Canada: Riders, horses put to the test

Hope Standard

photo: Denise Pascucci and her horse Aur Lanii participated in Merritt's Ride over the Rainbow endurance ride.
Brock Photography

Published: July 13, 2009 12:00 PM

On Saturday July 4th, four Hope riders saddled up for a 'Over the Rainbow Endurance' ride held just outside of Merritt.

The ride consisted of 3 divisions: a 30 mile, a 50 mile and a 100 mile ride over amazing countryside, pitting man and his horse against the forces of nature. All the Hope riders competed in the 30 mile division. It was a grueling hot day with temperatures reaching in the high 30. The riders left base camp at 7:30 a.m. to travel the first loop of the ride consisting of a distance of 15 miles. Riders must decide on what pace to travel at and keep their horses in top form while following the well marked trails back into base camp. Upon return, the horses are checked over by one of 4 vets on site and are held for a mandatory 45 min, break. After the break, they once again leave base camp and finish the second 15 mile loop, again at the pace decided upon by the rider, then return to camp where the horses are checked over again by the vets to make sure all is well. Hope rider Whitney Medley finished in 2nd place competing against 43 horses and riders. Rider Lee Pettit pulled from the race after the first half, when his horse Shilo was suffering from the extreme heat and he felt it was best to rest the horse instead of continuing on. First time rider Shelley Taylor on TRS Joe Cody placed 30th while companion rider Denise Pascucci on Aur Lanii place 31st and received the High Vet Score for the 30 mile riders. HVS is when the horse receives top marks from the vets in all categories such as good hydration, clear lung and heart and no lameness.

The weekend was great, filled with lots of friendly riders and a good sense of camaraderie. The ride marked the 20th anniversary of the Ride over the Rainbow and many great prizes were sponsored by the BCCTRA.

The riders will be attending the final endurance ride of the season in September being held in Westbank.


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Australia: Mudgee’s endurance champion

Mudgeeguardian.com.au

BY BEN HARRIS
16/07/2009

Mudgee's equestrian endurance champion Mette Sutton has accomplished her greatest ever feat, winning an equestrian gold medal for Australia at the 34th annual South African Endurance Championships.

The ride was held last week in Fauresmith, a small lucerne and potato farming town in South Africa's Free State province.

Sutton and her five other Australian teammates - Jennifer Gilbertson, Clare Fleming and Tami Parnell from New South Wales, Gayle Holmes from Queensland, and Jil Bourton from South Australia - won the 'Best International Senior Team' gold medal in a Tri-Nation battle with South Africa and New Zealand.

"It was pretty amazing to win, I never expected it," Sutton said.

Sutton said that the Australian team did not go out and try to post the quickest time. All they wanted to do was to finish with as many riders as possible, which they did, as five of the six Australian riders completed the course.

"The team referred to itself as girl power," she said.

It was Sutton’s debut ride for Australia and she said she became emotional when Advance Australia Fair was being played.

"On the first day they played all the three national anthems and they played Australia's first. I sang the words out loud and there were a few tears... I tried to hold them back but it's not often you represent your country in the sport that you love,"

The multiple Cooyal ride champion was invited to take part in South Africa’s premier endurance event by the Australian Endurance Riders Association in May.

The ride consisted of three days of gruelling riding; covering a distance of 201kms -75kms on the first two days and just over 50kms on day three.

The Fauresmith course ran over low hills and ridges, along dirt roads and stony sections that slowed riders down.

Sutton said she found conditions to be very similar to Australia's.

Only 60 per cent of competitors completed the ride and Australia finished 46th out of the 86 that finished.

Riding a seven-year-old grey Anglo Arab gelding named 'Buks', which was supplied to her by the Endurance Ride Association of South Africa, Sutton rode in a time of 11 hours and 23 minutes.

Sutton said that was a good time for her but it was not as quick as some of her other competitors.

"I was surprised at how fast the South African riders were. They would take eight hours to ride 200kms at speeds of 24km/h."

The Mid-Western Regional Council’s 2009 Australia Day sportsperson of the year recipient will now take a well-earned rest from big competitive races.

She will focus working on younger horses including her three-year-old coloured mare 'Tuldar Dream Catcher' for competition.

While her famous equestrian horse 'Tuldar the Magician' will have a spell for the rest of the year and will be back for the Tom Quilty gold Cup in June next year.

USA: 2009 Adequan NAJYRC presented by Gotham North Readies for Kick-Off

Release: July 16 2009

Beginning Wednesday, July 22, with a kick-off celebration and opening ceremonies, the 2009 Adequan FEI North American Junior & Young Riders Championships (NAJYRC) presented by Gotham North will welcome junior and young riders from across the expanse of the continent to a much-anticipated and highly-regarded series of championships.

The NAJYRC is the premiere equestrian competition in North America for junior and young riders age 14-21. Young equestrians come from the United States, Canada and Mexico to vie for championship titles in the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of show jumping, dressage, eventing, plus the Western-style discipline of reining. The competition is run under rules of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the international governing body for equestrian sport.

The 2009 series of championships will be one of the biggest in the history of the event with an increase in the number of entries, as well as the number of demonstration events having grown substantially. In addition to the higher number of competitors seeking a victory, there are two non-Olympic equestrian disciplines participating with riders taking to the endurance trail and the vaulting arena in non-championship events.

Many of North America's best equestrians got their start at the NAJYRC including Olympic medalists Greg Best, Karen O'Connor, Chris Kappler and McLain Ward.

The NAJYRC began in 1974 as an eventing challenge between the United States and Canada. A dressage championship was added in 1981, and show jumping was added in 1982. The first complete Young Riders championship was held in British Columbia, Canada in 1982. The Championships were expanded to officially include a championship division for juniors in 2006. The discipline of reining was added to the official schedule in 2008.

