New Zealand: Leads Change in FEI Endurance Series

NZEquestrian.org.nz

19/03/2013 12:28:21 p.m.
With four of the five events now completed, the ESNZ Endurance FEI Series 2012-13 has been a see-saw affair. Events have alternated this year between the North and South Islands, with few combinations willing to travel to score points in consecutive events.

Of the early series point scorers in the Canterbury FEI ride in early December, only Lisa Wright and Masada Park Metallica travelled to the North Islands Championships. Their total of 31 points from the two events saw them share second place for a short while with Emma Armstrong and Blue Thunder Shimar, one point behind North Island 160km*** Champions, Andrea Smith and Glenmore Tariq.

That is, until a recent trip south to the South Island Championships proved worthwhile for three Wairarapa Endurance Club members. Cherry Brown riding Samurai and I took the series lead with 39 points, followed by Frank Aldridge on Merimindi Finale and Lynda Kessell on KD Kazada (both 37 points). This upset saw North Island 160km*** Champions Smith and Glenmore Tariq slide back to share fourth place and 32 points with South Island 160km*** Champions Alison Higgins and Northwinds Apollo.

However, things didn’t stay still for long. Back in the North Island, a second place in the 80km* at the Waikato ride gave Smith 15 more points, for a total of 47 points, and the series lead by one point over last season’s winners – Mark Tylee and Jacob. In another upset, Amanda McConachy and Makahiwi Geneca placed second in the 120km ** at the Waikato event, and in doing so, leapfrogged from the middle of the series field to third place with 41 points.

The final event of the series is the Fiber Fresh ESNZ Endurance Nationals 2013 at Taupo at Easter, and it is very hard to predict who will finally wear the series buckle sponsored by Makahiwi Arabians.

The ESNZ Endurance FEI Junior Series 2012-13 currently has three combinations tied at first place and 24 points. Georgia Smith and Glenmore Vixen posted the first points on the board with a win in the 120km** JY at North Island Championship, followed by Bridgett James on Glendaar Crystal Fire winning the same event at the South Island Championships. Brigitte Smith borrowed her sister’s mount Aurora Australis at the Waikato event to take the win in her first 120km** JY. Close behind are Leanne Ireland and Alshar Blue Levi on 23 points; and Emma Mason with Tararua Mistalight have 20 points. As with the senior series, it will be very hard to pick a winner until the last horse crosses the line at Taupo.

By Hilary Webb

Portugal Endurance Championships

The Portuguese Endurance Championships will be held at Fronteira on 12-14 April. Races include a CEI*** 160km, CEI**120 km, CEI*80 km, CEP 80 km, CEP 40 km, CEI 20 km

France: Fontainebleau Results

March 30 2013

This CEI***, CEIY**, IEC**, IEC*edition of Grand Parquet at Fontainebleur was 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.

Results of the 130 km***:
1. Abdulrahman Mohammed Alzayed - Arkiyo - Bahrain - 5:27.12
2. Raed Mahmood - Quenzo - Bahrain - 5:29.35
3. Geraldine Brault - Pomoska du Barthas - France - 5:34.11
4. Ruth Comas-Molist - Enia - Spain - 5:38.57
5. Robin Cornely - Rusty James - France - 5:39.57

For further results see:
http://www.atrm-systems.fr/documents_passes_endurauto.php?Lien=Fontainebleau+%28FRA%29+29-03-2013

Abu Dhabi: Al Jahouri emerges best

Khaleejtimes.com - Full Article

(KT Report) / 29 March 2013

School boy Khalifa Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri, astride Baraka Farid, won the CEI three-star 140 Km endurance ride for Al Wathbaon on Thursday at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, as part of the two-day Abu Dhabi Endurance Festival.

The Festival is being held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs and chairman of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club (ADEC).

The race was attended by Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Shaikh Mansour, Shaikh Sultan Saif Al Nuaimi, director general of ADEC and Lara Sawaya, director of the Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival and Head of Ladies Racing in IFAHR.

The ride was run in five stages of 35 kms, 34 kms, 31 kms, 24 kms and 16 km and it drew 67 riders. Al Jahouri finished the first loop in third place and finished second in the following two loops but slowed down in the fourth and went behind to finish fourth. But he regained the required speed to emerge victorious with an average speed of 26.925 kmph...

