Asian Games: Royalty abounds in equestrian; China racks up medals

Horse Riders: Qataris lead desert challenge

Two individual Qatari riders arrived ahead of the field in the desert, as the convoy went past its first check point in the equestrian endurance event – a 120km race over sand.
The first arrival clocked in at just under 84 minutes, 30km after the start. Saoud Al Marri, riding Nu Piece, and Mohammad Atta on Proavodo held a slight lead ahead of a group of 10 riders representing Qatar, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates in what has been a Middle Eastern-dominated race so far.
Fifty one horses headed out into the desert after a mass start at 06:00 in the dawn light. Heavy overnight rainfall has made the track difficult and heavy. Team coaches and veterinarians say they expect problems in the later stages of the gruelling race on Thursday 14 December.
Bahrain are the next best placed team. Their first rider making the first mark was Ahmed Hamad Saleh Al Rowaiei on Lormar Lorraine. Second for Bahrain was Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa on the grey gelding Shar Rushkin.
The race was always expected to be dominated by countries and regions from from the Middle East. Korea and Malaysia are the only teams outside the Middle East with competitors in the event.
Korea are competing on Qatari horses. The only true non-Arabic combination is Malaysia's Bin Muhammad Rahman Azman riding Colorado, a horse brought over especially from Malaysia for this marathon through the desert. But they have found the going tough and were more than 20 minutes behind the leaders at the fist checkpoint.
Bahrain comes full force with three members from the ruling family. Sheikh Duaij Salman Mubarak Al Khalifa finished ninth at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa from Bahrain came 14th. The third is Sheikh Nasser Bin Al Khalifa on Shar Rushkin.
United Arab Emirates are represented by four members of the ruling Al Maktoum family, with HH Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum being the oldest at 25. The youngest, HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, aged 19, won the title at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, where endurance racing was introduced over a distance of 160km.
15th Asian Games, Doha 2006

HULIQ.com

UAE team aim for gold in today's 120-km ride

By M. Satya Narayan, Staff Reporter
Doha: The UAE endurance team is confident of a good showing in today's 120-km ride which has on offer medals in both the team and individual categories.
The UAE team will, however, now have only five riders as only five horses were available. Ali Mohammad Al Muhairi will sit out the ride, which is making its debut at the Asian Games.
But Shaikh Rashid Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, who leads the team, was talking up their chances.
"We have won major competitions before and this is a prestigious event for us. We are representing the UAE and it is a matter of pride," he told Gulf News at the weighing in.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who is a multiple gold medal winner in international championships, is expected to be present to guide the UAE team.
"We will be following the instructions of our father and we will go all out to see the UAE flag fluttering high," Rashid added. "Hosts Qatar and Bahrain are also very strong but we hope to do well."
Shaikh Rashid and his brothers Shaikh Hamdan, Shaikh Ahmad and Shaikh Majid will be bidding to create history at the Games.
It is the first time that four brothers will be representing a team and attempting to win a medal. Sultan Bin Sulayem will be the other rider in the individual event. "The UAE squad is a team with the highest record of wins. It does not matter that we are one rider short as this could have happened soon after the start of the ride as well. We will go for gold," said Saeed Al Tayer, Vice-President, Dubai Equestrian Club. Kamel Armor, Jazyk, Muneef, Iknour De La Bire and Nashmi are the horses that the UAE riders will be aboard.
Best timings
The three best timings of the team will count towards the team medal classification while all five riders will compete for the gold, silver and bronze.
Around 45 riders are expected to start in the 120-km event run over five loops.
"We hope it does not rain in the night as it will make it difficult for the horses," said endurance trainer Esmail Mohammad.
Hosts Qatar start with a big advantage as they have 12 riders in the fray while Bahrain is expected to pose a strong threat to the UAE's medal chances.

EnduranceGB novice champions achieve highest score possible

Equestrian Today

It's the best yet for Jeni and Flurrie

An endurance rider from Equestrian Post country has topped off a great season with a wealth of wins at the Endurance Great Britain awards night.

In 2002, this column recorded the success of Jeni Gilbert and her Connemara gelding Flurrie when they became Endurance Great Britain novice champions with the highest score possible.

In the following years, Jeni, a member of the Endurance Great Britain West Riding Group, has enjoyed nurturing her horse through the Endurance GB system, gaining experience and knowledge along the way.

Flurrie is not an easy horse in many ways and finding the right path for him has been a learning curve for Jeni and her crew.

In 2006, Jeni targeted the rides and distances which she knew Flurrie enjoyed and her efforts were rewarded when, at the Endurance GB awards dinner, Jeni was presented with The Regent Trophy for highpoint unregistered horse.

