Equestrian Sports NZ
Please find attached information about the Canterbury Premier Endurance ride and the South Island CTR Championships to be held at Mt Torlesse on 10 - 11 February 2007.
An entry form for the Endurance is also attached, as are the nominated and definite entry forms for the CTR Championships.
A map of the ride base is available on the website.
Mt Torlesse Entry Form http://www.endurance.net/international/newzealand/NZ Mt Torlesse Entry Form Endurance1.pdf
Mt Torlesse Info Sheet http://www.endurance.net/international/newzealand/NZ Mt Torlesse Info sheet11.pdf
South Island CTR Championship definite entry http://www.endurance.net/international/newzealand/NZ Sth Island Trail Champs 2007 definite Entry Form1.pdf
South Island CTR Championsihp Nomination form http://www.endurance.net/international/newzealand/NZ Sth Island Trail Champs 2007 Nomination Entry Form1.pdf
--------------------------
Nicole Munro-Johnson I High Performance Administrator & Endurance Sport Manager I Equestrian Sports NZ I Phone +64 4 499 8994 I Fax +64 4 499 2899
Equestrian Sports NZ is the trading name of the New Zealand Equestrian Federation Inc.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Thursday, January 11, 2007
Omega support for tomorrow's ride in Dubai
Published: 12/01/2007 12:00 AM (UAE)
Omega support for tomorrow's ride in Dubai
Staff Report
Dubai: Omega, the official timekeeper, is supporting the first endurance ride in the new year to be staged in Dubai tomorrow, an FEI CEI 120km ride at the Dubai International Endurance City. Endurance racing is the ultimate test of strength and stamina of both horse and rider and is a thrilling spectator sport.
The race begins at 6.15am from the purpose built state of the art Dubai International Endurance City and is held over five stages. Both horse and rider return to the Endurance City after each stage for stringent checks by the official veterinary surgeons.
The winner of the race is the horse and rider combination who not only cross the line first; but also pass the final vet check. The horse must be presented to the vets within the 30 minutes time limit, this time limit also applies to each stage.
"Omega and Endurance share the same values: precision, perseverance, and a lot of determination. Our involvement as timekeeper of the FEI Endurance Ride is a natural outcome of our global involvement in key high profile sporting events," said Nayla Hayek, Member of the Swatch Group Board of Directors.
Saeed Al Tayer, Vice President of the Dubai Equestrian Club, said, "Omega has been a long standing partner of Dubai Endurance and we are pleased to have their support once again for the 2006-2007 season. The Omega Cup will see 110 riders competing over five stages of 32 km, 32km, 27 km, 18km and 11km."
Endurance races form part of Omega's strong focus on the world's most prestigious sports.
Gulf News article
Kelt Capital Horse of the Year 2007 CEI2* 100km Endurance
Press Release:
Kelt Capital Horse of the Year 2007 CEI2* 100km Endurance event is fast approaching. The course is set and the South African and European teams are packing their bags. If you are even remotely interested please contact the secretary on this email (guest.ron.beth@xtra.co.nz) to be penciled in, no money required till definite entries date.
Programme for the event is:
Thursday 15th March 2007
1200 Riders, horses and officials to be on site at Hastings A & P Showgrounds
1330 Preride Vet
1500 Safety Brief and Preride brief by GJ Pres, Vet Com Pres, Course Marker, TD.
This brief will travel to Havelock north to view Finish line safety and vetting requirements
Friday 16th March
0615 Riders assemble
630 Start from main stadium
For conduct of the event GJx3, TD, Chief Steward x 1and vets panel of 3 plus the treatment vet will be at Haupiri station Ocean beach.
At start of 3rd loop GJ (2), Vets (2), along with timekeeper and vet gate stewards will move to Havelock North
Last horse to leave will be followed by remainder of officials direct to Havelock North. When riding time for first loop is known closing time of last vet gate will be advised to all competitors. This time control is to ensure the horse travel safely into Havelock north finishing line
1530-1700 Finish line open in Havelock North
1630 And on transport starts to move horses from Havelock north to KCHOY base at hasting A & P grounds
Saturday 17th March 2007
1415 All Entrants assemble mounted
1430 Enter arena, Vets x 3 judge trot out first unmounted then ridden for all of the Best Conditioned Horse qualifiers only. Scores are added to total from previous day then results announced, draw for spot prizes made then all prizes presented, team prizes awarded.
Prizes include:
Air ticket and attendance at South African event for 1 First across the line, 2 first fittest horse, 3 first NZ team member and 4 spot prize drawn from all entries crossing the start line. Only one ticket per winner in order shown. In addition Junior prize plus Teams prize.
