Malaysia: Participants from 36 countries expected

Thestar.com.my

Tuesday September 16, 2008

By JAYAGANDI JAYARAJ

MALAYSIA is ready to host the International Equestrian Fede-ration (FEI) to host the FEI World Endurance Championship at the Terengganu International Endu-rance Park in Kuala Terengganu from Nov 6-9.

Malaysia is the first tropical country to host the endurance race covering 160km.

The event is organised by the Yayasan di-Raja Sultan Mizan (YDSM) and participants are from 36 countries.

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin will lead the Malaysian team in the four-day championship.

YDSM vice-chairman Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor said preparations for the Fei World Endurance championship started in 2006.

“We had organised two trial events since 2006. One was for Malaysians while the other was the Sultan’s Cup for invited foreign participants.

“The trials gave us the opportunity to test all necessary aspects which are required to stage the prestigious event,” said Salleh.

The greatest challenge, he added, in organising the event was the climate-imposed hurdles as the foreign horses were not accustomed to the local climate.

“However, during the trial runs, we discovered that the hurdles can be handled.

“During both trial runs, the horses handled the heat and humidity well as we had 63% completion which is very good,” he said.

For the purpose, most of the rides will be done at night and coloured LED guide lights will be used as markers on the trails.

The first batch of horses, from the seven pick-up zones around the world, will arrive in Terengganu on Oct 13 while the riders are scheduled to arrive from Oct 29.

The horses from the different zones will be placed at different stables to ensure that they are free of diseases.

The championship has attracted top teams from France, Spain, United States, Germany, New Zealand and Australia.

Belize: Speed and Endurance in the Wild West

7newsbelize.com - Full Story

It was a staple on the sporting schedule for years and horse racing is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. And while in America it's called the sport of kings, in Belize, it's the country folk who keep the sport alive. In Cayo, it's more than a tradition, it's a passion, and this weekend we witnessed an off-road horse race unlike anything we'd ever seen. 7NEWS was there from start to finish and Keith Swift has the story.

Keith Swift Reporting
With the command to go - the 11 riders were off on the 24 mile Hanna's Endurance Challenge.

Rodolfo Juan, Organizer
"Today we're going to select who is really the toughest rider in this country. We are having an endurance race which is a test over 25 miles of horse and rider and it selects really who will be the toughest rider in the land."

And though they set off at lightning speed, the winner would be decided not on speed - but on endurance. That endurance was tested in 8 three mile laps up hills and down valleys on the sprawling but rugged and difficult terrain of the Juan family's 400 acre ranch in Cayo.

Santiago Juan, Organizer
"The goal of the race is to get the horse and the rider to learn about each other, to pace yourselves, it is not only about speed - it is about knowing your horse, knowing what to do and when to do it and that's what endurance racing is all about."

The riders spent months on horsebacks preparing for the race but it takes more than just knowing how to ride a horse to win. You need to know how to manoeuvre a horse like this through rough jungle terrain. These riders have to know their horses.

Rodolfo Juan,
"It is really about knowing your horse and knowing how to pace the horse. As you can see it is a very warm hot sunny day, it is 25 miles, that is a lot of distance to cover and therefore you need to know how to pace your horse so that you don't push it too much, otherwise you will just exhaust the horse or you risk injuring the horse."

A difficult balancing act - and that’s why on his fourth lap when Cesar Shi heard this:

[Horse Breathing Heavy]

More...

Malaysia: King launches book on endurance challenge

Significant achievement: Salleh
with the 160-page coffee table
book — the first ever endurance coffee
table publication in Malaysia.

Thestar.com.my

Tuesday September 16, 2008
By JADE CHAN

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abdin launched the Sultan’s Cup Terengganu Endurance Challenge 2007 coffee table book recently.

The book, published by the Sultan Mizan Royal Foundation (YDSM), is considered significant to the equestrian community as it is the first ever endurance coffee table publication in Malaysia. The book will be sold at major bookstores in Malaysia from next month.

The 160-page book, with 11 chapters, is a colourful documentation showcasing the moments leading to the hosting of the Sultan’s Cup Terengganu Endu-rance Challenge in 2007.

YDSM vice-chairman Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor said the book would serve as a testament of the glorious moments of the event.

“The publication also acknowledges the efforts of those who worked hard in organising the challenge and marks an honour for the country and its people in hosting such a prestigious event,” said Salleh.

Thirteen countries took part in the challenge that saw a completion rate of 67%, which exceeded the expected 40% set by the International Equestrian Federa-tion (FEI).

The outstanding success of the Sultan’s Cup Terengganu Endu-rance Challenge 2007 had prompted the FEI to give Malaysia the chance to host the FEI World Endurance Championship on Nov 6-9.

Malaysia WEC: USA selects squad

by Steph Teeter
Endurance.Net
September 2008

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has made final selection of the six horse and rider pairs to travel to Malaysia for the 2008 FEI World Endurance Championship:

Definite Entries:

Kathy Brunjes/ Theatric
John Crandell/ HH Saba Shams
Cheryl Dell/ Reason to Believe
Valerie Kanavy/ Flash Flame
Meg Sleeper/ Syrocco Reveille
Jan Worthington/ Golden Lightning

Ranked Alternates:

Lisa Green/ Amana Tabi
Heather Reynolds/ Cal Flaming Emit
Meg Sleeper/ Shyrocco Troilus

The selection was made at the end of a 3 day trial and evaluation held over the weekend in Florida. All horses were examined by the USEF staff of veterinarians. The performance of the riders and horses over a 40 mile demonstration course was evaluated by USEF staff including an independent selection committee, veterinarians, and Chef d'Equipe Becky Hart. The 40 mile course was run in 4 phases, with speeds of 10, 12, 14 and 15 mph respectively, with holds of 20, 30 and 40 minutes.