Opening ceremonies begin at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 22, and admission is free of charge (there is a nominal parking fee for the Kentucky Horse Park). For more information, visit www.youngriders.org.

Italy: Assisi Endurance Lifestyle 2009

Release: July 14 2009

The FEI Meydan City European Endurance Championship Open 2009 is the most important world endurance event of the year with all national official teams from five continents participating. Held during the event known as the Assisi Endurance Lifestyle 2009, the endurance championship will join other activities and topics such as economics, medicine, real estate, culture, fashion and entertainment across September 17-27 in the Italian city of Assisi.

The program also includes a prestigious international veterinary symposium, a round table conference on hippotherapy, a master art exhibition on horses and a weekend of activities dedicated to children and ponies. Assisi Endurance lifestyle 2009 is sponsored by RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana, the event’s main media partner.

The opening ceremony of the FEI Meydan City European Endurance Championship Open 2009 on Thursday, September 24, will be glamorous and unique. Taking place in Assisi’s municipal square instead of in the stadium, each nation will pass by in procession with its own flag in a medieval atmosphere and setting, supervised by the Ente del Calendimaggio di Assisi.

The Great Endurance Ball will take place on September 25 in a location which is still top secret. There will be a special event during the ball supervised by the famous fashion firm Luisa Spagnoli.

The highlight of the event will be on the September 26 when the best world riders will compete against one another, among them the official national teams of the countries of the Persian Gulf, which are the event’s favoured teams: The United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Bahrain.

In addition to the endurance race, the children in attendance won’t be forgotten. After the success of the Pony Village 2007 and of the Italian Pony Endurance Championship 2008, the program includes an independent event called “Ponies & Kids.” The event is totally dedicated to children and horse riding, horse riding intended not only as game and sport, but also as formative and educational.

From the September 17-20, there will be competitions in endurance, vaulting, obstacles, gymkhana, dressage and various pony games. There will be three competition fields and children will have the opportunity to experience horse riding with competitive spirit.

For more information, visit www.assisilifestyle.it or contact Sergio Cerini at sergio.cerini@effeciassociati.net.

Thailand: Hua Hin – Cha-am Horse Festival 2009

Etravelblackboardasia.com Monday, 13 July 2009 As part of the official 100th Hua Hin Centenary celebrations, the inaugural Cha-am – Hua Hin Horse Festival “Endurance Classics” has been organised, with over 100 riders and horses participating in an endurance marathon along and against the breathtakingly spectacular beach and mountain backdrops for which the twin resort towns of Cha-am and Hua Hin are world famous. You are invited to join your fellow horse lovers for a riding extravaganza and social gathering, with a plethora of equine activities and games for your enjoyment along the stunning scenic beach route between Hua Hin Airport and the starters’ line and winning post at Dusit Thani, Hua Hin. Equestrian enthusiasts participating in the 40 and 80-kilometre endurance events over beach and mountainous terrain between Cha-am and Hua Hin fall into three categories, with local Thai and expatriate riders pitting their skills against regional riders from neighbouring South-east Asian countries and International entrants from the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). In addition, there is a 10-kilometre contest for locals, featuring horses from within the boundaries of Cha-am and Hua Hin and a special event for VIPs which is bound to attract some notable celebrities and socialites. Special celebration rates to mark this unique and momentous event are available from Dusit Thani Hua Hin, who will also host the not-to-be-missed VIP party. Don’t miss your chance to come join the fun, simply by admiring the horses or by saddling up and testing your endurance. Whichever is your cup of tea, make sure you are part of the beach spectacle of Hua Hin’s first century!

Malaysia: Tuanku Mizan Leads Charge In Fun Ride Endurance Race

SETIU, July 11 (Bernama) -- Yang di Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin led the charge among 51 riders in the Fun Ride 2009 endurance race which started off at the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) in Lembah Bidong here on Saturday.

Tuanku Mizan, who is riding B.H. Magna Thor, is representing the Royal Terengganu Endurance Stable (RTES) in the 80km race.

The overnight race is expected to finish at 5.10am tomorrow.

Tuanku Mizan's son Tengku Muhammad Ismail is taking part in the 40km race together with 33 other riders.

Tengku Muhammad, who is also representing RTES, is riding Harmere Cairo in the race, which is organised by RTES and the Terengganu government.

-- BERNAMA

Great Britain: A weekend of endurance at Perth

Perthshire Advertiser


Jul 10 2009 by Alison Anderson, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

PERTH Racecourse was the venue recently for the two-day Scottish Endurance Riding Championships, with the flagship event, the two-day 160km endurance, going to Irish rider Helen McFarland on J St Jake with a speed of just over 14kph.

Endurance rides are run as race rides, with a mass start, timed vet gates and first past the post and passing the stringent vetting the winner.

As well as the longer endurance ride classes, it was a weekend festival of endurance, with supporting classes including pleasure rides and timed competitive rides, where gradings are awarded on the basis of heart rate and speed.

Around 150 horses and their riders, of all shapes, sizes and breeds, enjoyed the weekend, with an opportunity to enjoy a historic and varied route as well as watch some of the top endurance horses in Scotland in action and pick up some tips.

Belfast-based lawyer Helen and Jake finished comfortably ahead of the field in the two-day 160km while, in contrast, there was a flat out race to the line in the 80km endurance ride.

All riders in the 80km class made an error on course, so the pressure was on to make up time and speed. Four combinations battled it out to the line with Dumfries rider Nikki Todhunter snatching victory on her 17-year-old part bred Arab mare Fayre Savanna.[More ...]