UAE: Top riders for Rashid Challenge

By M. Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
Published: December 03, 2008, 23:16

Dubai: Some of the top riders of the UAE will compete in Saturday's Shaikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Challenge - a 120km FEI CEI Three Star ride at the Dubai International Endurance City (DIEC) in Seih Assalam.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Ali Mohammad Al Muhairi, racing manager for Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, said the annual event will be held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan.

"All the top riders in the UAE will be taking part and this is a prestigious event in the UAE's domestic circuit," Al Muhairi, who himself is an endurance rider and trainer, said.

"Shaikh Hamdan has, over the years, been patronising endurance rides in the UAE and once again we expect over a hundred riders, including some top foreign riders," Al Muhairi said.

The 120km ride will be run in five stages and on offer will be cars and cash prizes.

"The top three riders will be awarded cars along with cash prizes while the top 20 riders will also get cash awards," said Ali Mousa Al Khamiri, general manager of Dubai Equestrian Club.

"There is also a car on offer for the spectators through a free raffle draw," he added.

Ali Mousa said two qualifier rides will also be held on Saturday.

"A 40km event and an 89km event will also be held along with the Shaikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Challenge ride.

The qualifier rides will help novice riders and horses to qualify for rides of longer distances," Ali Mousa said.

On Saturday, the Emirates Heritage Club will also be staging a 100km endurance ride for junior and young riders.

The Boudtheib Endurance Trophy is the third junior event to be held at the Boudtheib Endurance Village in Al Khatem, under the patronage of Shaikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister.

Two other qualifier rides are also scheduled to be organised on Saturday at the Boudtheib Endurance Village.

FEI: 2009 Rules and Notes for Guidance

The FEI has published the 2009 Endurance Rules:

• Notes for Guidance (pdf)
  
  
• Endurance Rules(pdf)
  

LEROY NEIMAN PAINTING FOR 2010 ALLTECH FEI World Equestrian Games Unveiled

December 2, 2008

LEXINGTON, KY— The World Games 2010 Foundation today unveiled the Official Image of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, created by internationally renowned artist LeRoy Neiman.

The painting features each of the eight equestrian sports that comprise the World Equestrian Games, illustrated in Mr. Neiman’s style of brilliantly-colored, energetic imagery. As the Official Commemorative Artist of the 2010 Games, creating the piece was a return to a subject, and a place, with which Mr. Neiman has had a lifelong love.

“The horse has always been a favorite subject of mine, from the work horse to race horses,” said Mr. Neiman. “Kentucky is horse country, where this noble animal is prominent and appreciated. It has been a joy to paint the eight different disciplines for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. I’m looking forward to attending in 2010 with sketchbook in hand.”

The painting will initially be stored and displayed at the International Museum of the Horse at Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park, the site of the 2010 Games. A traveling schedule for the painting is in development. In addition, Cobalt Artworks of Louisville, Kentucky hopes to present a retrospective exhibition featuring Mr. Neiman’s collection of equestrian work in downtown Lexington during the 2010 Games.

“When it comes to sports, and particularly sport in America, Leroy Neiman has been an icon for more than a half century. We are extremely pleased and honored to know that he will now be represented in our collections,” said Bill Cooke,Curator, "A Gift from the Desert" exhibition and "The Arabian Horse Galleries". “That his wonderful painting depicts all aspects of the most significant event in the history of the Kentucky Horse Park makes this even more special.”

Official merchandise including signed and official posters and notecards of the print, are now available at the 2010 Games online store, at www.feigames2010.org. or at Cobalt Artworks gallery site, www.cobaltartworks.com. Merchandise featuring the individual disciplines as depicted in Mr. Neiman’s painting is also in development.

“Having a LeRoy Neiman painting is a special achievement for any sporting event, and we are honored that the 2010 Games will be another great canvas to join his great body of work,” said John Long, Chairman of the World Games 2010 Foundation Board of Directors.

Best known for his images of sporting events and leisure activities, LeRoy Neiman is considered one of the most popular living artists in the United States. He has been the official artist of five Olympics, four Super Bowls, as well as the Breeders’ Cup and the Kentucky Derby. He has most recently been in Kentucky to attend the 37th Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville and was the Official Commemorative Artist for that prestigious event. Mr. Neiman was commissioned as the Official Artist of the 2010 Games and began research on the work in October of 2007.

The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games are the world championships of eight equestrian disciplines recognized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), and are held every four years. The Games have never before been held outside of Europe; nor have all eight disciplines competed at a single site—both firsts that will be achieved at the Kentucky Horse Park.

The Games will be broadcast on NBC Sports, which has marked the largest commitment to network coverage of equestrian sport in U.S. television history. The 2010 Games are expected to have a statewide economic impact of $150 million, and other current sponsors include Alltech, Rolex, and Ariat International, Inc. For more information on the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, please visit www.feigames2010.org.

