Bahrain: Royal riders fail due to injuries

Gulf-daily-news.com

Posted on » Sunday, August 26, 2012

BAHRAIN'S Royal Endurance Team yesterday endured a heart-breaking experience at the FEI World Endurance Horse Ride Championships 2012 at Euston Park near Thetford in the UK.

The Bahraini team made a disheartening start as team captain Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa and team member Ahmed Abdulla were out by the first stage.

Shaikh Nasser, the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and president of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, had to withdraw from the race after his horse Picaflor was injured and failed to pass the veterinary examination at check point.

On the other hand, Abdulla, another prominent Bahraini rider, was injured during the first stage of the championship while Yaqoub Al Hammadi and Abdulrahman Al Saad were also out after the third and fourth stages, respectively.

This left the squad with only three members - Al Khalidiya Stable skipper Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Jaffer Mirza and Abdulrahman Al Zayed - which ended their chances of a podium finish in the team category.

Best

The race started with the six-member Bahraini team lined up with some of the world's best endurance riders competing over six stages.

There were 153 men and women riders from 44 countries competing in the championship.

Participants came from Finland, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Australia, Austria, Belgium,Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Guatemala, Hungary, Ireland, Algeria, Argentina, the US, Oman, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden Switzerland, Holland, Japan, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, New Zealand, Norway and Uruguay.

The ride, which was over 160 kms, featured 38 kms for the first stage, followed by 29 kms for the second. The third stage was over 30 kms, the fourth covered 20 kms, 23 kms for the fifth while the sixth and concluding stage was over 20 kms.

Shaikh Nasser's squad came to the UK hoping to win a podium finish after a two-month training camp in Europe, where they had participated in several endurance rides.

Meanwhile, UAE's Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum picked up what seemed to be a well-deserved victory in the singles event on Madji Du Pont.

Shaikh Mohammed completed the sixth and final stage on top in 43 minutes and 29 seconds, with a 22-km per hour average speed.

The UAE riders stamped authority as Shaikh Rashid bin Dalmook Al Maktoum and Ali Al Jahouri were second and third, respectively.

Shaikh Mohammed, the Prime Minister and Vice-President of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, also led his squad to retain the world team title for the third time in succession.

The remaining members of the UAE team were Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum and Shaikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, sons of Shaikh Mohammed, and Ahmad Belqaizi.

Shaikh Nasser, along with Shaikh Khalid and other Bahrain riders, congratulated Shaikh Mohammed as well as other members of the UAE team on their double victory following the awarding ceremony.

His Majesty King Hamad late last night send a cable congratulating Shaikh Mohammed on winning the FIA World Endurance Horse Ride Championship.

His Majesty also congratulated the UAE team for retaining the team title for the third time in succession.

Mohammad is new world endurance champion

Gulf-daily-news.com - Full Article

Delivers a tactical ride to secure gold and lead the UAE to victory in the team championship

By M Satya Narayan, Abu Dhabi Deputy EditorPublished: 20:57 August 25, 2012

Abu Dhabi: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, secured a historic double in the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships in the UK Saturday.

He won the individual gold medal and also led the UAE squad to the team gold at the event, which was held at Euston Hall near Thetford, Suffolk.

Riding 12-year-old Madji Du Pont, Shaikh Mohammad galloped to the finish to lead home a 1-2-3 finish of the individual medals, with Shaikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum winning the silver and Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri the bronze.

Shaikh Mohammad covered the 160km distance in a time of 7 hours 00:45 minutes with an average speed of 22.8km, while Shaikh Rashid was clocked at 7:01.04 and Ali Khalfan at 7:01.04...

read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/mohammad-is-new-world-endurance-champion-1.1065965

Thumbs up for endurance champs venue, organisers

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum rodeMadji du Pont to take individual gold at the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships 2012. © FEI/Gilly Wheeler. Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Aug 27, 2012 in Focus

The weekend’s World Endurance Championships at Euston Park have been described as a showcase for the sport, with FEI first vice-president John McEwen declaring it a “wonderful sporting occasion”.

