Australia: Top lot goes to Dubai at Magic Millions Sporthorse Sale

Efanational.com

17 August 2009

The Magic Millions inaugural Sporthorse Sale was held on Saturday evening at their Gold Coast Sale Complex.

109 lots comprising of dressage, jumping, eventing, polo, endurance, showing, breeding stallions and youngstock were put through the sale ring.

Lot 9 topped the sale at $46,000, a 6-year-old endurance mare offered by Toft Endurance Pty Ltd sold to Dubai. In total 39 lots sold for an average price of $10,600.

International buyers from Korea purchased 11 horses, 3 horses were sold to Dubai and Chinese buyers also attended the sale.

The horses were viewed and trialled in the preceding two days at the Gold Coast Polo and Country Club about 40 minutes from the sales complex. Show jumps, dressage arenas and a free-schooling yard were set up on the polo fields to enable prospective buyers an opportunity to try the horses.

On Saturday the horses were moved into the sales complex where they were able to be inspected in-hand but not ridden. Vet checks were available at the expense of the purchaser.

The horses were presented in-hand for the auction as they would be at a thoroughbred sale. The auction started at 5pm and concluded around 9pm.

Attendance was good with most of the seating filled. The bidding was reasonable however the majority of horses were passed in as they did not reach their reserve price (the highest bid of the evening was $75,000 for the black jumping stallion Dutch Choice but it fell short of the reserve).

It appeared that many people were just there as spectators and not as buyers, which was not unusual for the first year of the sale.

Feedback from the vendors was largely positive. Most agreed that the first year was always going to be the most difficult but they were eager for Magic Millions to persevere.

"It is really important that we stick with this idea and support Magic Millions," said Peter Toft of Toft Endurance, "it is exactly what our industry needs."

"I think it is a good idea and with some fine tuning it could work very well," commented Olympic rider Vicki Roycroft who, along with Adam Mellers, acted as an advisor for Jumping .

"I sold the three horses that I brought," said event rider Kevin McNab, "next year I'll bring a lot more."

David Chester, Managing Director of Magic Millions, said that they were very excited about the development of the sale and the marketing of Australian Sporthorses around the world.

"To create international exposure for Australian performance horses, will be of great benefit to the development of the industry as a whole, and we envisage this concept will only grow from strength to strength," said David.

Industry professionals from each discipline formed a sale committee to advise Magic Millions and to assist with the selection of horses. Jumping – Adam Mellers and Vicki Roycroft, Dressage – Brett Parbery, Polo – Ian "Ginger" Hunt, Eventing – Tim Boland, Showhorse – Kim Durante and Endurance – Peter Toft.
Photos coming soon.

Bahrain: Royal team excel in Germany event

Gulf Daily News
Posted on » Sunday, August 16, 2009


BAHRAIN'S Royal Endurance Team starred in an endurance horse race in Germany, where they took first place in several race categories.

Yousef Taher riding French horse Siyam won the 160km race, which featured riders from the UK, Belgium and Germany, and consisted of six stages.

Taher finished in a time of nine hours 31 minutes and 12 seconds, as he contested the event with an average riding speed of 16kph.

Second and third place also went to Bahrain. Jaffar Merza took the runner-up spot after completing the ride in just a second behind his victorious compatriot, while Abdulrahman Al Sa'ad was also not far behind, finishing two seconds behind Taher.

In the 120km event, Ahmed Abdulla on his horse Rashken took the winner's trophy in 6:38:25. He had an average speed of 18.72kph.

Shereen Fayez, also of the royal team, won the under-18 female event also over 120km. She clocked a winning mark of 6:39:16 and a speed of 18kph.

In the men's under-18 race over 80km, Bahrain's Ahmed Al Guood finished in second place with in 5:03:23, while countryman Ahmed Janahi was fifth in the same distance's under-20 age category.

Congratulated

Following their victorious campaign, Royal Endurance Team leader Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa congratulated His Majesty King Hamad on the win and thanked His Majesty for the support to endurance riding and to all sports in the kingdom.

