European Championship: Horses' progress to be tracked with GPS chips

By M. Satya Narayan, Staff Reporter
Gulf News
Alcochette, Portugal: Horses taking part in tomorrow's 160-km FEI European Open Championship will be fitted with a GPS chip in their collars to keep track of their progress.

"This is the first time that a GPS system will be used in a major endurance championship and this has been done at the initiative of the Portuguese Equestrian Federation," said Hallvard Sommerseth, the Foreign Technical Delegate for the championship.

Insight

The Norwegian veteran of endurance rides said the introduction of the GPS will help keep track of the runners at various stages of the competition.

The move will aid in ensuring the welfare of the horse as well as it will give organisers insight into how the runners are faring. In endurance the horses run in stages of about 30 to 40kms at a stretch and are subjected to stiff veterinary checks after every stage to ensure their welfare. In between the stages the horses are given about 20 to 30 minutes to recover for the next stage.

"The European Championship will also be bigger and better this year as there will be live coverage of the event on Portuguese TV as well as Dubai and Qatar TV channels," Sommerseth added.

The move will aid in ensuring the welfare of the horse as well as it will give organisers insight into how the runners are faring.
EnduranceEurope.net Coverage

UAE the team to beat

By M. Satya Narayan, Staff Reporter
Gulf News

Shaikh Rashid Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum , Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum and Shaikh Mayed Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum will lead the UAE's challenge, along with Sultan Bin Sulayem in tomorrow's 160-km endurance ride in the World Endurance Games.

Alcochette, Portugal: Nearly 90 riders from 20 countries will start tomorrow's 160-km FEI European Open Endurance Championship here about 25 kms away from the capital Lisbon and the team to beat will be the United Arab Emirates.

Ever since the UAE won its first-ever international championship, which was here in Portugal when the 1999 European Open championship was jointly held with Spain, the UAE riders have dominated the open category.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was the architect of that first win in 1999 when the UAE won the team gold and after that the UAE has virtually dominated the Open championships.

Shaikh Mohammad himself won the 2003 individual gold in 2003 while Shaikh Rashid Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum won the individual gold in 2001 and now Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum starts as defending champion having won the gold in Compiegne, France in 2005.

Medal fight

Shaikh Mohammad announced the team last month which includes Shaikh Rashid Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, Shaikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, Shaikh Mayed Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, Sultan Bin Sulayem and Mubarak Khalifa Bin Shafya. The 160-km European Championship will have medals on offer for the Open event as well as the European event and the UAE will be challenged by traditional European powers France, Italy, Germany and hosts Portugal while two other GCC countries, Bahrain and Qatar along with the US add another dimension to the medal fight.

Ali Moosa, Endurance Head at the Dubai Equestrian Club said the UAE horses have been based in Newmarket through the summer and have been well prepared for the event.

The UAE, who last swept honours in the Doha Asiad winning the team gold and the individual gold and bronze are once again expected to be a strong force here.

Strong advantage

While the final team composition and the horses will be known today after the final pre-event veterinary check, the championship has attracted a strong field of 90 entries with at least 14 countries in the team championship.

Hosts Portugal will have a strong advantage

EnduranceEurope.Net Coverage

FEI European Endurance Championship Definite Entries Available

Riders from 20 countries have gathered near Lisbon Portugal for the 2007 FEI European Endurance Championship and Open Portugal 2007 Qatar Challenge to be held on Saturday, 8 September. The much anticipated event has began to the festive display of sport horses of Portugal. The stabling of the entrants at the COMPANHIA DAS LEZÍRIAS venue has taken place and this afternoon will feature the official opening ceremonies of the competition.

Riders from Europe are joined by those from the Middle East and North America to compete over the 160km course. While the course is relatively flat with excellent footing, the challenge is anticipated to be the heat and humidity at the event! The 30c and 45% humidity with slight overcast will prove to be the deciding factor in this event!

Full EnduranceEurope.net coverage will begin with the opening ceremonies with Merri Melde and Steph both on site! [More ...].

