UAE: Hamdan ushers in two new endurance rides

Published: 04/02/2007 12:00 AM (UAE)
Hamdan ushers in two new endurance rides

By M. Satya Narayan, Staff Reporter

Abu Dhabi: Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance and Industry, announced the creation of two new endurance rides - open only to small stables and individual owners and riders.

Shaikh Hamdan attended yesterday's Shaikh Saeed Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup endurance event at the Dubai International Endurance City. The event was won by Mansour Ahmad Al Sabousi.

Shaikh Hamdan said the two rides will open up opportunities for many such riders from smaller stables and individual owners who can never compete against the big stables.

he winner of the first of these two new rides next week will receive a Nissan Patrol and the second-placed rider will be richer by Dh50,000.

Commenting on the high speeds being the average in UAE rides, Shaikh Hamdan said this was mainly due to the conducive climate prevailing here and also because of the quality of horses competing here.

Congratulating the UAE football team on winning the Gulf Cup, he said: "Initially everyone thought the favourites were Saudi Arabia and Qatar, but the UAE players showed vast improvement after losing their first game."

Meanwhile, two of Shaikh Hamdan's best Purebred Arabian horses will not be running in today's President's Cup race in Abu Dhabi and Shaikh Hamdan said: "Both Madjani and Al Soudi are nursing minor injuries and we don't want to risk them."

Shaikh Hamdan also felt the need for separate trainers for Purebred Arabians and Thoroughbreds.

Earlier yesterday, Mansour Ahmad Al Sabousi, riding Musical Gully Tamdourine, won the 120km FEI CEI three-star Shaikh Saeed Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup. The pair completed the ride in 4 hrs 46mins and 36 seconds at an average speed of 25.12kmph.

UAE: 2007 Sheikh Saeed bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Challenge

(photos by Caroll Gatelier, see more)


Leonard Liesens from the Dubai Endurance City Seih Assalem where he competed in the 120km CEI*** event. "I finished 22nd out of 80 starters. Dubai has changed in just one year. Now there is grass everywhere in the vet and grooming area and horses are trotted on the grass as well.

Speed has increased as well. If you don't navigate 23Km/H or more, you are nowhere and no question to loose even a handful of seconds at the vetgate or on the track. What amazes me is the recovering time at the vetgate with horse galoping at 25..28 Km/H on the track.

I had a sweet french mare who was here since only 3 month. Hafiza du Mas, a mare with proven bloodlines by Dormane, ex Jamila du Mas, trained by Antonio Moreno and owned by Shaikh Mohammad. We finished 22nd at 19Km/H, maintaining a constant pace the whole race.

The mare is here only since 3 month and I think will progress a lot. She had already 2 160Km races in France at her credit. I had great fun, never any sign of tireness from her."

Full Photos and ride recap

Shaikh Saeed Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Cup 12okm winner: Mansour Ahmad Al Sabousi

Results 120km

Results 82km Qualifier

Results 43km Qualifier

Brasil: 2007 WEC for Young Riders: Team Brasil

Italy: 2007 Gubbio Nations Cup

Thursday 24 May
9.30 a.m. Opening stables
Friday 25 May
10.00 a.m. Opening registration
15.00 p.m. Vet visit: metabolic
16.00 p.m. Vet visit: trot
18.30 p.m. Briefing pre-race
19.30 p.m. Gala Dinner

Saturday 26 May6.00 a.m.
Start cat. CEIO*** 160 km7.00 a.m.
Start cat. CEI C*** 120km8.30 a.m.
Start cat. CEN**B 90 km2130 a.m.
Best Condition and Prize Ceremony

Wednesday May 14th

Expiry date for inscriptions
Inscriptions must be sent by fax
to +39 075 9272315by e-mail: info@faulaarabs.com


Race Informations
Faula Arabs, 06024 Gubbio (Pg)
ITALIAFax: +39 075 9272315 /
Mobile phone: +39 347 3681792
info@faulaarabs.com


ENTRIES 2007CEIO***
Km 160Entry in Principle: 26th March 2007
Nominated Entry: 26th April 2007
Definite Entry: 14th May 2007
CEI*** Km 120
Definite Entry: 14th May 2007


Endurance Village
(Roman Theatre)

Portugal: 2007 Endurance European Championship "Open"

What is the Endurance European Championship "OPEN“

The International Equestrian Federation (F.E.I) has the guardianship of the Championship; The Endurance European Championship, of the Senior, happens every two years, intercalated with
the World Championships; Such as the name suggests, it’s meant for the European nations
and, therefore, it is with World Championships; Due to the huge attendance of the discipline, F.E.I. decided to include in these Championships the assignment "Open"; At the end, it is the equivalent to a World Championship once most of the countries of all the continents mark presence in this European Championship "Open".

Any national championship, of the Europe or the World, as well as the so called 4 stars (****) competitions, must be competed in a 160 km ride, in one same day, in varied lands, in order to test the resistance of the horse. The departures are given in line, i.e. in set, and with free speed. It is, at the end, a true race of horses in long distances.

It will have, however, two classifications - the final classification of the European Championship (individual heading and team heading), attributed only to the European nations and the final classification of the "Open" competition, also attributed by individual and teams, but having in account all the participant nations of the event.