Shaikh Nasser pointed out that the Bahrainis' fine showing in Germany helped lift their spirits as they prepare to take part in several other European rides as well as the world championships.

Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad expressed his appreciation of the royal team's efforts in victory, and encouraged them to continue their strong display in their remaining events in the summer.

Mongolia: Inner Mongolian International Endurance Event

TheLongHorseRide.blogspot.com
photo: the leading horse being vetted

The Long Horseride website

The Long Horse Ride is a journey on horseback from Beijing to London. It is scheduled to start out shortly after the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and to arrive in London in time for the 2012 London Olympics.

The ride will bring a message of goodwill from Beijing in the Beijing Olympic year to London in the London Olympic year. It also aims to raise money for disadvantaged children through its chosen charity Schoolchildren For Children.

Starting from the China Children Charity Monument on the Great Wall at Badaling, it will cross the steppes, deserts and mountains of China and Central Asia, following the Great Wall and the ancient Silk Routes. In the path of the Mongols and Huns, it will skirt the northern shores of the Caspian and Black Seas, before the final leg through the fields and forests of Europe.

[More Mongolia images...]

Capistrano Horses, Rider Finish 100-Mile Race

The Capistrano Dispatch

Vol.7, Issue 20, August 14-27, 2009
The Capistrano Dispatch

photo:Allan Horn is among the 87 riders who finished, after 169 start

Two San Juan Capistrano horses finished the grueling Tevis Cup 100-mile race in Auburn, Calif. on August 1. Capistrano residents Allan and Lauren Horn brought their two Arabian mares to Lake Tahoe to start the 100-mile race, which ends in Auburn.

The Western States Trail Foundation hosts the annual Tevis Cup race since 1955. It is world famous and is known as the toughest endurance ride in the world that covers 100 miles of treacherous trail with 22,000 feet of elevation descent and 17,000 feet of elevation climbs through narrow, steep canyons, mountains and river crossings. Horses and riders have 24 hours to complete the ride. The completion rate has historically hovered around 50 percent. Just to finish the ride is an accomplishment in itself and reflects the endurance motto, “To Finish Is To Win.”

Allan Horn rode his 13-year-old grey mare, Royal Sassha HP and Vista resident, Lynn Rigney rode Lauren’s 8-year-old mare, Red Hot Rosa to the finish line in just under 24 hours. They passed all the checkpoints and completed the ride. There are 13 checkpoints throughout the ride where veterinarians assess the condition of each horse before proceeding. Riders can be “pulled” at any point along the trail and most disappointing is to be pulled after crossing the finish line at the final vet check.
This years’ ride had 169 participants from six countries and 22 states. Only 87 riders completed the ride to earn a silver belt buckle. Allan said he did it for the meaning behind the buckle.

“It is a very prestigious ride and a very tough one for horse and rider. It says a lot about you as a rider and your horse. You need to come prepared and having done your homework. There is no margin for error on the trail.”

Because of the difficult trail, tragedy has beset the ride at various times in it’s history. This year a Maryland horse stumbled and slipped and went off the trail to his death. The rider, who was off at the time and leading his horse, was not hurt. Lauren said, “Personally, I don’t know if I ever want to attempt this ride. It’s too scary and too difficult for me. I knew my horse could do it and a friend wanted to ride, so I let her ride my horse. I crewed for Allan and Lynn and had a great time being part of the team and the fact that my horses completed the trail on their first attempt is reward enough for me.”

Lauren has a friend who has attempted Tevis seven previous times before and has not finished the ride. “This year was his year and he did it on his eighth try,” Lauren said. “Allan and I have been riding endurance for 12 years now, training on our local trails. Tevis has always been the ‘mother of all endurance rides’ and a goal of Allan’s. When you are gathering at the start a couple days ahead of time, there is a strong feeling of support and camaraderie. You truly wish everyone could experience a completion but you know in your head, only 50 percent will make it and be able to proudly wear the buckle. I’m so proud of my husband and our two horses. It really is an accomplishment.”

full article

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.

[More ...]

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

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