Royal Bahrain Team set for Austria ride

Bahrain Gulf Daily News

BAHRAIN's Royal Endurance Team arrived yesterday in Graz City in Austria as they prepare to make debut in Austria's International Endurance Horseride scheduled for Saturday in Bad Blumau.

The team, to be led by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, will be among 120 riders from 12 European countries taking part in races over 120km and 160km, both on Saturday.

After a long journey via Frankfurt Airport, the 25-member delegation reached the Austrian city without Shaikh Nasser who is due to arrive tomorrow to join the team training prior to the championship.

Commenting on his team's participation, Shaikh Nasser said they recently decided to take part in this race which replaced Thatford Race in the UK due to similar weather conditions in Austria and Malaysia, which will host the World Championship from November 9 to 11.

The Bahrainis are seeking to have as many riders qualified as possible for the World Championship to be held at Terengganu International Endurance Park in Setiu Terengganu.

Shaikh Nasser added that this will be the first time for the team to participate in a race in Austria, having mostly competed in the UK and France, besides Ireland, Germany and Portugal.

Team manager Dr Khalid Ahmed Hassan said the team is confident of doing well in the race, stressing on the importance of finishing the event without being disqualified in their bid to reach the World Championship.

NZ names World Champs endurance team

Three horse and rider combinations have been named to New Zealand's team to compete in the 2008 World Endurance Championships in Malaysia in September.

Jenny Champion and Freckles, Philip Graham and Wolfgang Amadeus, and Andrea Smith and Sierra Nevada have been selected.

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Malaysia: King launches FEI World Endurance Championship

photo: Colourful handover: The King receiving the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) flag from Ian Williams, FEI director of non-Olympic sport.

KUALA LUMPUR: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin launched the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) World Endurance Championship 2008 at Dataran Merdeka on Saturday.

Earlier, 41 horsemen paraded through the city via Taman Tasik Titiwangsa, Jalan Pahang, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman and Jalan Raja before marching past the King at Dataran Merdeka.

The championship, which will be organised by Yayasan DiRaja Sultan Mizan (YDSM), would be held at Lembah Bidong in Terengganu from Nov 6 to 9.

Besides the 41 horsemen, each holding the flags of participating nations, there was a spectacular parachuting display by four paratroopers from the Royal Malaysian Air Force. They carried the Jalur Gemilang, the flag of Terengganu, FEI and YDSM.

The FEI flag was handed over by its director of non-Olympic Sport Ian Williams to the King who then passed the colours to YDSM to declare the championship formally sanctioned to be held in Terengganu.

In his speech World Endurance Championship chief executive officer Datuk Dr Salleh Mohd Nor said about 140 endurance riders from all around the world were expected to take part in the event.

Entries from 41 countries have been confirmed.


Full Article - TheStar.com.my

Sudan's First Endurance Ride

On the 9th May, KICS Riding Club held the first ever endurance ride in Sudan. Of course we had big plans to hold it out on a farm about 80kms out of Khartoum, but unfortunately due to last minute problems we had to hold it in and around Soba. We managed to change the plans at the last minute and still have a succesful weekend.

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Scottland: Gran National Triumph

Gran National Triumph

Jun 20 2008

JOCKEY Rachel Dewar, 79, came second in an epic 78-mile race and put it down to being young at heart.

The grandmother-of-two, who was in the saddle for 12 hours, modestly played down the fuss.

She said: "All you've got to do is sit there, it's not that hard."

Rachel, of Duns, Berwickshire, started the circular Hillhead Endurance Race at 7am in Musselburgh, East Lothian.

She finished on her horse Gypsy Cream at 7pm and admiited: "I was certainly feeling it for a few days afterwards."

Rachel, who took up endurance riding when fox hunting was banned, said: "I've got plenty of life in me yet. Horse riding keeps me fit."

Images of the Event

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Five Malaysians in World Endurance Championships

PETALING JAYA: Five Malaysian riders have qualified thus far for the FEI World Endurance Championships (WEC), which will be held at the newly-built Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) in Lembah Bidong from Nov 6-9.

The Malaysian challenge will be spearheaded by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.

The WEC chief executive officer, Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor, said that the others who have secured qualification were Datuk Kamaruddin Abdul Ghani, Rosdan Mohd Nor, Mohd Shuaib Ishak and Abdul Halim Alihan.

As hosts, Malaysia have been allotted 12 places in the championships and have until Aug 21 to complete their qualification quota.

"I am very confident that our riders will be able to fill up the remaining seven places," said Dr Salleh at a press conference yesterday to announce the details of the championships.

"The entire training and selection process of the riders for the WEC have been left to the National Sports Institute (NSI)."

The NSI director general, Datuk Dr Ramlan Aziz, said that there were several qualifying events more for riders to make the cut.

"There is a group of 11 riders and they are very serious in their training and have been pushing hard," he said.

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WEC 2008 venue in Terengganu is among world's best

Jaiarajo Letchumanan, BERNAMA

KUALA LUMPUR, THURS:

The Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP), the venue for the World Endurance Championship 2008, is rated as one of the best in the world by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).
The endorsement came from non other than FEI’s Non-Olympic Sports Director Ian Williams who has been regularly inspecting the TIEP situated in Lembah Bidong, Merang in Setiu, near Kuala Terengganu.

"I have been to many other venues around the world and the TIEP a number of times. The facilities there are simply fabulous and most impressive. I must say this is among the top three in the world, with the other two in the middle east," said Williams at the launch of the event here today.

“The stables are luxuriously spaced out, the crewing area, the departure gates and the permanent vet gates with more than 20 trotting lanes puts TEIP among the elite group of endurance venues," he said.

Terengganu will host the WEC, the first tropical country to do so, from Nov 6-9 at the TIEP with about 140 riders from 41 countries competing in the individual and team events held over 160km.
The Malaysian challenge will be spearheaded by the country’s number one sportsman, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abdidin, who became the first Malaysian to qualify for the WEC.


Full Article - New Straights Times Online