Australia: Tonimbuk Gold Cup Inc

Melbourne, Victoria, 8/5/2009

Australia's premier endurance ride gains pace.

The countdown is on, planning is in full swing and the excitement is starting to build as the 2009 Tom Quilty Endurance Ride draws closer.

With only five months to go until Australia's premier endurance horse ride, organisers are working feverishly preparing for this major event scheduled for 18 September at Tonimbuk, Victoria.

The Tom Quilty Endurance ride is an internationally acclaimed endurance event attracting riders and horses from around the world. The event tests the skill and fitness of horse and rider as they compete to finish 160km within 24 hours.

"This year's Tom Quilty course is sensational," says Event Director, Lissy Verity. "Based at the world-class Tonimbuk Equestrian Centre, the course includes the beautiful surrounds of the Bunyip State Park, whilst also traversing private land, bush tracks and all weather roads. It is a highlight on the international endurance calendar without a doubt," she says.

Despite part of the track being affected by the February bushfires, organisers guarantee the course will be ready for the September ride. Visitors and spectators won't be disappointed either as this picturesque area is also home to many wonderful wineries, restaurants and interesting tourist destinations.

An experienced endurance ride organizer, Lissy knows better than anyone what is involved in running an event like this. "It's expensive, requires many volunteers and consumes enormous man hours to prepare for and to host," she says. "We are totally reliant on fundraising and sponsorship and given the current economic climate we are having to work even harder to raise the necessary funds to ensure a successful ride."

Organisers are busy preparing for a major fundraising dinner in July to be held at the Cardinia Cultural Centre, Pakenham in the hope they can raise $25,000. One organisation that has already shown its support is Cardinia Shire Council. Council has committed significant funds and in-kind support, without which organisers would have faced an even harder financial challenge.

Cardinia Shire Council Mayor Cr Bill Pearson says he is looking forward to the event, adding the Tom Quilty Gold Cup will put Tonimbuk - and Cardinia Shire - on a global stage.

"It will be a fantastic spectacle and we expect thousands of people to be here for what will be one of the biggest events ever staged in Cardinia Shire," Cr Pearson says.

"Council is proud to be supporting the Tom Quilty Gold Cup and we hope the local community and businesses really get behind what will be a fabulous showcase of equestrian skill and stamina."


For more information about the fundraising dinner or to book tickets please contact Sue Cousins on 03 56292530 or visit the website at www.tonimbukgoldcup.org.au


Contact Person: Helen Ward
Company Name: Tonimbuk Gold Cup Inc
Telephone: 0438 59 4285
Email: hiward@bigpond.com

Australia: Riders ready for Cooyal

Mudgee.yourguide.com

7/05/2009

Mudgee endurance riders dominated the ride held at Tooraweenah on April 19, a result that shows that the locals and their horses are in great shape for the coming Cooyal ride.

The Tooraweenah ride attracted 31 riders in the 80 kilometre ride and 34 in the 40 kilometre training ride.

Mudgee riders Mette Sutton, Garry Bennett and Gloria Mills rode together throughout the event accompanied by Bernie Harvey from Tooraweenah.

Bennett said it was a benefit to have Harvey ride with them as, being a local, it made it easier to find the track markers in the pitch darkness of the 5am start.

This made sure the Mudgee contingent didn’t stray off course in the early stages but they were faced with a rocky, hilly track that was affected by the dry spell of weather, which resulted in horses having to travel over loose stones underfoot.

Riders needed to be sensible in their approach to the course to ensure their mounts did not slip - especially when travelling down hill.

Middleweight rider Bennett riding 'Karabil Yaningi' pulled away from his companions after the final descent down Ned's Mountain and crossed the line ahead of the field to win the ride in four hours 58 minutes.

Sutton and 'Tuldar the Magician' were second across the line one minute after the winner and, much to Sutton’s delight, her mount was awarded the fittest horse.

Mills and 'Glendos Sabodie' arrived back at the base for the final time shortly after her Mudgee co-riders to take out the lightweight division and the fittest horse for that division.

Mudgee's only casualty on the day was Paddy Smith, whose horse was unfortunately vetted out lame.

Harvey, who rode the early stages with the Mudgee contingent, was the heavyweight winner.

Natasha Mitchell riding 'Rami' was successful in completing the training ride.

The Cooyal ride, hosted by the Mudgee Endurance Club is just over a week away and ride organisers will mark the course this coming Tuesday (May 12).

Local residents of Cooyal, Kains Flat and Botobolar are advised that endurance riders will be present on local roads on Saturday, May 16 and the following day.

