Italy: European Open at Assisi gets Meydan's support

Gulf News

Italian Ambassador to the UAE Paolo Dionisi, Meydan City communications director Mohammad Al Khayat, Dubai Equestrian Club general manager Ali Mousa Al Khamiri, Mayor of Assisi, Claudio Ricci, and the chairman of Assisi Endurance Lifestyle, Gianluca Laliscia, discuss the FEI European Open Endurance Championship to be held in Assisi on September 26.

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By M. Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
Published: May 26, 2009, 23:10

Dubai: Meydan City have announced their sponsorship of the FEI European Open Endurance Championship to be held in the Italian city of Assisi on September 26.

Addressing a press conference Mohammad Al Khayat, Meydan's communications director said, "The European Open championship is one of the most important endurance events this year. With over 100 riders from over 30 countries expecting to participate, this championship is truly a global event".

UAE are one of the favourites for the championship which is held once every two years. The event will include competitions in the individual and team categories.

Meydan City's Chairman Saeed Al Tayer said, "Endurance horse racing is part of the UAE's culture and heritage. This special collaboration will further enhance the UAE's participation in this sport and assist in increasing its exposure in the region and worldwide".

Ali Mousa Al Khamiri, general manager of Dubai Equestrian Club, who also addressed the press conference said: "Endurance already has a huge profile in the UAE where some of the world's top riders hail from. We look forward to what will be a long-standing partnership with Assisi".

Paolo Dionisi, the Italian Ambassador to the UAE said: "I have been here for over three years and have enjoyed the growing bilateral ties with the UAE. Apart from the great endurance championship, Assisi will also be staging a major economic conference and it is going to be a great success.

"The city of Assisi is all set to welcome the equestrian fraternity of the world. The natural scenario of Assisi has been chosen to stage the endurance championship. The Umbrian countryside will be the setting for the 160 kilometres event," said Claudio Ricci, Mayor of Assisi.

"Assisi is a World Unesco Heritage city and we are ready to stage a great championship with many other events on the sidelines," he added.

Gianluca Laliscia, Chairman of Assisi Endurance Lifestyle and a top Italian endurance rider said: "This year for the first time we will be using the GPS [Global Positioning System] which will help us to see the exact location of each of the competing riders and horses.

"Apart from that the terrain for the 160 kilometres event has a very diverse and challenging nature with very [few] tarmac roads."

"The international event will include a prestigious Workshop on Real Estate Investments in Umbria promoted by Sviluppumbria, an International Veterinary Symposium, an important round table on hippotherapy, an art exhibition & and finally an entire week-end dedicated to & children," Laliscia added.

USA: Hydesville horse and rider excel in Idaho competition

Humboldt Beacon
June 4, 2009

By Dennis Souza

On Sunday, May 24, Joyce Sousa of Hydesville rode Arabian horse LV Integrity and raced to a first place finish at the Owyhee Fandango International Endurance, 100 mile ride held in Oreana, Idaho.

Horse and rider did this in a time of 9 hours and 48 minutes. The event was an American Ride Conference ride, Arabian Horse Association Region 4 Championship ride and a selection trial for the World Endurance Championship to be held in Lexington, Ky. in 2010.

The pair raced against 29 competitors representing Canada,Washington,Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah,California, New Mexico,Texas and Colorado.

At the awards ceremony, Souza was presented awards which included a Rubicon saddle.

The 3rd place finisher, Jennife Niehaus of Cloverdale, daughter of Joyce and Dennis Sousa, was presented the Best Condition Award to her and Gallantly, an Arabian owned by the Sousas. The top three finishers all finsihed within 50 seconds of eachother.

The local endurance ride club, Redwood Empire Endurance Riders first event of the year is scheduled for Saturday, June 27, at the Chalk Mountain Ranch in Bridgeville. For information, call Ruth Hoke at 768-1748

Great Britain: A ride on the wild side

The Northern Echo
June 4, 2009

SCORES of horses are expected to take part in a new endurance riding event in a North- East forest later this month.

It has been 15 years since Hamsterley Forest, near Bishop Auckland, has hosted a competitive endurance horse riding event.

Riders will take their horses around the forest before heading to Hamsterley Common.

The ride is called The Elephant Trees, taken from a collection of trees on a stage of the course which look like elephants.

The organisers of the event, on Sunday, June 28, hope the forest could host the Northern Championships when they come to County Durham in 2011.

There will be four distances riders can compete in – 18km, 25km, 40km and 65km.

