Sheik Mohammed Gets 6-Month Ban for Horse Doping

ABC News - full story
Equestrian federation bans its president's husband, Dubai ruler Sheik Mohammed, for 6 months
By GRAHAM DUNBAR AP Sports Writer
GENEVA August 3, 2009 (AP)

The International Equestrian Federation banned its president's husband — Dubai's Sheik Mohammed — from riding in endurance races for six months after his horse twice failed doping tests.

Sheik Mohammed accepted the suspension based on his horse Tahhan's positive tests for a hypertension drug and the steroid stanozolol, equestrian's governing body said Monday.

"Consistent with the FEI's strict liability approach to anti-doping rule violations, the panel has found Sheik Mohammed responsible for the doping of his horse," a tribunal panel said in a ruling published on the FEI's Web site.

His ban runs through Oct. 3, and he was assessed $4,200 in fines and legal costs.

The sheik's horse trainer, Abdullah bin Huzaim, admitted giving the horse drugs without the sheik's knowledge before the 74.5-mile desert races at Bahrain and Dubai.

Bin Huzaim was banned for a year and fined.

Sheik Mohammed's wife, Princess Haya of Jordan, is president of the FEI and has campaigned to clean up equestrian's doping and medication problems. She took no part in the disciplinary process.

The three-man panel said bin Huzaim, manager of the sheik's Emaar Stables in Dubai, "clearly wanted His Highness to do well with the horse. This behavior is not acceptable and needs to be sanctioned severely."

Full story

Sheik Mohammed gets 6-month ban for horse doping

Sheik Mohammed gets 6-month ban for horse doping

Associated Press - August 3

LAUSANNE, Switzerland — The International Equestrian Federation has banned its president's husband from riding in endurance races for six months after his horse twice failed doping tests.

Dubai ruler Sheik Mohammed accepted that his horse Tahhan tested positive for a hypertension drug and the steroid stanozolol, the governing body said Monday.

His ban runs through Oct. 3, and was assessed $4,200 in fines and legal costs.

The sheik's horse trainer, Abdullah bin Huzaim, admitted giving the horse drugs before the 74.5-mile desert races at Bahrain and Dubai. He was banned for a year.

Sheik Mohammed's wife, Princess Haya of Jordan, is president of the FEI but took no part in the process.

Tevis: What a ride for Engsberg

Article by Todd Mordhorst Journal Sports Editor
Colfax Record
photo:Sarah Engsburg, of Fairburn, Ga., celebrates with her horse K-Zar Emmanuel Saturday night at the Gold Country Fairgrounds after winning the Tevis Cup endurance ride. Engsburg, a first-time Tevis rider, edged out a pair of experienced riders from the Foothills.

Tears accompanied Allison Bailey’s hoots and hollers Saturday night shortly after Sarah Engsberg rode across the finish line at the 54th Tevis Cup endurance ride.

Engsberg fulfilled a dream of Bailey’s late husband when she won the Tevis Cup title in her debut, edging out two experienced riders from the foothills.

Michael Bailey had ridden K-Zar Emmanuel to a national heavyweight championship in 2007 and passed away just a few weeks later. His wife Allison, from just outside of Charlotte, N.C., hooked up with Engsberg, from Atlanta, and set her up with K-Zar for Saturday’s 100-mile ride from Robie Point in Truckee to Auburn. It was a perfect fit.

“It was his dream to come and ride Tevis,” Allison said at the finish line.

“We paced conservative early and just built throughout the day,” Engsberg said. “We had a whole hell of a lot of good luck. This horse was prepared. He’s a phenomenal athlete… And our crew, our entourage/crew.”

Engsberg took the lead for good just past the Lower Quarry checkpoint after former leader Jeanette Montero was pulled. Engsberg held off three-time Tevis champion Marcia Smith, of Loomis, and highly regarded Melissa Ribley, of Grass Valley to reach Overlook Park first. Ribley was second and Smith finished third, unofficially.

Engsberg arrived in Auburn with her boisterous crew on July 24 and had little time to familiarize herself with one of the most challenging trails in endurance riding. Bailey and Engsberg made plans to enter Tevis back in January and the Georgia native had ridden K-Zar in three endurance rides prior to Saturday’s event.

“I loved Tevis, it was great,” Engsberg said. “I’ve never seen so many volunteers. I didn’t want for anything. The course was absolutely challenging. The last part was frightening, to be galloping in the dark on a trail I’ve only seen three times in the day time.”

The lead changed hands several times during the course of the day. Smith led for much of the first half of the ride. Engsberg was the first rider into Deadwood — 55 miles into the day. Potato Richardson, Tamara Stewart and Christopher were all within one minute of Engsberg. There were eight riders, including Smith, within five minutes of the lead at Deadwood.

At Robinson Flat — 38 miles into the ride — Engsberg was well back of the leaders in 16th.

“We just kept moving up throughout the day,” she said.

Gordy Ainsleigh, the Meadow Vista man who ran with the horses in 1974 and helped start the Western States Endurance Run, was pulled at Robinson Flat.

For further coverage of the Tevis Cup, including the Haggin Cup award winner, see Monday’s Journal.

