Malaysia: Tuanku Mizan joins endurance race

Thestar.com.my

Sunday May 24, 2009

SETIU: Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin yesterday joined 109 other horse riders in the Edaran Endurance Classic 2009, which started at the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) here.

Tuanku Mizan, astride "Jakim Murphy", is representing the Royal Terengganu Endurance Stable (RTES) and is competing in the 120km category with 15 other riders.

The race is scheduled to end at 11am today.

Meanwhile, the Regent of Terengganu, Tengku Muhammad Ismail Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, and elder sister Tengku Nadhirah Zahrah are taking part in the 40km category.

The two-day championship, which is organised by Edaran Berhad and the Terengganu state government, involves 40km, 80km, 120km and 160km categories of endurance racing. - Bernama

Bahraini riders gear up for French ride

Gulf Daily News
Thursday, May 28, 2009

BAHRAIN's leading endurance horse riders have left for France to compete in this year's Compiegne Senior and Junior Rides starting on Saturday at Compiegne Endurance Village near Paris.

The Bahraini team will be led by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president and captain of the Royal Endurance Team Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

The squad consist of prominent young riders, including Breef first vice-president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa who is also Al Khaldiya Stables leader.

This year's event began yesterday with the opening of the stables. Tomorrow a restaurant and the secretary's office will be inaugurated.

The first veterinary inspection for horses will also be held.

The Bahraini members will attend the riders weighing and will also be briefed on the rules and regulations.

On Saturday, the 130km junior ride will begin at 8.30am (Bahrain time) and is set to conclude by 5.30pm at the Equestrian Stadium while the awarding ceremony will take place at 6.30pm.

The senior race, which is over 160km, will be held the following day with a 8am start. It's expected to conclude at 5.30pm and will be followed by the prize-giving ceremony at 9pm.

Australia: Meg Wade Recovering

Thursday May 21 2009

Australian endurance rider Meg Wade, who was injured in a ride on April 12, has regained consciousness in hospital in Canberra. She is able to eat, she is responding to questions, and she understands what is being said to her. She continues to show daily progress and will be in rehab hospital soon.

Great Britain: Wadebridge provides ideal setting for riders of all abilities

Thisiscornwall.co.uk

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

THE Wadebridge Ride started in the 1970s and is the first competitive endurance ride on the South West calendar.

Stevie Martin was ride organiser and received back up from a team of volunteer helpers.

Held at the Royal Cornwall Showground, the ride also benefited from generous core sponsorship from Sweet Meadow Horse Feeds.

"This ride takes in quiet lanes and forestry tracks and is perfect for a straightforward start to the season," said Jane Holden, of Endurance GB South West.

"Experienced members use it to bring on their young horses while novice riders make it their first competitive ride."
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One rider enjoying her first experience was eight-year-old Saffron Bishop from Altarnun who partnered her pony Scarlet alongside her father Tristan.

At 18-years-old, this little Exmoor cross Arab pony taught Saffron's elder sister Rachael to ride and to compete successfully in endurance riding.

In 2002, they were among only four competitors to finish the 100-mile Golden Horseshoe Ride on Exmoor and in the same year they secured the Junior National Championship.

Three years later they clinched the coveted U21s National Championship.

For the past two years, Scarlet has been on loan to the Chisholm family, from Lydford, and has taken sisters Tess and Abby up to advanced level endurance riding but this wonderful schoolmistress has now returned back to the Bishop family to start all over again with Saffron.

More than 90 competitors and pleasure riders took part at Wadebridge, completing with a high number of Grade Ones.

The Bodmin-based company Equus Health put up generous sponsorship enabling prizes to be awarded to the best turned-out horses and riders in the various categories.

These were won by Carolyn Thomas on Midnight Mischief, Ann Jobson on Samson, and Katie Came-Johnson on Pompei.

The Sweet Meadow Horse Feeds awards for the best in class came under scrutiny by the team of vets.

These awards went to Lesley Dore on Firebird, Valerie Crocker on Prince Nadem and Vicky Mosey on Betty. The farrier's award went to Arthur Bell of Truro and Alex Prout's mare Tilly.

Non members are welcome to take part in any of the South West Group's rides. For more details visit www.endurancegbsouthwest.com

Great Britain: Celebration for Jill Thomas as she completes over 1000 Golden Horseshoe miles

Farmersguardian.com

Equestrian News - 19 May, 2009
By Angela Calvert

AT the recent Golden Horseshoe Ride, Jill Thomas, champion endurance rider achieved a Gold Award on her Akhal Teke horse, Pompeii in the Exmoor Experience (two-day 80K) Class.

Jill has competed at Golden Horseshoe for many years and last week’s success meant that she has clocked up 1025 Golden Horseshoe miles since her first competition in 1986.

