Malaysia-Wec: Canadian Endurance Team En Route to Malaysia

Hunter Jumper News article

October 16, 2008

Ottawa, ON—Malaysia brings thoughts of shining beaches at exotic resorts, tropical drinks under equatorial skies and bargains at crowded bazaars, but this November, it will also mean eager horses, determined riders, organized grooms and crews, veterinarians, officials and 100 miles of track which will wind among the beautiful countryside, the shore of the South China Sea, tropical rainforests and farms. The World Endurance Championship will be held in this exciting land on November 7, 2008.

The venue will be the Terengganu International Endurance Park, Lembah Bidong, Merang Setiu, Terengganu, Malaysia. The Organizing Committee has set up two excellent websites: www.malaysia-wec.com and www.eventuz.com, which will include ride information the day of the event. This will be the first time that a world championship will be held in a tropical location. The track will be fully lit, as the ride is planned to start at 5:00 p.m. and run into the night.

Horses and riders will represent some 36 countries, with 24 sending teams, and the others fielding individual riders.

Endurance Canada is pleased to be sending a full complement of six riders and horses. Four of the riders, still to be chosen, will comprise the team, and two will ride as individuals.

The Canadian Endurance Team Members

Julius Bloomfield (Naramata, BC) and Avtar, 1999 Arabian gelding
Wendy Benns (Pontypool, ON) and Supreme Justice, 1999 Arabian gelding
Wendy MacCoubrey (Ste. Justine, QC) and Mariah, 1999 Arabian gelding
Ruth Sturley (Owen Sound, ON) and RBF Super Sport, 1993 Arabian gelding
Yvette Vinton DVM (Simcoe, ON and Morriston, FL) and Teese, 2000 Arabian gelding
Bob Gielen (Norton, NB) and FC Galaxy, 1997 Arabian gelding


Canadian Officials

Kay Melvin (Ontario) – Chef d’ équipe
Maura Leahy (Manitoba) – assistant Chef d’ équipe
Roxy Bell DVM (Alberta) – team veterinarian
Glenn Sinclair DVM (Manitoba) – assistant team veterinarian


Canadian Support Crew

Nancy Beacon
Robert Benns
Ruth Benns
Toni Bloomfield
Mike Bostic
Angela Gielen
Barb Gielen
Julie Green
Alycin Hayes
Scott Hie
Murray MacKenzie
Bianca MacKenzie
Laurie Whaley Pearson
Rocky Rehel
Ken Sturley

"With its emphasis on bringing the horse across the finish line in best health rather than merely in the shortest time, Endurance is the ultimate test of sympathetic horsemanship," noted Equine Canada CEO, Akaash Maharaj. "The 160km course will be the culmination of years of training and perseverance for our horses and riders, and we are very proud that they will represent our country and our sport at the World Championships.

Just getting to the ride has been an organizational, technical maze. The horses will be leaving from Los Angeles, Miami and New York. Riders, officials and crew will travel from Toronto, Vancouver, New York, Los Angeles and Miami—all converging at Terengganu—where the real adventure begins.

"Enough of the paperwork and red tape—let’s just do it," says Kay Melvin, Chef d’ équipe.

Endurance Canada wishes the entire team congratulations, and good luck.
About Endurance Canada

Endurance Canada is a committee of Equine Canada, and the National governing body of the sport of Endurance Riding in Canada, from the grassroots to the international level. Endurance Canada is responsible for the growth and pursuit of excellence at all levels of the sport, providing support and guidance through various programs and committees: veterinary; rules and sanctioning; athlete and sport development; education and coaching; communication and awards.

Written by Julie Cull

Australia: Endurance rider in Tom Quilty Cup

The Wagin Argus
16/10/2008 2:41:00 PM

photo: TROTTING TIME: Corey Lunt trotting out “Cameo Stormboy” during the pre-ride vet check at the 2008 Tom Quilty Cup National championship in Queensland.

WAGIN endurance rider Corey Lunt has just returned home from Nanango in Queensland, where he competed in the 2008 Tom Quilty Cup National Championship 160km ride, obtaining his second Quilty buckle.

