2007 European Championship Qatar Challenge - wrap up

I'm finally home, back in our quiet little corner of SW Idaho. Time to get caught up, and reflect a little. I decided to go to Portugal for the European Championship partly to promote our latest venture into the web world of Endurance (EnduranceEurope.Net), partly because the USA had decided to field a team to Portugal and I wanted to be there to support that effort, and partly because this event would be - from an FEI Endurance perspective - THE major competition of the year. Europe's best, and also the Middle East's best. Which is basically the world's best. The organizing committee offered a hotel room, press pass, all that stuff - so it was a pretty easy decision. Plus Merri Melde would be over there, finishing up her European summer endurance tour, and could focus on photography while I focused on the event, updates, coverage, etc.

And yes, this event was indeed a fierce and compelling competition. A race, not a ride. And it wasn't just a few that were racing, everybody was maintaining a competitive pace, fairly close to the front of the pack. The winning time was 8:22. The slowest time was 10:46 - only a 2 hour spread between first and last over a 100 mile course. The top 12 riders finished within 30 minutes of each other, and 50% of finishers were within 1 hour of the winning time. I don't recall any World Championship that has been this closely contested. Four UAE riders left the final vetgate in first position, at least 10 minutes in front of the next horse. In the final results, all but one UAE rider was passed - by France and Spain - doing the final 27k phase (16miles) in one hour.

Europe has dominated Endurance from a medal winning perspective (France in particular) during the past decade, and the Middle East (UAE in particular) has dominated the sport relative to speed records and funding for training and research. And as it turned out, UAE dominated the European Championship at the speed level - first in and out of every vetgate, and first - fastest - across the finish line. Likewise France took home the medals - individual gold and team gold for the continental championship. There were some very impressive horses at this event as well as displays of impressive horsemanship.

The UAE team held together, all six riders, until the very last vetgate when Sh. Rashid's horse vetted out for lameness. They still had 5 riders in at this point. One of their team members, Sh. Ahmed was set back during the first loop with a thrown shoe, but gradually moved forward during the ride hoping to salvage a team medal. A few hundred yards from the finish the UAE team effort collapsed when Sh. Majid's horse fell. The spectators saw the fall, and the ensuing rush of people (both UAE and Bahrain support crew) down the finish stretch towards the accident, and the dust from the vehicles approaching from the access road, and the hovering helicopter, but we never saw the horse and rider again. Eventually we saw a horse ambulance retrieve the horse, and heard that the horse was ok, just superficial injury. But that was that for the UAE team. So close! And I had found myself cheering for them along with others - they seemed so unified, so focused on the team effort - and definitely displayed good manners and horsemanship during the event. They did manage to hang on to the individual gold in the open division, but just barely, and the effort cost another finish when the first of the two UAE horses across the finish line failed to pulse down in 30 minutes. There were two more UAE finishers, in 5th and 16th place, for a 50% UAE completion, but not the team.

France was, well, as usual, amazing. The team effort was focused and though they lost a team member early on, they did manage to finish 3 team members for a team Gold. Jean Pierre Frances closed the gap during the final phase and just barely (6 seconds) beat Spain's Jaume Punti at a finish line sprint. It was definitely a race for the Gold. In February of this year I spent a day at Jaume's UAE based training stable. Jaume is one of the trainers for Sh. Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktoum (here's the story ) and it would seem to be no accident that both Jaume and Maria Alvarez Ponton (who rides/trains with Jaume) did well. They have an extremely tight, focused, disciplined training program in the UAE, and I imagine that their own stable in Spain is just as well run.

I also kept close watch on the USA effort. They are truly to be commended for making the effort - time, money, preparation, travel, etc - to field a team to compete in Europe. If the USA is to get back into the game of World endurance competition, the best way to do so is to experience first hand what the sport has become. This is not the same playing field as it was when we were dominating the sport and winning the medals. This is serious horse racing - full time, wholly committed training - and giving it all during the race. The USA came here to compete, not to 'just get around' and they gave it their all. And were still in the game, up until the final vetgate, where all of the horses vetted out for lameness...

