USA: Arabian breeder Donald Forbis dies

Horsetalk.co.nz

Longtime US arabian horse breeder Donald Forbis died on Monday in Mena, Arkansas, at the age of 81. He had been diagnosed with lung cancer in June.

With his wife, Judith, Forbis founded the renowned Ansata Arabian Stud in 1958. The couple met in Turkey in 1957 while he was working as an oil well manager and she was with US International Cooperation Administration's Turkish Mission. They married in March 1958.

Both were horse lovers and while living in the southeast Diyarbakir region, bought Arabian horses to race in the local races for "something to do." Don trained them, and Judith rode them in the races. Her book Hoofbeats Along the Tigris chronicles their hazardous racing career as they won races and earned the respect of the Turks, Kurds and Arabs.

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Bahrain: Riders set for National Guard Endurance race

Gulf-daily-news.com

18th DECEMBER 2008

LEADING riders will be vying for top honours in the National Guard Endurance Horseride Championship to be held on Saturday at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The championship, which is the second event of the season, will be over 120 kms and is open to senior and junior riders. It will be held under the patronage of National Guard Commander Shaikh Mohammed bin Isa Al Khalifa.

Top stables taking part in this event include Al Fateh Stable coached by veteran rider Shaikh Salman bin Saqer Al Khalifa.

Al Fateh Stable will be represented by four riders including Shaikh Salman's daughter Shaikha Najla Al Khalifa who will compete in the junior race.

Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalid Al Khalifa (junior race) and Shaikh Saqer bin Khalid Al Khalifa and Abdulla Al Muawda (senior race) are the other members of the team.

Al Asayel Stable is also entering a strong field led by Khalid Al Khatry. Yousif Isa and Mohammed Al Thawadi are set to take part in the senior race while five riders - Abdulla Al Khatry, Fahad Sulaiman, Abdulrahman Rashid, Khalifa Saad and Mohammed Saifa - are in the fray in the junior race.

Coaches Khalid Al Ruwaie from Hassan Al Ruwaie Stable and Jaffer Al Alawi of Falcons Stables are also confident of their riders putting up a good show. This event will also mark Bahrain's National Day and His Majesty King Hamad's accession to the throne.

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WEG Equine Piroplasmosis Protocol Released

Thehorse.com

by: Edited Press Release
December 12 2008, Article # 13258

After years in development, a plan that allows horses positive for equine piroplasmosis to enter the United States in order to compete in the Alltech 2010 World Equestrian Games was recently presented to the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) General Assembly. The Games, to be held Sept. 25-Oct. 10, 2010, represent the world championships of the eight FEI disciplines. This is the first time the Games will be held outside of Europe.

Equine piroplasmosis is a blood-borne disease that can cause sickness in horses that have not been previously exposed. In areas of the world where the disease is more common, it can be transmitted by carrier horses that have encountered the disease previously and that carry both the causative organism and antibodies in their blood.

The World Games 2010 Foundation coordinated with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) and the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to organize this protocol.

"Effectively negating the piroplasmosis risk for both competition horses and the domestic horse population is a primary focus for our team, as part of our overall importation and quarantine plan," said Kent Allen, DVM, veterinary services coordinator for the event. "We want all horses to enter a healthy environment, and to leave the Games from a healthy environment."

The piroplasmosis organism requires specific tick species to complete its life cycle. For the organism to spread, this species of tick must feed on an infected horse, then drop off and feed on a non-infected horse.

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New Zealand: Harmon shows endurance over testing 102km course

Stuff.co.nz - Full Article and results

The Marlborough Express | Wednesday, 17 December 2008

Linda Harmon outlasted Kylie Avery to take 102km honours at the Marlborough Endurance and Competitive Trail Riding Club's annual endurance ride on Saturday, December 6.

The two Marlborough riders were side by side for much of the four loops over the Easter Marchburn, Ditchling and Chestnut Valley properties but in the end it was Harmon and Landon V'erah who proved victorious.

Harmon crested the final hill ahead of Avery and Silands Jasark and gently cantered her horse down the final strip and over the line in 7 hours 47.26 minutes.

Avery finished 26 seconds later. Landon V'erah completed a double, taking the best conditioned award for the 102km class.

Marlborough junior rider Jaime Heywood, aboard Delights Antar, also completed the 102km ride, in 9.52.14.

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Sport Horse Veterinary Symposium to Run with WEG

Thehorse.com

Edited Press Release
December 16 2008, Article # 13280

Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital and Alltech will sponsor a sport horse symposium for veterinarians to be held in conjunction with the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The symposium, "Promoting Peak Performance in Equine Athletes," will be held Sept. 22-24, 2010, at the Marriot Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington, Ky. In addition to this symposium for veterinarians, Rood & Riddle and Alltech will conduct seminars at the Kentucky Horse Park during the Games for non-veterinary attendees.

