Great Britain: 'Dreadful' summer hits Brentor route but organisers work around it

Thisiscornwall.co.uk - Full Article

September 14 2012

It wasn't exactly sunshine and blue skies for the Brentor Competitive Endurance ride but at least the rain held off. The mist, which can cause major difficulties for riders on Dartmoor, came and went all day but was never low enough to be a real problem for the 80 riders who had entered.

Some of the Endurance South West rides are organised by a single ride organiser but most are a joint effort. For Brentor, the entries were done by Erica Young, Janet Lander did the paperwork and Jo Chisholm looked after the route.

This gave some major problems, not least because of the dreadful summer, which had left parts of Dartmoor too wet to ride across but also because the route (all 20 miles of it) had to be marked on foot. The land around Gibbet Hill always drains well so that part of the route was unchanged but it was decided that the land across Doetor and Willsworthy would not be used. Competitors would stay mainly on the Lydford side of the River Lyd on the drier ground, so as not to damage the Moor.

Thanks to the generosity of local farmers allowing riders to cross their fields it was possible to reach Nodden Gate from High Down and return the same way.

Volunteers walked out across the moor to mark the route, with the usual orange flags and tape, on the Saturday and the ride went ahead and was thoroughly enjoyed by all competitors on Sunday...

Read more here:
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Dreadful-summer-hits-Brentor-route-organisers/story-16903674-detail/story.html

Great Britain: Lyme's Big Yin is now in line for a big win

Bridportnews.co.uk - Full Article

By Rene Gerryts
14th September 2012 in News


LYME Regis horse breeder Kirsty Wis combe has earned a top accolade for her colt foal, Yawl Hill Big Yin.

The youngster took top honours at the Baileys Horse Feeds/British Equestrian Federation (BEF) Futurity evaluations held in Cornwall.

The evaluation aims to identify British bred young potential sport horses and ponies destined for careers in dressage, eventing, show-jumping or endurance, and may even find the Olympic champions of the future.

Yawl Hill Big Yin took the highest mark of the day for a potential endurance horse with a score of 8.39 and a first premium which indicates that he has the potential and outlook to perform at national level.

The part-bred Anglo-Arab Yawl Hill Big Yin was bred by 42-year-old Kirsty and he is the third generation of horse she has bred herself...

Read more here:
http://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/9924823.Lyme_s_Big_Yin_is_now_in_line_for_a_big_win/

British Endurance Young Riders Take Bronze

Equestrianteamgbr.co.uk

11/09/2012

The British team had a successful trip to the FEI European Young Rider Endurance Championships 2012, which took place at Mont le Soie in Belgium on the 8th September. The team, consisting of Kate Atkinson, Carri-Ann Dark, Beth Langley and Louise Rich won team bronze around the ultra-competitive and demanding 120km course.

The French team took the team Gold and Italy came home with Silver. Two individual riders made up the six strong British squad, Dace Sainsbury and Andrew Theodorou. Dace was the highest British rider in 12th position with her horse Ballota.

Three of the four British team riders completed the hilly course on the edge of the Ardennes forest. Carri-Ann Dark from Wiltshire finished in 14th place with her own Vavavoom, Beth Langley from Wales and HS Ametista came in in 18th and Kate Atkinson from Lancashire riding Vanash finished in 23rd place. Sadly Louise Rich’s horse Oakleaze Farm Cziko vetted out on metabolics at vet gate 3.

Chef d’equipe Helen Boston said “the riders went really well from start to finish. This year we have really planned ahead for the championships. We brought three of the riders, Carri-Ann, Louise and Kate out to Mont le Soie in April for a trial run. What they learned from April and passed on to the other team members has really ensured the whole squad was fully prepared, which shows in their results”.

Team member Carri-Ann Dark said “the course was challenging and technical, but great fun. It went according to plan and we had a very exciting finish with a race to the line”.

The course at Mont le Soie is hilly and stony and presents a real challenge to the riders. Only three teams completed with three riders owing to these tough conditions.

Helen went on to say “Carri-Ann, Beth and Louise are in their last year of young riders, but we have some brilliant riders moving up the ranks for next year”. In 2013 the Young Rider World Championships will be held in Tardes, in the South of France in July.

For more information on the sport of endurance in Britain, visit www.endurancegb.co.uk.