The race was won by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum riding Madji Du Pont, in a ride time of 7hr and 45sec at an average speed of 22.82km/hr. The first three riders home were all from the United Arab Emirates which also won the team competition taking gold ahead of France with Oman emerging as a new force in the sport to take bronze.

Speaking after the closing ceremony held at Euston Hall on August 26, John McEwen said: “I have been involved with endurance riding for nearly 30 years and have watched it grow almost from its infancy – yesterday was a showcase for the discipline and a wonderful sporting occasion. I had the privilege of being out on course for two of the loops and seeing the riders and crews at work and the atmosphere was incredible.

“I also watched the finish and I thought that the horses came in after 160km in superb condition. The level of this sport particularly the standard in managing the horses is extremely high...

read more here:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2012/08/27/thumbs-up-endurance-champs-venue-organisers/#.UDz6PWie7tE

Oman: Royal Cavalry third at World Endurance meet

MENAFN.com

MENAFN - Muscat Daily - 27/08/2012

(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) The Royal Cavalry won the third place at the World Endurance Championships 2012, which was held in UK at Euston Estate. UAE and France won the first and second place respectively in the event which saw 154 riders from 40 countries participating.

Twenty-nine teams represented by 116 riders, and 38 riders on an individual level, participated in the race. Riders Mahmood bin Marhoon al Fawri, Hisham bin Saleh al Farsi, Abdullah bin Said al Syabi, Ahmed bin Salem al Hamadani, Sami bin Said al Belushi and Adel bin Said al Belushi competed in the championship along with their horses, Rudlan, Pulco, Penchab Sully, Ourour, Maj and Mondalaih, respectively.

Brigadier General Abdul Razak bin Abdul Qadir al Shahwarzi, commander of The Royal Cavalry said that he was happy with the achievement and that it was a result of planning and preparation by the team. Elite horses tackled a 160km long course, which consisted of six stages of 38km, 29km, 30km, 20km, 23km and 20km.

The Royal Cavalry came 12th in Round One. Fawri completed the round in 1h52min21s, while Hamadani on Ourour finished in 1h52min42s and Farsi took 1h53min27s.

In the 29km Round Two, the team came in eighth where Fawri finished in 1h21min12s and Farsi took 45 seconds more to complete the round. Hamdani took 1h22min29s.

The Royal Cavalry was fifth in Round Three with Fawri on Rudlan taking 1h22min46s. Farsi on Pulco took 1h25min38s, while Syabi took a minute and nine seconds more.

In Round Four too, the team was fifth and Fawri finished first and took 57h32min. Syabi on Penchab Sully took nine seconds more, while Farsi took 59h28min.

However, by the end of the fourth round, the horse Ourour was disqualified by the veterinary committee because of a leg injury.

Thus, The Royal Cavalry was forced to enter Round five with three horses. It won the third place with Syabi taking 1h12min25s. Farsi took 1h12min42s and Fawri on Rudlan took 1h16min4s.

The course for Round Six was characterised by slopes and waterways and The Royal Cavalry maintained its position in this round.

Faisal bin Mahboob bin Hassan, director of The Royal Cavalry said the result could not have been achieved without the support the cavalry got from the Royal Court Affairs.

Deputy director general of technical affairs at The Royal Cavalry added that the intensive preparation for the championship was a major factor that helped in this achievement.

Spirit of Endurance

Gulftoday.ae

August 28 2012

Endurance rides in the United Arab Emirates, a sport loving country, was started under the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The sport has come a long way since the UAE Equestrian & Racing Federation was established in 1992. The first modern desert ride took place on January 7, 1993.

Camels competed against horses in this 40-km pioneering event in the dunes of Dubai and the first 15 places were taken by horses.

The UAE Equestrian & Racing Federation has built up a very strong infrastructure to support equestrian sport in general and Endurance in particular.