The symposium will focus on veterinary care for horses involved in sport horse disciplines, including: eventing, show jumping, dressage, endurance, reining, vaulting, driving, and para-equestrian. An international roster of speakers will present in-depth, current information on orthopedic problems, diagnostic imaging, equine podiatry, gait disorders (lameness versus neurological disease), upper and lower respiratory disease, muscle disease, and nutrition.

Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital is the official equine hospital and veterinary partner for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, which will be held Sept. 25 through Oct. 10 at the Kentucky Horse Park.

"Rood and Riddle is delighted to partner with Alltech to sponsor a symposium for sport horse veterinarians from around the world," said Tom Riddle, DVM. "We timed the meeting so that veterinarians could attend the symposium and stay for the Games, which begin the day following the closure of the symposium. We are assembling an outstanding group of speakers who will offer the latest information on veterinary care and nutrition of the sport horse."

Abu Dhabi: Muhairi Wins National Day Endurance Race

Khaleejtimes.com - Full Article

James Jose

14 December 2008

ABU DHABI — Ali Mohammed Al Muhairi bounced back in style to win the prestigious National Day Cup FEI CEI 120km Endurance Ride at the Emirates Endurance Village in Al Wathba on Saturday.

With this win in one of the most looked forward to event of the Endurance season, Dubai’s Ali Mohammed Al Muhairi also brought the National capital’s domination to a halt. Riders from Abu Dhabi have won all the six Rides of the season so far — three Open Rides and three Junior Rides.

It was a sensational and sweet win for Ali Mohammed Al Muhairi as he was placed 16th after the first loop of 32km. And also, his horse Sudan was vetted out in the Shaikh Rashid bin Hamdan Challenge two weeks ago. It was ridden by his younger brother Ali Thani Mohammed Al Muhairi. Sudan bounced back in style and it augurs well for owner Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Minister of Finance. Muhairi timed four hours, 47 minutes and 54 seconds. Abdullah Khamis Ali Saeed, who was leading until the fourth loop, had to settle for second after his horse Tris Filou, from the Al Reef Stables, was tired to make a dash to the finish. Sultan Ahmad Sultan bin Sulayem, bronze medallist at the World Endurance Championship in Malaysia, was third. Abdullah Khamis Ali Saeed had an overall time of four hours, 52 minutes and 22 seconds, while Sulayem had a timing of five hours and nine seconds.

Briton Alice Beet displayed one of the finest fightbacks of the day...

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Bahrain: Shaikh Nasser finishes fourth

Date:14-12-2008

ROYAL Endurance Team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa finished fourth place overall in the first round of the 120-km Endurance Horseride Grand Prix yesterday at the Emirates International Endurance Village, Al Wathba, in Abu Dhabi, writes RAMI HULAYYEL.

Forty six riders from Bahrain and the UAE took part in the first of a three-race series being organised for the first time by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian Endurance Federation (Breef) in co-operation with the UAE Equestrian Federation.

Only 18 riders could finish the race which was divided into five stages - 32 kms, 30 kms, 24 kms, 18 kms and 16 kms.

The hosts dominated the podium yesterday with Abdulla bin Hazim winning the race in four hours, 58 minutes and 10 seconds.

Behind him was UAE's presidential affairs Minister Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan (5:08:34) while compatriot Ahmed bin Harmash (5:13:06) was third.

Riding Omsura Nasrohn, Shaikh Nasser was among five of Bahrain's top riders in this prestigious event which is only open to riders over 75 kgs.

Shaikh Nasser had steered the same horse to victory in the Opening Season Championship held last month,

Shaikh Nasser, the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president, finished the race in 5:16.51.

Federation's first vice-president and captain of Al Khaldiya Stables Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa had to pull out of the race in the second stage as his horse was exhausted.

The remaining Bahraini riders in the fray were Ghazi Al Dossary (5:33:40) who was eighth overall while both Shaikh Salman bin Saqer Al Khalifa and Abdulhaq Qadoori were unable to complete the race.

Among the leading riders from the UAE were UAE's vice-president, prime minister and Ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum who finished fifth overall.

Shaikh Mohammed's son Shaikh Hamdan, who entered the race as one of the leading contenders for the title, had to pull out in the first stage following an injury to his horse.

The event was witnessed by a number of Breef board members headed by Endurance Committee chairman Shaikh Faisal Rashid Al Khalifa.



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