I asked Vonita Bowers (the USA Chef d'Equipe for this event, and the Endurance discipline director for USEF) what her take on it was. She said "We did not go just to get around, so we were riding at a speed that could put us in striking distance of a placing. I thought for the most part the riders did this well. We are not as prepared (trained/conditioned) as it takes to run with the UAE and the French. In the end we needed 16 more good miles out of the horses and we just didn't get it." Vonita also said that this effort, this learning experience, underscores the need for a permanent coach and Chef d'Equip, one that is "with the riders from the beginning of their preparation for an event until the event is over."

Vonita also said that she felt that the USA has the quality of horses that it takes to field a winning team, "The USA has within its borders some excellent prospects. I continue to believe it doesn't take brilliant horses to win a team medal. I think it takes good horses with the proper conditioning and training. It takes good riders that realize that they don't know it all - riders who are willing to be coached. It takes a level of dedication and a degree of selflessness that we have not exhibited in the past. I am convinced that winning is within our reach if we have riders who are willing to do what it takes."

So, yes - conditioning, training, discipline, time, money - this is now a full time sport for many, and that full time commitment certainly shapes the outcome. Altogether, the event was very well run. Huge sponsorship, tremendous press coverage, almost to the level of past WEC's. A big deal race.

Congratulations to all -

Next for me - the Sultans Cup Terengganu Challenge - horses and riders being shipped from around the world to test the 2008 WEC course. FEI wants a 40% completion rate (I think that's about what Portugal ended up with). The Malaysians want to prove to the world that championship level Endurance can be done in Malaysia. All of us want a fair trial, cool heads and healthy horses.

Steph

Full European Championship Coverage

USA: Re-riding history: 800-mile race tests horses and riders

Kansas.Com - The Wichita Eagle
Two riders compete Thursday in the Great Santa Fe Trail Race across the Flint Hills near Council Grove. The race is a re-enactment of Francis Aubry's 1848 ride from Santa Fe, N.M., to Independence, Mo.

BY BECCY TANNER AND TRAVIS HEYING
The Wichita Eagle

Thirty miles into his 51-mile race through the Flint Hills on Thursday, rider Jason Stasiuk dismounted, pulled off his saddle and walked alongside his horse as theyarrived at a required rest stop.

At a water trough, as Razzmataz drank, Stasiuk dipped his cowboy hat in the cold water and began pouring it not over himself but over the 18-year-old Arabian horse.

"He takes real good care of me," said Stasiuk, from Humble, Texas. "And I need to take care of him."

That's probably not how Francis Aubry did it.

In 1848, on a $1,000 bet, Aubry set the horseback record for shortest time traveling the 800 miles from Santa Fe, N.M. to Independence, Mo.: five days and 15 hours. He ruined six horses.

Now 60 riders and 160 horses are retracing his journey, racing the 800 miles over 13 days -- for the experience, and for bragging rights.

They are taking breaks -- and showers. But like Aubry's race, theirs is also marked by grit, sweat and blood.

Two horses died Tuesday and their riders landed in a Wichita hospital after the horses collided with a car in McPherson County. Both riders have rejoined the race as spectators.

Before the race began, the Santa Fe Trail Association refused to have anything to do with it. And some historians said it was the type of history that shouldn't be repeated.

"Francis Aubry rode horses to death," said historian and writer Leo Oliva of Woodston, Kan. "No one has respect for that kind of thing. The accident that happened was tragic. But I feared that kind of thing would happen."

But riders said they put the welfare of their horses first.

"We're doing this not for the ribbon, not for the money, but to promote our breed of horses," said Mac McSwain of Winona, Texas, who raises Spanish mustangs.

"The horse means more to me than a race," he said.

An endurance race

Thursday, the racers gathered outside Council Grove before sunrise in a dew-covered pasture.

The day's ride would takethem over 51 miles of gravel roads through the Flint Hills.

There was no starting line and no gunshot to mark the start of the day's race.

