Malaysia: Tuanku Mizan Leads Local Riders In Endurance Challenge

Bernama.com

SETIU, Nov 6 (Bernama) -- The Yang Di-pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin leads 51 local riders in the fifth edition of the Sultan's Cup Terengganu Endurance Challenge held at the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP), Lembah Bidong, here.

The 2010 Sultan's Cup was flagged off by Seri Paduka Raja Permaisuri Agong Tuanku Nur Zahirah at 5.30pm Saturday.

This year's competition is jointly organised by the Terengganu state government and the Royal Terengganu Endurance Stable (RTES).

A total of 68 participants from nine countries including Australia, Chile, United States, France, Indonesia and Uruguay are taking part in the competition.

Malaysia is represented by the Ar-Raudah Equine Centre, The Langkawi Endurance Stable, Masterscaff Endurance Team, Tengku Mahkota Kelantan Endurance Team and the Perlis TSAB Stable among others.

The winner will receive RM30,000 cash and an Amaswiss watch while the first runner and second runner up stand to win RM20,000 and RM15,000 respectively.

Tuanku Mizan was instrumental in establishng the Sultan's Cup Terengganu Endurance Challenge as a pre-cursor to the 2008 FEI World Endurance Championship, held for the first time in Asia.

The annual event has made it into the country's equestrian and tourism calendar and now attracts riders and visitors from around the world.

The three-day event is filled with a two-day carnival themed 'Karnival Kuda Bersongket' with stage shows by local artistes, cultural and handicraft workshops, and an outdoor cinema, held for the first time in Terengganu.

The Sultan's Cup 2010 is a CEI endurance race run over 120km of undulating terrain with a time limit of 12 hours. Including holding time totalling 210 minutes at the first four vet gates.

The first phase is 30km, second phase is 25km, third phase is 20km, fourth is 25 and the fifth and final phase is 20km.

The minimum weight for riders is 75 kilogrammes and the first 10 horses finishing within one hour of the first placed horse will be eligible for the Best Conditioned Horse Award.

-- BERNAMA

Morocco: Royal Bahrain team set for Rabat ride

Gulf-daily-news.com

Friday, November 05, 2010

BAHRAIN's top riders Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa arrived in Rabat, Morocco yesterday to lead the Royal Endurance Team at the Morocco-Bahrain Endurance Horseride Championship.

The ride, set to take place tomorrow at the Dar Es Salam Forest, will be organised for the first time by the Moroccan Equestrian Federation in co-operation with the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef).

Shaikh Nasser, the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports president and chief of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, said he was pleased with the ongoing preparations at the venue of the ride.

He highlighted the significance of the championship which underlines the strong ties linking Bahrain and Morocco.

Shaikh Nasser praised the efforts of the organising committee to make this first-ever championship an all-round success.

Both Shaikh Nasser and Shaikh Khalid, the council's first vice-president and Breef president, reached the Dar Es Salam Forest and inspected its facilities and the Bahraini team's horses.

The Royal Endurance Team pair also underwent their first training session with other members of the team under fair weather conditions.

Meanwhile, this ride has been approved in the calendar of the International Equestrian Federation and will be organised on an annual basis, it was announced yesterday.

During a Press conference held at the Royal Moroccan Federation in Rabat, the organisers announced the ride and other technical details to the public.

The conference was attended by Breef general secretary Ghalib Al Alawi, assistant general secretary Dr Khalid Hassan, Shaikh Nasser's Media and Information Centre director Tawfiq Salehi and secretary Hameed Faridi of Morocco.

The veterinary examination is set for today, just 24 hours before the start of the ride. The inspection sessions for horses will be conducted by a specialised team of veterinarians from the International Equestrian Federation. Dr Yassine Motemri of Tunisia is the president of the veterinary commission.

Other veterinarians are Dr Khalid Al Razaiqi of Oman, Dr Caonabo Melo of the Dominican Republic and Bahrain's Dr Ebrahim Yousef, Dr Fareeda Abdul Razaq, Dr Sabah Al Kabie and Dr Abdelrahman Abu Shook.

