Thursday, August 13, 2009

Australia: Local riders dominate endurance

Gympie Times

photo:GOING THE DISTANCE: Widgee horse endurance competitors Gayle Holmes and her husband Achmed Pshunov are back on their property after blitzing the field at the Queensland horse endurance state championships in Mackay at the weekend.
Gympie Times/Renee Pilcher


Matthew Lee | 14th August 2009

GYMPIE competitors dominated the Queensland horse endurance state championships held near Mackay at the weekend.

GYMPIE competitors dominated the Queensland horse endurance state championships held near Mackay at the weekend.

The headline event was staged at Denison Creek, 70km west of Mackay, attracting some of Queensland's best endurance horse riding talent.

Gympie entrants included the husband and wife duo of Achmed Pshunov and Gayle Holmes, as well as Craig Ellison, Bek Millard and Lane Zischke.

Gympie signalled its presence at the event when the first four placings were clinched by the local riders.

Zischke, meanwhile, collected first in the junior event.

Pshunov finished first with his wife trailing closely behind in second, while Ellison took out third and Millard fourth. Millard also returned home with first in the lightweight division.

The event itself was conducted over a gruelling 160km of varying terrain on a cattle station.

Five stages, or loops, rounded out a course many competitors regarded as the most testing they had encountered.

Two mountains broke up the landscape, with the largest of the pair dubbed Widow Mountain for its formidable presence.

After each loop, competitors were required to submit their horse for a thorough vet check to ensure the welfare of the animal was not at risk.

The procedure involved allowing the animal's heart rate to drop to 60 beats per minute before moving on to the compulsory vet check and a return to racing itself.

Gayle said she and her husband Achmed found the ride challenging.

“It was definitely a challenge, and a thinker's ride,” she said. “You had to pace yourself well to do well, and I think that really was the key to success.”

Gayle said the race was quick and the field contained exceptionally good horses.

“The standard was high, so Achmed and I are really pleased with how we performed,” Gayle said.

Gayle and Achmed rode together for the first three loops before being separated on the final two when Achmed's horse recovered faster at the end of a stage and moved through the vet check more quickly.

Initially, the pair found themselves trailing 40 minutes behind two frontrunners who set a lightning pace.

But Gayle said she was not concerned.

“Achmed was a little worried but I said to him that we had nothing to worry about,” she said.

“They went out too quickly and burned up a lot of energy, so it was always going to be a matter of time before we were able to catch them up.

“You have to leave something in the tank.”

And the pair certainly caught up to the two early leaders, converting a 40-minute deficit into a 20-minute lead as the race progressed.

Achmed maintained his lead over his wife to cross the finish line and collect the honours while Gayle came in second to greet her husband.

“You could not have asked for a better finish than that,” she said.

“We were very pleased with the outcome.”

Taking part in the Queensland championships is another event where Gayle has used her extensive bank of experience to strike spectacular success.

GAYLE first started endurance riding back in 1990, and in the time that has passed, has represented Australia twice in both America and Dubai.

Another of the Gympie competitors to leave her stamp in Mackay was Lane Zischke, who collected first place in the junior event.

Zischke was unable to be contacted for comment but put to shame many of her fellow rivals in the junior event to return home triumphant.

The talented young rider could have been forgiven for feeling a little sore after her win but would have already been casting her eyes on her next big event.

Meanwhile, Ellison was also keen to highlight the growing reputation of Gympie as a source of horse endurance talent.

“Gympie is definitely earning itself a place on the map in the sport,” he said.

“These latest results are incredible and to think the top four riders all came from Gympie.”

Ellison, who saddled up for his first ride in 1982, finished the race in third and clinched the top-three finish after some expert riding during the final stages.

The Gympie participant's final time was 11hrs18min and was achieved only after fighting back from eighth position with 70km of the race remaining.

“I started conservatively and my horse had enough to make up the ground on those other competitors,” he said.

