Gulf News: Junior Ride to kick start season

Published: 11/11/2006 12:00 AM (UAE)
Staff Report

Abu Dhabi: The Emirates Heritage Club Cup for Juniors will kick start the UAE's competitive endurance season here today at the Bouthib Endurance Village in Al Khatem, Abu Dhabi.

Though a couple of Qualifier rides and a Ladies ride have already been held by the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, today's 100-km event is the first of the FEI rides with a CEI Two Star rating.

Two Qualifier rides, one over 80 kms and the other over 44kms, will also be run today. All three rides are jointly organised by the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation and the Emirates Heritage Club.

Over 30 youngsters have already confirmed their participation in the 100-km, CEI Two-Star ride, which will get off to a mass start at 5.30am. The ride will be run in four loops of 30, 30, 24 and 16 km respectively.

Among those in the fray are Shaikh Abdullah Bin Faisal Al Qasimi, Shaikh Abdul Aziz Bin Faisal Al Qasimi, Shaikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Shaikh Majid Bin Saud Al Mulla, Layla Abdul Aziz Al Redha, Mansour Suhail Al Kuwaiti, Saeed Almur Saeed Bin Helweh, Hussain Ali Mohammad Yousuf Marzouqi.

Several other riders to take part in the ride are Ahmad Salem Ali Sultan Al Subaisi, Omair Hussain Abdullah Al Bloushi, Ahmad Ali Abdullah Jamoh Al Yahyaei, Mohammad Khamis Al Wali Al Naqbi, Sultan Ahmad Al Bloushi, Dahi Abdullah Khamis Al Dahi.

The Qualifier rides, which are held at regular intervals by the Federation, help in the horses and riders qualifying themselves for rides of longer distances and tougher parameters.

All the three rides are held under the patronage of Shaikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Emirates Heritage Club.

Apart from this endurance venue, competitive rides will also be held at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba and the Dubai Endurance City in Seih Assalam.
(Gulf News)

UAE Endurance Season: Moving on

By M. Satya Narayan, Staff Report


(photo:Shaikh Mohammad and Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, emerged joint winners at the National Day Cup Endurance ride in Dubai Endurance City last year.)



His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Al Reef Stables will once again aim to dominate the domestic endurance season, which starts Saturday.

Shaikh Mohammad emerged as the top owner with a total of 5,840 points during the 2005-06 season, while Al Reef Stables, which sent out most of the winners, emerged as the leading endurance stable.

Ro Fabiola of Al Wathba Stables garnered the maximum points to finish as the top horse of last season while the top rider was Marzooq Salem Al Merri with 999 points.

Yousuf Ahmad Al Bloushi had a great season when he emerged as the top individual trainer representing Al Reef Stables while also finishing second in the rider's category.

Today's opening ride and two other qualifier rides are being held at Bouthib Endurance Stables and the season will soon enter the big stage when some of the top riders from all over the world come here to compete.

The UAE has over the last few years been a major training ground for some of the top riders who prepare for both their own national as well as continental and world championships.

[More ...]

Bahrain: Endurance event set for off

SEVENTY-FOUR riders from Bahrain and the GCC are set for the Season Opening Endurance Horseride Championship scheduled for today at 4.30pm at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president and event patron Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa will lead 43 riders in the senior race which will be over 100-km.

The race will be divided into four stages with 30-km each for the first two stages. The third stage is over 25-km, while 15km is set for the final stage.

There will be another race for juniors which is over 100km with 18 riders in the fray. There will also be two warm-up races over 60km and 85km. The warm up races will be organised to qualify young and adult riders who are new to this sport.
Gulf Daily News

Thrilling sprint finish to endurance ride

MORE than 100 riders, their family and spectators gathered at Green Valley farm recently for the final endurance ride event of the year.

This was the fourth year at this ride base and once again it proved popular.

On the Saturday afternoon 11 horse and rider combinations set off on the 10km social ride.

Bob Watters, Rosie Long, Stacey Walls, Jack Fryer, Sarah Dickens, and Stephanie Kramer were local riders who enjoyed the scenic track through private property.

It was a successful event with 100 per cent of the riders passing the final veterinary check, and being awarded certificates of completion at presentation.

A large field of horses and riders started out in the dark the following morning armed with torches for the first 50km leg of the endurance ride.

The training riders followed just after daybreak.

The weather was perfect with a chill in the air and overcast skies prevailing throughout much of the day.

The track went through joining private properties and Mt Toppa State Forest.

The track covered varied terrain with some hills to climb, creeks to cross and flat country to canter over.

Riders seemed to enjoy the ride through the local countryside, appreciating the well-marked and slashed track.

There was an 89 per cent completion rate in the 40km training ride. The only local rider was Suzanne McLachlan, who successfully rode a dark bay pony gelding known as Pipin.

Young Simon Blackly from Uralla, riding Steel The Thunder, was awarded the training ride encouragement award donated by Campbell Brothers Inverell.