Pompeii is relatively new to Jill, who has recently moved from riding Arabian horses to Russian-bred Akhal Tekes.

Jill now hopes that Pompeii is going to be her future international star.

Jill broke British and European speed records at the 1993 European Endurance Championships at Southwell.

Since then she has worked with equestrian companies to produce informative books and specific endurance products, helping to raise the profile of this fast growing equestrian sport.

Malaysia: 2009 Edaran Endurance Classic

Terengganu International Endurance Park, Lembah Bidong,
Terengganu

22 - 24 May 2009

The Edaran Endurance Classic is back with its 7th edition of the
Championship. EDARAN ENDURANCE CLASSIC 2009 will be held from 22 til
24 May at the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) in
Lembah Bidong, Setiu, Terengganu, the venue of the World Endurance
Championship 2008 (WEC 2008).

Ride Categories

FEI 3* 160 KM Sanctioned as Qualifying Ride for WEG 2010

This year's Classic will feature 4 competition categories namely the
FEI-CEI 3* 160 KM, the FEI-CEI 2* 120 KM, the 80 KM and the 40 KM
categories.

The main 160 KM ride will likely see the participation of riders
vying to compete in the forthcoming World Equestrian Games (WEG) in
Kentucky, USA, next yaer as the ride is sanctioned as a qualifying
ride for WEG 2010. Similarly the 120 KM ride will see those who are
attempting to qualify for the World Junior Endurance Championship to
be held later this year in Hungary.

The 6-phased 160 KM and 5-phased 120 KM rides will be flagged off on
23rd May at 4:00 PM followed by the 80 KM and 40 KM at 5:00
PM. Participants in both the 160 M and 120 KM rides are expected to
complete the rides by 11 am the following day.

The Event anticipates once again the participation of His Majesty
the Yang De-Pertuan Agong who has been a regular and committed rider
in the Edaran Endurance Classic series.

This year's Championship will also feature a novelty VIP Ride of 20
KM.

More Information...

2009 Edaran Classic on Endurance.net

Great Britain: Scottish Champs 26th - 28th June 2009

26th - 28th June 2009

For the first time, the SERC Scottish Championships are combined with the only FEI ride north of the border to create a 3 day festival of endurance riding based at historic Scone Palace Park.

Day 1 features a 90km FEI 1* and a 120km FEI 2* class, with days 2 and 3 featuring the full range of one and two day classes from Pleasure Ride up to the flagship 2 day 160km ER. In 2008 the 80km class had a 100% completion rate with an average speed of 12.8km/h

The event builds on the long term success of the SERC Scone ride, a popular part of the calendar for a decade.

The Course

The route is tried and tested, having hosted a 2 day 160km ER in 2008. It features a wide range of terrain, from estate tracks, river bank and field edges to forestry and open hill. Though on the face of it there are no major climbs, the route is deceptively challenging with very little flat ground apart from the Palace grounds at the very start and finish. Many parts of the course offer spectacular views north to the Highlands or south over the River Tay to Fife and the Lomond Hills.

Perth Racecourse, within the grounds of Scone Palace, provides the venue for the Festival. Excellent facilities are available, including hard standing for vehicle parking and space on site for camping and corralling.

History

This part of the world is steeped in history. Scone is the historic crowning place of Scottish Kings, and the home of the Stone of Destiny - some say the real Stone is hidden near here still. Scone was capital of the Pictish kingdom from around 500AD, and Kenneth MacAlpin, first King of Scots, was crowned here within sight of our start line in 847, as was every subsequent Scottish King until James I in 1406. The last King to be crowned here was Charles II in 1651.

A key part of the ride route is the Coronation Road, one of the oldest documented bridleways in Britain. For over 800 years this path has been in recorded use by Kings and their retinues; it was the original road from Falkland Palace to Scone. Falkland was seat of the Earls of Fife and home of the MacDuff clan. Since 1095 the hereditary right to crown the King of Scots has belonged to the Earls of Fife, making a horseback procession along the Coronation Road a precursor to every Monarch’s crowning. The Road is thought to follow a much earlier path and to have been in use for at least 1500 years.

A little further on the route passes under Dunsinane Hill, as a hill fort a strategic location since the Iron Age, but a major seat of power in the early history of Scotland, not least as the stronghold of MacBeth. The decisive battle in 654 AD between MacBeth and the forces of the Earl of Northumberland was fought within sight of Dunsinane, and Shakespeare subsequently immortalised the location in his Scottish Play. Birnam Wood at that time may well have extended south to encompass some of our route, and the Witches Stane, a standing stone of Megalithic origin at St Martins, is reputed to have been the setting for Shakespeare's Witches scene.

More information at www.perthendurance.co.uk