UAE: Al Merri takes Endurance Cup after close battle with Al Hazza

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Hamdan retires when leading in penultimate stage to preserve horse

By M. Satya Narayan, Chief Sports ReporterPublished: 00:00 January 15, 2012

Abu Dhabi: Young Abdullah Ganem Al Merri of Nad Al Sheba Stables partnered Shardell Alladeen to win the prestigious His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup, a 160-km Three-star ride held at the Dubai International Endurance City yesterday.

The ride was attended by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

After Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, retired his horse when leading in the penultimate stage, Al Merri got the better of Bahraini rider Ahmad Abdullah Al Hazza on Picaflor with their close battle going all the way to the final kilometre before the UAE rider won by 27 seconds.

With the Dubai Equestrian Club adopting a five-stage ride for the 160-km event for the first time, Al Merri went into the final 19-km loop third behind Al Hazza with well over a minute separating the two riders. He then increased his final loop speed on the 12-year-old to average 28.43 kmph in comparison to his fourth loop average speed of just over 21-kmph and that proved decisive...

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/al-merri-takes-endurance-cup-after-close-battle-with-al-hazza-1.965895

Spain: Kaliber Raid News Andalucia 2012

El Raid Blog

by Gabriel Gamiz Gomez
FRIDAY JANUARY 13, 2012

[google translation]


Our friend and Kaliber Andalucia President Jose Manuel Soto, sends us an email and a letter, telling him that this year 2012 will be the Kaliber.

Spanish and World crisis has hit the world of the horse and could not be unless you play at this great test, test that too many riders have the illusion of enjoyment, and José Manuel looking for cheaper solutions, explains in this letter, which wants to do in this year 2012.
The idea looks like it may be, is not the same go half Andalucia, to be anchored to a village, but this place is special, nestled inside the Doñana Paque, a place where they worship the Blessed Virgen del Rocio, horse landmark in the village meets during the pilgrimage, thousands of fans with their horses to enjoy those walks in the sand marshes.

This is the newsletter of Jose Manuel Soto on the new Al-Andalus Ironhorse :

"Dear friends,

Many of you're asking me about this year's raid, and I think it's time to give you an explanation. In 2012, due to the difficult economic situation we are going, we can not celebrate the Raid Kaliber-Andalusia as you had known before.

We had been several years working their way through the longest and toughest test in the world despite the many difficulties of all kinds that we face, to face them with hope and enthusiasm, but This year we have lost all support we had and we can not continue.

You can imagine the shame that this happens to us all that we fought so hard over the years by bringing forward this dream, but circumstances force us to send and adapt if not to resign. Our intention is not to lose the habit of doing a great race every spring in Andalusia, and especially not to lose the habit of meeting and share what most unites us: our love for horses.

Therefore, I propose a great weekend of horses and friendship in the village of El Rocío coinciding with Easter. We can not give big awards, or write great reports as before, but if we can share good times and compete healthily with our horses, which are also our passion.

The idea is to hold three races of 80 km each, in two stages a day, starting and finishing in the village of El Rocío, going through the incomparable landscapes sandy, covered with pines, Doñana and its beaches. And that everyone may want to run phases, establishing several classifications.

I think it's a much more affordable adventure from every point of view, although not without strength and competitiveness for those who decide to try to run all phases. The horse better classified which cover all stages be given the prize "Ironhorse" of the year. And that, precisely, is the name of this new career: "Al-Andalus Ironhorse."

From here I encourage everyone to fellowship and be convinced your friends, relatives and acquaintances to come and enjoy a few days together and healthy rivalry and that we all return to give an example of what this beautiful game.

Many thanks to everyone and my best wishes for the year just to start.

A big hug

Jose Manuel Soto
President of the Organizing Committee"

UAE: 200 enter for Mohammed Endurance Cup

Emirates246.com

18 year-old Nina Lassaragu from France is youngest competitor

By Allaam Ousman
Published Tuesday, January 10, 2012


Top French riders will be among 200 participants at the His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup CEI*** to be held at the Dubai International Endurance City (DIEC) course on Saturday.

They will be among 20 overseas riders from Bahrain, France, UK, Italy and Spain who will be vying with Emiratis for top honours in the fifth running of this presitigious event presented by Longines, the official timekeeper of Meydan Group, and supported by Emirates Airline, official airline of Meydan Group.

The event annually serves as the highlight of the Dubai Endurance season bringing together some of the world’s greatest riders to test their skills over the 160km challenge Organised and hosted by the Dubai Equestrian Club.

The ride is scheduled to start 6.30 am at DIEC in the Seih Assalam area of Dubai, adjacent to Bab al Shams Desert Resort.

Nina Lassarague, 18, will be the youngest competitor at the event. Representing France at the World Junior Endurance Championships held in Abu Dhabi, Nina was placed second in the team event along with Led Vogles, who has been taking part in the Sheikh Mohammed bid Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup for the past three years. Cecile Demierre, Roland Vera and Laurent Noshi are the other French riders who are ranked among the top 10 back home.

“The Dubai Equestrian Club is once again honoured to offer the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup to the world of endurance riding that includes the competitors, crews, officials and all the people that make this great sport possible,” said Mohammed Essa Al Adnab, Deputy General Manager of the Dubai Equestrian Club at a press conference to announce the event at Medyan on Tuesday.

“We extend our special appreciation to our distinguished sponsors, Longines and Emirates Airline. They support this great event and the tradition of the horse in the United Arab Emirates. This is truly a sports event that displays and celebrates our equestrian culture and the legacy of the horse.”