Riders leisurely made their way east toward the rising sun. Some of the more ambitious went ahead at a slight trot, careful not to push their horses too hard, too early.

Endurance racing is all about going the distance in all kinds of conditions. In this race, which began in Santa Fe on Sept. 3 and will end Saturday in Gardner, horses and riders have gone over sand and mountains. They've persevered through rain and wind, on highways and chipped rock.

They average 50 to 80 miles a day -- nine to 12 hours a day. Most of the time, they travel backroads and lonely highways.

The riders come from Washington state, Maryland, California, Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Kansas and Texas.

They've brought Arabians, mustangs, Quarter horses, Tennessee walkers and Morgans.

Veterinarians travel with the race. Twice a day, the horses must pass inspection. If there is a question whether a horse is suffering, it cannot race.

McSwain, who is in his 60s, wanted one last great adventure. He and his wife brought six Spanish mustangs, intending to ride as a team.

Monday, a crowd frightened the horse he was riding through Dodge City. The horse reared; McSwain fell off, breaking his collarbone and shoulder.

"He's a country horse," McSwain said, arm in a sling. "He's not used to people yee-hawing. He's not a bad horse. He just had a bad rider."

Bragging rights

The race originally was billed as having a $100,000 prize. But organizer Rob Phillips was unable to raise the money.

Instead, Phillips says, winning "is bragging rights. You can brag about this for the rest of your life." Winners also will get belt buckles.

The individual rider and team with the shortest overall times will win.

Teams paid as much as $4,500 to compete.

Phillips says he intends to organize the race again next year.

"It's too wonderful to quit," he says.

He acknowledges some people have been critical of the race. But he points to all the communities that committed to feeding the horses, riders and their crews: Dodge City, which hosted a concert for the riders with cowboy singer Michael Martin Murphey; Lyons, which had an old-fashioned baseball game; Council Grove, where merchants kept their stores open until 9 p.m.

"From our standpoint, it was pretty darn good," said Kay Hutchinson, executive director of the Council Grove/Morris County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism office. "You'd be hard put in Council Grove to find anybody who didn't think it was a good deal."

A day off

On Wednesday, when the riders and horses had a day off near Council Grove, many were numb. One slept like the TV cowboys -- on the ground, saddle for pillow, hat pulled over his eyes.

April Cyrek of Humboldt County, Calif., was concerned about her 9-year-old Arabian mare, Bremarashir. The mare is blind in one eye and the rain and wind on Wednesday blew into the horse's good eye.

Still, she was glad she was on the endurance ride.

"You can see the country on the back of a horse," she said.

Billy McClain from Mission, Texas, said he and his two grown daughters have wanted to ride across country for years. "This is once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Endurance riding, McClain said, is all about knowing the rhythm of the horse.

"When there is humidity, you may not know your horse is hot -- but it's hot. You have to make sure your horse has plenty of water and is taken care of."

Reach Beccy Tanner at 316-268-6336 or btanner@wichitaeagle.com.

France takes dual European endurance gold

Carol Phillips, H&H website producer
12 September, 2007

France took both the European team and individual championship over the coastal plains of Portugal, while United Arab Emirates (UAE) rider Mubarak Khalifa Al Shafya became the new Open European Champion.

Mubarak Khalifa Al Shafya crossed the line with the 11-year-old gelding Zakah Zahara one minute ahead of Jean Phillipe Frances, who won the European title with Hanaba Du Bois.

Spain's Jaume Punti Dachs and Maria Alverez Ponton set a new record by becoming the first husband and wife team to stand on the medal podium in second and third place respectively.

The French team of Sophie Arnaud, Virginie Atger, Phillippe Benoit and Pascale Dietsch regained the European title they last held in 2003. Together with the World Championship, the title gives France a stranglehold over the sport's international silverware.