Full article

USA: Preparations in full swing for Tevis Cup

Auborn Journal


Employees at Echo Valley Ranch Supply Store in Auburn sport orange shirts with “Tevis riding out of the ashes” written on the back.

The 100-mile horseback endurance ride known as Tevis Cup is literally back from the ash and smoke of wildfires that forced the cancellation of the ride in 2008. With its return comes more than 170 riders from places like Maryland, Canada and Japan, as well as the business swell at local supply stores like Echo Valley.

This Saturday’s ride, as it has for more than 50 years, takes riders from Robie Park, south of Truckee, through scorching canyons and over mountain passes to the finish at the Auburn Overlook.

“It’s the first and granddaddy of all endurance rides,” said Elise Travers of Echo Valley, who competed as a junior rider at Tevis in 2007.

Preparing and riding

Outside of its old age, the Tevis Cup is the “granddaddy” because of the challenges it dishes out.

Travers says that even qualifying to ride is no easy task. Prospective riders must log more than 300 “race” miles in the previous year to be accepted to Tevis. And those race miles have to be in races of 50 miles or longer. Throw those races on your resume, and you’re in.

But once the ride starts, the even tougher aspects for horse and rider kick in.

“Usually, it’s about a 50-50 chance that you make it through (the ride),” Travers explained. “If people ask if you’re doing Tevis, you say ‘we’ll see’ because you don’t know if you’ll finish.”

Penny Coey, who volunteers at the race every year, explained the obstacles the riders and horses have to overcome. She said things as simple as a bee sting, or a scratch from a manzanita bush could force a rider to quit.

Riders have to make sure their horses (and themselves) are fueled up and healthy. Electrolyte pills for energy and probiotics (like yogurt) to keep the horse’s digestion moving are a must, according to Coey. Much like the Western States endurance run, riders must stop at checkpoints, where veterinarians check the horses for any injuries or breathing troubles.

Travers said keeping herself energized on the ride is equally important.

“I wear a Camelbak for water,” she said. “The canyons get so hot, especially at the bottom.”

Travers said it was a relief when she got to the finish in 2007. Most riders finish well after midnight.

“It’s so exciting to be at the finish line, and see them come in,” Coey said.

Economic impact

Echo Valley Ranch has been sponsoring the ride for 19 years, and also receives plenty of business from Tevis riders coming through town.

Owner Greg Kimler said his store supplies just about everything Tevis horses might need, from grains to equipment.

“We sent out 60 bales of hay, just for Tevis,” he said Tuesday.

He said he also sponsors a team that competes in the ride, known as the Midnight Riders.

The Tevis Cup is naturally included in the “Endurance Capital” tag that Auburn claims, but Kimler said it doesn’t receive quite as much attention as other events like the Western States Endurance Run.

“The city and newspaper promotes the Western States run more, but it’s because the (horse) riders don’t bring as many people to town,” he said.

Kimler explained that the riders tend to stay at local ranches, places where they can keep their horses in the days leading up to the ride. This makes for less of an economic impact on things like hotels and restaurants, businesses that see an up-tick when teams for the endurance run come to Auburn.

The two 100-mile endurance events coexist well, however. Auburn Running Company donates water bottles and helps supply electrolyte replacement products for the riders.

Tevis Cup:

Who: 170 riders

What: Tevis Cup, a 100 mile horseback ride on trails from Truckee to Auburn.

When: This Saturday, August 1. Riders will start coming in late Saturday night.

Where to watch: Riders finish at the Auburn Overlook, near the fairgrounds.

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USA: Tevis Cup Endurance Ride Vet Countdown Begins

Thehorse.com - Full Article

by: Marsha Hayes
July 27 2009, Article # 14605


Veterinary preparations for the 54th running of the Tevis Cup, a 100-mile horse race, have kicked into high gear as the Aug. 1 race day approaches.

Head veterinarian Greg Fellers, DVM, has been working on recruiting and organizing the 17 veterinarians charged with manning the nine equine checkpoints scattered between the starting point near Lake Tahoe and the finish in Auburn, Calif.

"Horse are evaluated for soundness and metabolic status, including hydration, heart rate, and fatigue," he explained.

Riders are awarded a Tevis belt buckle if their mount is judged "fit to continue" at all checks while covering the trail within 24 hours.

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Mexico: Oaxacan youth brings home silver medal

On July 24th in the lush rolling hills of Henryville, Indiana, two Mexican Youth Endurance Riders, Gabriel Mendoza Gagnier , age 17 and Magali de la Rosa, age 16, successfully completed the 75 mile ride to bring their international team to a silver medal win.

This team comprised of two Mexican and three Canadian youth riders took the honor of having all five riders successfully complete, their horses being deemed by the vets as “fit to continue”. In this demanding discipline of endurance riding “to finish is to win” and a 100% completion is considered stellar.

Heavy rains had left the ride’s steep trails muddy and slippery, a situation that required extra-cautious riding but for Gabriel and Magali the "for them" exotic deciduous forests lightened the work of the twelve hours it took them to ride their Arabian horses to a safe and sound finish.