“Ensuing from its partnership with the Meydan group, we are delighted to announce that Longines is the presenting sponsor and official timekeeper for the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup,” said Juan-Carlos Capelli, Vice-President and Head of International Marketing of Longines.

“The HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup presented by Longines is a blend of fortitude, technique and stamina and examines the harmony and balance between a rider and their horse. A race that requires precision, concentration and commitment, the Endurance cup fully corresponds to the values of Longines.”

In a fitting tribute to honour the spirit, masterful skills and determination of the winning rider, Longines will bestow the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup champion with a stunning timepiece, The Longines Column-Wheel Chronograph Gold.

“Emirates has a strong affiliation with horse racing events and equestrian sports around the globe and we are incredibly proud to announce our sponsorship of the 2012 HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Endurance Cup,” said Khalid Al Haddad, District Manager Sharjah and Northern Emirates for Emirates Airline.

“Endurance riding holds a prestigious place in the sporting calendar of the UAE and our sponsorship of this race further highlights our commitment to the equine world. This race is a true testament of both the horse’s endurance and rider’s skills and I look forward to the race.”

The event will be divided into five stages. After the completion of each stage, the horses are rested and refreshed and undergo a veterinary exam to determine if they meet the physical standards to continue the event through the next stage.

The horse that finishes first, as well as all finishers, must successfully complete a post-race veterinary exam to determine they did not exceed the physical standards set forth by the sport. It is only after the final veterinary exam that the official order of finish is determined and announced.

South Africa: PSV Mauser – 1st barefoot SA horse to go to the World Champs!

Barefootattheworldchamps blog - Full Article

POSTED BY PERSEVERANCE ⋅ JANUARY 9, 2012

Size does matter. There are more endurance horses disadvantaged by being too big, than those that are too small. 14.3 is our favourite size.

Perseverance Mauser is a purebred, 14.3 Arabian gelding. His grandsire was the Polish Arabian stallion Khyberie. Khyberie has produced many top endurance horses. The rest of Mauser’s pedigree is predominantly Crabbet/ Old English.

Mauser is the complete all-rounder – over any distance, in any condition, and with any rider he does incredibly well. This year alone he has done two FEI *** hundred milers, one with a Standardweight rider in 9h49, and the other with a Heavyweight rider in 10h09. He was entered in his first Fauresmith 201km ride, and came 17th in the Young Riders, and he did brilliantly in the soft sands of Dune 7 at the Walvis Bay African Championships, and placed 11th in the Heavyweights!

PSV Mauser and Francois Seegers at the FEI ** African Championships in Walvis Bay, August 2011. They placed 10th in the Heavyweights over 120km

Mauser was the Eastern Cape Young Rider Champion horse at rocky Schanskraal in 2010, where he finished the 120km in a blistering 5 hrs 53 min.He also took first place at the 2011 Lormar120km in atrocious conditions – pouring rain and oceans of mud – but this time with a Heavyweight rider.

In April this year in the heat and sand of the South African International Challenge at Modimolle, he completed the 120km in 6h49, to help the Eastern Cape Young Riders team to 3rd place!

Prior to competing, Mauser underwent an extensive conditioning program to ensure strong legs and hooves. He has completed all his endurance riders with ease, and only failed a vet check once, on pulse. Mauser is a keen horse and enjoys competition, but is easy to ride. He has a big heart and good recovery times, and is also very, very fast. Like most winners he is highly opinionated and tries to take charge if the rider is not strict, but his strong character is part of his success...

Read more here:
http://barefootattheworldchamps.wordpress.com/2012/01/09/psv-mauser-1st-barefoot-sa-horse-to-go-to-the-world-champs/

Australia: Bobs Farm teenager in top tier of endurance riders

Portstephensexaminer.com.au - Full Article

BY MICHAEL MCGOWAN
11 Jan, 2012 01:00 AM

BOBS Farm resident Allix Jones, 19, has finished runner up in the Youth Endurance World Riding Championship held in Abu Dhabi.

Part of a team of four girls representing Australia,the impressive result in the 120-kilometre event, which took place in December, has lifted her towards the sport's top tier, and helped to secure an impressive team bronze medal for the country.

Facing trying conditions in the deep sand of the Middle East, Jones managed to complete the event in just over five hours, trailing the eventual winner by a heart-wrenching 12 second margin...

Read more here:
http://www.portstephensexaminer.com.au/news/local/sport/waterskiing/bobs-farm-teenager-in-top-tier-of-endurance-riders/2416636.aspx

Great Britain: 2012 FEI World Endurance Championships for Seniors

The FEI has confirmed that the minimum qualification speed, as per Article 816.3.10 and 816.3.13, for the 2012 FEI World Endurance Championhips for Seniors will be 14 kph. The ride will be hosted by Euston Park, Great Britain, on 25th August 2012

Bahrain: Breef endurance horse ride for disabled

Gulf-daily-news.com

January 09, 2012

THE Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) decided to organise an endurance horse ride for the disabled during next week's King Hamad Championship, scheduled for February 4.

The disabled ride, to be held on the sidelines of the main event that will be over 120km, will cover 5km distance and consists of just three stages.

This ride will be organised in the sidelines with the directives of Breef president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who also patronised a disabled race last week during the weekly horseracing meeting held at the Rashid Equestrian and Horseracing Club in Sakhir.

Shaikh Khalid expressed delight for the tremendous success of the most recent Breef Endurance Team Championship held last weekend, which was won by Al Khalidiya Stable team.

The Breef's chief stressed the federation's keenness to continue working on further improving and developing its programmes this year.

He congratulated the winners in both the team and individual rides of the endurance championship, and praised the brave performance of the other teams taking part, which made key contributions to the success of the event.