Brazil: Latin Americn Endurance Equestrian Forum

The CBH and FEI for the first time will hold a forum March 15-17 2013 in South America whose primary focus will be to promote high-level discussions for veterinarians, officials, organizers and competitors, generating information exchange between the countries of Latin America.

The forum topics will cover FEI Regulation 2013, horse training endurance, the role of the veterinary team, the officials and competitors, accidents and injury prevention, nutrition, among others.

Panelists include Ian Williams, Head Endurance Dept FEI, Jean-Louis Leclerc, Brazil chef d'equipe, and veterinarians Guilherme Ferrza, Pepe Verocay, Edison Pagoto, and Alexandre Gobesso.

For more information, see
http://www.enduroonline.com.br/forum_latino_americano_de_enduro_equestre2013.php

Great Britain: Bishop Burton student Amber Sole completes 60km endurance ride on horseback

Thisishullandeastriding.co.uk - Full Article

27 February 2013
By James Burton

A STUDENT at Bishop Burton College has completed a 60km endurance ride on horseback through the rolling plains of Assam in India.

Amber Sole, 17, an experienced endurance rider, carried out the feat earlier this month on a borrowed horse in the region of Dibrugarh.

The ride was set into three 20km loops around a tea plantation.

Amber was loaned an Indian thoroughbred called Aurum for the competition.

She said: "When setting off, I felt slightly nervous and apprehensive as I was riding a different horse to one of my own that I am used to.

"The terrain was flatter than I expected and very dusty.

"The route was well marked out and was set out with flags and many checkpoints, which was reassuring..."

Read more here:
http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/Bishop-Burton-student-Amber-Sole-completes-60km/story-18265301-detail/story.html#axzz2MCuGblAN

Abu Dhabi: Big prizes on offer at trio of endurance rides

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Dh1.25m plus four cars, including a Bentley, up for grabs at Al Wathba this weekend

BY M. Satya Narayan, Abu Dhabi Deputy Editor
Published: 18:37 February 28, 2013

Abu Dhabi: Five cars including a Bentley and a total prize fund of Dh1.25m will be up for grabs in three endurance rides to be held over the next three days starting Friday at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba.

The 100km Shaikh Mohammad Bin Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Cup for Private Owned Horses will be run on Friday, the 120km Shaikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Challenge Festival ride takes place on Saturday and the 120km Giants Endurance Challenge goes on Sunday.

“An amount of Dh350,000 will be distributed to all riders who finish the Shaikh Mohammad Bin Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Cup race, while the winner will get a Nissan car. Saturday’s winner in the 120km Shaikh Rashid ride will get a car, while all those who finish will get a share of the Dh400,000,” said Adnan Sultan Saif Al Nuaimi, Director-General of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Federation, at a press conference held at the Eastern Mangroves Hotel on Thursday.

“The Giants Endurance Challenge is the most prestigious of the three rides and a Bentley along with two other cars will be given to the top three, while the total prize money for those who finish is Dh500,000..."

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/big-prizes-on-offer-at-trio-of-endurance-rides-1.1152419

Canada: Bromont Bids for 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 at FEI Headquarters

Horse-canada.com

HORSE SPORT - FEBRUARY 27, 2013
BY: FEI

A delegation led by Paul Côté, President of the Bromont Bid Committee, was at FEI Headquarters today to make an in-depth presentation to the FEI Evaluation Commission as part of the final stages of the bidding process for the hosting rights to the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in 2018.

The seven-strong team which presented the official Bromont and Montreal bid book to the Evaluation Commission also included the Mayor of Bromont Pauline Quinlan, President of Equine Canada Mike Gallagher, President of Bromont International Roger DesLauriers, technical advisor Leopoldo Palacios, and President of the Bromont Olympic Park Marcel Bundock. The presentations were led by the Bromont Bid Director Benoit Girardin.

The presentation included details on the delivery of the sport, including horse welfare and anti-doping, the competition venue in Bromont, the financial plan and revenue generation strategy for the 2018 Games, the public and private partners, the local organising committee, risk management and security, and the legacies to Canadian equestrian sport if the Games are awarded to Bromont.

The Bromont bid committee plans to use the Montreal 1976 Olympic Stadium for the opening ceremony, and the Bromont Equestrian Park, which staged the equestrian events in the 1976 Olympic Games, is the proposed venue for all seven disciplines at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in 2018.

“We’ve had an extremely constructive and positive meeting with the FEI today and it’s provided a good opportunity for us to present and explain our bid to the FEI team”, Bid Committee President Paul Côté said. “The Committee now better understands the expectations and requirements for the FEI World Equestrian Games and we feel confident that we can organise and manage the Games in 2018. We are looking forward to presenting to the FEI Bureau in July and hearing the final decision. Getting the 2018 Games could change the sport forever in our country.”