Ellison said he was able to read the race well to finish as highly as he did.

“We started at midnight and by 5am it was two degrees, only to heat up to 30 degrees during the height of the day,” he said.

“That taxes the horse and you have to be aware of the conditions.”

Looking ahead, Ellison said he predicts Gympie would continue to post strong appearances at future horse endurance events in Australia and overseas.

“There is a lot of talent here, particularly in the young riders,” he said.
It was definitely a challenge, and a thinker's ride.

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Qatar: Al Shaqab makes successful French endurance debut

Gulf Times

Tarbes, France: The Al Shaqab Endurance Team launched their 2009 French riding campaign in the first week of August posting impressive results in the competition held in Tarbes in the south of France.
Represented in two events that marked Al Shaqab’s first European competition of 2009, the team signalled they are ready for their French campaign.
They dominated the CEI 90km race by sweeping the top three finishes and were equally impressive in the gruelling CEI 130km Qatar Challenge event with a hard-fought second place effort.
Hamad Rashid al-Marri led the team to the impressive silver-medal finish in the prominent 130km competition.
The 20-year-old, aboard Muse du Real, covered the course in 7:19.52. The competition featured riders from France, Spain and Switzerland. The hilly course was an obvious challenge as 48 riders began the event and only 22 completing the race.
Hamad used a strategy of a slow early pace to tactfully move up during the competition and secure second.
Seventh after the first loop, Hamad gradually moved up to fifth at the next loop and was second by the third a position he held to the finish.
The team was phenomenal sweeping the top finishes in the CEI 90km competition. Hassan Tahous al-Nuaimi, a 21-year-old led the charge to register his first win of the year.
Aboard Bahia Cathare, Hassan covered the distance in 4:53.21.
He was followed by the rising talent of 13-year-old Faleh al-Subaey, who guided his mount Alhoa Zelus to a finish in 5:05.59. Close behind was Faleh Nasser Abugnaim, who piloted his mount Koheilan Bonita to third in 5:06.04.
The 19-year-old Abughenaim has been extremely consistent this year with a string of second place finishes in competitions held in Qatar.
The event attracted 38 international riders with the majority 27, able to complete the entire race.
Coming off a highly successfully 2008 campaign, highlighted by a second-place, silver-medal finish in the World Endurance Championship in Terengganu, Malaysia, the team is preparing for the prestigious European Endurance Championships.
Viewed as the most important competition of the year, the event will be held in Assisi, Italy on September 26.
The event attracted top riders and teams from five continents and will serve as a major preparation for the 2010 World Endurance Championship to be held in Lexington, Kentucky in the United States.- Agencies

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Australia: Young Riders leave for the World Championships Babolna Hungary 5/6 September

The four Australian horses to compete at this World Championships fly out from Sydney on Tuesday August 11. These horses will fly to Amsterdam via KL, Penang and Dubai before arriving in Amsterdam. They will rest for a couple of days before undertaking a 1400km road journey to Babolna. The riders and crew will be leaving at intervals between now and August 28 when The Chef d Equipe Dr Trish Annetts and Team Veterinarian Dr Robyn Mather will leave.

Team rider Allix Jones (NSW) together with her Mum Wendy, leave August 15 to meet up with Allix leased horse HS Saboteur who is based in Switzerland.

The Team is;
Allix Jones, NSW Angela Hawks, Qld. Alexandra Toft, Qld, Blake Freeman, NSW. Bridgette Nottle, Qld. Reserve rider, Tami Parnell, NSW.
Horses:
Dakila Pascalle, Bemervale Justice, Zalman, Browtin Advocate, HS Saboteur.
Grooms:
Peter and Penny Toft, Mark and Lesley Freeman, Wendy Jones and Anna Williams, Jill Hawks and Ben Caslick,

The Australian Endurance Squad and the Young Riders Team wish to gratefully acknowledge the generous sponsorship from our sponsors Kentucky Equine Research and the advice from Dr Peter Huntington, and Dixon Smith Equestrian who are our very loyal sponsors.

