Great Britain: Supergran prepares for gruelling 100-mile horse marathon

Walesonline.co.uk - Full Article

by Abbie Wightwick, WalesOnlineAug 5 2012

At a time when most Welsh grans are beginning to look forward to a relaxing retirement, Tricia Hirst is instead preparing for a gruelling 100-mile horse marathon – at the age of 54.

The supergran will represent Britain when the Longines World Endurance Riding Championships, one of the toughest for horses and riders, takes place in Suffolk later this month.

Cantering at 20km an hour for 100 miles on her horse Madjin des Pins Tricia will be part of the Great Britain team competing against 160 riders from 40 teams across the globe.

It’s the latest challenge for an athlete who recently completed a 56-mile ultra marathon on foot.

“I’ve been training all year for this one goal. I’m the fittest I’ve ever been in my life,” says Tricia, who started endurance riding at the age of 38.

“It’s a wonderful sport and I’m looking forward to the race.”

The mum of three, who became a grandmother earlier this year, lives in Meifod, near Welshpool, where she keeps eight horses and rides every day...

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USA's Mallory Capps 2nd in FEI Young Riders World Ranking

August 2 2012

The USA has 4 Young Riders in the top ten of the FEI Young Riders World Ranking as of July 22, 2012. The top spot is occupied by Manuela Basombrio of Argentina, followed by Mallory Capps. Cassandra Roberts ranks 5th, with Katherine Gardener tied for 8th and Kelsey Russell in 10th.

The USA does even better on the Young Riders Combination World Ranking, clinching the top 3 spots. Cassandra Roberts and CA Classy Marina are in first, Mallory Capps and Noslo's Lightning Strikes are in second, and Katherine Gardener and AF Big Bucks are in third. Sydney Sumrall and DCL Mooi Koedoe are in 7th, and Christina Kimeray and DC Macproof are in 8th place.

Bahrain: Quarantine 'puts animals at risk...'

Gulf-daily-news.com

By Ahmed Al Omari , Posted on » Wednesday, August 01, 2012

BAHRAIN'S quarantine facilities could be putting the lives of animals at risk, it has been claimed.

The complex, at the Endurance Village in Sakhir, is poorly equipped and has no air conditioning, which could prove fatal for the animals in summer, warned race horse owner Jalil Al Mallah.

He is due to import six European bred horses, worth a combined total of more than BD45,000, from the UK today and claims he will have to risk their lives just to clear customs.

Mr Al Mallah has already secured the paperwork to take them to the Endurance Village, but plans to stand at the gates of the Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club in Sakhir, where he already owns stables, until they agree to take in his horses.

"I will not take my horses to that crummy quarantine just to have them die," the Bahraini told the GDN.

"When my horses come in I will sign them out and I will drive straight to the race club and offload them there until the club lets me in or arrests me.

"One of these horses, called Cheylesmore, sported the Bahraini flag when the team won a race in England against British horses and now I am just trying to bring them home and this is how they are treated.

"These horses win for Bahrain and they should be treated like winners when they come back home."

Officials from the Municipality and Urban Planning Affairs Ministry could not be reached for comment, but sources admitted the facilities could be better.

"The owner is justified in not wanting to send his animals to the quarantine facility in Endurance Village," they said.

"There is no AC in the facility which is dangerous for all animals, but especially horses that come from the UK.

"Horses coming from a cold country will not be able to survive in this heat at that facility."

The source advised the horse owner to seek permission to keep his horses at the Rashid Equestrian and Horse Racing Club.

But Mr Al Mallah already says he has been denied use of the facility, which has its own quarantine.

"This is not the first case of animals from overseas coming into the club stables, so I don't understand why I can't this time," he said.

"I got everything approved, I got all the certificates and the tests done. Not only that, the horses are already in the process of being shipped. "If I cancel the shipping, then I will have to pay a 70 per cent penalty and so I can't just wait."

ahmed@gdn.com.bh

Denmark will Host 2015 European Endurance Championship

Rideforbund.dk

by Rikke Højgaard
[google translation]

The international equestrian federation FEI has awarded Denmark European Championship in distance in 2015. It is Molsridtet to arrange the championship tournament, which means that the approx. 100 participants to try out a 160 km-consuming route of Mols Mountains. European Championship in 2015 distance runs from 31 July - 2 august.
 