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FEI: FEI European Endurance Championship: Barroca d'Alva

FEI Report
11/09/2007
FEI European Endurance Championship: Barroca d'Alva (POR), 8 September 2007

France proved invincible over the coastal plains of Portugal taking both the European team and individual championship. UAE rider Mubarak Khalifa Al Shafya became the new Open European Champion crossing the line with the 11-year-old gelding Zakah Zahara, a minute ahead of Jean Phillipe Frances, who won the European title with Hanaba Du Bois. Spain’s Jaume Punti Dachs and Maria Alverez Ponton broke a new record becoming the first husband and wife team to stand on the medal podium, Jaume taking the European silver medal and Maria taking the bronze.

The French team victory saw the team regain the European title they last held in 2003 over entirely different terrain at Punchestown in Ireland. Together with the World Championship the title gives France a stranglehold over the sport’s international silverware.

However, the win came at the 11th hour as until the final few hundred metres, victory had seemed certain for the United Arab Emirates. Portugal had been a happy hunting ground for the team as it was at Elvas/Badahoz that the UAE won the inaugural Open European title in 1999. The UAE team had ridden together and led the field all day with a lead of more than a hour in the team contest. Despite losing Sheikh Rashid at vetgate five, four UAE riders had the finish line in their sights until disaster struck on a bend just under a kilometre from home in view of a bank of thousands of spectators lined up at the finish. Sheikh Majid’s horse Kevin de Narthou appeared to spook at some irrigation pipes and fell. In the ensuing melee, two UAE riders, conscious that the French team were closing fast, continued, Sultan Bin Sulayem crossed the line first with Nashmi, but the horse did not pass the final vetting giving victory to team mate, Mubarak Khalifa Al Shafya, team trainer to Sheikh Mohammed.

The increasing success of the Middle Eastern countries was signalled with a silver medal in the open team competition for Bahrain. Spain took bronze in the open team event and silver in the European contest where Switzerland joined France and Spain on the podium continuing the team’s medal winning streak begun at the 2005 European Championship in Compiegne.

For Jean-Louis Leclerc, who succeeded the late Pierre Cazes as chef d’equipe of the French team, the win for the squad of Sophie Arnaud, Virginie Atger, Phillippe Benoit and Pascale Dietsch, represented the moment when he was able to stamp his own mark on shaping the success of the team. Preparation had been assiduous – the French team arrived had travelled down to Portugal in August and based itself in similar conditions, 200km from the venue in order to acclimatise.

He put much of the team’s success down to solid preparation, the gentle acclimatisation of the horses and to a close-knit team spirit. But he paid tribute to the achievement of the squad saying they had achieved “great things” at what he described as a difficult championship.

“Throughout the day it was very hot. The track itself was difficult. The temperature rose to over 30 degrees during the day and it was very humid. The terrain changed throughout – from being very fast to being very hard to being very soft and deep and was not to be underestimated. To cope with changing conditions through the day, there were too many changing parameters to stick to a single strategy for the event from the start. The riders had to adapt their tactics to the changing circumstances throughout the competition.”

Reflecting on the team’s success he added: “I would say that this was a true championship because the track was hard and there were lots of very competitive teams. The strength of the French team cannot be underestimated – it is hugely satisfying.”

Jean-Philippe Frances, a professional rider and trainer, said: “I was bowled over by the mare’s performance. She was perfect, she adapted so well to the changing conditions particularly to the rising temperature. I never expected this to happen at this level. Last summer I had come to the pre-ride and that served me well [the pair came second]. It was really important to alternate the allures and the sols which was the distinctive element of this track. In terms of heart rates, Habana was one of the best – it really was her day, she is the best!”

Mubarak Khalifa Al Shafya, who began training for Sheikh Mohammed just a month ago, secured the UAE's fourth open title in succession with the 11-year-old gelding Zakah Zahara. Nonetheless he said he was disappointed that they couldn't complete the double and said: "I'm happy to have won the gold for the UAE but disappointed we lost the team gold after coming so close to winning it again”

There were 36 completions from the field of 88 starters – a pass rate of 40% which is the average at championship level. Six teams including the host nation, Portugal in fifth place and Great Britain in sixth place, earned the distinction of completing with three riders. There was disappointment for the USA, seeking to make a breakthrough at international competition after dominating the sport in its early years, with all three riders failing to complete .
The championship organised by Paulo Branco, vice president of the Portuguese Equestrian Federation, won praise for its smooth running from officials. Bo Kjellgren, president of the appeal committee said: “The competition was excellently organised and went well with a spirit of fair play throughout.”

