USA: USEF Names Definite Entries for FEI World Endurance Championship 2008

Release: September 17 2008

Lexington, KY - The World Endurance Championship Definite Entries and Alternates were named after the final Training Session in Williston, Florida on September 13. All 12 nominated entries participated under the guidance of Chef d’ Equipe and three-time World Champion Becky Grand Hart. The Veterinary Panel examined the horses and the Endurance Selectors observed the horse/rider combinations as they completed a 38 mile course.

The following horse/rider combinations were selected to represent the US at the FEI World Endurance Championship 2008 to be held November 6-9 in Terengganu, Malaysia:

Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Age/Breed/Sex/Owner

Katharine Brunjes/55/Bethel, ME/Theatric/10/Arabian/G/Katharine Brunjes

John Crandell III/46/Star Tannery, VA/HH Saba Shams/9/Arabian/G/Ann Crandall

Cheryl Dell/48/Springville, CA/Reason To Believe/10/Arabian/G/Cheryl Dell

Valerie Kanavy/62/Fort Valley, VA/Flash Flame/10/Arabian/M/Valerie Kanavy

Margaret Sleeper/39/Frenchtown, NJ/Syrocco Reveille/8/Arabian/M/Margaret Sleeper

Jan Worthington/68/Scales Mound, IL/Golden Lightning/8/Arabian/G/Jan Worthington

Alternates in ranked order:

Lisa Green/39/Star Tannery, VA/LR Amana Tabi/8/Arabian/M/Lisa Green

Heather Reynolds/31/Doswell, VA/Cal Flaming Emit/11/Arabian/M/Heather Reynolds

Margaret Sleeper/39/Frenchtown, NJ/Shyrocco Troilus/15/Half Arabian/G/Margaret Sleeper

The Team will remain in Florida until shipping to Malaysia next month.

ENDS

For information regarding selection, please contact USEF Director of Endurance, Vonita Bowers at vbowers@usef.org.

For media requests, please contact USEF High Performance Communications Manager Joanie Morris at jmorris@usef.org.

Malaysia: A sight to behold - horses on our shores

Gallant: Tuanku Mizan leading other
horsemen to the start of the
challenge.

Thestar.com.my - Full Article

Wednesday September 17, 2008

Story and pictures by NIK NAIZI HUSIN

IT WAS a test of wits and skill for 100 horsemen who took part at the Pahang Penn-Endurance Challenge at Cherating village near Kuantan recently.

This inaugural equestrian event was spread over five days with contests under the 100km, 60km and 20km categories.

The participants rode on a scenic route in Cherating covering its beautiful beaches, coastal jungle and village roads along the Kuantan-Kemaman stretch near Kampung Baging.

The challenge was graced by Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin who rode his horse Magna Thor to win the 100km individual category.

Tuanku Mizan completed the route in eight hours.

Royal Terengganu Equestrian Stable took first place in the 100km team event.

More...

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.