Website: http://www.hoy.co.nz/home.php
Nicole Munro-Johnson I High Performance Administrator & Endurance Sport Manager I Equestrian Sports NZ I Phone +64 4 499 8994 I Fax +64 4 499 2899
Equestrian Sports NZ is the trading name of the New Zealand Equestrian Federation Inc.
FEI Challenge: Drugs and Drug Testing in Endurance
by Nicola Freud
One of the French endurance community's better known secrets came out of the closet last month with the news that Cecile Miletto's horse, Baja de Piboul, had tested positive for an anti inflammatory drug. Miletto had won the 160k 3* ride at Rambouillet in April 2006 which was the race that the selectors used to choose their short list for the WEG. She was dropped from the team two weeks before Aachen and has now been banned for a year.
Sadly, to an outsider, it must seem that the sport at its top levels is riddled with people happy to risk everything for the sake of winning. The drawn out fiasco over Hachim's drug testing in Dubai, which resulted in France's Barbara Lissarague being awarded the World Championship, is still being talked about.
The most common attempts at performance enhancing doping are direct medication of joints or systemic use of drugs to target multiple joints which then act as anti-inflammatories and/or improve the quality of the joint fluid. Direct medication of joints with corticosteroids is commonplace, but in the competition horse the timing is crucial, it has to be done so that by the time of competition the steroid is undetectable in tests, while still having a positive effect. It must be remembered that corticosteroids, especially administered systemically, have multiple other effects that may affect or temporarily improve a horse’s performance or measured parameters such as heart rate. Methylprednisolone, the drug used on Hachim in Dubai's 2005 World Endurance Championship, falls into this category.
In more recent years drugs such as hyaluronic acid, polysulphated
glycosaminoglycan, and pentosan polysulphate have all been used both systemically and directly into the joints because they are all found naturally in the body and are hence unsusceptible to testing. The morality of their use is debatable; the reality is that they are intended to increase the long-term efficacy of the horse's joints and cannot boost performance levels as such. They are widespread across all the disciplines and their use is certain to continue unless a whole new legislation comes into play. In the UK during the 'seventies a horse called Hill House who'd returned a positive test was, after three appeals, found to create his own adrenalin, resulting in the conviction being overturned.
The anti-inflammatory drugs such as bute/flunixin/meclofenamic acid etc are all theoretically open to abuse but no-one really knows how much effect they will actually have in a horse at the end of a 120/160km ride. They may help a horse trot up sound at the pre- ride vetting but it's unlikely, at the normal dose, that they would actually improve a lame horse's chances at the end of a race. A higher-than-standard dose might well result in an elevated heart rate. However, they may significantly improve the chances of winning a best condition award the following day by limiting swelling and reducing stiffness.
Anti-inflammatory drugs have been picked up in 3 recent cases of endurance horses. One, in a junior ride in Qatar, was bute in a borrowed horse; it was presumed that the horse was given the drug to get it started as it then was spun part-way for metabolic reasons. The other 2 involved multiple drugs and were not explained by the persons responsible so we have to assume (as did the FEI) they were deliberate attempts to enhance performance.
Of increasing use in other disciplines like dressage and show jumping, whose governing bodies are far more tolerant of drug use and abuse, are the mood-enhancing drugs that stop some animals "blowing their brains" in big arenas. These are widely used to calm horses for the dressage section of a 3 day event and to keep the lid on an ultra-fit cross-country horse. Such drugs include gabapentin and reserpine as well as ACP and are seriously frowned on by the authorities. As they should be, because (apart from ACP) these drugs are unlicensed and untested in horses. I am not aware of them being used for endurance horses as they would be totally counterproductive and extremely dangerous due to their side effects, which, in an exhausted/dehydrated horse, could be fatal.
There are currently rumours are about low dose EPO - i.e. less than has been used in racehorses. If the endurance horse has a higher haemoglobin level then this might accelerate the speed at which it would start to produce lactic acid. If EPO increased blood volume then that would be advantageous; however, thicker blood may also have a negative effect! This is a very risky game if you don't know what you are doing ... As an indicator of the potential dangers, consider the story circulating some years back that you could always tell the cyclists in the Tour de France who were taking EPO because they had to get up every couple of hours through the night to run the hotel corridors otherwise they risked dying in their sleep as their blood was too thick for the heart to move it around.
Of more significance is the drug found in "Orkara", trained by Ismail Mohammed and ridden by the young Sh Majid bin Mohammed al Maktoum at Compiegne’s European championships in 2005. The drug used was Guanabenz, normally prescribed to treat high blood pressure in humans. It acts to relax the blood vessel walls and hence reduce blood pressure but will also often profoundly lower the heart rate. One can see how this might be open to abuse especially at the final vet gate where you have long enough to administer it before needing to present..... The trainer was given a 12 month suspension which was reduced to eight months on appeal. As always in cases where there is a minor, it is very difficult to know where to apportion blame.