According to USEF Endurance director, Vonita Bowers, the trial went very well. "All of the horses that were selected recovered after each phase in 1 to 3 minutes. The horses did very well and we were pleased at the focus and professionalism of all of the riders and crews."

The selected horses and riders, as well as alternates, will now stay in Florida for the next month, prior to traveling to Malaysia. This will give time to train together, as a team, and to develop skills and strategies to improve their chances of winning a medal in Malaysia.

Three of the selected riders, Brunjes, Crandell and Sleeper gained valuable experience at the Sultan's Cup 160km event held last November in Terengganu, the venue for the 2008 WEC. Kanavy, Brunjes, Sleeper and Worthington have all had prior experience competing at World Championships, and Kanavy has won 2 Gold and 1 Silver individual medals.

Kanavy brought 2 horses to the selection trial, King Ali Gold and Flash Flame. While King Ali has out-performed Flash Flame in terms of speed and winning performances, he can also be a challenging horse to ride and difficult to rate. The final selection of Flash Flame was made based on her performance in Florida. Additional consideration was given to her prior experience at International events (a 5th place at the 2005 Pan American Championship in Argentina) and a more even temperament, which made her a better team choice. This year's goal for the USA in Malaysia is a team medal, and riders and horses were selected with that goal in mind.

Bahrain: Season-opening endurance horse race set

Gulf-Daily-News.com

THE Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) will host the first endurance horseride of the season on November 22 at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The federation, under its president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, approved the 2008/09 season calendar at its board of directors meeting. The inaugural race of the new season will be a 90-km qualifying event for young riders seeking experience in endurance races.

The first official race this year will be the National Day Championship set for December 13 and is over 120km. That will be followed by a 12km open race on January 3 next year.

Other events are the Women's Open Championship on January 31, the National Stables Championship on February 7, His Majesty King Hamad Cup on March 7, the Crown Prince Cup race on April 3 and the Season-Ending Championship on May 1.

Meanwhile, the Breef members also discussed the showjumping season and confirmed the schedule of its events. The showjumping season will get underway on November 7 with the Season Starting Championship, to be followed by the National Day Championship on December 19, then the Breef Cup on February 13.

In other competitions, the Arab League round for His Majesty King Hamad Cup will be held from February 19 to 22, the second Breef Cup on March 27 and the Season Ending Championship on March 10 and 11.

The federation also decided to form a marketing committee to promote its programmes and activities. The committee, to be headed by Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, will start looking for sponsors to support the federation this season.

The meeting was also attended by Breef first vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, second vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, general secretary Ghalib Al Alawi, assistant general secretary Dr Khalid Hassan, public relations head Faisal Al Ajmi and members Tawfeeq Salehi, Haider Al Zo'bi, Mahmood Abdulsaheb and Fahad Al Rumaihi.

Endurance horse reaches 20,000 mile mark

A BOY MORAB NAMED TULIP

20 YEARS OLD and 20,035 miles-AERC Hi-Mileage Horse

-and Still Going Strong Down the Trail-

(How We Did It?)

Les Carr, Ph.D.

Without the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) record keeping and supportive services; without the energetic efforts of ride managers; without Pony Express (XP) multi-day 3-5 day 50 mile/day rides; and without significant help from AERC members during the 15 years it took to make a hi-mileage Morab horse—-Tulip would not be the hi-mileage horse of all time. Yes, Tulip has 15 years of riding and trails under his belly, and has averaged about 1,350 miles/year in recorded, vet-checked, endurance competition (American Endurance Ride Conference).
[More ...]

Australia: Emma continues on her winning ways

Emma Smith has continued to
compete extremely well
and has recently completed
her first ‘100 miler’ -
the 160kms Horseland NSW
State Championships - riding
Kintamani Mistral.

TheGrenfellRecord

10/09/2008 8:54:00 AM

Emma has brought the mare Kintamani Silver Belle through the novice division where they can only do a minimum of 6 hrs, and once they have completed their 3 x 80kms rides in that division, they gain their ‘yellow log book’ and are able to compete faster.

In their first ride out of the novice classification, they won the Coolamon Junior section in 5.32 and backed up at the Zone Two Championships two weeks later, covering the 110kms in 7.52, a good time for that distance to win again and gain Best Conditioned horse as well.

Emma is next entered in the Shahzada 400kms Marathon ride at St Albans near Wisemans Ferry in ten days time riding Kintamani Silver Motif, a gelding owned by Erika Lindsay.

This horse has covered the distance before and Emma is looking forward to the challenge.

Emma is entered 3 weeks later in the Tom Quilty Gold Cup National Championships at Nanango in Queensland - a distance once again of 160kms.

Emma has become a valuable team member and very reliable, embracing a sport she has only begun competing in this year under the guidance of Alan Lindsay who has completed most of the rides with her.

Alan also works in Grenfell at the Weddin Shire on occasions.