-year-old Hera de la Crouz (metabolic) made an early exit.



With the double-exit, the UAE's chances of a team gold vanished, but Shaikh Rashid Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, 2002 World champion Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum and Sultan Bin Sulayem were still in the fray.

However, Shaikh Ahmad, riding Jazyk, and Shaikh Rashid on Keroual du Breuil brought UAE to the front when they finished ahead of the pack after the fourth loop.

However, an overzealous official shouted and upset Shaikh Rashid's horse and UAE ace lost about three to four crucial moments. That left Shaikh Ahmad as the leader and Shaikh Rashid in third place with Portugal's Jaoa Raposo in between.

Shaikh Rashid made up in the fifth leg to finish first but the UAE suffered another setback when Shaikh Ahmad's horse went lame just before going out on the final loop.

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2006 WEC-YH: Festival Mondail d'Endurance!

Compiegne France was the venue for the 2000 WEC - The grounds of the Norther Villa used by Napoleon and the home of Joan d'Arc - and this week - the center of the endurance universe:) There will be lots of rides going on around the world (Old Salam here in Idaho); but in your spare time - check out the images of endurance coming from the three days of races, rides, shows, and auctions:

<http://www.tourisme.fr/tourist-office/compiegne.htm>Compiegne France:
<http://www.open-60.com/index.php?lang=uk&rub=5>Calendar of Events:

August 23: Inter-Regional Rides Young Horses 4-5-6 yrs
August 24: Breeding Show for Mares and Foals
August 24: Horses for Sale Presentation
August 25: CEI*** Sponsors Trophy
August 26: Sponsors Trophy Best Condition and Prize Giving
August 26: Breeding Show
August 27: CEI*** FEI WEC for Young Horses

Coming this Wed: http://www.endurance.net/2006wec_yh/