The organising committee is being headed by Moroccan Equestrian Federation president Princess Lalla Amina.

Breef general secretary Ghalib Al Alawi was named head of the grounds jury which also includes Bahraini officials Abdulghani Al Moosta, Ali Ghuloom and Mahdi Al Kalaiti.

Mohammed Dadulla is the foreign technical delegate, the chief steward is Mahmood Hasan of Bahrain while other strwards are Fahad Al Rumaihi and Abdulla Al Romaihi, also of Bahrain.

Top riders from Bahrain and Morocco are taking part in the event, which covers a total distance of 120km.

It will feature five stages, starting with 30km for the first stage. The second will be over 25km, the third 30km, the fourth 20km and the fifth 15km.

Princess Haya retains leadership of FEI

Khaleejtimes.com - Full Article

5 November 2010,
Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai was today re-elected as President of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the international governing body of equestrian sports.

In a strong show of confidence in her leadership, Princess Haya defeated two other candidates, Sven Holmberg (Sweden) and Henk Rottinghuis (Netherlands), to win a second four-year term in voting at the FEI General Assembly in Chinese Taipei. In a vote of 124 National Federations (out of 133 who were eligible), Princess Haya won the support of 90 National Federations from around the world, compared to 23 for Holmberg and 11 for Rottinghuis.

Princess Haya announced Her decision to seek a second term in March after several FEI nation groups and Federations urged her to do so. Princess Haya was first elected as President of the FEI in May 2006, on a commitment to modernise the organisation. She was the first FEI President to win a contested election.

More than 80 per cent of the deliverables outlined in her original manifesto were implemented in her first term, including significant improvements in communications, marketing, animal welfare, FEI finances, grassroots development and liaison with national federations. In her first act in office, she initiated a reform that established a two-term of four-year limit for the Presidency.

“Thank you so much for your confidence and trust. I promise that I won’t let you down..."

Read more here:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/Displayarticle08.asp?section=newsmakers&xfile=data/newsmakers/2010/November/newsmakers_November11.xml

International Bahrain Morocco Endurance Championship

HM King Hamad Arrives in Rabat
date: 04 11, 2010

Rabat, Nov. 4. (BNA) His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa arrived here today on a visit to Morocco where he will attend the opening of the First International Bahrain Morocco Endurance Horseride Championship held within the framework of bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
HM King Hamad was received at the airport by Prince Moulay Rachid with whom he exchanged cordial talks on the distinguished Bahraini-Moroccan relations. Then, two detachments of the Moroccan Royal Guard greeted HM King Hamad. Rabat-Sale Governor Zemmour Zair, Bahraini Ambassador to Morocco Shaikh Khalid bin Salman Al Khalifa and the Bahraini Embassy's senior officials were also present .

Bahrain: Royal riders step up preparations

Gulf-daily-news.com

Monday, November 01, 2010


BAHRAIN'S Royal Endurance Team members stepped up their preparations for the Endurance Horseride Championship in Rabat, set to take place on Friday at 3pm (Bahrain time).

The event, to be held under the patronage of Chairwoman of the Moroccan Equestrian Federation (MEF) Princess Lalla Amina, will be the first joint endurance ride involving riders from Bahrain and Morocco.

The Bahraini team's participation is in line with the directives issued by His Majesty King Hamad.

Leading the Bahraini team at this event is the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports president and Bahrain Olympic Committee chief Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

The team also includes Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa and other prominent Bahaini riders.

The championship will take place at the Endurance Village of the MEF near the Moroccan University.

The ride consists of 120 kms divided into five stages. The first stage will be over 30 kms, the second over 25 kms, the third over 30kms, the fourth over 20 kms and the fifth and final stage will be over 15 kms.

This ride, to be organised for the first time, has been approved by the International Equestrian Federation.

Commenting on this occasion, Shaikh Nasser said he is happy with the present preparations at the venue and confident of success.

Significance

He added that the hard work put up by the organisers underlines the significance of this ride, and the keenness of the Moroccan Equestrian Federation, under the presidency of Princess Lalla Amina, to make this event an all round success.