8th September
2007 Portugal Endurance European Championship “OPEN”:
30 nations, 200 riders and horses, 325km2 of protected nature

A first time event in Portugal in what concerns equestrian sport but also in what concerns any other sport:

It will allow to bind the image of Portugal and link it to the development of other sides not yet explored such as the equestrian tourism and all the natural resources in the area that surrounds Lisbon;

It will impel in an active way the discipline of Endurance;

It will provide the national riders, participating in the event, with a bigger knowledge and more experience in the plan of international competition;

It will shake the national investment in what concerns the acquisition of new mountings, of believing in future projects, new knowledge of training and preparation of horses and riders.

It will allow that all the FEP officials, technicians and organisers, have direct contact with the international’s competition panorama, which, in any other way, is almost impossible to deal with;

It will allow the agents who have the guardianship of the national sports to realise, undoubtedly, that the equestrian development in Portugal is being implemented and successfully implemented, not only in what can be seen in the results but also in what relates infrastructures and the participants:

It will bring a new vision of the equestrian sport to the institutions related with the various intervenient sectors such as:

The tourism, hotels, gastronomy, trips, the several routs created in the meanwhile such as the Wine Rout or the Bull or Ribatejo Rout;

Developing the agriculture by presenting outdoors other agents such as our cattle, rice-paddies, marshes, pastures or the Tejo’s estuary, amongst many others;

That national economy starts to look to the equestrian sport as a partner in Portugal name’s divulgation, inside and outside of the county;

That the top equestrian events become credible and of national impact.

Contacts Organizing Committee of the Event Paulo Branco - Vice President of FEP (Portuguese Equestrian Federation) for the discipline of Endurance and Technical Director of the Competition e-m@il:paulobranco@fep.pt Engº Francisco Barradas Drª Antónia Mota Portuguese Equestrian Federation: Av Manuel da Maia, 26 – 4º Dto 1000-201 Lisboa Tel: 21 847 87 74/5/6 Fax: 21 847 45 82 www.fep.pt General Secretary of FEP Manuel Bandeira de Mello e-m@il: mbmello@fep.pt Secretary Filipa Rebelo de Andrade e-m@il: frandrade@fep.pt Julita Santos e-m@il: paulobranco@fep.pt

Australia: Cowra's new national champion

photo: National champion Erika Lindsay riding Kintimani Charisma and Allix Jones riding Bo at Tingha in October.

Cowra has a new state champion with Erika Lindsay being crowned 2006 national junior rider of the year for the Australian Endurance Riding Association (AERA).

Lindsay took out the award after a long hard year of competition that saw her ride not only all over NSW but also in Victoria and Queensland.

She finished on a total of 108 points ahead of fellow New South Wales rider Allix Jones.

Points are awarded on the basis of where the competitor finishes on each ride. Extra points are awarded for competing longer rides over the 100 kilometres mark.

Lindsay also finished runner-up in the NSW point score on distance covering a staggering 1,750 kilometres over the course of the year. She was also runner-up in the one horse/one rider category with her mainstay gelding Kintimani Silver Motif. The duo covered a combined 1,270 kilometres together.

Kintimani Silver Motif also finished in second place for junior horse of the year.

Lindsay's other horse - Kintimani Charisma - was also in the NSW top ten in ninth place.

In the middleweight division, Lindsay's father Alan, came in runner-up for the New South Wales distance rider of the year covering 1,305 kilometres.

Woodstock's Karen Rhodes placed tenth on points for the year and her gelding Shadow came in fourth and seventh respectively for distance and points on the NSW point score.

In the heavyweight division, Andrew Bailey - also from Woodstock - came in seventh overall for the year in NSW.

The NSW ERA Annual General Meeting will feature the presentation of awards in Bathurst on February 10.

The AGM will no doubt have a strong contingent from the Lachlan Club supporting several important motions brought by the club in the running of the zone.

The 2007 riding calendar put out by NSWERA features and all encompassing schedule with a huge variety in courses and locations.

Anyone interested in competing locally can contact a committee member for details at Helen Brown 6345 0107, Karen Rhodes 6345 0257 or Annette Bailey 6345 0083.

Bahrain: Riders gear up for endurance challenge

TWO riders from Saudi Arabia have confirmed their participation in the Prime Minister Endurance Horseride Championship scheduled for Saturday at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

Mohammed Al Saba'a and Abdulrahman Al Musallamani submitted their entries and more are expected to register before the start of the event.

Both riders will be taking part in the seniors event which will be over 120 kms with Al Saba'a riding Housani, which is owned by Abdulrahman Al Nuaimi, while Al Musallamani will ride Faraj, owned by Abdulla Al Musallamani.

The race is divided into five stages, starting with 30 kms for the first two stages, 25 for the third, 20 for the fourth and 15 for the fifth.

The Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) received entries from four new riders for the senior event. They are Hossam Al Faraj, Jaffer Al Alawi, Ibrahim Abdali and Yousef Yaqoub.

In the juniors race, which is also over 120 kms, four riders from Hawar Stable - Tawfeeq Jaber, Jassim Isa, Salman Isa and Mohammed Jassim - have confirmed their entries.

Meanwhile, the federation continued preparations for this event being organised with the full support of Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.

The federation printed special t-shirts carrying a picture of the Prime Minister for all riders taking part.

Breef general secretary Ghalib Al Alawi said the veterinary tests will take place at the village on Saturday before the start of the race.

Al Alawi said the commissioner for the championship will be Mahmood Abdulsaheb who is being assisted by Mohammed Dadulla and Fahad Al Rumaihi. The veterinary committee is headed by Dr Mohammed Al Hammad of Saudi Arabia and includes 12 members from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Brazil.
Gulf Daily News article