Horses are the kings at Guatemala's Mayan Adventure Ride

Original Article: Guatemala Times

Guatemala's Mayan Adventure Ride, Ingenio Magdalena 2nd Edition
Guatemala. Preparations for Mayan Adventure Ride 2009, Ingenio Magdalena 2nd Edition, are going full speed. Only few more days to the start of the action at the beautiful base camp, Platinum Sponsor "Ingenio Magdalena". The horses will be arriving at base camp on Friday the 6th, for the veterinary inspection. It is a very important moment for the participants; the veterinarians are going to determine if the horses are fit to participate. If everything is OK they are going to be kept in quarantine inside portable boxes until the start of the race Saturday 4:00 PM. All the strict rules of the FEI have to be complied with, this is an international event certified by the FEI. The participating riders and horses will be able to qualify for national credits, for the Pan American games 2009 and the World Endurance Championship 2010 USA.

The event starts in the evening, 4:00 pm. The heath of Guatemala's south coast at the start of the race is going to turn fresh during the night and the sun light is going to be replaced by a nearly full moon with a sky full of stars. Some riders are going to use headlamps whilst others are going to trust their horse's night vision across the routes between sugar cane plantations.

Approximate time that the participants of the different categories are going to be riding:
Distance Start Finish hours
40 km 4:00 PM between 7:10 PM and 8:40 PM
60 km 4:00 PM between 8:25 PM and 10:40 PM
80 km 4:00 PM between 10:40 PM and 1:00 AM
120 km 4:00 PM between 2:40 AM and 6:20 AM
160 km 4:00 PM between 5:00 AM and 9:00 AM

The horses have to be in top shape and need a lot of "goodies" to have energy for the long difficult race. They are getting vitamins, food supplements, and special food: alfalfa and oats, to improve their performance and stamina for this challenge. This week the horses get only light workouts to help them accumulate glycogen in their liver and muscles, that way their energy storage will be full. Other reason to avoid vigorous exercise before the race is of course to prevent the horse from getting lame. The horse training began several months before the competition.

In these last days some riders will clip their horse's hair to help them to cool faster, because the sweat evaporates faster and the fresh air by convection helps to take the heat from the skin with the horse movement.



Janio Johnston is a Veterinarian and also a participant of The Mayan Adventure Ride: Ingenio Magdalena 2nd Edition.

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Endurance.Net Coverage of the Event

Virginia Rider Leads Virtual Endurance Race

Virginia rider Flora Hillman, winner of the 2008 Very Virtual March Maddness Endurance Race, pulls into a narrow lead in the first week-end of the race. Riding in a driving snow storm, Flora holds a 6 mile lead in the event over two riders from sunny Arizona.

"My poor pony must have thought I was insane - riding out in 25 degrees with high winds blowing snow sideways and a wind chill of 10 degrees. But I so wanted to try out my extreme weather gear -- and am delighted to say I was warmer than a polar bear in Florida in July!

Only problem was my expedition parka's hood wouldn't allow me to turn my head, and since I was riding on the gravel roads (to avoid the snowy fields) and the wind was howling so that I couldn't hear anything else, it became a bit of a safety issue. So we only did 7 miles, but...I was deliciously toasty warm (verging on hot!!) from tips of toes to the top of my head."

More than 50 intrepid endurance riders from around the world are participating. The event runs for the entire month of March and can be found at:

My-Endurance.Net and Endurance.Net

Ride Far - Ride Well!!


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Only for the tough guys, Guatemala's Mayan Adventure Ride 09

Original Article - Guatemala Times
Guatemala's Mayan Adventure Ride 09, Ingenio Magdalena Challenge 2nd Edition

Photo by Ignacio de Wit

Guatemala City - The event will start the 7th of March at 4:00 pm at the Ingenio Magdalena. The Sugar Mill Magdalena is located in La Gomera Escuintla, Guatemala. This is the second year that Ingenio Magdalena has provided their gigantic installations to host this prestigious international event.

In the middle of the night, you are startled when off in the distance you see a thundering herd of horses galloping across a moonlit sugar cane field. But wait, they are not randomly running, they are single file, going from one glowing corner to another. Then you say to yourself, "just another 160 km endurance ride," and go on with your business.

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Event Coverage on Endurance.Net

UAE: Al Naqbi clinches W'rsan Trophy in Al Khatem in sandstorm

Gulfnews.com
photo: Abdullah Rashid Mohammad Saeed Al Naqbi wins the 120kmendurance ride.
Published: March 01, 2009, 23:02

Abu Dhabi: Schoolboy Abdullah Rashid Mohammad Saeed Al Naqbi and Abdul Rahman Mohammad Karam Shirouh gave W'rsan Stables a one-two finish in the W'rsan International Trophy Endurance ride at the Boudtheib Endurance Village in Al Khatem on Sunday.