Also we wish to announce the generous sponsorship from Equestrian Australia for the amount of $9000.00 as well as AE blue cotton dress rugs, to the Arabian Horse Society for the wonderful kersey green and gold rugs, to Zilco and LAS helmets for continued support and Nanango Heritage Endurance Riders Assoc. Inc. for sponsoring the Riders Team Jackets. A special thank you to the Chef, Dr Trish Annetts who was responsible for obtaining the majority of this sponsorship.

Barb Timms
AES Manager

South Africa: Local equestrians excel at 200km endurance ride

Informant.co.za

August 12 2009

Despite the icy-cold weather and the extremely difficult terrain, nine horse riders from the Capricorn Endurance Club participated in the Fauresmith 200km Endurance Race held in the Free State recently.

The race of 210kms gets completed over three gruelling days and only three out of nine local riders could endure until the end. Out of the 429 entries to the ride, only 225 managed to complete the endurance ride successfully. With the ride’s motto being "To finish is to win" it became understandable how so many riders fell out before the end of the race.

The locals who finished the race were Christo Scheepers (18th place standard weight category) on his horse Bouwman Quimram and Johann Jordaan (27th place in the heavyweight division) on Skarbek Mas'ud. Last but certainly not least was Louise Jordaan who finished fourth overall and took a third place in the junior division. Her horse Al Mu'barak also received the floating trophy for purest Arab horse to complete the ride in the shortest time.

Jordaan is currently in matric at Hoerskool Pietersburg and says it is a great honour to represent her school in competitions, especially with such a dedicated horse and support team at her side. - Keshia Jansens van Rensburg

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

UAE: Mohammed wins endurance ride

Gulf News




Euston Park, Norfolk: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, clinched the top spot in the 120-km Euston Park Endurance ride on Monday.

Shaikh Mohammad won the gruelling "Ride with the Stars" event in a time of five hours, seven minutes and 47 seconds. Finishing second, a split second behind in 5 hours 07.48 seconds, was Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

A strong field of 118 riders from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Italy, Luxemborg, the United States of America, Australia, Ireland and England participated in the ride.

Shaikh Mohammad was riding Acadini, while Shaikh Hamdan partnered Jazyk.

Fauiz Al Turkmani finished in third place aboard Ridasa in a time of 5 hours 08.09seconds while Hussain Ali Al Mazroui was fourth. His time was 5 hours 08.10 seconds.

Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture, also participated in the ride.

Present at the event was Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, Shaikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Shaikh Mansour Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Shaikh Zayed Bin Hamdan Al Nahyan.

Experienced Spanish rider Maria Mercedes Alvarez Ponton finished fifth in a time of 5 hours 08.09seconds while her compatriot Jomi Ponti took sixth place.

A trio of French riders occupied the next three places. Cecile Totain was seventh in 5:16.15, O'Riley Campi eighth in 5:19.15 and Cecil Melito ninth in 5:26.39.

Karen Belanger from Belgium occupied tenth place.

UAE: Shaikh Mohammed made to wait

The National
Zoƫ Griffiths
August 04. 2009

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will not be allowed to compete in International Equestrian Federation (FEI) endurance horse races until October 3 after an inquiry – the results of which were made public yesterday – confirmed one of his horses had been given banned substances.

He removed himself from events in April after his lawyers said horses at the Emaar Stables in Dubai had revealed traces of banned substances.

The investigation focused on Tahhan, a horse he rode at the CEI 120 kilometre endurance event in Sakhir, Bahrain on January 10 and the CEI 120 kilometre event in Dubai on February 28. The horse was found to have traces of two banned drugs in its system.