Mols Mountains ready for championship bout

"We are both proud and overwhelmed and delighted to get started - it will be a great championship. Today we are 20 people in Molsridtet, but when we reach 2015, we would have grown to 100, so we can provide both participants and spectators a great experience, "says Peter Christiansen, president of Molsridtet.

It is expected that there will be approx. 100 participants at the European Championships in the distance. Riders from non-European countries may also participate in the competition, but can obviously not ride for championship medals.Championship distance 2015 is organized by Molsridtet in collaboration with Danish Equestrian Federation and Syddjurs Municipality.

Australia: Kilkivan Hosts 2013 Tom Quilty

Kilkivanquilty.com

Kilkivan, Queensland, will be the host of the 2013 Tom Quilty Gold Cup on Sunday June 9th.

A tiny town with a heart of gold
 
Queensland’s first gold discovery was at Kilkivan in 1852 and subsequent findings escalated into a gold rush in 1868.  Small pockets of gold are still found today, and a working gold mine offers visitors the opportunity to try their luck at gold panning.
 
The town itself forms the eastern and northern gateways of the South Burnett region of south-east Queensland, Australia. The South Burnett is home to two of Queensland’s biggest inland waterways (Lake Boondooma



and the Bjelke-Petersen Dam) and is also one of the largest wine-growing regions in the State. Most of the South Burnett is located just a few pleasant driving hours from Brisbane.
 
Kilkivan is located on the Bicentennial National Trail which runs right through the centre of the Township with 107 kms of the
Trail running through the Shire itself. The annual ‘Kilkivan Great Horse Ride’ is a spectacular event, attracting over 1,000 riders to its trek along parts of the Trail.
 
As well as lovely accommodation, the local B&B offers sumptuous meals and the opportunity to take some of the goodies with you in a South Burnett gift hamper. Enjoy a drink at the local hotel and meet the owner, Fred Brophy - operator of the famous ‘Fred Brophy’s Boxing Tent’.

Attractions within this area are diverse. Glimpse life as it used to be, by wanderingthrough the town’s historical museum in the main street.  Mudlo Conservation Park, north of Kilkivan, is ideal for birdwatching.
 
Kilkivan may be a small town, but its rich Australian history make this a must-see Quilty event.

Matthew Sample Withdraws from Australian Team for WEC

July 25 2012

Matthew Sample has today announced his withdrawal from the Australian Team for the 2012 World Endurance Championships.

Matthew has kept the Team Vet and myself aware of an unsoundness issue with his horse Brookleigh Ricardo and the decision has been accepted after giving him every opportunity to rectify the problem.

This is disappointing for Matthew after putting in considerable effort to prepare the horse and himself for this level of competition. It is also disappointing for the team to lose one of its valuable combinations.

Regards
Peter Toft
Chef
Australian Endurance Team

Endurance GB Young Riders Team Announced

Equestrianteamgbr.co.uk

26/07/2012
Following a final performance trial at Wolverhampton racecourse on the 22nd July, Endurance GB has announced the team of horses and riders that will represent Great Britain at the 2012 European Young Riders Endurance Championships.

The riders in alphabetical order are:
• Kate Atkinson from Lancashire riding Vanash
• Brett Corcoran from Staffordshire riding Bashir Shamyr
• Carri-Ann Dark from Wiltshire riding Sovereign or Vavavoom
• Beth Langley from Ceredigion riding HS Ametista
• Dace Sainsbury from Dorset riding Balotta
• Andew Theodorou Jamal from Ceredigion riding Jamal

Reserve:
• Louise Rich from Bristol riding Cziko

Team Chef D’equipe Helen Boston said “all our team members are very determined and we stand in good stead for a team medal, particularly following on from a positive and successful pre championship trip to Mont le Soie back in April. The team are not fazed by the challenge and we are all excited about the championships”.

The 2012 Young Riders European Endurance Championships take place on the 8th September at Mont le Soie, Belgium. The 120km championship course sets a great challenge and the 2010 team Young Rider European Champions, France will be out to try to defend their title.

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.