Italy: A New Kind of Endurance

27 May 2012

Italian endurance rider Stefano Chidichimo created a special opportunity for new endurance riders that normally wouldn't have a chance of experiencing the sport. Handicapped riders participated in the first promotional event of endurance and equestrian rehabilitation: a 3 km simulated endurance ride in the Tuscan countryside of Maremma at the Pietriccio Rosso Equestrian Center owned by the Aldi Family.

Stefano reports: [translated] "For the first time, in a special project I made, share and built in only one month with Italian Federation, a ride for people of many different abilities, was in endurance, up and down easily on the hills, like a real champions.

Junior and Senior handicapped riders, blind, with Downs syndrome, and other mental disabilities, came from Tuscany, Sardinia and Liguria, and completed the ride at 5-8 km/h average, perfect at vet gate in 20 min. under 64 beats per minute… Incredible! All participated in a prize-giving ceremony with their high level technicians: Alessandra Pes di San Vittorio, Francesca Gentile and Maria Ignazia Marras and their Staff.

There were no limits for riders Ameri Andrea, Battistini Alessio, Castaldi Gaia, Del Rio Giovanni, Iorizzi Giulia, Marano Vincenzo, Mura Paolo, Ugolini Stefano, Ulivastri Fabio ... Really enjoyed in harmonic concentration and natural free aptitude for a new therapeutic opportunity!"

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2014 Normandy: The Team Above All Else!

JEMFEIAlltech2014-normandie.fr

5/30/2012

The Organising Committee took a major step forward at the beginning of April by appointing the team in charge of the eight official disciplines. Getting all these experts together and making them an integral part of the Organising Committee was perhaps the most significant part of this development. In short, being able to mould eight individuals into a team!
To help things along, a working seminar was organised at Le Pin National Stud in the Orne area of Normandy – the venue playing host to the Cross Country of the Eventing competition on 30 August 2014. The eight discipline managers were of course present, along with their counterparts from the Fédération Equestre Internationale, who were, by the way, impressed by the sumptuous setting of the Le Pin Stud. “It’s important to get the FEI involved in our work from here on”, explained sports director, Laurent Cellier, just after the seminar.

"In my view, the most positive thing to come out of this experience is the creation of a collective movement that goes above and beyond individual expertise. We have always explained that we would encourage team spirit and with this new group we have everything we need to create a truly great event in 2014.”

This is a feeling shared by the discipline managers, and most notably by Michèle Pfender, the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy’s “Mrs Reining”: “I was delighted to meet the team and find out about all the work that had been done beforehand by the members of the Organising Committee, who are young, competent and enthusiastic. Reining is a relatively unknown discipline and so I was touched by the openness and curiosity that the other discipline managers showed.”

Michèle Pfender also appreciates the spirit of the World Equestrian Games, “particularly the respect shown towards the horse which is a fundamental principle, and then the idea that the event won’t just be a one-off affair but will leave a lasting legacy. That’s really important for reining.”

Other similar seminars will probably take place every six months or so. “The next one will be in Caen in October, so that we can get to go to other competition sites after our stay in Le Pin, explains Laurent Cellier. We are already going over the technical issues to be raised with the FEI. And by then, our discussions will have become more and more regular.”

Mohammed congratulates Hamdan on UK race win

Emirates247.com

By Sheikh Mohammed's website
Published Tuesday, June 05, 2012


His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, watched as Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince, rode to victory clinching the UK endurance ride title at Austin Park.

Sponsored by Meydan, the CEI*** endurance event in the UK is organised by the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) under the supervision of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed claimed the title finishing in 7:43.00 hours despite the harsh weather conditions of heavy rain and cold wind. Riders from 14 countries participated in the endurance event.

Mohammed Ahmed Al Abbar came in second place finishing in 7:56.08 hours, while the third place went to Mohammed Ali Al Shafaar.

The UAE team's participation in the event is part of their preparations for the FEI World Endurance Championship scheduled for 26 August, 2012 in the UK.

