Endurance Great Britain Team Shortlist announced for 2012 WEC

Endurancegb.co.uk

2nd July 2012

Following a very successful team selection trial at the Kings Forest ride in Suffolk on the 29th June, Endurance GB has today announced a shortlist of horses and riders for the Longines FEI CEI 4* World Endurance Championships 2012.

The shortlisted riders in alphabetical order are:

· Alice Beet from Surrey riding Adara Sauveterre
· Beccy Broughton-Booker from Nottinghamshire riding Tawmarsh Muharram
· Emma Finnie from Abu Dhabi riding Sha Ali
· Tricia Hirst from Mid Wales riding Madjin des Pins
· Rachel Ingvaldson from Somerset riding Nazeeka
· Nikki Malcolm from Somerset riding Khartoum With A K or L R Bold Greyson
· Annette Masterson from Staffordshire riding El Sabio
· Catriona Moon from Somerset riding Leila
· Lesley-Ann Parker from Cambridgeshire riding Velvet Echo
· Christine Yeoman from Somerset riding LM Crazy Girl or L R Bold Greyson
· David Yeoman from Somerset riding Haszar

The shortlisted combinations have been asked to attend a final performance trial at Wolverhampton racecourse on the 21st July when the final team of six plus reserves will be selected.

Chairman of selectors, Di Latham said, on behalf of the selectors and management team, “we are happy to confirm that the Championship Trial held at Kings Forest this weekend was a great success, with horses stepping up to the challenge. We are delighted with the progress that has been made this year and we are on target for the ultimate goal”.
“We are fortunate to have so many combinations from which to select for the Endurance World Championships. We are committed to sending our best possible Team to the Championships to ensure that we are able to compete on equal terms with the best in the World and to secure a result to make Great Britain proud of our athletes. We are all excited about having the Championships on home soil, giving endurance enthusiasts the opportunity to support their Team from the front line”.

The Longines FEI CEI 4* World Endurance Championships takes place on Saturday 25th August, at Euston Park near Newmarket, Suffolk. The 160km race across the undulating Suffolk countryside will see around 150 riders line up with up to 40 countries represented. Among contenders vying for the top spot at the 14th world title event will be defending world champion Maria Alvarez Ponton of Spain and the United Arab Emirates, winners of the team gold medal at the 2010 world championships.

There will be a live twitter feed throughout the day of the Championships @enduranceGB, for further information about the sport of endurance riding visit www.endurancegb.co.uk. For more information about The British Equestrian Team go to www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk. The final team announcement will be made as soon as possible after the 21st July.

HoldsworthPR
Public Relations and Marketing

Four year horse-ride from Beijing to London Olympics ends in heartbreak

Newsshopper.co.uk - Full Article

16 July 2012
By Sarah Trotter

A RECORD-BREAKING woman who has been riding a horse from one Olympic Games to another for four years has seen her Greenwich welcome party shattered.

Megan Lewis has faced deserts, mountains, broken ribs and knackered horses in her 8,000 mile charity trek spanning 13 countries from Beijing to London.

But as she approaches her final destination she is saddled with a huge problem.

After dreaming of a welcome party at Shooters Hill's equestrian resource centre, she has been refused entry by Greenwich Council on health and safety grounds as the site is still being built.

She will however be welcomed by Bexley and Bromley councils on her way to Greenwich as she visits Orpington's Chelsfield Equestrian Centre and Bexley's Mount Mascal Stables ahead of the Olympic torch relay celebrations.

The 63-year-old said: "It is almost a bit of an anti-climax...

Read more here:
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/top_stories/9819628.Four_year_Olympic_horse_ride_ends_in_heartbreak/

Mongolia: B.C. woman enters world’s toughest horse race

Vancouversun.com - Full Article

By Aleesha Harris, Vancouver Sun
July 16, 2012

An ‘average ranch girl from Canada’ to participate in gruelling 10-day Mongol Derby

Riding 1,000 kilometres through the mountainous terrain of Mongolia in what is considered the longest, toughest horse race in the world may sound like torture to many people, but to Vancouver Island resident Katherine Friedley, it sounds like the adventure of a lifetime.

