Great Britain: Cheshire Cheese Grin for Horse Riders

Cheshireeast.gov.uk

April 18, 2012

The Cheshire Cheese Loop – the very first long distance horse ride in Cheshire East – is now open to the public. Named Laureen’s Ride, the route runs through the heart of Cheshire East and is ideal for horse riders with friends or family on bikes.

The route is located to the South East of Knutsford, around the parishes of Over Peover, Chelford and Ollerton. Councillor Rod Menlove, Cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services, said: “Cheshire East Council is delighted to have been part of this project to improve the environment for people who are eager to get outside and enjoy the Cheshire countryside.

“As part of the project, Cheshire East Council has ensured the route is safe and well sign-posted, so that visitors can enjoy a relaxed trek through the beautiful countryside.”

The Cheshire Cheese Loop passes through pretty countryside with green hedged fields and shady trees created for Cheshire dairy cattle.

There are also magnificent country estates to see, such as 16th century Peover Hall, Colshaw Hall and New Hall, which was used by General George S. Patton during the Second World War.

The route is signposted on roads and way-marked on bridleways and byways. There are also maps and a talk-around service to guide the rider around the 27km (17-mile route). A leaflet is also available, which lists horse-friendly pub stops, accommodation and equestrian services close-by.

Here is what some riders have to say about the route:

“Lovely country lanes and plenty of canter opportunities”

“Very enjoyable, easy to follow ride, through pretty countryside over a variety of terrain providing interest for both horse and rider”.

Laureen’s Ride was developed by North Cheshire Riders in partnership with Cheshire East Council, with funding from the British Equestrian Federation, British Horse Society and local riding groups.

The Cheshire Cheese Loop is one of two loops of Laureen's Ride. The second, Heritage Loop, is currently being developed. To find out more about the various horse riding, walking and cycling opportunities, log on to: www.discovercheshire.co.uk.

Malaysia: Al-Khamsa-RTES Malaysia-Thailand Endurance Open Championship 2012

The Al-Khamsa-RTES Malaysia-Thailand Endurance Open Championship will be held May 17-20, 2012, at Terengganu International Endurance Park in Lembah, Bigong, Malaysia. Events will include a 40 km National Ride, an 80 km FEI1* (Jr & Sr), and a 120 km FEI2* (Jr & Sr).

The 40 km ride will start at 6 PM on 18th May, and the 80 km and 120 km will start at 6 PM on 19 May.

For more information, see
http://www.facebook.com/events/126675324131208/

Poland: ARABIA-Polska Arabian Horse Festival

April 19 2012

Please feel invited to the First International ECAHO Show in Poland since many years. The ARABIA-Polska Arabian Horse Festival, under the Patronage of HE Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, will take place at Sluzewiec Racecourse in Warsaw on the 23rd-24th of June.

Our international judges are: Sylvie Eberhardt (Germany), Marianne Tangstedt (Denmark), Katrina Murray (UK) and Raymond Mazzei (US).

Show schedule, Entry Form, VIP reservations and Sponsorship fee are available now! Closing date for entries: 15th of May! Contact us: pp@polishprestige.pl

For more information, see:
http://www.arabianessence.com/waterhole/mailblast/2012/mailblast65-polska.html

India’s Indigenous Horses Trot Into Sunset

Littleindia.com - Full Article

India’s ‘native steeds’ are staring at an uncertain, if not calamitous future, just two years ahead of a century since World War I that will commemorate the greatest contribution of horses towards a human enterprise

By Rajat Ghai

For millennia, they have shared the world with their human masters. They have carried their owners in the thick of battle, across grasslands, hills, plains and the highest mountains. But there has never been a more trying time for India’s six indigenous breeds of horses than now.

The Kathiawari horse, the Marwari horse, the Zanskari pony, the Spiti pony, the Bhotia pony and the Manipuri pony are threatened by the loss of genetic purity, say experts.

In January this year the media in Gujarat speculated that there were fewer than 50 purebred Kathiawari horses left.

Warns Satyajit Khachar, a Gujarat-based horse breeder: “If they are not saved now, a stage will come when because of declining numbers, the gene pool will get restricted. Then breeders will resort to inbreeding to preserve the breed’s purity.”