Although the longer distances are only open to elite riders and members of riding clubs, the shorter distances are open to everyone, and organiser Karen David is hoping people who have never tried the sport will take part.

“It’s a wonderful way to ride,” said Ms David, a member of Durham and Teesside group of Endurance Great Britain.

“We go fast, but we are not hammering round the track and destroying it.

“This area is really pretty and it’s great way to ride.”

Ms David has organised the event with friend Sylvia Briggs.

“A lot of the other courses in the county are suburban, but this one really gets people out into the countryside,” she said.

Riders will be guided by biodegradable paint markings that will disappear days after the event has finished.

Competitors must register their horses before the event. For more details, go to durhamandteessideegb.org.uk
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Australia: Gala Fundraiser for Tom Quilty Gold Cup

Melbourne, Victoria, 2 June 2009

A gala auction night packed with prizes, promotions and sporting personalities will raise funds for the 2009 Tom Quilty Gold Cup.

The internationally renowned event is Australia’s biggest endurance ride and coming to Tonimbuk in September.

The fundraiser at the Cardinia Cultural Centre to be held on Saturday 11 July will set the scene for the main event with an evening of entertainment featuring live band Cover It.

"There will be lucky door prizes, a silent auction, sports memorabilia up for grabs and lots more," 2009 Tom Quilty Gold Cup event coordinator Lissy Verity said.

"It will be a great night out for everyone, not just for people with an interest in equestrian sports, so get a table together and join the fun."

Tickets cost $90 per person and include a two-course dinner and drinks with all proceeds going towards staging the Tom Quilty Gold Cup at Tonimbuk.

Council is a proud supporter of the event, a classic test of strength and skill as riders from around Australia and overseas compete to finish a 160km ride in 24 hours.

The ride committee together with the Cardinia Shire Council strongly encourages everyone to get behind this event. "It will not only help showcase the uniqueness of Cardinia to many people, this ride will also be great for the local economy as the influx of riders and their support crews utilise local goods and service providers," said Lissy.

Information/enquiries: Sue Cousin on 5629 2530, or call the Cardinia Cultural Centre direct on 1300 887 624. For more details about the Tom Quilty Gold Cup, including sponsorship opportunities, visit www.tonimbukgoldcup.org.au

Media enquiries or further information contact Paul Dunlop on 5945 4388 or Liz Roberts on 5945 4258.

Bahrain: Al Hazza sixth in France event

Gulf Daily News
June 1 2009


BAHRAIN's Ahmed Abdulla Al Hazza came sixth overall while host country's Laurent Mosti finished on top in the senior race of the Compiegne Ride championship held yesterday at the Compiegne Endurance Village near Paris.

Riding Kheopsy Du Pilat, Al Hazza completed this six-stage 160-km race in sixth place with a total ride time of eight hours, four minutes and 48 seconds with a speed average of 19.508 kms per hour.

The Bahrain team were led by Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Other riders were Al Khaldiya Stables captain Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Yousef Taher, Ghazi Al Dossary, Raed Mahmood Al Saad, Jaffar Mirza and Al Hazza.

The Bahrainis, who were represented by seven of its best riders, finished third overall behind champions France and runners-up Italy.

More than 70 riders from Spain, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Switzerland, the UAE, France and Bahrain competed in this annual event which got underway at 7am (Bahrain time).

The event was part of the Bahraini team's preparations for the European Championship in Italy and World Championship in the US which will both be held next year.

The hosts dominated the race as Mosti was the eventual winner on Khandela Des Vialette. He was followed by compatriot Guy Dumas in second place and Jean Philip Frances, also of France, was third.

The Bahraini team encountered a series of unfortunate incidents by having several riders eliminated at different stages of the race.

Shaikh Khalid was out after the second stage after falling from his horse Waterlea Oliver. Shaikh Khalid, the Breef first vice-president, was taken to the hospital near the village for medial check-ups.

Pullout

Shaikh Nasser also had to pull out in the fourth stage after his horse Kango II was eliminated due to injury along with Taher and Al Dossary.

The other Bahrainis' placings were Mirza (8:11:55) in 13th place and Al Saad (8:26:47) 15th overall.

The championship also featured a race for junior riders held last Saturday and was over 130kms. It was won by Roman Lafaure of France with compatriots Justin Mourou and Laetitia Goncalves finishing second and third, respectively.