The riders did a fantastic job looking after their horses, with an 81 per cent completion score in the 80km endurance ride an improvement on last year).

For the fourth year not one horse required invasive treatment.

It was a thrilling end to the 80km endurance ride with four riders galloping into base, all aiming to be the winner.

Wayne McKinnon, crossed the finish line by a nose, only to collapse and fall from his horse onto the ground. His body had cramped up from the strain of the ride.

His time of 4hr 18min was a record.

Wayne was presented with the perpetual Winners Cup at presentation.

Other results ? first middleweight rider: Wayne McKinnon (riding Dunbar Lexus).

Best conditioned middleweight horse award: Tami Parnell (Genet Zac).

First heavyweight rider: Selwyn Nix (Dunbar Mahadik).

Best conditioned heavyweight horse award: John Davidson (Heatherbrook Knight Rider).

First junior rider: Breonie McLennon (Desert Sand).

First lightweight rider: Terri Anderson (Ashwind).

Best conditioned lightweight horse award: Angela Hawks (Sikis Keeper).

Special mention to young Stacey Walls, of Inverell, who completed her first 80km endurance ride.

Helena South, also from Inverell, started the ride, but, unfortunately, her mare vetted out as lame during the ride.

Each best conditioned horse received a horse rug sponsored by the New England Credit Union, while the first three placegetters in each division were presented with towels sponsored by Harris Seeds, Inverell.

Best managed novice horse in the 80km endurance ride was Shardell Shahbarnah, ridden by an international rider from Japan, Sachiko Murai.

The horse's owner was pleased to receive the bags of horse feed donated by Gilgai Rural Supplies.

Helen South won the Baker's Barn local rider draw, while Jenny Annetts was runner-up for the bag of feed donated by Landmark, Inverell.

Terri Anderson's Arabian mare won a free service to the stallion River Oak Fame, owned by John and Sue Bell, of Coolatai.

The KFC Family Feasts volunteer vouchers were handed to Stacy Whiteman and Nicholas McGrath.

The State of Origin teams event proved to be popular this year.

The Girls and Gavin team of four riders were successful in being awarded the perpetual clock trophy.

Jenny Annetts, Tami Parnell, Sasha Laws King and Gavin Groth teamed up to achieve a winning average ride time of 4hr 41min.

The After Thoughts were runners-up. Helen South, Pip Lillyman, Dean Chamberlain and Alan Standfield received a family feast voucher from KFC, Inverell.
[original story]

Highest Mileage Horse?

Tulip, owned by Les Carr, is about to break the AERC record for highest mileage horse, ever. Last week at the Grand Canyon XP Tulip reached 18,065 miles!


Trilby Peterson's horse Lad currently holds the AERC mileage record at 18,215 recorded miles. Both Lad and Trilby have been inducted into AERC's Hall of Fame.

Bahrain - Rider's Tribute to the Nation

By MANDEEP SINGH

A PATRIOTIC Bahraini father is to stage his own national tribute, with a marathon horse-ride from Oman to Bahrain. Bapco security officer Khalid Abdullah Hussain will first travel to Muscat by road along with his horse.

He will start his journey on the Omani National Day on November 18 and arrive home for Bahrain's National Day on December 16.

Mr Hussain, a keen rider, last year accomplished a 43-day bicycle ride all over the GCC, to "create a one-family spirit".

"I have the full support and backing of Bapco chairman Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa," he told the GDN yesterday, as he went around Seef area astride his horse, sporting the Bahraini and Omani flags.

"I am happy that I am doing this as a mark of honour and respect to Oman and Bahrain, which have close historical and family ties dating back to more than 100 years."

He said his road trip to Muscat had been taken care of by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

"I have been provided with a custom-built transport that will carry my horse across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, en route to Oman."

Mr Hussain is married, with two daughters, aged nine and 11 and a six-year-old son.

He said he plans to 'do something' to honour Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa next year and then go on to represent Bahrain in the International Show for the Arabian Horse, Muscat, in 2010.

Mr Hussain said General Organisation for Youth and Sports president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa had been instrumental in encouraging him to undertake his latest mission.

"I am doing it for the glory of Bahrain and Oman and as a contribution towards the close links between the two countries," he said.
(Link)

US: Santa Fe Race receives AERC Sanctioning

Sante Fe ride, to be held in September of 2007, will be a 13 day event with 10 days of riding. Starting in Sante Fe, New Mexico and completing in Independence,

The endurance race will begin in Santa Fe, and, 800 miles and 13-dusty days later, will come to an end in Independence, Mo. The path will mirror that of the Santa Fe Trail, a pathway that ran from Franklin, Mo., to Santa Fe from 1821-1880. The race route will traverse country that reaches as high as a mountainous 7,721 feet to a low of a flat plain 931 feet.

What happens in between is anyone's guess as elevation isn't the only thing expected to rise and fall...

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