Cobalt Artworks is a Louisville based publishing and licensing company and is currently hosting a year-long retrospective of Neiman’s work entitled “LeRoy Neiman – Five Decades.” The exhibit is comprised of paintings, prints, drawings, books and posters curated from the Artist's personal collection and will be on display through December, 2008. For more information about the Neiman retrospective please call (502) 584-0020 or visit www.cobaltartworks.com.
Media Contacts:

World Games 2010 Foundation
Amy Walker
859-255-2010 ext. 235
awalker@feigames2010.org

Colbalt Artworks
Ben Isaacs
502-584-0020
bisaacs@cobaltart.com

UAE: FEI introduce novice qualifiers

Staff Report
Published: December 02, 2008, 00:41

photo: FEI President Princess Haya with Taleb Dhaher Al Muhairi, Secretary General, UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, Ali Mousa Al Khamiri, General Manager of Dubai Equestrian Club, and Sundar Rethinavel of DEC at the FEI General Assembly in Buenos Aires.

Abu Dhabi: The UAE delegation successfully spearheaded a re-vote on the rest period for endurance horses between competitions in the revision of Rules for Endurance which have been ratified by the FEI's General Assembly and will be introduced from January 2009.

Another significant development at the Assembly was the introduction of a pre-FEI national system (Novice Qualifying) for riders and horses, though not necessarily as a combination.

It has been decided that all horses and riders must have successfully completed Novice Qualifying to be eligible for CEI Star Qualifying.

This in effect means a progress from one FEI star level to the next, riders and horses must have graduated from the qualifying process.

The FEI's General Assembly was held at the Sociedad Rural in Buenos Aires, Argentina last month and some new endurance rule changes were adopted following suggestions from a Task Force in co-operation with the National Federations, according to a press release from the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation.

Eighty-three National Federations gathered for the Assembly and FEI President Princess Haya Bint Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended the proceedings and later presented awards to winners in competitions on the concluding day.

The UAE and other endurance countries in the region were not in favour of the proposed increase in the rest period for competition horses from 27 days to 41 days for events between 120km to 160km.

The UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation were represented by the Secretary General Taleb Dhaher Al Muhairi and Dubai Equestrian Club General Manager Ali Mousa Al Khamiri among others.

The UAE, which is part of the Group VII, first raised its objection at the group meeting and placed it before the Bureau.

But Ian Williams, Director for non-Olympic equestrian sport said it was too late and it should have been suggested earlier.

But the UAE along with other countries in the region and in Asia argued their case saying that the recent World Endurance Championship had kept the National Federations of endurance nations busy.

Williams suggested that the rules regarding rest periods be adopted from 2010 but in the General Assembly it was voted out.

This ensured the changes were included and the UAE which is one of the leading endurance nations got the rest periods to 20 days instead of 47 days.

The guiding principle behind the UAE's insistence for shorter rest periods is the short endurance season in the UAE and the region due to the climate whereas in other parts of the world rides can be held almost through the year.

Further the UAE has proved that despite the high speeds registered by their horses, the welfare has never been compromised and this to a large extent tilted the argument in their favour.

The rest periods as amended following a revote by the General Assembly after a failure to approve the original timings is as follows: 0- 80 km -13 days rest and 81 km and above 20 days rest.

Canada: Area rider competes in Malaysia

Standard Freeholder

Posted By ANGELA DORIE

Riding knows no boundaries and, as reported here earlier, Wendy Maccoubrey of Ste. Justine, Que., and her Arab gelding, Mariah, competed in the F. E. I World Endurance Championships in Terengganu, Malaysia from Nov. 6-9 as part of the seven-member Team Canada.

Held bi-yearly, the 2008 World Championship was held, for the first time ever, in a tropical environment at the Terengganu International Endurance Par, a venue which covered varying terrain such as the ocean coastline, palm plantations and canal banks, as well as naturally vegetated areas (jungle?!).

Daytime temperatures peaked at 105 degrees with 80 per cent humidity.

The King of Malaysia, HM Tuanku Mizan, himself an accomplished endurance rider, had the park as well as its stables, schooling areas, etc., created to encourage development of the sport.

It is one of only two such specialized facilities in the world.

ALL-EXPENSES PAID

To ensure that the best in the world competed at this event, the King paid all expenses for the 133 competitors, from air passage to accommodations and food, for both two-and four-legged participants.

Also, each country was allowed to send a veterinarian and a Chef d'Equip as well as two support staff for each rider and horse -- a very large contingent indeed.

As anyone who travels will attest to, there are always problems along the way, the SNAFUs of travel if you will, and this trip was no exception for Wendy and Mariah.

It was timed so that the Canadian team would arrive a couple of weeks early, giving them ample opportunity to acclimate themselves and their horses. A case of "misinformation" regarding the timing of a West Nile booster resulted in Mariah's papers being rejected two days before departure. Trying to reschedule another flight 15 days later, followed by a one-day delay in transport time, resulted in Mariah arriving only five days before the competition. In true Arab fashion he arrived full of beans, apparently walking his handlers everywhere when he disembarked.

