Great Britain: Lincolnshire mother and son take on 266-mile horse-riding challenge

Thisislincolnshire.co.uk - Full Article

June 7 2012

A MOTHER and son team are set to undertake a gruelling 266-mile endurance horse-riding challenge starting from Stickney this weekend.

Jane, 46, and Michael Evans, 23, are attempting the gruelling challenge on their faithful horses, Rookie and El, to raise much needed funds for the Stroke Association.

Jane said: "We chose the charity because there's a history of stroke in the family and because my job allows me to see firsthand how the money goes to help change the lives of local stroke survivors."

Starting from Stickney on Sunday, June 10, the duo will follow the Heritage Trail which will lead them through to the beautiful landscape of Yorkshire and will arrive in their home town of Durham two weeks later.

Jane said: "My son and I are both keen endurance riders and it was my best friend, who lives in Stickney, who gave me the idea to do the challenge...

Read more here:
http://www.thisislincolnshire.co.uk/Lincolnshire-mother-son-266-mile-horse-riding/story-16291327-detail/story.html

Great Britain: Man vs. Horse Marathon

http://www.green-events.co.uk/events.html?id=54

The Man v Horse Marathon began in June 1980 following a chat over a pint (or three) in the back bar of Neuadd Arms Hotel. The then Landlord, Gordon Green overheard two men discussing the relative merits of men and horses running over mountainous terrain. The enterprising Gordon, never one to miss an opportunity to promote Llanwrtyd Wells and improve business at his hotel, decided to put it to the test. And so began Green Events and its first, longest standing and now internationally acclaimed event, The Man versus Horse Marathon.

The course was changed in 1982 to provide a more even match between the man and the horse resulting year on year in very close finishes - sometimes with the horse winning by only a few seconds. It took 25 years before a man finally beat a horse, Huw Lobb won in 2hrs and 5mins beating the fastest horse by 2 minutes.

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http://www.journeymart.com/holidays-ideas/festivals/man-horse-marathon.aspx

When: 9th June 2012
Where: Llanwrtyd Wells, Wales

Man vs. Woman. Normal.
Man vs. Man. Routine.
Man vs. Horse. Bizarre.
~~~~
Horse beats Man. Natural.
Woman beats Man. Way to go.
Man beats horse.
Man beats horse? Wow!
It takes real horsepower to beat a horse at his own game. Many a runner has put his best foot forward but only one man has taken a horse head on and come out ahead. And not just by a nose.
Like all good stories, this one too began in a pub. With a few pints inside him, one man claimed men were equal to horses any given day. Several pints later, it was decided to publicly test his claim and the first race took place in June 1980.
From that year forth, the action takes place in Llanwrtyd Wells, host town for the unique horse vs. man marathon. This year will be the 32nd time when over 300 runners test their legs and lungs against that of 20 horses in a gruelling 22-mile cross country race in the Welsh mountains.
The odds favour the horses despite a 15-minute head start for humans - up for grabs is a substantial booty to the runner who beats a horse to the finishing line. Any takers?

For more information on Wales Tourism | Wales Holiday Calendar

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.