Philippines: Bohol sports set for kingly spectacle in nat’l horse race

Theboholstandard.com - Full Article

Tagbilaran City, Bohol, Philippines

May 22 2011

National and local horse racers will compete late this week in the first-ever Governor’s Cup for the equestrian class, elevating Bohol sports to a spectacle staged just for the amazement and joy of only the kings and nobility in ancient time.

Although modern racing exists notably because it is a major venue for legalized gambling generating in 2008 alone a worldwide market worth $115 billion, the horse match here likewise intends to make the sport motivate livestock breeding for livelihood.

The event dubbed the “Governor’s Cup: Survive Bohol 2 – A Horse Competition and Endurance Race” is set for thrill on the Bohol Island State University (BISU) grounds in Bilar starting Friday, May 27, until Sunday.

Skillful jockeys with their prized horses, known trainers, breeders and even just mere lovers of the swift animal from Manila, Cebu, Davao, Bukidnon and Cagayan de Oro are coming for the event that is truly rare in this part of the country.

Gov. Edgar Chatto will lead in gracing the opening of the three-day horse derby initiated by the Bohol Horse Riding Club, Inc. (BHRCI) in cooperation with the provincial government, Department of Agriculture – Ubay Stock Farm, BISU, and the LGUs of Bilar, Dimiao and Calape.

The competition kicks off in a 12-hour 80-kilometer endurance race from BISU in barangay Zamora in Bilar to Dimao and vice versa, making as a fit horse track the rugged road that cuts across hills.

Endurance race is much like a marathon, often with multi-day rides which fastest time claims the crown.

Endurance racing began in California in 1955, and the first race marked the start of the Tevis Cup, a 100-mile one-day-long ride.

The world’s longest endurance ride is Australia’s Shahzada 400 Km Memorial Test done in five days. In all endurance events there are rigorous veterinary checks before, during and after the competition...

Read more here:
http://www.theboholstandard.com/psection.php?issue=214&s1=3660&s2=3662&s3=3666&s4=1099&s5=3675&s6=&s7=1098&s8=1097&s9=&s10=&s11=&s12=1100&s13=&s14=&s15=3672

Horse Welfare on the Mongol Derby

Horsehero.com - Full Story

20 May 2011

Jenny Weston, head vet on the 2011 Mongol Derby, is interviewed by Derby organiser Katie Willings exclusively for Horse Hero. Her answers provide an extraordinary insight into horse culture in Mongolia and the organisation of horse welfare on the 1000 km race.

Question: You are a 4* accredited FEI vet and have a great deal of experience vetting at high profile endurance rides. How does the Mongol Derby compare to an FEI endurance event?

"To complete is to win!"

Answer: The Mongol Derby is similar to endurance riding in general with the motto "to complete is to win" pretty much upper most in the minds of most of the competitors. As always there are those few who truly do want to win but for most it is about seeing the countryside, spending time with the horse and testing yourself. In endurance there isn’t supposed to be outside assistance and there is a marked track – that is very different in Mongolia! Vets and race organisers will come to your aid if called upon, the riders constantly assist each other, and the locals will give up their bed for you (literally) if you turn up at their ger in the evening. There is no marked track – it is all navigated by GPS. The vetting criteria for pre-ride selection and post-ride evaluation, however, are very close to those used in FEI endurance rides. Heart rate recovery parameters are the same – 64 bpm within 30 minutes, and this is for horses whose resting HR is usually considerably higher than a fully fit endurance horse. We also assess hydration of the horse and gait, to check that the horse is fine to be returned to its owner after having been ridden.

The difficulty for the rider lies with the fact that they are riding unfamiliar horses – how do you assess whether the horse is tired or just lazy, when you don’t know how it normally behaves?...

Read more here:
http://www.horsehero.com/editorial/?feat=66100

UAE: Legendary Emirati jockey gallops down memory lane

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Aziz Al Redha recalls his best memories as a pioneering amateur jockey in the UAE

* By Leslie Wilson Jr, Racing & Special Features Writer
* Published: 00:01 May 22, 2011

Dubai: It's not everyday that you get to sit down and have a lively and enlightening conversation with a pioneering jockey turned avid racehorse trainer — especially when you've been a fan of the sport for as far as you can remember.

So, when I got the chance to meet Aziz Al Redha, one of the greats of horse racing in the UAE, the encounter gave me an understanding of just how important a role he has played given the context and prominent position that the sport now enjoys.

It did not take me long to realise that even after 30 odd years in the business, Al Redha is just as obsessed with horses, and on winning, as he ever was. After we talked shop about the "good old times" and the growth that the sport has benefited from, he answered some burning questions with anecdotes and witty comebacks.

Comfort levels

We began to share a bond and it helped strengthen my comfort levels at the risk of being spontaneous. This provoked me to explore his love for the sport of endurance, which seems an unusual destination for somebody who was passionately involved in racehorses.