USA: Riders reach the halfway point

A farrier works on a horse Saturday at the Dodge City Roundup Rodeo grounds. Participants in the Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race Endurance Ride stopped in Dodge City for a weekend stay. RICK DRUSE/DAILY GLOBE

For Joe Reilly, one of the most enjoyable moments of the Great Santa Fe Trail Horse Race Endurance Ride came when he rode out of Santa Fe, N.M., the first day and saw the spectacular scenery around him.

Joyce Adams also raved about the scenery in Santa Fe. But for her, the most memorable part of that day was just finishing the race.

"I took a flatlander horse from western Kansas, and I took it up to the mountains and we completed it right in the middle of the pack," she said in an interview Saturday. "I wanted to say, 'Look at us! Look what we did!'". Reilly is an experienced endurance rider, while Adams is a novice. Both of them are competing in the first-ever Santa Fe Trail Horse Race, which began Sept. 3 in Santa Fe and will end 13 days later in Independence, Mo.

The race route mirrors the old Santa Fe Trail, with overnight stops in several communities along the way.

The riders took a weekend break at Roundup Arena in Dodge City, then saddled up early Sunday morning and hit the trail again.

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France top, Bahrain second

From Amith Passela - Khaleej Times Online
10 September 2007



ALCOCHETE (Portugal) — Bahrain captured the first major endurance silverware in Europe by claiming the team silver in the FEI European Championship Open Portugal 2007 Qatar Challenge.

France took gold and Spain bagged the bronze in Saturday's 160-kilometre race that saw 88 riders from 20 countries vie for the honours in the biennial event.

Cecile Milleto, silver medallist in the 2000 FEI World Championship and now training some of the horses for the Bahrain Endurance team, said it was a terrific performance from the Gulf nation.

"Bahrain is virtually new to compete in this part of the world and to win silver was a fantastic achievement.

"They have some fine endurance horses and are naturally good riders of long distances.

"They are already a strong team as they have proved in this European Open and I'm sure they'll keep improving all the time. They rode as a team to get on the podium and hopefully win more international medals in the future."

Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Thani, son of the Bahrain king, led the tiny Gulf nation to the podium by taking eighth spot on eight-year-old Basic Instinct.

The others were not far away, finishing in a group, occupying the 12th , 13th and 14th positions, Ghazi Al Dosseri (Baja De Piboul), Mohammed Abdul Aziz Al Hasan (Kefir De Sommaqnt) and Yusuf Ali Taher (Ganda Koy).

Dubai based endurance trainers Jaume Punti Dachs and his wife Maria Alvarez Ponton of Spain said they owed their success to His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Dachs won the bronze in the European Endurance Open category and silver in the European Championship, and Maria was fourth in the open division and took the bronze in the European Championship.

"Much of our success in endurance racing is due to the opportunity we have had to train horses in Dubai and Spain," said Dachs, who has more than 40 horses in training for Shaikh Mohammed.

The UAE duly retained their hold on the FEI European Endurance Open title but lost a golden opportunity of preserving the team gold after a bizarre last loop.

They led the 160-kilometre trip until the second last loop but all their hopes of retaining the team title evaporated in the final kilometre from the finish line.

The UAE chances of making a sweep of the medals suffered a huge blow with the exit of Shaikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum in the penultimate loop, and then his younger brothers, reigning champion Shaikh Hamdan and Shaikh Majid, found their horses tiring with a kilometre left to the finish line.

Mubarak Khalifa Al Shafya, who extended UAE's winning streak in the open category to four on 11-year-old gelding Zakah Zahara, was naturally disappointed that they couldn't complete the double. "We were forced go flat out in the final half of the last 27-kilometre loop. It was an error on our judgment that we lost the team medal.