After a couple of days to settle in and some hand walking, he and Wendy started night time rides and were deemed fit to start the championship race.

The 160-kilometer (100-mile) race was ridden the night of November 7, riders departing from the start gate at 5 p. m. and riding the seven LED colour-coded "loops" of the course, passing through the mandatory checkpoints at the end of each.

CHECK CONDITION OF HORSES

This is where the condition of the horses is checked by a full flight of vets and technicians: recovery rate, body temperature, pulse and respiration, as well as lameness and/or soreness, before they are permitted to continue on the next leg. As testament to the difficulty of this type of competition, 78 of the 133 who started were either eliminated, disqualified or voluntarily retired.

Canada was represented by Wendy on Mariah, along with six other riders and their horses, three competing as individuals and four as a team (best three times to count).

All but one finished the course, a member of the team, however as three still completed, their times counted and Team Canada placed seventh over all with a time of 38:25:45.

FINISHED 46TH

Wendy and Mariah finished 46th with an individual time of 13:08:21, an astounding effort considering their trials just getting there.

Talk about going against all the odds!

UAE: 2009 Heavyweight GrandPrix Series

Original Article

Body weight endurance race on again

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation will resume the Body Weight endurance championship with a three-round series.

The first race of the Endurance Grand Prix will be staged on December 13, 2008, at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Abu Dhabi, according to a press release.

The Grand Prix is being staged under the instructions of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai and Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs.

In this specialised endurance category, every rider must weigh 75kg or above without riding equipment and must be registered with the FEI, according to the release.

The first ride at the Emirates International Endurance Village will coincide with the National Day Cup, scheduled for the same day. The next two rides will be held in Bahrain and Dubai respectively.
[More ...]

UAE: Al Jahouri winner of 120km race

Gulf News

photo: Al Jahouri overcame a slow start and later registered some terrific speeds on the final loop to leave some equally talented riders far behind.Abdul Rahman/Gulf News

By M. Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
Published: November 29, 2008, 23:31

Dubai: Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri of Al Wathba Stables rode Berloiz de Piboul to a superb win in the Dubai International Endurance City (DIEC) 120-kilometre ride to drive away with a Nissan four-wheel drive and a cheque of Dh200,000 on Saturday.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, attended yesterday's ride in Seih Assalam with a total of 127 starters in the first event of the UAE season.

Seasoned campaigner

Al Jahouri, a seasoned campaigner from Al Wathba, who also is a well-known endurance horse trainer, overcame a slow start and later registered some terrific speeds on the final loop to leave some equally talented riders far behind.

It was the first win for his 10-year-old chestnut gelding and Al Jahouri got the better of two Al Reef riders, including champion Yousuf Ahmad Al Beloushi, who finished second while world champion Maria Alvarez Ponton of Spain had to settle for fifth place after dominating the initial stages.

Al Jahouri, who was in 20th place after the first loop, moved up six places after the second loop. After the third loop, in which he was fourth behind Ponton and Al Beloushi, he began to make his move.

"The initial pace was a bit too much but at the third loop my horse was in fine nick and I decided to go for it," said the winner, who averaged nearly 27kph on the final loop of 12km.

Al Beloushi, who was just about a minute behind Al Jahouri going into the final loop but finished over eight minutes behind, said: "My horse [Charlandre El Sharif] was coming back after an injury and initially I just wanted to race him for three loops."

"But he looked good so I continued, but I did not want to push him too much.

Charlandre El Sharif holds the world record in a 160-kilometre ride.

Saudi Arabia's Fauiz Jamil Al Turkmani, riding SAS Alexis, a horse belonging to the Dubai-based Al Fazaa Endurance Team, finished third while Al Reef's Sultan Ahmad Al Beloushi was fourth on Cameo Zinnia.

Ponton, crowned world champion earlier this month in Terengganu, Malaysia, blamed the lazy attitude of her horse Antares Sauveterre for her fifth-place finish.

"He is very lazy and does not like to challenge. But I must admit the pace was crazy. I think Antares Sauveterre is more of a 160-kilometre horse," said the Dubai-based Spanish ace.

Thaleb Dhaher Al Muhairi, Secretary General of the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, and Ali Mousa Al Khamiri, General Manager of Dubai Equestrian Club, sponsors of the ride, gave away the trophies and the keys to three cars for the top three riders.

Results

* 1. Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri (Berloiz de Piboul) 4hrs 44 mins 49 secs. Average speed: 25.28 kmph.
* 2. Yousuf Ahmad Al Beloushi (Charlandre El Sharif) 4:53.02 (24.57 kmph);
* 3. Fauiz Jamil Al Turkmani-KSA-(SAS Alexis) 5:10.10 (23.21 kmph)
* 4. Sultan Ahmad Al Beloushi (Cameo Zinnia) 5:17.06 (22.71 kmph)
* 5. Maria Alvarez Ponton (Antares Sauveterre) 5:18.42 (22.59kmph)