UAE: Endurance Cup Attracts Top Riders

Kaleej Times
Hisham Al Gizouli
15 January 2010

DUBAI - Over hundred riders from UAE and Europe will line up under the early rays of the sun for the 160km FEI CEI Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup 2010 at the Dubai International Endurance City on Saturday.

The prestigious competition has attracted top 12 riders from Europe based on their European rankings including two Ex-World Cup champions.

The riders have arrived with their horses and preparations have been made to provide them with the utmost comfort.

The riders expressed their pleasure with the facility and warm welcome they have been receiving in Dubai thanks to the Arabian hospitality and friendly people and atmosphere.

According to Ali Mosa, general manager of the Dubai Equestrian Club, all arrangements have been made to stage the race.

“The distance has been divided into six phases. The Red Loop comprises 31km after which the horses should be presented twice within 20 minutes and 30 minutes hold time. The second phase through the Blue Loop runs over 30km and the same above rules for the presentation and the hold time apply. The Yellow Loop extends over 37km, followed by the Green Loop over 27km, the Pink 18km and the final White Loop over 17km,” he said.

Some of the loops have been done in previous World Cups and the others are new. The surface is a mixture grounds and the race is expected to be competitively fast.

The organisers are expecting the winner to cover the 160km in eight hours while the lazy horses may need up to 13 hours to cross the finish line. But the maximum riding time will be for 16 hours.

The pre-ride briefing will be held in the Vet Gate at 6am on the race day. The Best Condition horse will be selected from the first ten horses finishing within one hour after the first placed horse. The competition will be held approximately one hour after completion by the 10th placed horse. Any horse retires after the start must be presented to an official ride veterinarian before it.

Defending champion Ali Al Jahouri said he’s ready to defend his title but expected the race to be tough and the competition to be fierce.

“There’s nothing easy in the sport. Nobody can say he’s going to win a race or his horse is better than the other. We learned from the sport that the welfare of the horse comes first and for this reason it’s very difficult to predict what lies next,” he said.

Regarding his preparations to retain his crown, Al Jahouri said his horse is doing everything right but will happen on the ground is something different.

“We are well prepared for the competition and hopefully our plan would work and go for a back to back win for Al Wathba Stables,” he said.

India: Manipuri ponies gallop out of comfort zone

Telegraphindia.com
January 14 , 2010

Regulars in races & polo matches, this indigenous breed will debut at Dibrugarh equestrian meet

Dibrugarh, Jan. 13: It will be more than a test of endurance for the debutantes.

Five Manipuri ponies have been introduced to compete with other established breeds at the daylong one-star Conquer Endurance Internationale meet, organised by the Equestrian Federation of Assam with assistance from the Equestrian Federation of India in Dibrugarh on January 22.

Though Dibrugarh had been holding equestrian events regularly for riders from home and abroad, never before have Manipuri ponies taken part in any of the events in this Upper Assam tea town. The organisers have named the meet Eastern Himalayan Ride, 2010.

"The event, which will cover a total distance of 60km, is expected to have participation from all the top endurance riders of the six countries which have been invited. We are fielding indigenous ponies in the endurance event and hope that it will be exciting," said Siddhartha Sharma, the secretary general of the Equestrian Federation of Assam.

Apart from top riders from host nation India, the invited countries are Switzerland, the US, South Africa, the UK, Argentina and Australia. "We wanted to give the event a global look so that we can have at least riders from one nation from each continent, we do hope that all of them will turn up, most of them had confirmed too. It will be really exciting to watch the Manipuri ponies in action for the first time in this part of the country. So far we have seen them in polo matches and races. We hope followers of equestrian will love this addition of new breed of horses," Manoj Jalan, the chief adviser of the Equestrian Federation of Assam, added.

Unlike other sport, organising an equestrian event takes months and even years of proper planning and correspondence within the state federation, national as well as the international body, the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI).

Organising the one-star Conquer Endurance Internationale - French for International Endurance Championship - in Dibrugarh had taken months of planning and preparation by the Equestrian Federation of Assam.

"The riders will have to criss-cross sandy banks of the Brahmaputra and trek through tea gardens with the Himalayas in the background. This is why we thought to christen the event the Eastern Himalayan ride," Jalan said. This is the second time Dibrugarh is hosting an international endurance event, the first being held in 2003. Riders from various nations largely appreciated the track.

Ian William, the head of the endurance department of the FEI, is expected to arrive in Dibrugarh shortly and will act as the president of the ground jury and oversee the technical conduct of the event.

Rod Fisher, an eminent equine sport veterinarian, will be a foreign veterinary delegate and act as the president of the Veterinary Commission, said Brig. (retd) K.S. Rao, the technical director of the event.

Rao had been associated with the Equestrian Federation of Assam for a long period and was also the former director of the Meerut-based Army Equitation School - now upgraded into a college - while in service. Equestrian was held in 2001 for the first time in Assam and most of the events had been held in Dibrugarh.

Australia: Avery rides away with endurance challenge

Stuff.co.nz: The Marlborough Express - Full Article

13/01/2010

Former Waihopai Valley rider Kylie Avery showed her skills at last weekend's Annandale Feeds South Island Endurance and Competitive Trail Riding Championships in Chestnut Valley, taking out the Radich Law CE1 1* 100-kilometre title.

On a challenging course in the Wairau Valley, Avery, on her horse Silands Mia Bella, headed off Jessica King riding Wishum, with Tessa Deuss, from Wellington, third on Samson 11.

Avery backed that effort up on Silands Jasark with a second placing in the Mitavite CE1 2* 120km event and later won the Best Conditioned 100km award with Silands Mia Bella.