The 46-year-old horsewoman will represent Canada as one of 35 international competitors in a 10-day race through the Mongolian steppe known as the Mongol Derby, beginning Aug. 10. The race follows Genghis Khan’s pony express postal system route.

“Everyone I’ve talked to about this has been so excited for me. It sometimes blows me away that here I am, just your ordinary Canadian woman, off to Mongolia,” Friedley said.

Friedley now lives near Saanich, but she grew up on her family’s cattle ranch in Alberta, near the eastern slopes of the Rockies. In other words, Friedley – who has chosen the nickname Outlaw Kate for the derby – is no stranger to long days in the saddle.

She credits her father, who continues to run the family’s cattle operation at age 88, with her wealth of horse knowledge and her deep respect for the powerful animals.

But she’s still nervous about what’s in store.

“When I first signed up for the race, I did it on gut instinct alone. I know I can compete and I have the utmost faith in my capabilities not only as a rider, but as a navigator, and as a closet survivalist.

“However, once I began checking out my fellow competitors I began to realize that I am in it with the big boys. There are people who are professional equestrians, experienced endurance riders … I am just an average ranch girl from Canada...”

Read more:
http://www.vancouversun.com/woman+enters+world+toughest+horse+race/6938260/story.html#ixzz20tC8sWK1

Great Britain: Nicky sets fast Boconnoc pace on Silver Zourra

Thisiscornwall.co.uk - Full Article

July 13 2012

Over the past few weeks, the heavy rainfall has caused the cancellation of many sporting events, including endurance rides.

Fortunately for local riders, the Boconnoc Estate, near Lostwithiel in Cornwall, escaped the worst of the weather and its annual endurance ride was able to go ahead last Sunday on a largely sunny day.

The going, particularly in the woods, was muddy and slippery in places but that did not stop Nicky Sherry, of St Breward, on her grey Arab mare Silver Zourra, from winning the 80km (50 miles) ER and the Boconnoc Bowl, at an average speed of 18.22kph – not far off the course record.

Nicky finished so far in front of the other competitors that her arrival at the finish took officials by surprise. Fortunately the timekeepers were there to record her arrival time.

Finishing second was Shannon Smith on her Thoroughbred cross pony Bomber at a speed of 16.91kph. This is the third time that Bomber has come second in the Boconnoc ER, an exceptional record against much larger horses.

Third was Annie Joppe on Oision's Wizard, at a speed of 16.73kph and fourth was last year's winner Firebird, owned by Lesley Nott and ridden this year by daughter Emily, at 16.45kph...

Read more here:
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Nicky-sets-fast-Boconnoc-pace-Silver-Zourra/story-16530421-detail/story.html

Bahrain: Royal Team put on brave show

Gulf-daily-news.com

July 16, 2012

BAHRAIN'S Royal Endurance Team members had heartbreaking finishes at the recently-organised Endurance Horse Ride in Poland.

All eight Bahraini riders put on a brave show, but were unable to complete this challenging 120-km event, which was divided into four stages - 37km, 37km, 24km, 24km.

The Bahrain team, led by Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, also comprised Yaqoub Yousef, Abdulrahman Al Saad, Salman Isa, Ahmed Abdulla, Abdulrahman Al Zayd, Jaffer Mirza and Raed Mahmood.

The ride was part of the Bahrainis' preparations for the World Championship that will take place in the UK next month.

Shaikh Nasser, meanwhile, said that the Royal Endurance Team was able to prove its presence at the ride during its debut participation in this event.

The Royal Endurance Team members waged a new experience as part of a series of its European tour, pointing out that the objective behind its presence at the Polish ride was not essentially intended to score results even though desirable but participation is worthwhile.

Shaikh Nasser praised the cavaliers for their efforts throughout all laps of the 120-kilometre ride and lauded their excellent performance since their horses are only ordinary horses found in the Kingdom of Bahrain's Royal Endurance Stables.

Shaikh Nasser asserted that the experience in Poland has been very positive and affirmed the Royal Endurance Team's cavaliers capacity to wage endurance races on all sorts of difficult terrains and locations, citing his team's previous positive results on various European terrains, and looked forward to accomplishing great feats during the upcoming event next month in Hungary.