Hypothetically, if somebody really wants to win at any cost, thought that cheating was the way and had the money, it would theoretically be possible to create a drug cocktail which lowered the heart rate, disguised lameness and would include a masking agent to avoid detection.
In reality a significant number of the positives picked up by FEI testing are due to either competitors' carelessness or assuming they won't be tested or caught. Drugs which are used routinely for medical conditions, when used too close to a competition, will test positive and bring shame on you and your country e.g sedatives for clipping, bute or other anti-inflammatories for wounds, local anaesthetics for stitching minor wounds or procaine when procaine penicillin is used as an antibiotic.
The chances of accidental positive testing are also increasing as drug testing becomes ever more sensitive and accurate. A smoking or coffee drinking or asthmatic groom who has neglected to wash his hands after having indulged in nicotine, caffeine or ventalin, and then proceeds to mix electrolytes and fill a syringe is unwittingly putting his horse at risk of elimination!
In ignorant or accidental incidents when there is no deliberate attempt at "doping" with the intention of performance enhancement, the FEI still has to punish accordingly because the intention cannot be accurately determined; although they are often more lenient if it can be proved the medication was given legitimately.
In France the job of the "wee man" is not an enviable one. He can stand in the door of the stable for up to two hours before the horse obliges with a sample. The day will surely come when testing can be carried out cheaply and easily (maybe just with a hair from the mane) and with equipment in situ on the day, until then we have the FEI to thank for their vigilance.
One of the French endurance community's better known secrets came out of the closet last month with the news that Cecile Miletto's horse, Baja de Piboul, had tested positive for an anti inflammatory drug. Miletto had won the 160k 3* ride at Rambouillet in April 2006 which was the race that the selectors used to choose their short list for the WEG. She was dropped from the team two weeks before Aachen and has now been banned for a year.
Sadly, to an outsider, it must seem that the sport at its top levels is riddled with people happy to risk everything for the sake of winning. The drawn out fiasco over Hachim's drug testing in Dubai, which resulted in France's Barbara Lissarague being awarded the World Championship, is still being talked about.
The most common attempts at performance enhancing doping are direct medication of joints or systemic use of drugs to target multiple joints which then act as anti-inflammatories and/or improve the quality of the joint fluid. Direct medication of joints with corticosteroids is commonplace, but in the competition horse the timing is crucial, it has to be done so that by the time of competition the steroid is undetectable in tests, while still having a positive effect. It must be remembered that corticosteroids, especially administered systemically, have multiple other effects that may affect or temporarily improve a horse’s performance or measured parameters such as heart rate. Methylprednisolone, the drug used on Hachim in Dubai's 2005 World Endurance Championship, falls into this category.
In more recent years drugs such as hyaluronic acid, polysulphated
glycosaminoglycan, and pentosan polysulphate have all been used both systemically and directly into the joints because they are all found naturally in the body and are hence unsusceptible to testing. The morality of their use is debatable; the reality is that they are intended to increase the long-term efficacy of the horse's joints and cannot boost performance levels as such. They are widespread across all the disciplines and their use is certain to continue unless a whole new legislation comes into play. In the UK during the 'seventies a horse called Hill House who'd returned a positive test was, after three appeals, found to create his own adrenalin, resulting in the conviction being overturned.
The anti-inflammatory drugs such as bute/flunixin/meclofenamic acid etc are all theoretically open to abuse but no-one really knows how much effect they will actually have in a horse at the end of a 120/160km ride. They may help a horse trot up sound at the pre- ride vetting but it's unlikely, at the normal dose, that they would actually improve a lame horse's chances at the end of a race. A higher-than-standard dose might well result in an elevated heart rate. However, they may significantly improve the chances of winning a best condition award the following day by limiting swelling and reducing stiffness.
Anti-inflammatory drugs have been picked up in 3 recent cases of endurance horses. One, in a junior ride in Qatar, was bute in a borrowed horse; it was presumed that the horse was given the drug to get it started as it then was spun part-way for metabolic reasons. The other 2 involved multiple drugs and were not explained by the persons responsible so we have to assume (as did the FEI) they were deliberate attempts to enhance performance.
Of increasing use in other disciplines like dressage and show jumping, whose governing bodies are far more tolerant of drug use and abuse, are the mood-enhancing drugs that stop some animals "blowing their brains" in big arenas. These are widely used to calm horses for the dressage section of a 3 day event and to keep the lid on an ultra-fit cross-country horse. Such drugs include gabapentin and reserpine as well as ACP and are seriously frowned on by the authorities. As they should be, because (apart from ACP) these drugs are unlicensed and untested in horses. I am not aware of them being used for endurance horses as they would be totally counterproductive and extremely dangerous due to their side effects, which, in an exhausted/dehydrated horse, could be fatal.