Countdown to the 2012 Tom Quilty Gold Cup

Tophorse.com.au - Full Article

The 2012 The Tom Quilty Gold Cup Endurance Ride commences this Thursday June 7 and runs throughout the Queen’s Birthday long weekend until Tuesday June 12. It’s expected to attract a field of over 130 riders from around the world with competitors flying in from the Middle East, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the USA and Europe to compete alongside the Aussies, who are ranked world-class in the sport of Endurance.

Accompanying the riders will be their support crew, media and spectators which will swell the population of St Helens to around 2,000 during the week of the event.

The ride is a punishing 160km endurance pursuit with the objective being to test horse and rider…”100 miles on one horse in one day”. Competitors will begin their ride over bush tracks commencing at midnight on Friday June 8. Although each horse and rider has 24 hours to complete the Tom Quilty Gold Cup ride, the winners are expected to cross the finish line in about half that time, arriving on Saturday afternoon. Riders will also be vying for the coveted Best Conditioned awards, which acknowledges the excellent physical condition of the top endurance horses...

Read more here:
http://www.tophorse.com.au/countdown-to-the-2012-tom-quilty-gold-cup__tom_quilty_cup__N

Germany: Bahrain's Isa wins 160km event in style

Gulf-daily-news.com

By RAMI HULAYYEL , Posted on » Sunday, June 03, 2012

BAHRAIN's Salman Isa won the 160km Endurance Horse Ride held yesterday at Dillingen, Hamburg.

The Royal Endurance Team rider, who came on top in the World Championship last year in Compiegne, France, was again in superb form to complete the German event in first place on Olympic larzac.

More than 70 riders from across Europe competed it out in the 160km ride, which lasted for over 12 hours. But it was the Bahraini rider who emerged victorious, showing some excellent riding skills to cross the finishing line in just nine hours, eight minutes and 45 minutes with a 17km per hour speed average.

Isa was followed by Margaret Beumer (9:08:46) of Germany in second place, while another Dutch rider Dornsiepen Bernhard (9:09:49) rounded off the podium by coming third overall.

The top three will be honoured this morning at a special prize-giving ceremony at the race venue.

Bahrain Royal Endurance Team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who also took part in the race, had to pull out after his horse Hondo stumbled during the third stage.

He was joined by Yacoub Al Hammadi, winner of the King Cup and the Crown Prince Cup, besides Raed Mahmoud, Houd Ibrahim, Jaffar Mirza, Mohammed Al Thawadi, Salman Isa and Mohammed Abdulsamad.

The Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee president congratulated Isa following the race and expressed pride on this achievement.

Shaikh Nasser said he was pleased with the condition of the venue surface, which he described as one of the best in Europe.

Experience

He said the German ride was a useful experience for members of the Bahrain team, who are preparing for the Asian Championship that is due to take place in the UK in August.

This was the first time Bahrain Royal Endurance Team was competing in a race in this German region.

Meanwhile, Bahrain Royal Endurance Team director Shaikh Daij bin Salman Al Khalifa, Yousef Taher and Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa also competed in the 120km ride held on the day.

Shaikh Mohammed was the last Bahraini survivor in the race after his teammates were forced to pull out in the early stages.

Riding Isfandyar, Shaikh Mohammed could hold up to the fourth stage, where his horse was eliminated after failing to pass the veterinary examination following the fourth and penultimate stage. The Bahraini team were also present at the 90km ride, which saw Yousef Taher complete the event in third place.

Riding, Elnino, the veteran Bahraini rider could only finish the race with a total ride time of five hours, 46 minutes and 17 seconds.

Top UAE riders qualify for world championship

Gulfnews.com

41 countries confirm their participation in equestrian event in August

By M. Satya Narayan, Abu Dhabi Deputy EditorPublished: 00:06 June 1, 2012

Abu Dhabi: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who led the UAE to a team gold in the 160km endurance event at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in 2010, has already qualified with a few horses for the World Endurance Championship to be held on August 25 in Euston Park in the UK.