Only three of the 15 riders who started in the 120 kilometres event completed it as the sandstorm made it very difficult for the horses and riders.

Al Naqbi, a promising junior rider who had finished second in the President's Cup for juniors held here earlier in the season, won on eight-year-old gelding CAL Puelche.

He completed the distance in five hours 34 minutes and 40 seconds while the second-placed Shirouh took 6 hours 13 minutes and 50 seconds on eight-year-old gelding WN Peronek.

Hassan Mohammad Al Hammadi, riding 16-year-old mare Fatima Del Saul from Emirates Heritage Club (EHC) finished third with a time of 6:25.29.

The ride was run in five stages of 30 kilometres, 30 kilometres, 24 kilometres, 20 kilometres and 16 kilometres.

"This is my first win in the open category and I am very, very happy. Conditions were really tough and the sandstorm made it very difficult," said Al Naqbi, a grade nine student of Abu Dhabi High School.

The ride was held under the patronage of Shaikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister, who is also the president of the Emirates Heritage Club.

UAE: Mohammad wins Giants Endurance

GulfNews.com
photo:Shaikh Mohammad rides to victory in the Giants Endurance Challenge at Seih Assalam on Saturday to emerge as the overall champion of the three-leg series.
By M. Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
Published: February 28, 2009, 19:47

Dubai: It was a remarkable display of horsemanship by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai as he negotiated the dusty 'sohaili' winds, the rising temperature and a distance of 120-kms to win the third leg of the Giants Endurance Challenge and emerge overall champion.

Shaikh Mohammad, who rode 9-year-old chestnut gelding Tahhan, the same horse on which he won the second leg in Bahrain, finished a second ahead of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince riding Garaman Mikado.

With his second consecutive win for which Shaikh Mohammad earned 100 points each and with his 5th place finish in the first leg held in Abu Dhabi's Al Wathba for which he got 50 points and a bonus of ten points for riding the same horse. This gave him an overall tally of 250 points, much ahead of Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa of Bahrain, who finished sixth on Saturday to take his tally to 190 with Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs (who made an early exit on Saturday ) and Shaikh Hamdan finishing joint third with 150 points each.

After Mubarak Khalifa Bin Shafya had led in the first two stages of 32kms and 27kms on Saturday , Shaikh Mohammad on Tahhan led from the third loop and won convincingly though the dusty winds on the Seih Assalam desert routes made visibility poor while the rising temperatures also took its toll on many a participant.

Shaikh Mohammad and Tahhan completed the 120-km distance in 4 hours 52 minutes and 31 seconds with an average speed of 24.61 kmph.

His Majesty the King of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamad Bin Eissa Al Khalifa who gave away the Golden Sword and the Gold Kanjar to Shaikh Mohammad at the prize distribution said, "Shaikh Mohammad's win is a victory for all riders. He is very experienced and fully deserves to win."

"The UAE has always been supportive of endurance in other Gulf countries. The difference between the UAE and other countries in endurance is that the speed here is very high," Shaikh Hamad said.

Shaikh Mohammad said it was a tough ride and the conditions were challenging. "But our riders do have the experience to handle them. It was the 'Sohaili' winds today and the sand storm did make it difficult for the horses. My horse Tahhan was in good shape and was always in good condition through the ride. He has been training well and today he was good," Shaikh Mohammad said.

Shaikh Hamdan, who had finished third in Bahrain and earned 70 points for that, added another 80 points to his tally with his second place finish today. "The penultimate stage was very tough but my horse managed to stay fit and I am glad with this result," he said.

Points tally after the three rounds of the Giants Endurance Challenge (Body Weight) ide series:

1. Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (260 points)
2. Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa (Bahrain) (190 points)
3. Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan (150 points)
3. Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum (150 points)

Saturday's final round results:

- Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Tahhan) 4hrs 52 mins 31 secs
- Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Garaman Mikado) 4:52.32
- Mubarak Abdullah Al Beloushi (Estaban) 5:01.06
- Buti Mohammad Khalifa Al Marri (Aratahnes Legend) 5:06.50
- Shaikh mayed Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum (Hungares) 5:07.20
- Shaikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa (Omsura Nasrohn) 5:09.38

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UAE: Riding to glory

Khaleej Times Online
photo: Sheikh Mohammed (right) and Sheikh Hamdan on their way to a 1-2 finish in the 120km Dubai Endurance Challenge on SaturdayM

Hisham Al Gizouli
28 February 2009

SEI ASSALAM (Dubai) — His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, partnered eight-year-old Tahhan to glory in the final leg of the Giants Endurance Challenge at Seih Assalam Endurance City on Saturday.