A spirit of support and camaraderie permeated the event that for the first time ever saw riders from all three North American countries competing. Special appreciation goes to veteran rider Jan Worthington and equally experienced ground crew Grace Ramsay who generously lent their knowledge and their horses - Lantana for Magali and LuNor Sovereign for Gabriel.

For more info on endurance riding in Mexico visit: www.horsebackmexico.com

Mongolia: Reddy to compete in Mongol Derby

Aiken Standard
7/25/2009 11:40 PM
By BEN BAUGH
Staff writer

The inaugural Mongol Derby is being called the toughest and most physically demanding race in the world.

The derby, arranged by a tour company known as The Adventurists, will feature 26 participants, who will ride semi-wild Mongolian horses 1,000 kilometers across the varied terrain of the Mongolian steppe.

The sojourn should take about two weeks, and participants had to pay an entry fee of $4,450, in addition to the $1,800 that will go toward Mercy Corps, the charity organization who will benefit from the challenge.

Aiken resident Tara Reddy is one of the intrepid horsemen who will be participating in the event. Attempts to reach Reddy via e-mail and phone were not returned. Attempts were also made to contact Antonia Bolingbroke-Kent of The Adventurists, who was with the Mongol Rally hordes in the Czech Republic; and she also did not return e-mails.

The event has drawn concern from several organizations who question the health and safety of the horses who will be participating in the Mongol Derby.

The test of fitness, stamina and endurance will not only push the riders to their limits, but also the horses, who must be in condition for the contest. The start date for the race is Aug. 22. The length between horse stations is 40 kilometers or about 25 miles.

The route will be split into two 500-kilometer legs. Each participant will ride 25 horses during the Mongol Derby. A section on horse care and horse welfare of the horses participating in the event have been posted on the Mongol Derby website, at mongol-derby.theadventurists.com.

Horse welfare is an issue that was raised by the Long Riders Guild, who, according to its website, is the world's first international association of equestrian explorers. The invitation-only organization was founded in 1994. The group has raised questions about whether the organizers of the event are going to be able to provide adequate veterinary care, has suggested that there is absolute disregard for the welfare of the horses involved in the race and has called for an immediate halt to the event.

During an interview conducted by the Long Riders Guild on July 11, Dr. Thomas Juergens, a DVM who is an adviser to VET Net, the Mongolian nongovernmental organization linked to the Mongol Derby, told the guild that he was surprised that VET Net had been linked to the event; a copy of the interview was forwarded to the Aiken Standard by the Long Riders Guild. Juergens also called for the event to be stopped on moral and ethical grounds.

Questions remain as to how adequate the veterinary care will be and how many veterinarians per horse will be available.

Mercy Corps relationship with The Adventurists dates back several years, according to Caitlin Carlson, Mercy Corps communications officer.

"Mercy Corps has been a beneficiary charity for Adventurist events since 2005, initially as the principal charity for the Mongol Rally," said Carlson, in an e-mail dated July 22. "Over the past four years, we have been a beneficiary charity for other Adventurists events such as the Rickshaw Run and the Ruta Del Sol. In 2009 Mercy Corps is one of the three charities for the Mongol Rally and one of two charities for the Winter Rickshaw Run. This year we are also the sole charity for the first ever Mongol Derby. Mercy Corps is not involved in the organization of these events."

The money being raised by the prospective participants for Mercy Corps, which is hoping to raise approximately $41,000 from the Mongol Derby, will go to help a variety of small Mongolian businesses and help stimulate and create job opportunities for poverty-stricken families, who are often nomadic. None of the fundraising money from The Adventurists has been accepted by Mercy Corps at this time, said Carlson.

"Mercy Corps continues to be in regular contact with The Adventurists to ensure that the highest standards of animal welfare are upheld during the Mongol Derby," said Carlson. "We have been assured by the race's organizers that appropriate measures are being taken to safeguard the welfare of horses and participants. We are committed to animal welfare and would not involve ourselves in a fundraiser that compromises this commitment. As far as we can tell, the debate between the Long Riders Guild and The Adventurists amounts to a difference of opinion among long-distance horse riding enthusiasts about animal safety."

The Adventurists say they will provide extensive veterinary care prior to, during and after the race.

"If the horses come to task properly conditioned, are at the proper body weight, are sound of limb and are checked prior to, during and after the races, and they (The Adventurists) institute what they say they are going to do and insure the horses will be properly looked after, the horses' welfare must come first," said Dr. Jeannette Mero, American Endurance Ride Conference veterinary committee chair, who said the AERC would never endorse or sanction an event like the Mongol Derby.

THE AERC has strict rules and regulations riders must follow, and the rides are tightly monitored by veterinarians, said Dr. Keelin Redmond with Avoca Equine LLC.

"Every 10 to 15 miles there are stringent vet checks, and there are repeated vet checks throughout the ride," she said.

It's up to the endurance ride veterinarian to decide if a horse is fit to go on based on its metabolic and mechanical recovery. Pulse rates, hydration, respiration and metabolism level should be checked. After the ride, the horse must still pass final inspection.

Contact Ben Baugh at bbaugh@aikenstandard.com.

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