The event included a wide range of courses, from 160km in the top endurance event to 32km trail rides. The 160km event started in darkness at 1am, the first two loops completed with the aid of headlamps and glow markers.

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Australia: New horse yarding rules at Australian events

Horsetalk.co.nz

January 11, 2010

Stables and yards at events run under Equestrian Australia rules now have to be of solid construction.

As of January 1, electrified tape, strings, ropes or chains, are no longer be permitted at EA events. The new rule falls under Article 109.3 of the EA General Regulations.

At New Zealand endurance events those yarding horses can no longer use single hotwire tape yards, but instead must construct an area that is double taped and electrified and cornered with waratahs.

Morocco: Princess Lalla Amina chairs kick-off of 1st equestrian endurance riding competition

Morocco.co.ma

01.10.10 | By Maghreb Arab Press
Princess Lalla Amina

Princess Lalla Amina, Chairwoman of the Moroccan equestrian federation (FRMSE), chaired on Saturday the kick-off of the first official competition of equestrian endurance riding.

This competition, part of efforts undertaken by the FRMSE to promote equestrian practice across Morocco, brought together 60 horse riders who raced distances of 20, 40 and 60 km.

The winners received symbolic awards, following this race which lasted over 8hours.

Bahrain: Royal Victory!

Gulf Daily News
Sunday, January 10, 2010


BAHRAIN'S Royal Endurance Team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President, and Dubai Ruler Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum yesterday shared the top place in the second round of the Giants Endurance Challenge at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

With His Majesty King Hamad watching from the sidelines, Shaikh Nasser and Shaikh Mohammed rode side by side - with the Bahrain and UAE flags held high - in the gruelling 120-kilometre, five-stage race which was sponsored by Unicorn Investment Bank.

The joint-winners were a class apart to the rest of the field. They clocked identical times of four hours 57 minutes and 40 seconds, completing the event nearly 10 minutes ahead of their closest challengers.

Shaikh Nasser, riding Fabio, rallied from ninth place at the end of the first stage to take the lead by the conclusion of the fourth. At the same point, Shaikh Mohammed was behind him, just seven seconds adrift.

Riding SAS Alexis, Shaikh Mohammed powered ahead and managed to close the gap. Shaikh Mohammed and Shaikh Nasser eventually crossed the finish line together.

Shaikh Nasser had a top average speed of 24.74kph while Shaikh Mohammed, who was consistently among the leading three from the very start, had a best average speed of 24.88kph.

Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, another leading participant from the UAE, finished third. Riding Star Dancer of Glendu, Shaikh Majid finished in 5:09:50.

Horacio Ferjancic Diaz and Ali Salman Al Sabri, both representing the UAE, came in fourth and fifth respectively.

Diaz, riding Eliska du Vialaret, had a total ride time of 5:25:00, while Al Sabri, on Madji du Coroux, finished in 5:33:08.

Royal Endurance Team rider Jean Philippe Frances on Liqourice came in sixth in 5:37:14. He was followed by Jaume Punti Dachs, one of several Spanish riders competing in the event, in 5:37:18.

Abdulhak Kaddouri was the second-best Bahraini taking eighth place overall. Riding Currowan and representing the Royal Endurance Team, Kaddouri finished in 5:49:25.

Rashed Mohammed Ali Abbar of the UAE came ninth in 5:50:11, and Bahrain's Yousef Taher rounded out the top 10 in 5:57:41.

Only four more among 60 riders who took part finished the race. Mohammed Abdullatif Al Omair of Saudi Arabia was 11th overall, Abdulla Hassan Al Doseri of Bahrain 12th, and Hashim Moosa Al Baloushi and Fuad Abdulla, both of the UAE, 13th and 14th.

Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa also took part yesterday but did not feature among the top finishers.

Following the event, His Majesty King Hamad presented the winners their with respective awards. Among others who were present yesterday at the race venue was Southern Governor Shaikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who flagged off the race at 7am, and Dubai Crown Prince Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The third and final round of the Giants Endurance Challenge will be held in Dubai in the last week of this month. The points accumulated over the three rounds will decide the series' overall champion.

Click HERE for Photos by Osama Mohammed

UAE: Al Jahouri wins Emirates title

Gulf News
January 10, 2010
photo: * Second and third-place winners of the 120km Emirates Championship endurance ride, Musab Saleh Al Marzouqi (right) and Mag Singh Chain Singh at Al Wathba Endurance Village yesterday.

Abu Dhabi : Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri came up with fine exhibition of skilful endurance riding to win the Emirates Championship at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi yesterday.

Riding the 12-year-old gelding Berlioz De Piboul, owned by the Al Wathba Stables, Al Jahouri completed the gruelling 120-km ride in a time of 4 hours and 41.44 minutes.

A strong field took part in the CEI 2* ride which divided into five stages of 32 kms, 28 kms, 24 kms, 20 kms and 16 kms each.

The ride was sponsored by SAS Investments.

Al Jahouri, a vastly experienced endurance rider averaged a speed of 25.56 kmph.

Musab Saleh Al Marzouqi, riding the nine-year-old gelding Tidjaso finished second in a time of 4.43.57. Tidjaso is owned by Shaikh Ahmad Bin Humaid Al Nuaimi.

India's Mag Singh Chain Singh, riding Yentl Raban, finished third in 4:44.00. Yentl Raban is owned by Al Wathba Stables.

Uruguay's Carlos Enrique Lopez Morales on CAL Caushah took fourth place with a time of 4.49.26 while Emirati Omar Rashid Obaid Al Jarwan clocked 4:49.28 to place fifth aboard Hamaasy.

"This was my third ride of the season. In the previous two rides I finished 10th and 5th respectively. Now I was third time lucky," said a delighted Al Jahouri,

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