The championship event travels from State to State each year, with Corey winning the junior division and his horse Assiff, receiving the best conditioned horse junior award last year when it was in Western Australia.

This year Corey and his mother Anita were offered horses to ride by former WA riders Roman and Tanya Stoffel who have relocated to Queensland.

More than 200 competitors from Australia, Malaysia, Canada, Japan, America and the United Arab Emirates started the event at 4am on Saturday with only 99 riders successfully completing the course in the allowed 24 hour period.

The course was split into six legs of distances ranging from 32km to 15km with the horses having to pass strict veterinary checks at the end of each leg before being allowed to proceed.

No longer eligible to ride in the junior division, Corey placed 38th in the middleweight division, completing in a time of 18 hours 42 minutes.

WA riders Harry O’Brien and Simon Slemint, both of Burekup, also completed the course successfully.

“The course was really hard, we were either going up or down with not much flat going at all,” Corey said.

“A lot of the course was over the same ground as the Trans Tasman last year so I had an idea of how hard it was going to be.

“The weather made it more difficult though, as it got to about 32 degrees and high humidity during the day, followed by a really big thunderstorm during the night.”

Corey was halfway up the highest peak with 15km left to go when the storm hit.

“Mum’s horse vetted out for lameness at the 120km mark so I was riding by myself at that stage, and there was that much lightning around it was like daylight and the thunder sounded like it was right on top of us,” he said.

“When it started to hail and rain I didn’t think about the cold too much, I was more worried about missing the directional markers and getting lost.

“My horse just put his head down and got on with the job, only spooking a couple of times when the thunder got really loud. He was brilliant.”

At the peak of the storm, organisers took the unprecedented steps to suspend the ride due to safety reasons.

Competitors due to go on track were held in until the storm had passed, with their ride times being adjusted accordingly.

However, riders already on the track had to keep moving and weather the conditions as best they could.

Corey said he would like thank Healthways Smarter than Smoking and Milne Feeds Team Pegasus for their continued support along with Roman and Tanya Stoffel and Wade Burgess for allowing him to ride their horse, aptly named Stormy.

[full article]

Malaysia WEC: National Horse Show in Kuala Terengganu

Nst.com.my

2008/10/16

The National Horse Show, a lead-up event to the FEI World Endurance Championships, will be organised for the first time in 14 years in Terengganu on Oct 31-Nov 2.
Among the events at the horse show, to be held at the Terengganu Equestrian Resort, will be the FEI World Jumping Challenge, World Dressage Challenge, Pint Club Mounted Games and an Endurance Riding competition.

The endurance event, which has attracted competitors from Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, will be held over courses of 40km and 80km at the Marang Endurance track on Nov 1-2.

The Pony event will showcase the skills and bravado of pony riders.

Another attraction is the horse breeds display, where enthusiasts will see 20 different breeds found in Malaysia.

The National Horse Show, which made its debut in 1994, is one of the most popular equestrian events in the country.

Malaysia WEC: Arab royalty to grace competition

Nst.com.my

2008/10/15

By : Ajitpal Singh

THE Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin will not be the only blue blood competing in the World Endurance Championships (WEC) at the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) in Setiu on Nov 6-9.
Hot favourites, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) named its Crown Prince Shaikh Hamdan Mohammed Rashid Al-Maktoum and his brother, Shaikh Majed, to lead the team in the 160km event.

UAE are the favourites together with Brazil and Spain to win the individual and team titles.

Shaikh Hamdan is currently ranked 17th in the world while Shaikh Majed is at 33rd.

Among the other members of the UAE team are Mohammed Ahmed Ali Al Subose and Abdulla Thani Huzaim, who are ranked fourth and sixth, respectively.
Meanwhile, Bahrain will be led by Crown Prince Shaikh Nasser Hamad Al Khalifa, who is ranked No 9 in the world.

The 21-year-old Shaikh Nasser is best remembered for winning two silver medals (individual and team) at the 2006 Doha Asian Games. He will be riding Kheopsy Du Pilat at the WEC.

Also in the team is his cousin Shaikh Khalid who won the 160km endurance race in England, two months ago.

WEC operations manager, Salim Fazlay said security will be tight to ensure safety of the competitors, especially members of the royal families.