She also collected The Jasper Trophy for the highest points in their best three competitive rides, third place in the National Senior Championship and a prestigious third place in The Manar Trophy, which is the ultimate goal of the serious rider – The National Highpoint Championship.

Val Swan, chair of the EGB West Riding Group said : "Members of our group who attended the awards ceremony went a little wild when Jeni was awarded her rosettes as they have watched her many successes with a knowing eye. This year has been their best yet with even more to come we think.

"Flurrie has wonderful potential as a top endurance horse and is living proof that you don't need an Arab to shine at endurance."

If you would like information on endurance riding in the West Riding, contact Val Swann, chair EGB West Riding Group, 24, Ascot Avenue, Horton Bank Top, Bradford, BD7 4PA.


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UAE: Seventh edition of National Day Cup

Gulf Daily News
By M. Satya Narayan

Abu Dhabi: Over 100 riders are expected to battle it out for a slice of the Dh400,000 on offer in the Nakheel-sponsored National Day Cup 120-km endurance ride on Saturday.

Announcing details of the ride, Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, General Manager of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club said most of the top riders in the UAE will be lining up for the prestigious event.

"It is a FEI CEI Three-star event and will be run in five stages of 32kms, 30kms, 24kms, 18kms and 16kms," said Adnan.

The ride will get off to a mass start at 6.00 am on Saturday, December 16, at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba.

Walid Al Jaziri, General Manager of Sales at Nakheel, the sponsors of the ride said they were very keen to lend their name to the National Day Cup. "We recently supported the race meeting here in Abu Dhabi and supporting endurance ride is part of our responsibility towards society," said Al Jaziri.

Happy links

"Endurance is a sport of our forefathers and with the number of UAE riders taking to the sport we are very happy to be part of this event," he said

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Sultan Mizan, Among Youngest Ruler To Be King

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 11 (Bernama)

Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, who became the youngest Malay ruler when he ascended the Terengganu throne at the age of 36 in 1998, will also be among the youngest to be proclaimed Yang di-Pertuan Agong on Wednesday.

Under the five-year rotation system, Sultan Mizan will be proclaimed the 13th Yang di-Pertuan Agong, succeeding Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Syed Putra Jamalullail, who ascended the throne on Dec 13, 2001.

Sultan Mizan 44, will be the second youngest Yang di-Pertuan Agong after Tuanku Syed Putra Almarhum Syed Hassan Jamalullail of Perlis who took office as King on Jan 4, 1961 at the age of 41.

A ruler concerned about the welfare of his subjects, Sultan Mizan makes efforts to go to all mosques in Terengganu for Friday prayers to be with the people and also continues with the practice of giving alms to orphans and the poor every Friday as done by his late father, Sultan Mahmud Al-Muktafi Billah Shah.

During his younger days, Sultan Mizan was like any other boys his age and liked to play football.

Sultan Mizan's concern for the well-being of his Terengganu subjects prompted him to set up the Sultan Mizan Royal Foundation, launched on July 19, 2005, in conjunction with his 43rd birthday, to organise and finance various programmes, including in research, forestry, science, technology and innovation, agriculture, fishery and community projects.

Sultan Mizan is also active in sports like football, golf, taekwondo and scuba-diving but due to his busy schedule, is only able to concentrate on equestrian sports.

The Sultan likes horse riding and has formed the Royal Terengganu Endurance Stable (RTES) to prepare the state for participation in equestrian sports locally and abroad.

His skills in horse riding is reflected in him winning the Wilga 80km Endurance Ride, Wilga Australia, and in a competition at Harris River Ride, Perth, Australia in 2004.

He was also selected to represent Malaysia at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, but had to withdraw his participation as the event coincides with the proclamation ceremony.

It is also through Sultan Mizan's dedication and initiative that Malaysia is selected to host the World Endurance Championship at Lembah Bidong, Terengganu, next year.


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Rider hot on the trail of success for Aussie team

2.12.2006
RIDING long distances and racing the clock is all in a day’s work for Finch Hatton endurance rider Melissa Longhurst. She has been chosen in a four-member Australian senior team to compete at the Trans Tasman Series Endurance Ride, to be held at Nelson, New Zealand, on January 2.

Australia will also send a four-person junior team to contest the same race.

The race is over 120km, to be completed in one day, traversing mountainous country and flat sections before coming back to base, when the horses must pass stringent veterinary checks before being allowed to continue on.

She heads off on Boxing Day with strapper and fellow Sarina endurance enthusiast Juanita Lamb, but will not compete until January 2.
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