Endurance spokesperson Pat Dickinson said the Mudgee committee hopes that anyone interested in taking up sport will participate in the 20 kilometre social ride at Cooyal.

"Endurance is not a race - it is a ride where the riders have to complete a course and do it in a way that the horse comes through the event fit and well," Dickinson said.

“In the social ride there are no winners or placings awarded - it is purely an introduction to the sport and is designed to give riders an idea of the way an endurance ride is conducted.

"An experienced pace rider will be appointed to accompany those taking part in the social ride.

"The social ride generally has an average speed of 10kph or slower - it is an easy course and is more like a trial ride."

Riders in the social ride receive a successful completion award to those riders whose horses who pass the veterinary examination after the ride.

"We hope these awards encourage participants to aspire to explore endurance at a higher level," Dickinson said.

"Our committee extends an invitation to all those riders who have been intrigued by the sport to come to Cooyal on the Saturday to find out more about this sport and perhaps take part in the social ride on Sunday."

For further information or to register for the Cooyal ride contact Mette Sutton (63724960) or Par Dickinson (63735346).

Great Britain: Endurance riders gather for Exmoor Golden Horseshoe

Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article

By Adrian Tierney-Jones
07 May 2009

Forget hunting, endurance riding is all the rage among the horsey set.

Exmoor's Golden Horseshoe endurance ride, which kicks off tomorow, is considered to be one of the toughest tests of horse and rider in Europe. It's just you and your horse over 100 miles of some of the most challenging terrain in Great Britain. All against the clock and your fellow competitors. Endurance riding (timed riding over long distances) is one of the fastest growing sports in Britain and, if you want to find out what all the fuss is about, you simply must trot down to Exmoor this weekend.

It's pure horse heaven as the village of Exford turns into a clip-clopping sea of bay, chestnut and grey. You don't even need to ride to enjoy the spectacle. The atmosphere is distinctly carnival: crowds spill out of the pubs, while up at the event venue (above the village) there is masses to see and do: you can watch the competition horses being vetted, buy horsey paraphernalia at the stalls and catch dog agility displays and parades of proud Arabians and their doughty distant cousins, the native Exmoor pony.

There are several different endurance races taking place over the next three days. The Golden Horseshoe ride itself is the big one with horse and rider competing over 100 miles on Monday and Tuesday. "Horses have to be very fit so only the very best endurance horses in the country can compete," says Barbara Wigley who heads the organising committee. "Most enthusiasts see a Gold award from Exmoor as having reached the pinnacle of the sport."

However, there are several other classes (over lesser mileage) that help riders build experience and fitness. And, just for the heck of it, there is a 15 mile Pleasure Ride (in aid of local charities) on the Sunday, a gentler way to enjoy part of the course. No horse? No problem. There's even a fun run for those who prefer two legs to four. As Barbara Wigley points out, ''They all give a chance to sample 'Horseshoe Country.'''

What country it is too: picture-postcard villages, wooded coombes, babbling streams, heather-clad moorland. Ten to one you'll see herds of native ponies and the wild red deer, buzzards wheeling lazily overhead and the larks flying up from under your hooves.

Top endurance rider Nikki Routledge explains the appeal...

More...

Australia: Sutton rides for Australia

Mudgee.yourguide.com

BY DON MAHONEY
7/05/2009

Mudgee rider Mette Sutton has been invited to ride in the South Africa national championships in July.

Sutton was a member of the Australian support team at the world championships held in Malaysia last November.

She said yesterday that it was during the world championships that she first became aware of the possibility of Australian riders being invited to ride in South Africa.

"The president of the Australian Endurance Riders Association met with his South African counterpart in Malaysia about the possibility of some of our riders riding at the South African championships," Sutton said.

"They then called for Australian members to nominate.

"To nominate you had to be a member of the Australian Endurance squad, which is a squad for endurance riders who aspire to ride at representative level for their country.

"I received my invitation yesterday (Wednesday) and had just 24 hours to accept.

"I can tell you it didn't take me long to make the decision - this is too good an opportunity to miss."

Sutton is one of six Australians that have been invited to ride at the coming South African championships.

The South African championships are to be held at Fauresmith on July 7, 8 and 9.

"We arrive in South Africa on June 26 to give us time to meet and familiarise ourselves with our horses, which are being supplied by the host nation," she said.

"Their championships, like our Shazada, are three rides of 80 kilometres a day.

"While they are run like the Shazada, they are considered to be the equivalent of Australia's national ride - the Tom Quilty."

Sutton began her love of Endurance at age 15 and had a break to rear her young family and resumed in the sport in the year 2000.

