Australia: KER-Supported Endurance Rider Sam Marquis Returns from Injury

KER.com - full article

Six years ago, life dealt avid horsewoman Sam Marquis a devastating blow.

A horse-related accident left Marquis with severe back pain. Physicians performed spinal surgery, a procedure that left her with residual back pain and only partial use of her lower extremities. A second surgery a year ago provided hope that a less painful future was possible, and indeed riding once again figures prominently in her life.

After her spinal injuries, Marquis started a business called Helping Hand in which she helps people regain their confidence around horses after accidents. One of her clients, Simone Jelic, decided she wanted to learn more about endurance riding, and Marquis was the perfect person to instruct her...

Read more here:
http://www.ker.com/news/2011/07/ker-supported-endurance-rider.html

China: British Rider Attends Endurance Event

BBS.horse.org.cn - Full Article

6 July 2011

A SPEECH FROM MR. RICHARD ALLEN, AN ENDURANCE EVENT PROFESSIONAL FROM UK

Mr. Richard Allen came from a farm nearby London of U.K., where he has trained up Arabian horses for endurance competitions. He had visited China twice for endurance competitions on China horses, last year, the Yinchuan endurance competion, and now the Yili Chaosu endurance competition.

On the competitors welcoming meeting, he was invited to have a speech before all the competitors. I considered him a respectable trainer and mentor for the endurance event, therefore, I am glad to have his speech written below for those who are interested in endurance events and for those who love horses:-

QUOTE:

Good morning. Thank you for inviting me to talk to you today. It is a great honour.

This is my second visit to China. The first was last year when, thanks to the organization of Mr. Wu(乌扎拉先生), I was able to go to Yinchuan and be the first European to ride endurance in this country. In Yinchuan, I was given a tough little stallion to ride. Although he had no shoes, no special feed, and no special training, he was in good health and went fast and safe for 90 kms. For the first time I understood how good such a horse can be, and ever since I have had great respect for the Chinese horses.

Now, thanks to the generosity of my friend Mr. David Ha (夏海鸥先生), I am back in China to ride endurance in the Yili valley - one of the most beautiful places on earth. To ride beneath the amazing Tian Shan(天山), and experience the "four seasons in one day", is a very special privilege, and I must say again how grateful I am to be given this opportunity.

The Yili valley (伊犁超苏）is not just beautiful, I also think it is a perfect place to produce endurance horses. This is because you have two great assets.

The first, of course, is your horses. You have a lot of them! I have never seen so many horses in one place as were at the opening ceremony. And these horses are obviously blessed with two qualities an endurance horse needs: stamina and toughness. Just like my Yinchuan horse, my horse here was small and did not look very strong, but he surprised me with his ability to carry me for two days - I am not a small man, and I have eaten a lot of noodles...

Read more here:
http://bbs.horse.org.cn/viewthread.php?tid=79757&page=1&extra=#pid385397pid385397

Poland: Wild Finish in Distance Equestrian Race

Heigo Rohtla with Jethro ( Photo: Külli Rohtla ) News.err.ee

By Kristopher Rikken

A collision with a deer in the heat of competition did not keep Estonian equestrian Heigo Rohtla and his horse Jethro off the pedestal at an international endurance riding competition in Poland, although the freak accident may have spoiled a chance at first place.

Rohtla was knocked from the saddle but was unhurt, and he and his mount finished in third place, with a time of 6:34:42 over the 120 km distance - close to a personal speed record, said Rohtla.

The incident happened practically on the home stretch, when a doe emerged from the forest. Jethro and the wild animal collided literally head-on and Rohtla flew from the saddle. "It's a good thing it was a female," said Rohtla, expressing relief he was not impaled on antlers.

In a gesture of good sportsmanship, the second-place finisher Magdalena Prikrylova (Slovakia) held up until Rohtla was back in the saddle, earning her a fair play award.

Polish rider Krzysztof Czarnota and Wened won the event with a time of 6:29:13.

Australia: Local Endurance Horse Ride

Lifeislocal.com.au

5 July 2011

Endurance Horse riding is now one of the fastest growing equestrian sports in Australia.

Bellingen’s only Endurance ride Sharon Foster has been involved in endurance riding for 19 years now and has seen lots of changes in the sport.

Sharon successfully competed two more than 80 km rides recently at Copmanhurst and Kundabung. Sharon says Endurance riding is a mentally and physical challenge for both horse and rider. You both have to be super fit. It is an exciting, and adrenalin pumping horse sport, I’m addicted anyway!

Endurance riding is were one horse/one ride combination, ride over distances of between 80km up to 400km marathons. These endurance horses need to be extremely fit and healthy.

