UAE: Al Beloushi in scintillating win

Photo by ABDUL RAHMAN/Gulf News

Gulfnews.com

By M. Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
February 14, 2010

Beats Al Jahouri of Al Wathba in a nailbiting finish to lift the President's Cup



Abu Dhabi : Twenty-three-year-old Sultan Ahmad Al Beloushi of Al Reef Stables rode Charlandre El Sharif to a scintillating victory in the Dh1.5 million HH The President's Cup, the 13-year-old gelding breaking his own world record for a 160km ride by more than seven minutes.

Al Beloushi denied Al Wathba's Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri, on Kalifa, in a finish that would have done a 1,000-metre sprint proud as there was hardly anything to separate the two horses after 160km of battling at the Emirates International Endurance Village at Al Wathba desert area.

Al Beloushi and Charlandre El Sharif completed the ride in a record time of 6 hours, 21 minutes and 12 seconds, bettering the earlier best of 6:28.28 by the same horse under Omar Hussain Al Beloushi in January 2008 in the HH Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup at the Dubai International Endurance Village.

The Al Reef youngster, riding the horse trained by his elder brother Yousuf Ahmad Al Beloushi, was fourth going out into the final loop of 16km with less than a minute separating the top six riders.

However, Al Beloushi's horse, one of the most consistent performers, managed to get the better of 160km specialist Al Jahouri and shatter his ambition of winning his first President's Cup.

"This is without doubt the greatest win of my career. Charlandre El Sharif is a star and today he proved it," said Al Beloushi.

He, Al Jahouri and the third-placed Majid Salman Al Sabri received a car each for their efforts.

"My elder brother Yousuf just told me to pace my speed to under 25kmph for the first five stages (144km) and then go all out in the final loop, and I did just that," said Al Beloushi, whose average speed on the final 16km loop was 33.22kmph in comparison to his ride average speed of 25.18kmph.

Heart-break

For Al Jahouri, it was a heart-breaking experience as the President's Cup is the only silverware missing in the Al Wathba star's showcase.

"I think it just boils down to bad luck. I have won the National Day Cup thrice, the 160km HH Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup twice. But my best in this ride [before this race] was a third-place finish in 2007," said Al Jahouri.

Earlier, 106 riders started in the event, which was attended by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Shaikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, and Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, among others.

RESULTS

Results of yesterday's 160km endurance ride:

1. Sultan Ahmad Al Beloushi (Charlandre El Sharif), 6:21.12

2. Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri (Kalifa) 6:21.13

3. Majid Salman Al Sabri (Armin's Zulu) 6:27.33.

Canada: Maura Leahy Named 2009 Equine Canada Volunteer of the Year

Horse-canada.com
February 11, 2010

Ottawa, ON - Equine Canada has named Maura Leahy of Dugald, Manitoba, as the 2009 Volunteer of the Year.

Leahy became involved in the sport of endurance in 1997 and rides at the local level. She organizes and manages two to three endurance rides per year in her home province of Manitoba. Leahy has been involved with the establishment of Endurance Canada since its inception, serving on the board, the Fundraising/Sponsorship Committee, the International Committee, and as the Chair of the Rules Committee. She has also represented Endurance Canada on the Equine Canada Sport Council Rules Committee.

At the international level, Leahy became involved in Federation Equestre International (FEI) in 1999 by volunteering at the Pan Am Championship Ride at Spruce Woods Park in Manitoba, and from there her involvement has progressed from a groom to member of an organizing committee and now to an FEI Steward/Judge (Level 2).

She has also attended the 2006 World Equestrian Games as team manager and groom, and served as chef d'equipe for Canada West at the 2005 CEIO 3* North American Championships and the 2009 Kentucky Cup, and was the Canadian Team chef d'equipe for the 2008 World Endurance Championship in Malaysia, where Canada finished in seventh place out of 21 starting teams. Her attendance at these events is often self-funded and on her own time for the love of the sport of endurance.

"I was so honored to be nominated for this award, everybody in our equestrian organization is a volunteer in one capacity or another, finding out that I was selected was both overwhelming and humbling," said Leahy.

The 'Volunteer of the Year' award, sponsored by BFL Canada, is presented every year to an exceptional volunteer who has contributed to equestrian sport and to Equine Canada. It is presented to someone who has dedicated himself or herself to Equine Canada and it's ideals, who have worked tirelessly for the improvement of the organization, and who has had a noticeable impact on the sport.