The FEI Evaluation Commission will now produce a full report for the FEI Bureau. Once that has been reviewed by the Bureau, the Bromont bid team will return to Lausanne for the in-person Bureau meeting at FEI Headquarters. Originally scheduled for 10-11 June, the meeting has been moved to 1-2 July. Appropriately, the Bromont team will present to the Bureau on Canada Day, 1 July, prior to a Bureau vote to decide on the allocation of the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018.

“The World Equestrian Games is the FEI’s flagship event, so the bid process is extremely important to us and we were very happy to welcome the Bromont bid committee to FEI Headquarters today”, FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos said. “They gave us an excellent presentation and the members of the Evaluation Commission were very impressed with the attention to detail outlined in the Bromont bid. The team here in HQ is now looking forward to evaluating all the elements and putting together a detailed report that will form part of the final decision making process, but ultimately of course the allocation of the 2018 Games rests with the Bureau.”

The FEI Evaluation Commission is made up of Secretary General Ingmar De Vos; Commercial Executive Director Carsten Couchouron; Jumping Director John Roche; Dressage Director Trond Asmyr; Eventing & Olympic Director Catrin Norinder; Endurance Director Ian Williams; Non-Olympic Sports Director Bettina de Rham; General Counsel Lisa Lazarus; Veterinary Director Graeme Cooke, Director Governance and Executive Affairs Sabrina Zeender, and Press Relations Director Grania Willis.

France: Grand Parquet Endurance

The « Grand Parquet Endurance » association is happy to present you with a new event happening in France : an International Endurance Ride Competition (CEI ***, CEIY ** ** IEC, IEC *) taking place in Fontainebleau on march 30-31 2012.
The event is hosted on the « Grand Parquet » spot, one of the most beautiful equestrian site in France, very comfortable, as well for the horses as for the riders.

The courses are displayed in daisy shape around the site, in the magnificent Fontainebleau Forest, on excellent quality grounds (almost no asphalt).

Electronic timing will be applied to the riders.
Stage Equestrian Grand Parquet
Fontainebleau is a city deeply attached to its equestrian heritage. Since François I to Napoleon III, the kings of France favored Fontainebleau and its surroundings for exceptional hunting.

Built in 1920 on a former site of "hunting shooting" Royal Hippodrome Grand Parquet quickly became a prestigious race. It is called the "Parquet of the Emperor" and the high society of the time were found there. It was around 1950 that this site was redesigned to become a place of equestrian competitions, suitable for all disciplines.

Since then, every year, the Grand Parquet hosts high level equestrian competitions, as well as many sporting events and events.

Message from the President

2011: the first!
2012: Confirmation!
2013: a new step ...

While our association will celebrate its Grand Parquet Stamina third year of existence next summer, the appointment given to all endurance enthusiasts on the site of Grand Parquet Fontainebleau became a fixture of the season starts! After a successful first edition in 2011 (* and ** level), our association was entrusted in 2012 to organize a round selective for Team France at the World Championships (160 km - ***) a guarantee of confidence Federation to our knowledge.
No time to rest for 2013 is looming as a step further: a double selective. It is with great pride that we have accepted the challenge of organizing a round selective Seniors Team France in the upcoming European Championships to be held at Most in the Czech Republic, as well as handle selective for Youth Team of France in the upcoming World Championships, to be held in Tarbes!

Be assured that here each member of the association will give the best of himself to make this new edition a success.

I want to thank our many supporters, without whom this adventure would not have the same flavor. They know and recognize.

I can not continue without a special thought to our friend, gone too soon. Faithful from the beginning, he was a major player in first editions. We will never forget ...

I conclude by wishing you, on behalf of the association Grand Parquet Stamina and all its members, an excellent year of endurance and a good preparation for the 29 and 30 March 2013.

French Championship at Castelsagrat

The French Championship will be held at Castelsagrat from 17 to 19 May 2013.

Races run during this weekend will go from 110 to 160 km and will be part of the selection for the France team.

The courses are as Daisy, with 5 different loops from 18 to 33 km.
For more information see

http://www.castelsagrat-endurance.org/

New Zealand: Wolfie wobbles, Apollo gets it by nose

Stuff.co.nz - Full Article

26/02/13

Endurance horse riders from all over New Zealand and overseas descended on Marlborough to take part in the two-day CopRice and South Island endurance and competitive trail riding champs (CTR).

The event was based up the Waihopai Valley on the old Bankhouse Station, leased by Big Bale Contracting and belonging to Ara Vineyards, and took in several farm properties and vineyards.

There were 15 entries from the North Island, among them overseas riders based in Wellington for the season.

But the February 16-17 weekend belonged to Nelson Lakes rider Alison Higgins, riding the Canterbury-bred, owned and trained Arabian gelding, Northwinds Apollo.

Riding in the CopRice and CRT CEI 3* 160km event on the Saturday, Higgins guided Apollo over the six-loop track, in what was the horse's first start at this level, to finish by a nose in a gallop finish with Cheviot rider Philip Graham and Wolfgang Amadeus...

Read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/sport/8351373/Wolfie-wobbles-Apollo-gets-it-by-nose