Raghuvendra Singh Dunlod, secretary general of the Indigenous Horse Society of India, a Jaipur-based NGO working towards conserving the six breeds, said: “A horse breed is declared threatened when fewer than 50 breeding mares are left, according to the Brussels-based OIE or World Organization for Animal Health.

“By that yardstick, I don’t think that these six breeds are on the verge of extinction. But some of them, if not all, will slide towards that end if something is not done soon..."

Read more here:
http://www.littleindia.com/life/12681-india%E2%80%99s-indigenous-horses-trot-into-sunset.html

Scotland: Shoes mandatory in horse v human race – for now

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 17, 2012

A campaign to allow barefoot horses in the annual Man versus Horse race in Powys, Wales, has failed to persuade organisers to change the rules for this year’s event.

However, the organisers have promised to review the opinions of the equine and veterinary community and carefully consider the question for the 2013 running of the cross-country endurance challenge.

For now, horses entered in the 22-mile race on June 9 must wear metal shoes.

The course is steep and the terrain varied to make the contest as even as possible. Competitors race across farm tracks, footpaths, forestry roads and open moorland, with several short stretches over tarmac. It is very hilly, with a total ascent of 3000ft.

Green Events chairman Lindsay Ketteringham said the terrain covered meant horses must wear shoes...

Read more here:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2012/04/17/shoes-mandatory-in-horse-human-race/

Scotland: Endurance runners take on horses in new Loch Ness event

BBC.co.uk - Full Article

16 April 2012

Endurance runners are to take on horses and their riders in a new race on the southern shore of Loch Ness.

The South Loch Ness Man vs Horse Challenge will be held over 16 miles (26km) on the 5 May.

Thirty spaces are available for runners and the event will be held under Scottish Endurance Riding Club rules. A vet will monitor horses' fitness.

Starting at Foyers Pier, the race includes parts of the Trail of the Seven Lochs and South Loch Ness Trail.

Competitors will climb a trail dubbed the Corkscrew beside the crag of Dun Deardail before tackling the Fair Haired Lad's Pass and finishing at Dores...

Read more here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-islands-17726640

Royal Heritage - the story of Jordan's Arab Horses - book

Horsetalk.co.nz
by HRH Princess Alia Al Hussein and Peter Upton
Medina Publishing, July 2011
210 x 218 mm Portrait, 264pp hardcover
RRP £35
ISBN: 978-0-9564170-4-6


Illustrated throughout in colour and b&w with paintings, drawings and a wealth of recent and historical photographs.
Co-authored by HRH Princess Alia, the eldest daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, and the artist and author Peter Upton, Royal Heritage tells the story of the Arab horse in Jordan, from the early days of the Bedouin tribes to the 21st century, a story closely associated with the Hashemite family of Jordan, direct descendants of the Prophet.

The account also tells of the Arab Revolt of 1916, in which the Emirs Ali, Abdullah, Faisal and Zeid, with T E Lawrence, drove the Ottomans out of the region, and how some of the Hashemite mares became the foundation stock of the Royal Stud in Jordan. Royal Heritage covers many other adventures including the traumatic events which nearly led to the loss of the Stud's precious mares and describes how, despite these setbacks, the Royal Stud has flourished.

In 1987 Princess Alia, Director of the Royal Stud, organised the first Arab horse show to be held in Arabia entitled 'The Arab Horse at Home'. It was an event which inspired other Arab countries to organise horse shows of their own.

Princess Alia includes many fascinating personal reminiscences: about the horses she holds so dear, the people involved in the Stud through the years, the famous and infamous, family and friends, heads of state and handlers. The work is richly illustrated with paintings, drawings and rare photographs from old archives and private collections, as well as up-to-date portraits of the Stud and its horses.

Peter Upton gives an in-depth account of the horses themselves; the breeding, lineage and preservation of the hugely important Jordanian bloodlines.

A story of legend, romance and war, Royal Heritage tells with passion for the first time the remarkable saga of the Arab horse in Jordan.

For purchase information, click here:
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/reviews/522-books-for-sale.shtml