The UAE riders swept the first five positions as Bahrain’s Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa finished sixth to walk away with the second place honours in the overall standing 
of the competition.

Shaikh Mohammed was crowned Champion of the Giants Endurance Challenge Grand Prix after having won the second leg in Bahrain and finishing fifth in the first race at Al Wathba International Endurance Village 
in December. The leading international horse owner, breeder and rider finished just ahead of his son Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, when the two riders crossed the finish line hand in hand with the UAE flag 
flying overhead.

Tahhan is trained by Abdullah Saeed bin Huzaim at Emaar Endurance Stables owned by Shaikh Mohammed.

“My horse has been well prepared for the race after receiving a perfect dose of training.

“The only problem was the sand storm and the dust which has adversely affected the overall speed of the race. But in all cases, it is an endurance race which tests the stamina of both the horse and its rider,” Shaikh Mohammed said.

The race was attended by His Majesty King Hamad bin Eisa Al Khalifa of Bahrain, Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance, and a number of Shaikhs and top officials and a large number of spectators who came to enjoy the race.

Bahrain’s King praised the hard work of Shaikh Mohammed who is behind all the success achieved by this fast growing sport. He also described Shaikh Mohammed in a brief TV interview as a man of vision and 
forward thinking.

Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum heaped praise on Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum for the manner in which he handled Garaman Micado, who is still new and needed to be ridden with care.

Shaikh Hamdan rode 11-year-old Garaman Mikado from the stables of Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Seeh Al Salam Endurance Stables whose horse are trained and prepared by Ali Mohammed Al Muhairi.

Competitors from different parts of the world took part in the competition with 41 riders skirting the sand hills under the early rays of the sun in the final leg of the Triple Crown contest.

The 120km CEI Giants Endurance Challenge was a tough test for the riders and their horses as well after the sandstorm which hit the country from early in the morning.

The pre-race weather forecast reading was clear vision with the temperature up to 38 degrees centigrade and the wind speed 28km/hr SSW in the early morning to increase to 28k/hr in the afternoon.

But the riders had to find their way through the dust as the vision was decreased to less than 20 metres in some areas. More than 10 riders were either eliminated or retired between the first two Vet Gates which underlines the difficult weather conditions that forced quarter of the field to quit in the early stages of the race.

Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Presidential Affairs, who was a front-runner for the title was eliminated between Gate 1 and 2. He told Dubai Racing Channel that he was unlucky and God be 
with the others.

Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum was also quoted by the TV commentator as saying Shaikh Mansour’s horse Eo Jaras was not in its best form. “The indications on the day before the race were not positive, but Shaikh Mansour decided 
to take the risk.”

Bahrain rider Shaikh Salman bin Saqr Al Khalifa was among the first batch of those eliminated in the opening phases of the gruelling race.


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Bahrain: Shaikh Nasser finishes second in Grand Prix

Gulf Daily News

BAHRAIN Royal Endurance Team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa claimed second place overall in the 120-kilometre Endurance Horseride Grand Prix which concluded yesterday at the Dubai International Endurance City in Seih Assalem.

Riding Omsura Nasrohn, Shaikh Nasser completed yesterday's third and final leg of the series in sixth place among more than 40 riders.

Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE vice-president, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, won the race with a time of four hours, 52 minutes and 31 seconds with an impressive average speed of 24.61 kms per hour to claim the overall title.

Shaikh Hamdan, son of Shaikh Mohammed, took second place in 4:52:32 which gave him an overall joint third position with compatriot Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Mubarak Al Beloushi (5:01:06) was third in yesterday's race, followed by UAE's Buti Al Mirri (5:02:00) and Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum (5:04:50) in fourth and fifth places. Shaikh Nasser came in sixth in 5:09:38.

Victory

Shaikh Nasser, the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president, needed a victory in yesterday's race in order to clinch the overall title which was eventually won by Shaikh Mohammed who steered Tahhan to a fine win.

Shaikh Nasser went into this race in third spot with 140 points, just 10 behind joint leaders Shaikh Mohammed and compatriot Shaikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Bahrain's Shaikh Salman bin Saqer Al Khalifa was excluded during the first stage. Ghazi Al Dossary, Bahrain's third rider in the race, finished eighth overall in 5:39:47.

Shaikh Mohammed staged a spirited performance in the last three stages to bag the overall title.

An awarding ceremony was held after the race and was attended by His Majesty King Hamad who presented trophies to the top three riders.

His Majesty congratulated Shaikh Mohammed, Shaikh Nasser and the other riders on their performance and , hailed the high level of competition.

Shaikh Nasser was also congratulated by General Organisation for Youth and Sports president Shaikh Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa and other senior Bahraini sports officials right after the race.