FEI Junior and Young Rider Endurance Championship 2012

Italy’s Mara Feola and Grigali put in a storming finish on the last loop to take individual gold at the FEI European Junior and Young Rider Endurance Championships 2012 at Mont le Soie, Belgium on Saturday. © FEI/Leonard Liesens FEI.org

10 Sep 2012

Team Gold for France in Tight Battle with Italians who claim Individual Glory, by Anna Williams

France claimed team gold and Italy’s Mara Feola took the Individual title at the FEI European Junior and Young Rider Endurance Championships 2012 at Mont-le-Soie in Belgium at the weekend. This stunning venue is nestled in the region of the High Ardennes with its dramatic landscape of dense forests, rivers and valleys. Mont-le-Soie is a well known venue on the Endurance circuit, regularly hosting CEI events up to 160km, but this was its first-ever FEI Championship fixture.

A total of 61 horses and athletes were entered for the event, but following the pre-ride inspection three horses were judged not fit to start – Norway’s Shere Khan (Kine Eissland Holen), Finland’s only entrant Solomonas (Joona Mickelsson) and Belgium’s Cairo to be ridden by home rider Raphael Van Cauter who had just returned from the World Endurance Championships in Euston Park (GBR) where he partnered Taborah de Sier to a successful 22nd place.

Nine Teams

Saturday morning saw a total 58 combinations start, including nine teams ready to battle it out over the tough, hilly course for European glory. Whilst the terrain was extremely challenging the weather was kind to the competitors, dry but not too hot, which enabled the horses to give some great performances and many producing “personal bests” over this distance.

It was competitors from Eastern Europe who were dominant in the early stages, with Hungary and the Czech Republic taking the top positions at the first Vet Gate. This, however, was not to last, and by the conclusion of the event only two riders from each of these countries would complete.

As the day progressed team France showed, once again, their prowess in this tough sport. With their Senior compatriots having taken team Silver at the World Championships some two weeks previously, the French Junior/Young Rider squad looked set to sweep both Individual and Team gold this time out when all four team members remained consistently at the top of the field throughout the day.

Slow and Steady Progress

However, no one counted on the slow and steady progress of the young Italian side who, on paper, rode the perfect race. Despite coming in to Vet Gate 1 towards the back of the field, their consistency and tactical riding meant that by Vet Gate 3 they were just 4 minutes 21 seconds behind the leaders from France. With just 20 kilometres to go, the race was most certainly on for the 2012 team title.

As expected, the last loop of 20 kilometres was to prove very influential. It was demanding, with a final 7-kilometre climb to the finish, and only the very best were able to put in a competitive fight over the closing stages. With the top six all covering the 20 kilometres at over 24 kilometres per hour, the wait on the finish line was a tense one, and these young athletes certainly didn’t disappoint. An exhilarating race to the line saw the top-eight complete the course within 12 seconds of each other.

Mara Feola (ITA) and her talented 10 year old chestnut gelding were through the finish first, and it seemed her mount was just as pleased as she was with their victory. They put in a storming performance on the last loop, climbing up some six places to snatch the lead from French athlete Cesar Donnais and the 10 year old Arab mare Srour.

Fast Calculations

Some fast calculations were made as the competition concluded with both Italy and France finishing with three team members in the top ten. With the tension buzzing across the venue it was confirmed that France had managed to hold on to the lead by a mere 74 seconds ahead of Italy who had to settle for silver medal spot.

Spain looked good for team bronze, but it was wrenched from their grasp when Nuria Serrabassa Fabre’s ride Casba, their final team horse, was deemed lame despite crossing the finish line in eighth position. With only two team members having completed, Spain therefore dropped out of contention allowing the British to step up for bronze - their first team medal since 1997.

Hard-Fought Competition

Director of Non-Olympic Sports, Ian Williams, expressed his delight at the successful Championship, “This was a hard fought competition” he explained, “but these athletes can be very proud of their performances. They rode with maturity beyond their years, and all of the horses looked very good coming across the line”.

Special remarks were also made about the turn-out of these young teams. It was clear that a great effort had been made and both horses and riders looked immaculate, a real credit to the ever-growing sport of Endurance.

Results:
FEI European Junior and Young Rider Endurance Championships 2012 - Teams: GOLD - France 19:06:39 - Srour (Cesar Donnais), Preume de Paute (Nina Lissarrague), Kassit (Marion Brignoli), Karamel Mouthes (Clemence Le Bihan); SILVER - Italy 19:07:53 - Grigali (Mara Feola), Sassifraga della bosana (Luca Zappettini), Isteddada Saura (Matteo Bravi), Pika de Cardonne (Daniele Serioli); BRONZE - Great Britain 20:53:43 - Vavavoom (Carri-Ann Dark), HS Ametista (Beth Langley), Vanash (Kate Atkinson), Oakleazefarm Cziko (Louise Rich).

FEI European Junior and Young Rider Endurance Championships 2012 - Individuals: GOLD - Grigali (Mara Feola) ITA 18.907 kph; SILVER - Srour (Cesar Donnais) FRA 18.906 kph; BRONZE - Preume de Paute (Nina Lissarrague) FRA 18.904 kph.