They were Guanabenz, a drug used to manage hypertension in humans, with a calming and pain relieving effect on animals, and, the anabolic steroid 16-b Hydroxy-Stanozolol, used by Ben Johnson at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

The FEI’s tribunal panel yesterday banned Sheikh Mohammed for six months, backdated to April, and fined him 4,000 Swiss Francs (Dh13,840). His trainer, Abdullah bin Huzaim, received a ban of 12 months and a fine of 4,000 Swiss Francs. Bin Huzaim admitted giving the horse drugs without Sheikh Mohammed’s knowledge.

Under the governing body’s strict liability approach to anti-doping rules, the FEI found Sheikh Mohammed the principle person responsible and his trainer as the secondary individual responsible

Bin Huzaim defended his actions, saying he believed the horse was in need of the medication. In a letter to the tribunal panel, Sheikh Mohammed said that with an ownership stake in 700 endurance horses he could not be expected to be aware of each horse’s medication. He is one of the world’s leading owners and breeders of thoroughbred racehorses.

Sheikh Mohammed’s wife, Princess Haya of Jordan, is the president of the FEI and has been campaigning to clean up its doping problems. He is allowed to compete in non-FEI events.

South Africa: Local Lanel ranked nr 3 in the world

Limpopo Informant - full article
Grade 11 Stanford Lake College learner, Lanel van Nieuwenhuizen, has been chosen to represent South Africa in endurance riding at the Young Rider World Championships on 5 September in Babolna, Hungary. She and the rest of the team will be competing over a 120km distance. She is currently the number one Fei endurance young rider (14-21 years) in South Africa and is ranked third in the world.

Grade 11 Stanford Lake College learner, Lanel van Nieuwenhuizen (17), was recently chosen to represent South Africa in endurance riding at the Young Rider World Championships that will take place on 5 September in Babolna, Hungary.

She and the rest of the team will be competing over a 120km distance on horses especially hired for the team from France. The horses will be sent from France to Hungary for the championships.

The Van Nieuwenhuizen family lives in Louis Trichardt and when she is not at school, Van Niewenhuizen is riding one of her horses. Endurance riding is definitely a family activity. Her mother, Leonie, developed her love for all things horsy at an early age and bought her her first horse when she was just 7 years old. She.started endurance riding when she was 10 years old on her horse Studvet Sam. She still has Studvet Sam and he is her favourite out of the eight horses she currently has, although he is no longer her main competition horse. Her main competition horse is now Jozami Foxin. She has competed in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Chili and Hungary – all on horses that she had never ridden before and, even more remarkably, finished in the top three riders every time.

Up until the age of 14 years, Van Nieuwenhuizen was not allowed to participate riding alone (as per this sport’s rules) but this was no problem as her mother is also a keen endurance rider and a Springbok.

Van Nieuwenhuizen’s father, Johan, is her groom. In endurance riding, the horse has to return to a certain spot every 30km for grooming and a check done by a veterinarian.

To date, Van Nieuwenhuizen has done over 8 000km in competition on 17 different horses. The basics of endurance riding is dressage and she has done numerous training and jumping courses.

Van Nieuwenhuizen is the number one Fei Endurance Young Rider (14 -21 years old) in South Africa. She is also currently the number three Fei Endurance Young Rider on the Fei world ranking list.

She represented South Africa for the first time when she was 14 years old and received her permanent Springbok number when she was 15 years of age. She also has her Protea colours. She has competed against senior riders over distances of 120km and 160km in Italy and South Africa. This means her saddle had to be loaded with weights for her to be able to pass the minimum weight requirement of 75kg. Van Nieuwenhuizen does well academically and when she is not on a horse, she plays hockey and netball. She plans to become a veterinarian or an equine physiotherapist and wants to continue endurance riding after school. Endurance is the fastest growing horsesport in the world and at an average ride in South Africa, one would find over 200 horses competing.

"Lanel loves her horses and loves riding and is very hard working," says her mom of her. - Karen Venter

Costanza Laliscia: the young Italian equestrian endurance champion

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