Two more 160-km qualification rides are to be staged in Euston Park on June 3 and 24, respectively, to help riders and horses from around the world qualify for the August 25 event. Over a 100 riders are expected to tackle the tough course in Euston Park with the 160-km distance raced in loops of 38km, 29km, 30km, 20km, 23km and 20km, respectively.
Shaikh Mohammad, along with Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Culture, have already qualified along with a few other UAE riders.
The UAE, led by Shaikh Mohammad, had won the team gold and the individual silver and bronze medals at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky and are likely to be starting off as favourites once again in the World Championship.

A final list of riders will be submitted by July 24 for both the individual as well as team events. So far, 41 countries including the UAE have already confirmed their participation.

Meanwhile, the Americans, who have surrendered their domination of the event to the UAE, France and Spain in the last decade, have named two champion lady riders in their tentative squad.

Becky Hart, the only rider to win the World Championship thrice in a row and Valeri Kanavy, another multiple world championship winner, have been named on the UAE squad.

Hart, riding her own horse No Repeat, has qualified and is in the US Long List. If selected, Hart will be bidding to win the world championship nearly 20 years since she won her third consecutive title. Hart and the legendary horse R.O. Grand Sultan won the World Championship in 1988, 1990 and 1992.

Turkmenistan: FEI Equestrian Raid I

El Raid Blog - Gabriel Gamiz

FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 2012

Our Member of Raid, D. Rafael Garrido, sends us a chronicle of the first Raid Equestrian, according to FEI rules, held in the distant lands of Turkmenistan, lands where they begin to accept the FEI rules and serves to expand the hobby to the world of Equestrian resistance to rules which ensure the health of the horse.
This is the chronicle of the first Raid in Turkmenistan:

"The raid at the International Conference Ajal-Teke Horse in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, 2012

In late April, a small delegation of members of the Spanish Association of Akhal-Teke horse we go to the horse's Day celebrations in Turkmenistan at the invitation of the ministry's horse country. We accompanied the national team raid Ignasi Casas and Alberto Cotelo equine dentist, as lecturers. There were delegations from the various national associations of Asia, Europe and America. We had almost daily program for a week, including the first raid under FEI rules to be made in Turkmenistan. We all know that equine resistance paths are part of the history of Turkmenistan. To start in the FEI rules of the sport, the organizers had asked the participating national associations that provide their specialists.

We witnessed the rise of the necessary infrastructure to host an equestrian event in the desert, consisting of a yurt village, placing colored flags to give a background to the event framework complementing the Kopet Dag mountains, about three miles of flags placed to define three sides of the event area, the construction of tandyr to make bread, lifting three huge swings and wrestling ring - the winner gets a sheep - a scenario and a huge esplanade covered with rugs. Everything was being flooded with the influx of a large audience, women with their tight dresses and embroidered bibs and around the neck, with two black braids or artistically handkerchief tied around a bulky bun, men in suits and with his cap in head and the venerable AK-sakal white beard and sheepskin hats.

The day of the raid we were gracious, with a layer of clouds that accompanied us most of the day. There was a marvelous display of Akhal-Teke horses. The association brought the rider Uruguayan raid Olascoaga Pio, who was assigned one of the horses belonging to a private breeder.

The race consisted of two phases of 30 km each. Turkmen riders made ​​their first raid with international standards and not all were clear about the method. The breeders did not agree with these rules once they started to remove some horses. The judges did have clear rules and so wanted them to be accepted. Our president of the association, Blanca de Toledo, was translated and anyone wishing to kill the messenger. There were two horses in the country's president in the raid, removed one, all logic dictated that he must win the other.

Pio asked by several guests told us that some horses, not all, were well trained, some have taken a great result with an experienced rider and was very happy with the horse he had ridden. Olascoaga Pio and his family are dedicated to breeding and training horses and endurance raid in Uruguay (there are two different categories), with customers in the UAE. They recently introduced its first Ajal-Teke in competition, a 11 year old horse is competing in 120 km.
I do not want to pretend that everything was like silk, but the first international raid Turkmenistan took place April 25, 2012 and 24 horses and riders and breeders of these horses and the Turkmen Atlary made it possible and laid the foundations of this sport in their country.

Ingrid Schulz
Spanish Association Ajal-Teke Horse
Almeria, May 24, 2012."


Greetings from Gabriel.
El Raid Blog