All horses are required to pass a compulsory vet check before, during and after the ride, where heart and respiration rates are measured, temperatures taken and checks made for soreness or lameness. If the horse fails any one of these they are disqualified. Sharon says the rider also needs to be physically and mentally fit and healthy to be able to endure long hours in the saddle and riding a variety of terrains in all weather conditions and often starting a ride in the dark.

A little closer to home is our most local Endurance ride at Upper Corindi. The Clarence/Coffs Coast Endurance riding club is holding an 80km endurance ride on Sunday 7th July 2011. The ride base is at 287 Featherstone’s Road Upper Corindi. The turn off is about 30ks north of Coffs Harbour and another 14k to the base camp.

They are also running a social ride on the Saturday of 20kms for the first time riders and a 40km training ride on the Sunday.

The course takes riders through State Forest and private property and is a challenging ride with hilly terrain. Come and enjoy a fantastic weekend in the beautiful countryside. For more enquiries contact Malcolm and Megan Matters on 6649 2836 or email mandm@aussiebroadband.com.au

China: Bayinbuluk Swan Lake Endurance Ride

4 July 2011

The 3rd Bayinbuluk Swan Lake China Endurance Riding Competition 2011 will open on July 15-17 in the Bayinbuluk prairie, Xinjiang, China. The games will adopt FEI Endurance Game Rules and is ranked international 1-star. The one-day race will cover 80 km in total.

Australia: Golden Performance

Warwickdailynews.com.au - Full Article

Gerard Walsh | 5th July 2011

FREESTONE has the top endurance horse-and-rider combination in Australia following the success of Cora Becker and Bones the Wizard in the FEI 160km three-star Australian National Championship at the Al Reef and RM Williams Endurance Festival Ride.

Becker went to the Australian championships at Toorbul near Caboolture with one strapper, husband Laurie Woodruff, and won the major event in eight hours, 46.34 minutes.

She was in the lead group of seven throughout.

Becker was at a disadvantage against competitors with a larger numbers of strappers who could prepare their horse quicker in hold time for the five veterinary checks as required in a 160km event.

As the lead group went into the last veterinary check, some of the horses were fatigued and the riders had to wait until the heart beat of their horse was under 64 beats a minute to continue.

Bones the Wizard was in top condition and passed the fifth check with flying colours which meant Becker was in third place at the start of the final 17km leg.

She caught the two horse-and-rider combinations in front of her with 10km to go and then took a 200m lead before winning by a second...

Read more here:
http://www.warwickdailynews.com.au/story/2011/07/05/golden-performance-firestone-australia/

Germany: Shaikh Khalid races to victory

Gulf-daily-news.com - full article

Posted on » Sunday, July 03, 2011

BAHRAIN Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president and Al Khalidiyah Stables leader Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa triumphed yesterday in a 160-kilometre endurance horse race held in Dillingen, Germany.

Shaikh Khalid finished the gruelling, six-stage event just one second ahead of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Shaikh Khalid and Shaikh Nasser were competing in the ride as part of Bahrain's Royal Endurance Team, of which Shaikh Nasser is the captain. Their fine performance earned the kingdom's representatives a superb one-two finish against a world-class field of riders.

The event was the first of a series of top-level endurance races that the team will be participating in across Europe this summer.

The Royal Endurance Team's riders were dominant yesterday from start to finish. They were among the group of early leaders in the opening stage, and they maintained their position in the front before capping their brilliant showing by claiming all three podium positions.

Shaikh Khalid registered a winning time of eight hours 26 minutes and 20 seconds. Shaikh Nasser was the close runner-up, while teammate Ahmed Janahi came third, another second behind Shaikh Nasser.

Among the other Royal Endurance Team members, Mohammed Abdulsamad finished in eighth place with a time of 9:24:30, while Salman Isa completed the event in ninth, a mere second behind.

The Royal Endurance Team managed to overcome the challenge of top riders from Germany and the Netherlands yesterday.

Superb

Their superb results gave them added confidence ahead of their next endurance ride, to be held on next Saturday at the same venue, also over 160km. They are then scheduled to compete in events in the UK, France and elsewhere.

At the end of the ride, Shaikh Khalid, Shaikh Nasser and Janahi received their trophies at an awarding ceremony.

Shaikh Nasser hailed the performance of the Royal Endurance Team, and said that it helps reaffirm their position as some of the world's best riders.

Bahrain's Ambassador to Germany Ahmed Mohammed Al Dosary was present at the event, and he congratulated Shaikh Khalid and Shaikh Nasser on the positive results they achieved.