The European Championship Open Portugal 2007 Qatar Challenge was Shafya's best ever career record since he began riding in endurance races from its very inception in the UAE.

"I'm happy to have won the gold for the UAE but disappointed we lost the team gold after coming so close to winning it again. Shafya is the new trainer for Shaikh Mohammed.

"I have been on the job for only a month and looking forward to the new challenge."

The UAE's hopes of retaining the team gold suffered the first set-back when Shaikh Rashid's 10-year-old gelding Spenda Crest Karnouflage was vetted out for lameness in the fifth loop.

Shaikh Rashid was with the leading group with the UAE holding the first five places at that stage of the race. Yet, they were on course for the gold with Shaikh Hamdan and his younger brothers Shaikh Majid and Shaikh Ahmed on the loop.

Shaikh Ahmed had an early setback. He lost ground when his mount Jazyk lost a shoe in the middle of the opening loop, but the 2002 FEI World Champions stayed in the loop and eventually finished 16 th.
Shaikh Hamdan on Kaysand Farrazah dropped down in the order.

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UAE retain Euro title

From Amith Passela
Khaleej Times


ALCOCHETE (Portugal) – The UAE retained their FEI European Championship Open titles by claiming individual gold medal in yesterday’s Portugal 2007 Qatar Challenge. UAE's Mubarak Khalifa Al Shafya astride Zakah Zahara won the 160km race. Asian Games broze medallist Sultan bin Sulayem crossed the finish line first by his horse Nashmi was disqualified.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and the Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, joined the celebrations after flying straight from his state visits to Vietnam and China.

The UAE had a dream start but suffered late blows to their chances of retaining the team gold when Shaikh Rashid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum’s 10-year-old chestnut Spenda Cresta Karnouflage was vetted out for lameness in the second last loop when he was in the leading group with the UAE, occupying the top five places.

Reigning champion Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, who changed his riding plans twice before jumping onboard 11-year-old Kaysand Farrazah, finished down the order after leading most of the way and his younger brother Shaikh Majid didn’t finish after holding every chance in the final kilometre of the race.

Shaikh Ahmed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, rode a splendid race after his 10-year-old gelding Jazyk lost the left hind shoe in the middle of the opening 34.5km loop.

The 2002 FEI World Champions lost a lot of ground and trailed in 82nd from the 88 riders who were flagged off in foggy weather at 6.30am local time.

The early morning weather was an ideal start but the underfoot conditions were dry, sandy and hard. It turned hot and humid as the day progressed, but according to the locals, it was the best weather for such an event in the whole week.

It had been hotter and humid throughout the last three days, but the pleasant morning weather and a light breeze that continued to hold through the day was some bliss for the horses. The track threaded through the cork-oak forest and rice paddies provided a fine backdrop to compromise for the dusty underfoot conditions.

The UAE team held sway from the onset and led throughout the race. They occupied the first five places with Sultan bin Sulayem leading the opening loop from Shaikh Majid, Mubarak Khalifa Al Shafya, Shaikh Rashid and Shaikh Dubai Hamdan, in that order, only a few seconds separating them.

The reigning European champion Kristel van den Abeele on 10-year-old gelding Epson De La Bruskaie came in a close sixth ahead of Dubai based Maria Alvarez Ponton (Nobby) and Jaume Punti Dachs (Elvis Hab) riding under the Spanish flag.

The next loop remained almost the same with Shaikh Hamdan leading the UAE group ahead of Shaikh Majid, Shaikh Rashid, Shafya and Sulayem.

Fahad Munib Al Hajeri of Qatar moved up three places to finish sixth in front of Alvarez Ponton and Dachs with Van den Abeele in ninth. Italian Fausto Fiorucci on Jaifar moved up five places to finish 10th.

Hajeri’s Australian bred 11-year-old gelding Pravado was vetted out in at the end of the 27.5km third loop.

It left the two Spaniards, Van den Abeele, Philippe Tomas (Joel Cabirat) of France and German Sabrina Arnold (Jestime) in the top 10.

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