There are three self-sufficient modern Endurance centres or villages in the country and 22 riding clubs and equestrian establishments.

Endurance riding has captured the top position in the equestrian sports held in the UAE. Among its strongest supporters are many members from the Royal families of the country and Their Highnesses and Rulers of different Emirates regularly take part in Endurance competitions alongside large numbers of UAE nationals and resident foreign riders and visiting riders from abroad.

All Endurance rides are electronically monitored and controlled and receive comprehensive media coverage. The UAE is working closely with several other countries in globally developing Endurance.

Highlights

Over the last decade several remarkable achievements have been made by the Endurance sport and the UAE riders. A brief description is given below.

The first National Endurance Riding Rules were established in 1995. The period 1995-1998 saw long-distance point-to-point Endurance rides in the UAE.

For the first time the UAE riders participated in the 1996 World Endurance Championship in Kansas, USA.

In 1998, for the first time the UAE hosted the World Endurance Championship which attracted a record 162 competitors out of which 78 completed the 160-km ride. This record number of participants gained an entry into the Guinness World Records as “the First Equestrian Federation to enter Guinness World Records as the organiser of the Biggest Equestrian World Endurance Championship 1998.” For the first time, time control was fully computerised and the riders carried plastic swipe cards to register their arrival after each phase of the ride.

The world’s First Preferred Endurance Ride was held in 1999 in the UAE which is an annual feature and has been renamed FEI/UAE World Cup Endurance.

In late 2002, The Al Wathba Endurance Village in Abu Dhabi built in 2000 was refurbished and The President’s Cup (160km) and the National Day Cup (120km) rides are annual important events here.

Young UAE rider Sheikh Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum became the youngest rider in history and also the first man to win the coveted FEI World Cup Endurance Championship at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Spain. The UAE has been elected Chairman of the Endurance Committee of Asian Equestrian Federations.

Activities

. Formulating the National Rules and regular updates.

. Maintaining an Endurance Registry, mainly a record of riders and horses right from the advent of sport in the United Arab Emirates.

. UAE Endurance licensing of riders and trainers and registration of horses.

. Interaction with FEI, AEF and national federations and foreign Endurance organisers and well-known Endurance persons in Endurance related matters.

. Interaction with UAE Endurance organisers for planning rides, developing the Endurance calendar, Endurance village infrastructure and preparation of Endurance trail, selection of officials and overall technical management of most competitions and qualifications rides in the UAE.

. Complete liaison with FEI in preparing the Endurance calendar, the draft schedules for the FEI rides and sending the results. Total detailed online registration of riders and horses with FEI.

. Technical control and advisory role in rides in the UAE.

. Maintaining a proper protocol and observance of all international norms and regulations and ensuring that the competitions are held according to the rules.

. Maintaining a National Register and conducting Endurance rides exclusively for private national owners.

. Coordinating the functions of all officials working at the ride.

. Interaction with clubs, licensed persons in the running of day-to-day Endurance in the UAE.

. Handling and scrutiny of all entries for the rides and ensuring that the rules and conditions are abided by.

. Checking out Endurance routes, checking the facilities and amenities of the four Endurance villages. Inspection of Endurance trials and handling of all complaints and reports. Arbitration and settlement of disputes on the ride day itself.

. Issuing Endurance information regularly to all stables and riders concerning national and international rides and other Endurance matters.

. Complete Endurance invoicing of all FEI registrations, Federation licenses and individual entry fees of rides organised in Abu Dhabi.

. Active participation both as FEI officials and at the national level to ensure that all regulations and protocols are observed.


. Inspection of prospective riding clubs in the UAE and assessment of their capabilities.

. It is also one of the duties of the National Federation to send eligible national riders to participate in international rides all over the world. The NF scrutinises and ensures that all necessary rules have been observed and that our riders and horses are accepted, ensuring their smooth participation in the event.