Shaikh Nasser also confirmed that members of the Bahrain team have prepared themselves well ahead of the championship, adding that his side have come to Rabat to win top awards.

On his part, Shaikh Khalid highlighted the significant efforts of Princess Lalla Amina in the development of equestrian and endurance activities in Morocco.

Shaikh Khalid, who is also vice-president of the Supreme Council fro Youth and Sports, confirmed that this ride will be a new era of co-operation between the Bahrain and Moroccan Equestrian Federations.

Meanwhile, Princess Lalla Amina met with members of the Bahrain delegations in Rabat.

During the meeting, both parties discussed means of co-operation and co-ordination to take the strong ties between Bahrain and Morocco a step further.

Shaikh Nasser's Media and Information Centre's director Tawfiq Salehi also had a successful meeting with officials from the Moroccan Television Corporation and agreed to broadcast the ride live on Bahrain Sports Channel.

France: Horse centre gives Deauville a sporting chance to excel

Normandyadvertiser.fr - Full Article

By Alice Cannet on November 1, 2010

A new state-of-the-art equestrian centre will give horse fans, riders and breeders even more of a reason to come to Deauville when it opens later this month. Alice Cannet spoke to its new director, Antoine Sinniger, about his passion for horses, and getting Normandy ready to host the World Equestrian Games in 2014…

Deauvlle is looking to reinforce its reputation as the horse capital of Normandy with the launch of a new e11m equestrian centre covering everything from leisure and sport to breeding.

The Pôle International should become a pilot for other sites of its kind in France. It welcomed its first students in September and will be officially inaugurated during three days of celebrations from November 12-14...

Read more here:
http://www.normandyadvertiser.fr/2010/11/horse-centre-gives-deauville-a-sporting-chance-to-excel/

Bahrain: Singh wins first ride of season

Gulf-daily-news.com

Posted on » Sunday, October 31, 2010


GURDEN Singh, riding Oak Glen Seacrest, won a hotly contested Breef Season Opening Endurance Ride, which concluded early yesterday morning at Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The 80-kilometre event saw up to three riders battling it out for victory, and in the end only 20 seconds separated first place from third.

The race was organised by the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef), under the leadership of Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

The ride acted as a qualifying event for future endurance races. It also aimed to attract new riders to the sport, and assist existing competitors in their preparations for the upcoming national season.

The event's total distance was split into three stages, 30 kms each for the first and second legs, and 20 kms over the final stage.

Singh, from Bahrain, won with a total ride time of three hours, 19 minutes and 42 seconds. He narrowly clinched first place ahead of runner-up Sumer Singh Jagmal of India, who finished just three seconds behind. Jagmal was riding Zayed Shakhan.

Both were among the top three heading into the ride's final leg, when Abdulhak Kaddouri, also of Bahrain, was in front. But they later overtook Kaddouri, who was riding Jamaal. Kaddouri was forced to settle for third place as he finished 20 seconds off Singh's time.

Isa Abdulla Ali Al Hazza, riding Nahar, was a distant fourth in 4:25:52. Othman Abduljalil Awadhi came fifth in 4:25:58.

Riding

In sixth place with a total ride time of 4:28:57 was Saud Fawzi Isa Al Doseri riding Arsley House Aurelius, seventh in 4:29:01 was Ahmed Jamal Al Dosseri on Khalil El Nerak, and eight in 4:29:03 was Fuad Hassan Bastaki riding Dim Dam.

Mohammed Abdulaziz Al Mishkhas on Maraka (4:30:31) and Ali Abdulla Busafar on Hanneliza Baron Hanneliza (4:33:20) rounded out the top 10.

Sixty riders were in the fray when the race was flagged off late on Friday afternoon. Only 31 completed the entire 80 kms distance.

Photos by Osama Mohammed here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/ridecamp/BahrainBREEFOpeningSeasonChampionship80KmRoyalTeam103010?pli=1&gsessionid=vtq9btXxC9FXmpvI8Ei3YA#