UAE: Shaikh Hamdan clinches crown

Gulf-daily-news.com

February 28, 2010

THE UAE's Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum was the overall winner of the Giants Endurance Challenge held yesterday at Dubai Endurance City (ECN) in Seih Assalam.

Some of the best riders from Bahrain and the UAE competed in the deciding ride of the championship which was over 160km and also a qualifier for next year's World Endurance Games in Kentucky, the US.

It was the third and final round in the challenge which started in Abu Dhabi, then continued in Bahrain. The first three stages of yesterday's ride were hit by a desert storm, which forced the elimination of several riders.

Riding Dean, Shaikh Hamdan completed this six-stage ride on top in five hours, 59 minutes and 53 seconds with a 23.17km per second speed average.

Shaikh Hamdan, the Dubai Crown Prince, was followed by Fredrick Zobairi (6:14:05) of Spain in second place while Majed Al Jahori (6:14:12) of the UAE's Al Ain Stable came third.

Bahrain were spearheaded by three riders, led by Royal Endurance Team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who pulled out during the third stage after his horse picked up an injury.

Other Bahraini participants were Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president and captain of Al Khaldiya Stable Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who also withdrew in the fifth and penultimate stage due to similar circumstances.

Abdulhaq Qadoor (8:34:04), the most experienced rider among the Bahraini participants, was the only local entrant to complete the race in 14th place.

Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, was also out of the race in the fourth stage as his horse Sas Alexis suffered an injury.

It was, however, Shaikh Mohammed who started the ride in style, leading the riders at the end of the stage in one hour, eight minutes and 49 seconds. Not far behind was Jaume Punti Dachs (1:08:52), riding Au De, in second place and Shaikh Hamdan (1:09:58) third.

Shaikh Mohammed maintained his momentum in the second stage to keep his lead with a total ride time of 2:14:43. Dachs (2:16:24) also kept his second position while Shaikh Majed, brother of Shaikh Hamdan, (2:16:55) moved up to third.In the third stage, Shaikh Mohammed stayed third in 3:18:31 and ahead of Shaikh Hamdan (3:25:33) who climbed to second and ahead of third-placer Shaikh Majed (3:25:42).

Shaikh Hamdan took over the lead from Shaikh Mohammed at the end of the fourth stage with a total ride time of 4:38:43.

Mubarak Al Belooshi (4:41:54) improved on his standing to claim second place, then Shaikh Majid (4:47:08) came third.

Since then, Shaikh Hamdan never looked back as he remained on top in the fifth stage, which he completed in 5:24:50 and kept his rhythm in the six and final stage to win the title.

After yesterday's race, the top three riders were honoured at the prize-giving ceremony, which took place at the Dubai Endurance City.

The ceremony was attended by His Majesty King Hamad who presented the prizes to the winners in the presence of Shaikh Mohammed and other senior UAE equestrian federation officials.

Upon arrival, His Majesty was welcomed by Shaikh Mohammed, Shaikh Nasser, Shaikh Khalid, senior officials and race organisers.

On this occasion, His Majesty, Shaikh Nasser and Shaikh Khalid congratulated Shaikh Hamdan on his victory and wishing others success in future competitions.

His Majesty also hailed the efforts of the race organisers, noting that the championship has witnessed a strong brotherly competition between Bahraini and UAE riders, reflecting the strong ties bonding both countries.

Click HERE for photos by Osama Mohammed.

Sport Horse Vet Symposium to Run with WEG

TheHorse.com
February 26 2010, Article # 15892

Promoting peak performance in the equine athlete through proper healthcare will be the focus of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Veterinary Sport Horse Symposium, to be held Sept. 22-24 at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort in Lexington, Ky. The symposium is presented by Alltech, the American Association of Equine Practitioners, and Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital.

The three-day education meeting is designed for veterinarians who treat horses involved in sport horse disciplines, such as eventing, reining, endurance, show jumping, driving, and dressage. An international roster of veterinary experts will present the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of conditions commonly affecting the sport horse. Sessions topics will include orthopedics, diagnostic imaging, nutrition, upper respiratory disease, podiatry, and muscle disease.

"Veterinarians are well served in all disciplines to understand as much as possible about the factors affecting the performance of the competitors in their care," said Alan Ruggles, DVM, Dipl. ACVS, of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. "The symposium program brings together the leaders in many facets of equine clinical practice that determine a horse's performance at any given event."

Bayer Health Care--Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Intervet Schering-Plough Animal Health, and Luitpold are sponsoring the symposium.

Complete sport horse symposium program and hotel information. Contact Elaine Souers of Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital at esouers@roodandriddle.com or 859/233-0371 for more information.

In addition to this symposium, a one-day seminar for horse owners will be held at the Embassy Suites in Lexington on Friday, Sept. 24.

France: Florac Ride Candidate for European Championship 2011

160florac-lee.com

The French Equestrian Federation has chosen the 35th edition of the 160-km Florac ride to present France's candidacy for the organisation of the European Championship 2011. Subject to the FEI’s acceptance, the Florac 160-km ride in 2010, which will be run over a new course, will be the pre-ride for Florac 2011.

Lozere Endurance Equestre (LEE), the association organising the Florac ride, has specially designed a course for this European Championship made up of a series of point-to-point phases, forming one large loop, in keeping with the traditional values of endurance: stamina, horsemanship, sports ethic, respect for the horse's physical well-being and morale.