"We are also expecting UAE's ruler Mohammed Rashid Al-Maktoum at the event. He and the team will arrive in Terengganu on Nov 5 in their private jet," said Salim.

"Around 300 army personnel will be concentrated at all points of the venue (TIEP), including the 160km course".

Salim added the soldiers have been drilled months ahead for the event.

Brazil: Endurance Team Chages Route to Avoid Glanders Hotspot

Thehorse.com - Full Article

by: Irene Stamatelakys
October 14 2008, Article # 12893

The road to the FEI World Endurance Championship (WEC) will be a little longer for Brazil's six horses because of a recent case of glanders in a horse in Sao Paulo. The European Union (EU) originally refused to allow horses from Brazil to transit through Europe en route to Malaysia for the event. That decision has been modified, according to Derek Liebenberg, WEC technical advisor.

"(EU authorities) divided Brazil into different zones," Liebenberg explained on Oct. 11. "This meant that all the competition horses from Brazil are based in the so-called 'free zones,' and the EU ruled that the horses from these free zones may transit through Europe."

The EU declared Sao Paulo, where the glanders case occurred, a high-risk zone...

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Malaysia WEC: First B747-400 to land in Terengganu

New Straights Times Online
2008/10/12
By : Sean Augustin

KUALA TERENGGANU: For the first time, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 747-400 landed at the Kuala Terengganu Sultan Mahmud Airport, bringing a load of excited passengers and good news for the state. The debut flight yesterday signalled the beginning of direct flights to Mecca for Muslims on the east coast to perform the haj, bringing to fruit a four-year-old ambition.

This year will see 18 return flights to Jeddah beginning Nov 13 and the ferrying of about 3,000 pilgrims from Terengganu, Kelantan and Pahang.

In the past, pilgrims from the east coast would head for Kuala Lumpur before boarding a flight to Mecca.

The landing also signified state preparations to fly in horses beginning on Oct 17 for the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in early November.
The state government also signed an agreement to finance a sum of RM4.6 million with MAS, being the excess cost for the haj this year and the WEC, including transportation cost for ground service equipment, logistics and petrol.

The cost was supposed to be borne by MAS due to the change in flight schedules from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the Sultan Mahmud Airport.

"With the new facilities, the airport has reached international standard and we are working hard to get the title from the Transport Ministry," said Terengganu Men-teri Besar Datuk Ahmad Said after greeting 224 passengers, including 40 orphans and journalists, on the flight.

"It will be a gateway to the east coast," Ahmad said, adding that negotiations were also ongoing with the Department of Civil Aviation to bring in more flights from China because of the airport's convenient location.

"The airport is a long-term investment for the state and we hope to get more international flights and develop the tourism industry.

"Right now, we are looking at incentives, including an airport tax subsidy to attract more international landings."

MAS external relations senior general manager Datuk Mohd Nawawi Awang captained a fly-past over the airport and the city before landing about 3pm, when it received a water salute from two fire trucks.

Full article, NST Online

Brazil: Glanders Case in Brazil Affects International Horse Transport

Thehorse.com - Full Article

by: Irene Stamatelakys
October 11 2008, Article # 12861

A case of glanders in a horse in a Sao Paulo, Brazil, has impacted international transport and competition in Brazil and abroad. Event organizers, equine transport companies, and governmental authorities are working closely together to keep horses moving while minimizing risks.

A horse in a university veterinary hospital was diagnosed with glanders on Sept. 3. While glanders is considered endemic in some northern and north-eastern areas of the country, this case occurred in the southeastern portion of Brazil. The contagious disease has been eradicated from many countries, including the United States, Canada and Western Europe.

As a result, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) moved to delay the Global Champions Tour CSI-5* Final show jumping competition in Sao Paulo to Oct. 15-19. The event was postponed to give competing European horses time to travel to Brazil following a meeting of European Union (EU) authorities on Oct. 2 to determine the re-import procedure for those horses due to the glanders case. Authorization has been granted for the event to be held and European horses will compete.

The Sao Paulo glanders case almost kept Brazilian competitors out of the World Endurance Championships (WEC) to be held in Malaysia on Nov. 6-9...

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