There are currently rumours are about low dose EPO - i.e. less than has been used in racehorses. If the endurance horse has a higher haemoglobin level then this might accelerate the speed at which it would start to produce lactic acid. If EPO increased blood volume then that would be advantageous; however, thicker blood may also have a negative effect! This is a very risky game if you don't know what you are doing ... As an indicator of the potential dangers, consider the story circulating some years back that you could always tell the cyclists in the Tour de France who were taking EPO because they had to get up every couple of hours through the night to run the hotel corridors otherwise they risked dying in their sleep as their blood was too thick for the heart to move it around.
Of more significance is the drug found in "Orkara", trained by Ismail Mohammed and ridden by the young Sh Majid bin Mohammed al Maktoum at Compiegne’s European championships in 2005. The drug used was Guanabenz, normally prescribed to treat high blood pressure in humans. It acts to relax the blood vessel walls and hence reduce blood pressure but will also often profoundly lower the heart rate. One can see how this might be open to abuse especially at the final vet gate where you have long enough to administer it before needing to present..... The trainer was given a 12 month suspension which was reduced to eight months on appeal. As always in cases where there is a minor, it is very difficult to know where to apportion blame.
Hypothetically, if somebody really wants to win at any cost, thought that cheating was the way and had the money, it would theoretically be possible to create a drug cocktail which lowered the heart rate, disguised lameness and would include a masking agent to avoid detection.
In reality a significant number of the positives picked up by FEI testing are due to either competitors' carelessness or assuming they won't be tested or caught. Drugs which are used routinely for medical conditions, when used too close to a competition, will test positive and bring shame on you and your country e.g sedatives for clipping, bute or other anti-inflammatories for wounds, local anaesthetics for stitching minor wounds or procaine when procaine penicillin is used as an antibiotic.
The chances of accidental positive testing are also increasing as drug testing becomes ever more sensitive and accurate. A smoking or coffee drinking or asthmatic groom who has neglected to wash his hands after having indulged in nicotine, caffeine or ventalin, and then proceeds to mix electrolytes and fill a syringe is unwittingly putting his horse at risk of elimination!
In ignorant or accidental incidents when there is no deliberate attempt at "doping" with the intention of performance enhancement, the FEI still has to punish accordingly because the intention cannot be accurately determined; although they are often more lenient if it can be proved the medication was given legitimately.
In France the job of the "wee man" is not an enviable one. He can stand in the door of the stable for up to two hours before the horse obliges with a sample. The day will surely come when testing can be carried out cheaply and easily (maybe just with a hair from the mane) and with equipment in situ on the day, until then we have the FEI to thank for their vigilance.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Saudi team arrive for Bahrain endurance challenge
TOP three women riders from Saudi Arabia arrived yesterday to take part in the 160-km Endurance Horseride Championship scheduled for Saturday at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.
Alya Alhuwaiti, Latifa Al Shaikh and Noora Al Yousuf are the three riders from the Kingdom Stables in Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, the best endurance pictures from the 2005-06 season will be awarded as per a directive from the president of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa who is also the captain of the Royal Team.
Other members of the Royal Team includes Yousef Taher, Fahad Ismail, Raed Mahmood Ghazi Al Dossary and Abdulhaq Qadoori.
Team veteran Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, who was part of the Bahrain team at the Asian Games endurance event in Doha where he came seventh overall, will not take part in this championship.
Gulf News article
Bahrain: Royal Team six set for 160km race
SIX riders will represent the Royal Endurance Team at the 160-km Endurance Horseride Championship scheduled for Saturday at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.
The team will be captained by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and includes Yousef Taher, Fahad Ismail, Raed Mahmood Ghazi Al Dossary and Abdulhaq Qadoori.
Team veteran Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, who was part of the Bahrain team at the Asian Games endurance event in Doha where he came seventh overall, will not take part in this championship.
Team manager Dr Khalid Ahmed Hassan said the team have been training daily near the venue and the riders are excited to take part in this race which will be the season's longest event.
The race will be divided into six stages with 30 kms for the first three stages, 25 kms for the fourth and fifth stages while the last stage is over 20 kms.
Dr Hassan said the team will not participate in the other race which will be over 120 kms to give the opportunity to other stables to take part in this race.
The 120-km event will be split into five stages, including 30 kms for the first two stages, 25 kms for the third, 20 kms for the fourth and 15 kms for the fifth.
Gulf New
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Hazza receives winner's trophy
King Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Ibni Al Marhum Sultan Mahmud of Malaysia (left) presented the trophies during a cermony of the Shaikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance festival.[More ...]
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