Australia: Colt was worth the wait

Northernstar.com.au - Full Article

13 July 2012

JUST as champion mare, Refleex, won prestigious endurance races by pacing herself, she also waited a long time to give birth to her first foal.

On Wednesday, 18-year-old Refleex had a colt, Flex-X, several weeks prematurely and caught horse breeders, Joyce Corbett and Steve Clibborn of Jiggi, by surprise.

"I went up to check the cows yesterday (Wednesday) and I was doing a head-count on them, standing in the back of the ute," Mr Clibborn recalled.

"Then I thought, 'Hang on, I've got too many calves'.

"It was quite a big thing because if you leave a foal in a paddock with geldings, like these two, they'll kill it because they're very dominant."

Mr Clibborn and Ms Corbett previously tried to breed Refleex but failed and the retired champion is now considered old to be having her first foal.

However, Ms Corbett said it was symbolic of the champion's nature.

"She is old to be foaling but she has always been an endurance horse," Ms Corbett said.

Horse breeders usually pay for a stallion to impregnate their mares, but Refleex received "a free service" from Eastwinds Axiltation, a top breeding stallion from Maclean, because she is so highly regarded.

In 2004, Refleex became the only non-professional horse to have won the Tom Quilty Cup, a 160 km-long South Australian endurance race...

Read more here:
http://www.northernstar.com.au/story/2012/07/13/colt-was-worth-the-wait/

USEF Names Squad and Alternates for U.S. Endurance Team

USEF.org
RELEASE: July 11, 2012

AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: USEF Communications Department

Lexington, KY - Following the approval of the USEF High Performance Working Group and the USEF Executive Committee, the squad and alternates for the U.S. Endurance Team for the 2012 World Endurance Championship is as follows.

Squad (In Alphabetical Order)

John Crandell III on John Crandell Jr's Heraldic
Becky Hart on her own No Repeat
Valerie Kanavy on her own Reach For The Gold
Nicki Meuten on her own Not Tonight
Heather Reynolds on her own and Jeremy Reynolds' Riverwatch
Jeremy Reynolds on his own and Heather Reynolds' A Kutt Above

Alternates in Ranked Order

1. Margaret Sleeper on her own Syrocco Reveille 
2. Melody Blittersdorf on her own Synthetic 
3. Kim Tilson Orr on Nicki Meuten's FYF Dutch
4. Jan Worthington on her own Golden Lightening
5. Ellen Olson on Jeremy Olson's SA Belshazzar
6. Cody Boysen on Roxi Welling's Viktory Banner
7. Jennifer Stevens on Meg Sleeper's Syrocco Cadence
8. Kelsey Kimbler on Kirsten Kimbler's Cody Canuck

The four athlete/horse combinations comprising the team and two combinations competing as individuals will travel to England to compete in the 2012 World Endurance Championship.

Chef d'Equipe Emmett Ross commented: "As Chef I am very pleased with our choices--much went into the decision and it was extremely difficult to rank a great group.  Helping in the selection were three selectors, Dr Dwight Hooton ( team Vet), and myself.  The three selectors were Carol Giles, Linda Howard and Susan Kasemeyer.
 
The travelling squad is made up of multiple time World Champion awards---5 times individual gold medal winners  between Becky Hart and Val Kanavy.  Multiple times Tevis Cup winners---John Crandell and Jeremy Reynolds.  Multiple time Tevis horse winners---Heraldic and Riverwatch.  And just a great group of strong competitors committed to focus on a team result.
 
The Organizing Committee has invited countries to have 6 starting horses---2 individuals and 4 team members.  I plan for the horses to travel from LA and New Jersey9 # each0 on or before August 13.  It is anticipated that there will 40 countries and 160 horses starting.
 
Our team veterinarian, Dr Dwight Hooton, is preparing to have the horses travel as free of stress as possible.  We will be stabled in the UK merely 15 minutes from the main venue in Thetford, Englnad and adjacent to two loops of the trail."