Read more here:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/inside_sport.asp?xfile=/data/nationsports/2013/March/nationsports_March366.xml§ion=nationsports

Abu Dhabi Endurance Festival begins

Khaleejtimes.com - Full Article

28 March 2013

ABU DHABI — Three endurance rides will be held as part of the inaugural two-day Abu Dhabi Endurance Festival starting from Thursday at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi with some of the top riders participating.
Sultan Saif Al Nuaimi, director general of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club (ADEC) told a Press conference at the Eastern Mangroves Hotel on Tuesday evening, “This is the first time such a festival of rides is being held in Abu Dhabi. We start off with a 140-km Three-star Open endurance ride on Thursday which will be the feature event.”

Friday, March 29 we will be staging two rides, one a 120-km national ride for private owners and the second a national ride for ladies over a distance of 100 kms,” he said.

“Around 140 riders are expected to be starting in Thursday’s 140 km-ride which will be held in five stages of 35 kms, 34 kms, 31 kms, 24 kms and 16 kms,” said Al Nuaimi.

In the ladies ride on Friday the participants are required to cover the 100 kms divided into four stages of 33 kms , 27 kms, 24 kms and 16 kms,” he said.

The rides are being held under the patronage of Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs...

Read more here:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/inside_sport.asp?xfile=/data/horseracing/2013/March/horseracing_March7.xml§ion=horseracing

Qatar: Big show: Aiming high

ThePeninsularaQatar.com - Full Article

28 March 2013
By Isabel Ovalle

Qatar is currently hosting the first international equestrian competition to be held in the Middle East and Asia. The venue is Al Shaqab, which boasts 980,000 square metres of world-class facilities inside Qatar Foundation’s Education City.
The organisers expect 10,000 spectators to attend over the four days of the event, with special attendance by members of the ruling family and other guests of honour from the GCC states.

CHI (Concours Hippique International — International Equestrian Competition) is the official title given by the FEI (International Equestrian Federation) to international equestrian competitions with three or more equine disciplines, like the one taking place in Doha.

“Many prestigious equestrian events have taken place in the Gulf countries; however, this combination of disciplines hasn’t been done before,” said Dr Andras Tatar, Venue Director at Al Shaqab.

The event, which began yesterday, will conclude on March 30 with participation by the best riders in the FEI ranking.
The city will host at least three more events like this, which will serve as tests for Doha and Al Shaqab, which ultimately aims to host the World Equestrian Games in 2022.

Al Shaqab wants to use the opportunity to the full.

“We are about to develop the facility to be multifunctional. We have control rooms to run three different disciplines at the same time, with the outdoor area destined for showjumping and the indoor area for dressage,” said Dr Tatar, who has been working at Al Shaqab for over five years.

Al Shaqab has three major areas, and a fourth one will be the arena and events area. The others are a zone dedicated to breeding and one for endurance, both focusing on Arabian horses, and the riding academy. The institution is developing programmes to build dressage teams and at present has competing teams only in endurance. The academy has 1,156 members — half of them expatriates of various nationalities and the rest Qataris, said the venue director...

Read more here:
http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/cover-plus/230894-big-show-aiming-high.html

Belgium: Mont Le Soie National and International Races Cancelled

Endurance-belgium.com

27 March 2013

[google translate]

The association PROMO ENDURANCE HORSE, organizing competitions endurance Mont-le-Soie (Vielsalm) cancels national and international competitions that were to take place this Saturday 04 and Sunday, May 5th next.

In September 2012, Mont-le-Soie had served as the Junior European Championships and the World Veterans and this year was the 13th edition of the appointment of high level. There will unfortunately probably nothing.

Involved, due to weather extremely rough this winter that many horses are stationed in Belgium and neighboring regions will not be ready for early May.

In addition, another international contest of endurance in Rambouillet (France, 300 kms from Mont-le-Soie) came intercalate into the schedule the same dates so that no rider will not run into hexagonal Ardennes .

Knowing that to balance the budget of Mont-le-Soie, it takes 100 horses minimum international events, Special Equestrian Endurance has always worked far more by passion than by reason prefer this time reverse priorities and think accounting terms.

Still another date is being considered for Mont-le-Soie but at the end of the season.