Yesterday's seniors race, which concluded at around 5.30pm, was followed by the prize-giving ceremony during which the top riders in both the race were honoured.

Shaikh Khalid started the race well and managed to complete the first stage in second place while Shaikh Nasser was ninth overall.

Caroline led the stage in 47:31 and with a speed average of 19.141 kms per hour. Third was Laurent Mosti (48:46), also of France, followed by compatriot Cecile Totain (48:51) in fourth place. Shaikh Nasser moved up to sixth while Shaikh Khalid went down to seventh.

Caroline maintained her strong performance in the second stage which also ended in her favour with a total ride time of 3:05:13. Mosti (3:06.05) jumped to second place and ahead of Frances (3:06.30) of France in third place. Shaikh Nasser made further progress by moving up to fifth.

No changes took place after the third stage where the same three riders held on to their positions with Carolin (4:44.08) keeping her lead as Mosti (3:44.49) and Frances (3:45.02) stayed second and third, respectively.

Totain (4:45.05) remained fourth and ahead of fifth-placer Shaikh Nasser (3:45.07).

In the fourth stage, Caroline (7:01.52) stayed on top. Mosti (7:02.23) was also second while Totain (4:45.05) leapfrogged Frances to clinch third spot.

The penultimate stage saw Caroline (8:42.22) extend her lead with Mosti (8:43.26) holding on top second while Dumas (8:03.53) steering Mohac to climb up to third while Totain (8:44.47) went down to fourth.

However, Mosti staged a superb comeback in the sixth and final stage where he took over the lead from Caroline.


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Bahrain: Shaikh Nasser leads Royal Team to Bronze

Bahrain News Agency

31 05, 2009

PARIS, MAY 31 (BNA) THE BAHRAIN ROYAL ENDURANCE TEAM FACED TOUGH CONDITIONS IN ITS FIRST PARTICIPATION IN THE COMPIEGNE SENIOR RIDE CHAMPIONSHIP (160 KM) TODAY AT THE COMPIEGNE ENDURANCE VILLAGE NEAR PARIS.
THE CONTINGENT, LED BY ROYAL TEAM CAPTAIN AND BAHRAIN ROYAL EQUESTRIAN AND ENDURANCE FEDERATION (BREEF) PRESIDENT SHAIKH NASSER BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA AND HIS DEPUTY SHAIKH KHALID BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA, CONFIDENTLY SECURED THE THIRD POSITION DESPITE THE EVENT'S GRUELING 160-KILOMETRE RACE DISTANCE. THE BAHRAINI TEAM IS PREPARING FOR THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP, ITALY, AND THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP, USA, IN 2010. SHAIKH KHALID WAS INJURED WHEN THE HORSE FELL ON HIM, THE FACT THAT NECESSITATED HIS WITHDRAWAL FROM THE THIRD STAGE OF THE RACE FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT. ON HIS PART, SHAIKH NASSER WITHDREW FROM THE FOURTH STAGE OF THE RACE AFTER HIS HORSE HAD BEEN INJURED. THE RIDE FEATURED FIVE STAGES, BEGINNING WITH A DEMANDING 35KM OPENING LEG AND ENDING WITH A CLOSING STAGE OF FIFTH 20KM. SHAIKH NASSER'S ROYAL TEAM PARTNERS WERE BREEF FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT AND AL KHALDIYA STABLES CAPTAIN SHAIKH KHALID BIN HAMAD AL KHALIFA, YOUSEF TAHER, GHAZI AL DOSSARI, AHMED ABDULLA, RAED MAHMOOD AL SAAD AND JAFFAR MIRZA. DESPITE THE WITHDRAWAL OF SHAIKH KHALID FROM THE THIRD STAGE OF THE RACE AND SHAIKH NASSER FROM THE FOURTH, AHMED ABDULLAH STRUGGLED TO SECURE THE 6TH PLACE. TOUGH RIDERS SPAIN, BELGIUM AND HOSTS FRANCE WERE COMPETING IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP.

France: Mosti wins Compiegne 160 km Seniors Nations Cup

31 May 2009

France swept the first five positions in the Compiegne 160-km Seniors Nations Cup with Larent Mosti and Khandela Des Vialette taking first place by less than two minutes over Guy Dumas and Mohac. Finishing time was 7:52:43.

France also won the Gold in Equipes. Switzerland took the Silver, and the Bahrain team won Bronze.

More results, information, and photos at

www.endurance.net/international/France/2009CompiegneMay

and

the Compiegne website.