Great Britain: Carri-Ann's Euro aim

Thisiswiltshire.co.uk - Full Article

12:30pm Friday 7th September 2012 in Sport

Carri-Ann Dark is hoping to bow out in style as she competes for Endurance GB at the European Young Riders Championships in Belgium this weekend.

The 21-year-old, who is in her last year as a Young Rider (16-21 age group), is part of the six-strong Endurance GB squad that will compete in Mont le Soie on Saturday, in an 120km event that Dark describes as ‘like a Formula One race’.

Dark, of Little Cheverell, who competed in the 2008 championships in Spain and the 2009 World Young Riders Championships in Hungary, will ride Vavavoom (also known as Prince). The horse is owned by her mother, Ann, and Dark is confident of putting in a good performance...

Read more here:
http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/sport/9914200.EQUESTRIAN__Carri_Ann_s_Euro_aim/

USA Chef d'Equipe Praises U.S. WEC Effort

September 4 2012

by Emmett Ross, USA Chef d'Equipe

As Chef I sincerely and humbly thank the Magnificent Seven for buying into the new approach of riding with a plan and using the assets we have in a rational and professional way.  We were not poaching for a medal but went after it with what we had, and we had enough.  Their effort was similar to a lower weight fighter going into the ring with some heavy weights.  Make no mistake about it,  the three in front of us and those others we took down, are the heavy weights in our sport.  Since from the beginning of international racing in the mid 80's until  1998 when we virtually dominated the sport, our sport, things have changed dramatically.  A new team and selection process produced this incredible effort and result.  Our new MOTTO is  " we have returned"---if we want it.  Maybe not all have embrassed or are willing to accept  the changes necessary to be relevant again in the international endurance world- but we are on the way, so lets encourage everyone to join in.

Here are just some of the many take aways: 
A. We produced four of the five fastest times of any US rider in any World Championship. Deborah Reich's time of 18.57 km/hr at the 2010 WEG was the fourth fastest time.  I am fully aware that courses and times do vary but isn't it interesting what the 2012 group did.
B.  19.68 avg speed for all four finishers. 
C. 19.42km for the 3 remaining team horses--- this combined team time would have virtually made team USA team gold medal winners in all the new era( 2000-2010) WEC's and WEG's but WEG 2010---would have been the team silver medal.
D. Reference to heavy weights in the opening paragraphs means just that---UAE virtually several thousand endurance horses to choose from and from all corners of the planet. France who are my most respected endurance country and who I am committed to best have over a 500,000 annual euro budget for their team effort.  Their entire endurance effort is to produce top riders and horses for the WEC/WEG's.  Their entire national system's only task is to produce horses for the 40+ FEI rides they have a year alone in France compared to our now dwindling 6-7 rides. Oman are virtual newcomers on the scene with over 6 years of trying and finally being supported by their Royal Cavalry and highly compensated French trainers.  We knocked off Qatar, Bahrain, Belgium, Saudi, Swiss, Uruguay, Argentina and many others.  There were 29 teams and 38 countries with 147 starters---all champions in their own realms.  
E.  We started 5 riders and finished 4--80 %, all going to their limits---there was a 35% overall completion rate for those finishing the entire 160 km race and a 49 % completion for those just finishing 5  of the 6 loops. Our incredible results came from the riders buying into riding to their horse's limits and an incredible vet team headed by Dr Dwight Hooton , Scoot Hei, and Jim Masterson.

The spirit and cooperative feeling is the take away all will remember once numbers and places fade into our life's experiences.  What a fantastic support group led by so many.  Thank you so very much--I will always cherish those 2 weeks no matter what happens to any of us the in the future.

Your grateful Cook

Emmett

Great Britain: Team Announced for YR European Championships

Endurancegb.co.uk

30 August 2012
After the excitement of the WEC at the weekend, it is now the turn of the Young Rider's who are travelling to Belgium next week for the YR European Championships.
The team will be made up of:

Kate Atkinson - Vanash
Carri Ann Dark - Vavavoom
Beth Langley - HS Ametista
Louise Rich - Oakleaze Farm Cziko
Dace Sainsbury - Ballotta
Andrew Theodorou - Jamal

We sail from Dover on Wednesday morning and travel to Mont le Soie for the competition which takes place on Saturday 8th September.

The Management Team and riders would like to say a huge thank you to the following organisations for their support of the team:

Equissage
Just Chaps
Simple Systems
Performance Equestrian
Gatehouse riding hats
Naf products
Ingateston Saddlery, Essex
Toggi

As usual the team can be followed on Twitter and I'm sure you will join in wishing them all the very best of luck!
Helen Boston