She is now one of Australia's leading Endurance riders and was named the Mid-Western Regional Council’s sportsperson of the year during the Australia Day celebrations in January.

She won the popular Cooyal ride last year and on Sunday week will be out to defend that title.

She then will ride in the Gulgong ride on June 14 - her last ride before she leaves for Johannesburg.

Belgium: Mont Le Soie

The Mont Le Soie CEIO*** 160 km, CEIOYRJ** 120 km, CEI* 100 km, CEI** 120 km was held over May 2-3 in Vielsalm, Belgium. Muriel Guillaudeux placed first in the 160 km Senior division while Leonard Liesens won the 120 km

A CEN 80 km, 60 km, 40 km, 30 km, and 20 km were also held.

Complete results, story, and photos by Leonard Liesens and Caroll Gatelier at 2009 Mont Le Soie on Endurance.net.

Great Britain: GB's Jill selected for 82-mile Mont le Soie ride in Belgium

Thisiscornwall.co.uk

Thursday, May 07, 2009

JILL Semmens from Penzance, who is a member of the senior development squad of Endurance GB, has been selected to ride at the Mont le Soie ride in Belgium this month.

She is among five riders picked to take part in the 82 mile FEI 2* event and will partner her nine-year-old 15.1hh Anglo Arab gelding Evermore Exciting. Jill acquired her gelding as a three-year-old and has gradually qualified him up from the basic 20-mile endurance ride to compete at the longer rides under FEI rules.

"Hopefully, we will try to achieve a 100-mile ride this year but my horse is still quite young for that sort of distance," said Jill. "He was not born until the end of August and missed the spring grass as a foal so I always think of him as a year younger than his official age."

To be selected for Belgium, Jill and Evermore Exciting made the trip up to the King's Forest Endurance ride in Norfolk at the end of March where they successfully completed a 50-mile ER.

Bahrain: Al Radhi races to victory

Gulf-daily-news.com

By Rami Hulayyel, Posted on » Sunday, May 03, 2009

SALMAN Isa Al Radhi of Hawar Stables clinched victory in the 120-kilometre Endurance Horseride Championship, the end of season endurance event, which concluded at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir yesterday morning.

Riding Aqaba St Nicholas, Al Radhi completed the five-stage night race on top in a time of five hours, 24 minutes and 25 seconds and an average speed of 21.19 kms per hour.

Al Radhi put up a remarkable show in the last stage where he finished almost six minutes ahead of his main opponent Abdulla Al Khatri (5:30:22) of Al Asayel Stable who came second on Faras Kaoma.

Rounding up the podium was Rachael Almeras, the first girl contestant to complete the championship. Riding Aargyle, the Royal Endurance Team rider clocked a total ride time of 6:03:26 and an average speed of 19.81 kms per hour.

The event, which was held under the patronage of Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, started with 82 riders from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain taking part.

However, 45 riders were unable to complete the race as 17 were eliminated after the first stage, 15 in the second, 11 in the third and two in the fourth stage.

Al Khatry took the lead in the 30-km first stage in one hour, 19 minutes and 33 seconds. Behind him was Jaffer Merza (1:20:51) of the Royal Endurance Team in second place and Homoud Salman Al Shammari (1:22:27) third.

Al Khatri maintained his momentum in the second stage, which was also over 30 kms, where he stayed ahead with a total ride time of 2:44:25.

Merza kept his pressure on Al Khatri by taking second position in 2:46:11 while Al Radhi moved up to third with a 2:48:43 total ride time.

In the third stage, which was over 25 kms, Al Radhi improved on his standings by taking second place with a total ride time of 3:40:44, just about 30 seconds behind leader Al Khatri while Shaikh Mohammed bin Khalid Al Khalifa of the Royal Endurance Team jumped to third in 3:45:57.

Al Radhi took over the lead from Al Khatri in the penultimate stage which was over 20 kms. Al Radhi's time was 4:33:29, just 10 seconds ahead of Al Khatri who slipped to second. Isa Hazza from Al Asayel Stable made a good leap by moving up to third in 4:33:39.

There was no stopping Al Radhi who held on to his lead in the fifth and final stage which was over 15kms to record his first win in the season.

The awarding ceremony was held right after the race and was attended by Shaikh Nasser and other Breef officials who honoured the winners. Presenting the trophies were Breef general secretary Ghalib Al Alawi, media director Tawfeeq Salehi and Breef member Fahad Al Rumaihi.

Shaikh Nasser said he was thrilled with the level of competition at the race and congratulated the winners and wished other riders success next season.