At the Equine Canada Annual Awards Gala on Saturday, February 6, in Montreal, QC, Leahy was presented with the 2009 Equine Canada Volunteer of the Year by Sara Runnalls of BFL Canada, and Terre O’Brennan of Endurance Canada.

Pamela Burton’s WEG Endurance Predictions

Discoverhorses.com - Full Article

The U.S. will feel the pressure to stand on the podium as endurance championships return to American soil. The U.S. won an individual gold medal at every World Endurance Championship (WEC) from 1986 until 1998--Cassandra Schuler (1986), Becky Hart (1988,1990,1992), Valarie Kanavy (1994 & 1998) and Danielle Kanavy (1996). But in recent years the team has bowed to competitors from France, Spain and the United Arab Emirates.

Selection of US Horse/Rider Combos for the 2010 WEG is a multi step qualification and selection process. Each country is allowed five horse/riders, four Team and one Individual. The horse/rider combination must meet FEI Qualification for the 2010 WEG, formerly called a Certificate of Capability (COC) . Riders who have applied for WEG and attended one of the June Regional Selection Trials will be able to attend the final Observation Trial in August where 12 horses/riders will be chosen. The 12 horse/riders will travel to the Lexington area and remain in training while the final determination of the Five member Squad and the traveling reserve is made.

The top contender for a gold medal at WEG will be Spain’s Maria Alvarez Ponton, the first rider to hold both world and European titles at the same time on her 13-year-old French-bred gelding Nobby.

More...

Abu Dhabi: Team event introduced in Dh1.5m President's Cup

Gulfnews.com
By M. Satya Narayan, Senior Reporter
February 12, 2010

Twenty top riders from around the globe to take part in event



Abu Dhabi : Four cars and a prize fund of Dh1.5 million will be up for grabs in tomorrow's His Highness The President's Cup 160km endurance ride, which also sees the introduction of a team competition at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Adnan Sultan Saif Al Nuaimi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club said, "We have invited riders to form teams of four members each and the riding time of the three top finishers in each team will count for the competition.

"Twenty riders, invited from the US, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Hungary, Slovakia, Belgium and Poland will be taking part in the event which will be run in six stages," Al Nuaimi said.

"The Al Wathba Stud Farm, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, The Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage [ADACH], Bonyan International Investment Group LLC, Invest AD and Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition 2010 are supporting the event and we are thankful to them," he said.

Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Communications Director of ADACH, said, "Endurance riding is part of our heritage and culture and we are glad to be involved in this sport."

Lara Sawaya, Director of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Flat Racing said, "The Al Wathba Stud Farm is supporting this event which is one of the biggest endurance rides in the world. The introduction of the team competition will make it more interesting and lay the emphasis on team work."

2010 WEG: WEG ticket sales grow as international interest increases

Kentucky.com - Full Article

Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010

By Linda B. Blackford - lblackford@herald-leader.com

After a slow start to ticket sales to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, organizers say they're seeing an uptick, particularly from overseas.

"With the arrival of 2010, we are seeing a steady increase in sales each day as people around the world make their plans and purchase their tickets to the Games," said Jamie Link, CEO of the World Games Foundation, which is putting on the event at the Kentucky Horse Park from Sept. 25 to Oct. 10.

Ticket sales are at the 160,000 mark. That's still a long way from the available 600,000, but organizers say they believe tickets will continue to move as the event gets closer.

Currently, only competition tickets to the eight events are on sale. General admission tickets will go on sale in the spring. Despite the global recession, there is more interest from abroad, particularly Europe, where all previous World Equestrian Games have been held.

"We've really seen sales pick up from countries like Great Britain, France and Germany," said Terry Johnson, the vice-president of marketing. "We've also had a strong push from South Africa." There have also been ticket sales from Canada, Australia and Mexico, 50 countries in all.

Johnson said he wasn't sure exactly why South Africa was well-represented, except they will have athletes at the Games.

Interest in some events is intense. Games spokeswoman Amy Walker said two events — the final rounds of reining and dressage — are almost sold out. There are preliminary rounds for each event.

More...

Mongolia: Mongol Derby seeks jockeys

Eclipsemagazine.co.uk

11 February 2010

The Mongol Derby, the longest horse race in the world still has a few places left for its August 2010 race and is seeking jockeys or ex jockeys who might like to take part.