Mexico: Endurance Oriental Ride

El dia 30 de Junio del año en curso se llevo al cabo la segunda competencia de Endurance en las instalaciones de la Hacienda Santiago Texmelucan en Oriental, Pue. organizada por el Club Hipico La Ladrillera de Teziutlan, Pue.

Se convoco este evento a nivel nacional contando con la presencia de varios estados de la republica, entre ellos el Edo. de Mexico, Distrito Federal, Puebla, Oaxaca, Veracruz, Hidalgo, Michoacán, asi como presencia de jinetes de varias nacionalidades; India, Canadiense, Argentina.

[More ...]

European Championship

140 riders from 30 nations gather in Barroca d'Alva Portugal for the 2007 FEI European Endurance Championship. The event, which starts tomorrow with the stabling of the horses, will take place on Saturday, 8 September. The Barroca d'Alva venue has hosted the pre-ride in 2006 and also the National Championship of Portugal this year.

EnduranceEurope.net coverage begins with the presentation of an interactive course map which, using google earth or google maps, allows you to navigate the course (or fly through). There are additional links to videos of the course as well.

[More ...]

USA: Santa Fe Horse Race - Starting

Participants in the Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race will start off Monday, September 3rd to begin an 800 mile trail ride!

Commencing at 7:00 am near Rowe Mesa, the ride will see horses and riders travel all the way to Independence, Missouri during a 13-day endurance competition which includes 10 riding days and 3 break days.

Many competitors arrived in Santa Fe a week or so ago, in order to have time to acclimatize horses and riders to the altitude.

endurance horseThe endurance race will closely follow the old Santa Fe Trail which was traveled by traders and pioneers during the 1800s. New Mexico towns on the route include Santa Fe, Las Vegas, Clayton and Springer, and participants then proceed through numerous Kansas towns like Dodge City and Council Grove before finishing up in Independence, Missouri. Race participants can sign up as teams, with either a single rider handling the entire race, or two riders alternating the 50-mile legs of the race. Veterinarians will perform welfare checks on each horse three times daily, chekcing that the animal's heartbeat comes back down to normal after 30 minutes.

[More ...]
Official Race Site

European Championship: USA to compete in Open

The USA Endurance Team Left the USA on Thurs. August 23rd for Amsterdam, on their way to the European Open Championship in Portugal. Along with the horses for the trans-Europe trip were Jim Bryant Jr, DVM, rider Jan Worthington, rider Darolyn Butler and crew members Dewayne Brown,and Jeremy Reynolds. They were joined in Amsterdam by Gary - a crew member for Cheyl Van Deusen and the van driver Michael.

After a two night rest in Amsterdam, the group set out for Tours, France. One night there, then on to Spain. Days began at 3:00am, in order to take advantage of the cooler temperatures in the morning. Day three marked the teams' arrival in Lisbon, Portugal, and a short drive out to the ride site at Companhia das Lezirias. The facility is a beautiful ranch, complete with dressage rings, cross country and driving courses.



The terrain is much like south central Texas, rolling and arid. During the day, the horses are out in temporary paddocks, much the same as would be at an event in the US. At night, the horses go back to the stalls. Each day, the riders hand walk the horses and the horses are able to graze on the green grass along the edges of the rice paddies. The riders are able to take the horses out on what will be the start and finsh of the course.

THe course is fairly flat, with areas of deep sand and gravel. I think it is a bit harder than it appears at first glance. The climate is hot - mid 80's to 90s. The humidity is below 60%. The expected winning time is around 8 hours. First examination is Tuesday, the opening ceremony is Thursday, and the first inspection is Friday. The ride begins at 6:30 am on Saturday, which is 1:30 AM Saturday moring on the East Coast.

USA Team:
Darolyn Butler/ DJB Mercy Merci
Heather Reynolds/ Cal Flaming Emit
Cheryl Van Deusen/ DA Al Capone
Janice Worthington/ Molly’s Valiant Heart

submitted by Vonita Bowers, USA Chef d'Equipe. photos by Dewayne Brown