Mohammed - Titan of Endurance

Gulftoday.ae

Sarah Taryam
August 28 2012

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, raised the UAE flag at Euston Hall in Suffolk, England, on Saturday after winning the FEI World Endurance Championships 2012. The UAE also took 2nd and 3rd place along with team gold.

One hundred and fifty-two riders from 38 countries rode through the beautiful English countryside to cover 160km in just over seven hours. On his 12-year-old French-bred chestnut horse, Madji du Pont, Sheikh Mohammed raced through what he described as “good conditions.”

Sheikh Mohammed and his family’s passion for horses is well known. His father, the late Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, taught him and his brothers how to ride at a young age and in doing so planted a deep love and respect for this magnificent animal.

The efforts and hard work of Sheikh Mohammed for equestrian sports began many years ago and have cemented the UAE’s profile in the equestrian field and established a strong foundation for the sports which has been thriving in recent years.

In 1992 he established the racing stable Godolphin which has grown into one of the biggest, most successful breeding and racing stables in the world. Their results span all over the globe with wins from Australia to America.

The Dubai World Cup was created by Sheikh Mohammed in 1996. In 2010 it became the world’s richest horse race with a prize fund of $10 million. The event draws in equestrian enthusiasts from all over the globe who come to watch the elite of thoroughbreds compete.

Sheikh Mohammed has shown himself to be a true athlete. With many Endurance wins, Sheikh Mohammed has led the UAE Endurance team to high success and they continue to dominate at major championships around the world.

To be able to obtain such results requires both horse and rider to possess great fitness, stamina and be in peak condition. For a man with Sheikh Mohammed’s responsibilities to come out and win such a tough race is admirable to say the least.

He continues to inspire people with his dedication to equestrian sports and knowledge about the animal he holds so dear. His accomplishments are a fine example to the people of the UAE that through sheer hard work, pure ambition and a clear vision one is capable of accomplishing greatness. His horse sense is like a lion’s roar.

United Arab Emirates riders sweep the gold medals at the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships

USEF.org

RELEASE: August 26, 2012
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: Kathleen Landwehr

Meg Sleeper and Syrocco Reveille on race day (Merri Melde-Endurance.net)
Newmarket, UK – Saturday, August 25 started out pleasant at Euston Park, but throughout the day the weather deteriorated into heavy downpours and severe thunderstorms. Due to the extreme weather, officials had to call the race off for the safety of the horses and riders. In an unusual finish to an endurance race, several riders were placed based on the position they were in at the time that the race was called, but the majority of the riders finished the sixth and final loop.

The U.S. Team made quite a showing against stiff competition finishing in fourth place with a combined time of 24:45:00. Valerie Kanavy (Fort Valley, VA) was the first member of the team to finish with Reach For The Gold in 20th place with a time of 08:00:06. Jeremy Reynolds (Dunnellon, FL) and A Kutt Above were right behind her, finishing in 21st place with a time of 08:00:09. Heather Reynolds (Dunnellon, FL) and Riverwatch finished in 36th place with a time of 08:44:45. John Crandell III (West River, MD) was unable to finish the race when Heraldic did not pass the mandatory re-check at Vet Check 5.

Margaret “Meg” Sleeper (Frenchtown, NJ) and Syrocco Reveille had an amazing day at Euston Park. Sleeper was the first U.S. rider to cross the finish line, finishing in 11th place with a time of 07:49:11. The pair had an average speed of 20.46 kph.

With a time of 21:22:37, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) claimed Team Gold as well as sweeping all of the Individual medals. France won Team Silver with a time of 23:24:47 and Oman won Team Bronze with a time of 23:55:46. HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum (UAE) rode Madji du Pont to Individual Gold with a time of 7:00:45 and an average speed of 22.82 kph, followed closely behind by UAE teammates HE Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum on Yamamah (07:01:04) and Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri on Vendaval (07:01:04). The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Gold medalist Maria Alvarez Ponton of Spain finished fourth with her WEG partner Nobby. The Best Conditioned Horse was Ikland ridden by Alex Luque Moral of Spain. The pair finished fifth individually.