The Mongol Derby team have also just announced an innovative Veterinary Training Programme that aims to leave a lasting equine legacy in Mongolia.

More than 20 local vets will be trained to become part of the international team of equine experts that will ensure the welfare of the 1000 semi-wild horses taking part in the race across the Mongolian steppe.

Led by four star accredited FEI vet Jenny Weston, the specialist training will also leave a legacy that will benefit other events and races in a country renowned for its love of horses.

"The training will cover exercise physiology and the types of conditions that you see in horses involved in endurance riding and the long-distance horse racing that is a part of Mongolian culture," explains Jenny. "This will benefit not only the horses involved in the Mongol Derby but also the many thousands involved in the annual Nadaam festival."

The training is part of a comprehensive horse welfare program including pre-race training for the riders led by Maggie Pattinson, Chef d'Equipe of the British Home International Endurance Team.

The race format is based on Chinngis Khaan's legendary postal system which could relay messages thousands of miles in a matter of days. Horse stations manned by nomadic families are established at intervals of 40km or less along the course and riders change horses and undergo veterinary inspections at each one.

The Mongol Derby is a joint venture led by British company The Adventurists with Mongolia based Tengri Group and backed by the Mongolian government's Ministry of Agriculture who acclaim the Mongolian Derby as "having great potential to develop our country".

Dr. Orgil, Director of the Ministry of Agriculture's Veterinary Unit and the Chief Equine Vet in Mongolia said the 2009 Mongol Derby was a "huge success...a brand new sport tourism variety".

Applications are open now to adventurous riders from around the world. More information about the world's longest and toughest horse and how to apply can be found on the official website: http://www.mongolderby.com

Fast Facts about the Mongol Derby

* 25 riders started the 2009 race, 23 finished and they raised £71,000 for official charity Mercy Corps' projects in Mongolia
* Aged from 21 to 65, the 2009 riders came from 8 different countries including Argentina, Sweden and South Africa. 12 of the riders were female
* Less than 2% of the 700 horses that took part in 2009 required treatment which was all minor first aid
* The riders averaged 100 km per day at about 10 km/hr in 2009
* On cooler days some riders managed about 140 km in a day on the better days, at an average speed of 14 km/hr
* Horses outnumber the population of Mongolia by 7 to 1!
* Marco Polo wrote that in the 13th century 300,000 horses were posted at horse stations across the great Khaan's empire

The Netherlands: Van Wijk en Romer aan start in Abu Dhabi

Horses.nl

11/02/2010 09:23

Endurance amazones Jannet van Wijk met Zaira Star en Carmen Romer met Eddie trainen op dit moment in de woestijn in Abu Dhabi. Zaterdag 13 februari komen de amazones aan start bij de Presidentcup in de Verenigde Arabische Emiraten.

De 160 kilometer lange wedstrijd begint zaterdag om 6.00 uur lokale tijd (Nederlandse tijd 3.00 uur ’s nachts) bij het 'Emirates International Endurance Village' in Al Wathba. In de wedstrijd is Phase 4 het interessantst omdat de route over zandduinen gaat, het overige parcours gaat over vrij vlakke gedeelten in de woestijn.

Jannet van Wijk heeft de afgelopen maanden getraind op snelheid en haar doel is om deze wedstrijd met een goed gemiddelde te finishen. Het is voor Zaira Star pas haar tweede 160-km-wedstrijd, maar de merrie is in goede conditie. De paarden zijn ondergebracht in koele en luchtige stallen. Er starten slechts dertien ruiters van buiten het Midden-Oosten.


Jannet van Wijk riding Zaira Star, and Carmen Romer riding Eddie R, is currently training in the desert in Abu Dhabi. On Saturday, February 13, the ladies will participate in the Presidents Cup in the United Arab Emirates.

The 160 kilometer long race starts Saturday at 6:00 pm local time (3.00 hours Dutch time at night) at the "Emirates International Endurance Village" in Al Wathba. In Phase 4 the game is interesting because the route goes over sand dunes, the trail takes other relatively flat areas in the desert.

Jannet van Wijk has recently trained in speed and its purpose is to match this with a good average to finish. It was only Zaira Star's second 160-km-race, but the mare is in good condition. The horses were housed in cool and airy stables. It started only thirteen riders from outside the Middle East.