"This is entirely different to what I did for 20 years in racing. Now I'm running my own small yard mainly for endurance," he said. "I got into endurance out of coincidence, by just playing around with some retired race horses. As the sport was becoming popular in the UAE I thought I'll have a go and learn something. I had a trial and error attitude to it all. But alhamdulilla [All praise is due to Allah] we've been pretty successful.

"I train mainly for my daughter Laila who is a good rider and a serious [competitor]. We — my wife and I — taught her since she was three. She's done dressage and jumping before she got into endurance, so she has the right balance, the handling and the feel," Al Redha explains. "Endurance doesn't teach you that, nor does a riding school. To be a good endurance rider you have got to be relaxed and you can only be relaxed if you are confident..."

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/legendary-emirati-jockey-gallops-down-memory-lane-1.811043

Great Britain: Mary King completes endurance ride

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

May 17, 2011

The punch in the air from Mary King as she crossed the finishing line was familiar. But this time she was completing her first taste of endurance riding, choosing the tough terrain of Exmoor for her debut.

King, who jumped from the saddle and minutes later was dashing away for a journey to France for a three-star horse trial at Saumur, had accepted an invitation from the famous Golden Horseshoe Ride to negotiate the first 40km (25 miles) of an 80km (50 mile) competition.

And she completed at 12.8kph, fast enough to be listed among the possibles for a Gold award had she completed the second day at a similar speed with her horse clear of veterinary penalties.

King was riding Mellow Jazz, a 15hh Arabian gelding who in 2004 competed on a British team in France and is owned by Karen Jones from Culmstock, Devon. "He was wonderful out on the moor, very tough and so nimble," King said afterwards...

Read more here:
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2011/05/131.shtml

IV Raid du Luxembourge

The 4th edition of the Raid du Luxembourg will be held 25 June, 2011, near Schweich.

Distances:
20 km, 30 km, 40 km (2 loops of 20 km)

60 km (2 loops of 30 km)

80 km (3 loops of 30 km - 30 km - 20 km)

CEI * 100 km
(Sunday) with 4 loops of 30 km - 30 km - 20 km - 20 km

CEI** 120 km (Saturday)
with 4 loops of 35 km - 35 km - 30 km - 20 km

President of the ground jury: Paule Pietroni
President of the veterinary commission: Dr. Jean-Marc Lamolle
Foreign Veterinary: Dr. Marcello Conte

Organisateur: Valy Schmartz

Contact par téléphone:
+ 352 621 621 739

Contact par email:
enduranceluxembourg@yahoo.fr

More information at:
http://www.wix.com/enduranceluxembourg/2011#!

Great Britain: European hopefuls aim to catch eye of selectors

Thisiscornwall.co.uk - Full Article

Friday, May 13, 2011, 09:59

Fresh from her historic one-two in Kentucky, eventing champion Mary King will join riders from all over the country when she makes her endurance debut in a ride over Exmoor on May 16. She will be escorted by endurance Young Rider champion Abby Chisholm when she rides the first 25 miles of the famous Golden Horseshoe 160k (100 miles) course, which has attracted riders such as six times Welsh national team member Mary Korn and 20-year-old Carri Ann Dark, who has competed in the Young Rider World championships.

The Golden Horseshoe Ride, held over three days and starting on May 15, is held over the very demanding terrain of Exmoor, and with the European Endurance Championships scheduled for later in the year over similar country in France, it is likely that riders hoping to catch the eye of selectors could include it in their work-up programme.

Experienced international endurance riders include Karen Jones and Tricia Hirst together with World Equestrian Games British team members Christine Yeoman and her brother-in-law David. Christine, David and Karen will all start in the Exmoor Stag class, to ride 120k (75 miles) over two days. Tricia will compete in the Exmoor Experience, which is 80k (50 miles) over two days. Twelve riders will start in the 160k (100 miles) class, among them three who already hold Bronze and Silver awards from previous years – Gillian Talbot from Chepstow, Alison House, based in Glastonbury, and Anthony Sargent, who lives in Dorchester.

More:
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/sport/European-hopefuls-aim-catch-eye-selectors/article-3553565-detail/article.html

Australia: Remarkable horse, remarkable rider have staying power

manly-daily.whereilive.com.au - Full Article

13 May 11 @ 09:27pm by Brenton Cherry

MOST people approaching 70 could be forgiven for wanting to take it easy. Not Denis White.

Instead of putting his feet up, the Ingleside resident trained like a marathon runner to compete in the Cedar Ridge 80km Endurance race at Oberon over the Easter long weekend.

And he wasn’t just there for a scenic ride. On Jasali Shataan he beat a field of 86 other riders in a time of 4 hours, 51 min 22 sec - more than 40 minutes ahead of his nearest competitor.

It was his first endurance event in six years...

Read more here:
http://manly-daily.whereilive.com.au/news/story/remarkable-horse-remarkable-rider-have-staying-power/