We are of course maintaining the usual programme: : 90 km and 130km rides, breed shows, stallion parade as well as THE les 160-km de Florac® ride.
This 2010 edition, 24th July, the pre-ride, will be one of the last qualifier competitions in Europe for the Kentucky WEG.

For more information, and a schedule for this year's ride, see www.160florac-lee.com

Ireland launches new equestrian brand

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

February 26, 2010

Horse Sport Ireland has launched its 'Team Ireland Equestrian' brand, which will be worn by all Irish equestrian riders across all Olympic disciplines up to London 2012.

The logo, which is a shamrock consisting of three horse shoes, was developed by Horse Sport Ireland as part of a major drive to market Ireland's equestrian teams to sponsors and the general public.

Horse Sport Ireland Chairman Joe Walsh said that the new concept had been developed over the past year by HSI to create a single identity for Irish teams across all of the FEI disciplines of show jumping, eventing, dressage, para-equestrian, carriage driving, endurance, reining and vaulting.

The launch was a new beginning for the sport in Ireland. "We have outstanding riders in this country and with top class coaches and structures in place we can take on the world. It is time for people to get behind our riders, our horses and Team Ireland Equestrian," he said.

"Last year we had 480 riders who represented Ireland in international competition with huge success and I believe that our riders, breeders and owners deserve more credit for their achievements on the world stage," he said.

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Dubai: Endurance City hosts weekend rides

Gulfnews.com

Region's best riders to compete in final round of Giants Endurance Challenge

Staff Report
February 26, 2010



Dubai: This will be a busy weekend for endurance riders with two rides scheduled to be held at Dubai International Endurance City (DIEC).

The ECN 90km Endurance Ride for Ladies will take place Friday, and will run over four loops.

Tomorrow, some of the best riders in the UAE will compete in the final round of the Giants Endurance Challenge, a CEI three star ride over 160km. It is the third and final round in the challenge which started in Abu Dhabi, then continued in Bahrain.

Throughout this challenge, the participants have been accumulating points, as the rider and horse with the most will be the overall winner. This ride has a reputation of attracting the region's best, and is restricted to riders whose body weight is 75kgs without a saddle. The ride will consists of six loops: red, blue, yellow, green, pink and white and the first inspection will take place today from 3pm to 5pm.

General Manager of the Dubai Equestrian Club, Ali Mousa Al Khamiri said: "We are very grateful to Abu Dhabi and Bahrain to give us the honour of hosting the final round of the Giants Endurance Challenge here at Dubai International Endurance City, and we would like to thank Abu Dhabi and Bahrain for their participation. We also expect this ride to be a very tough one due to the higher FEI Rating and the longer distance."

"We are truly grateful to His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who has been a key role in supporting all equestrian sports and Endurance in particular through the years.

2010 FEI Horse and Rider Registration

2010 FEI HORSE AND RIDER REGISTRATION
USEF

The FEI has implemented a new procedure for FEI Registration that states any horse or rider that is not registered before they compete will be disqualified. FEI Article 113 will be strictly applied and all Athletes/Horses must be registered prior to taking part in an FEI event. FEI organizers should be checking the FEI registration for horses and riders and should not allow anyone to compete without them. If such registration is not completed, the Athlete/Horse will be disqualified in accordance with the applicable article. If you are renewing an FEI registration you can complete it online at USEF www.usef.org by signing into your USEF Login. NOTE: The FEI considers the Riders/Drivers/Vaulters as the Person Responsible for ensuring that their registration and the registration of their horse is complete prior to competing. The processing of FEI registration can take up to 4 weeks so if you need your number right away there is a RUSH service that you can request for an additional $30.00. If you have any questions or concerns regarding FEI Registration please contact Ashley Sabo at 859-225-6989 or via e-mail at asabo@usef.org.

ATHLETES' AND HORSES' REGISTRATIONS FOR 2010
AND THE VALIDATION OF RESULTS
Referring to the General Regulations Art 113, as per below:

Article 113 - Registration of Athletes and Horses

All Athletes and Horses must be registered with the FEI, unless otherwise specified by the Sport Rules and with their own or, where appropriate, their host NF before they can be permitted to take part in an International Event. (See also Article 119 - Sport Nationality Status of Athletes and Chapter V Horses).
NFs are responsible for registering all Athletes and Horses and shall ensure that such Athletes have the appropriate corresponding sport nationality.
Any Athlete and/or any Horse who is not registered with the FEI shall be automatically disqualified.
The registration system is linked to the results publications.

Australia: Riders and their mounts show skills at testing endurance run

Maitlandmercury.com.au - Full Article
JAMES LAW
24 Feb, 2010 08:26 AM

Horses and their riders were put to the test last weekend in a twilight endurance ride at Glen William, near Clarence Town.

Rachel Haskins from the Williams Valley Endurance Riders Club was impressed with 137 entries, especially because this was the first time a race of this kind had been held in the Dungog Shire in more than 20 years.

The 80km trek through scenic countryside tested the endurance, strength and stamina of both the horses and riders, and attracted participants from as far as Berry, Coffs Harbour and Dubbo.

The race kicked off at 2.30pm on Saturday to ensure the ride was not run in the hottest part of the day.

The highlight of the course was the climb to the top of McDougalls Hill, which presented views to the Stockton sand dunes and across to the Barrington Tops.

The winner completed the circuit in five hours and 52 minutes, while the last horse crossed the line at 1am on Sunday, after 10 hours of riding. Eighty-three per cent of the participants finished the course.

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