Abu Dhabi: Car and cash prize of Dh450,000 on offer for Al Wathba Night Ride

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Endurance village to sign off 2012-13 season with 120km event on Friday

BY M. Satya Narayan, Abu Dhabi Deputy Editor
Published: April 23, 2013

Abu Dhabi: The Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba will sign off its 2012-13 endurance season with a 120km Al Wathba Night Ride on Friday, with a car and Dh450,000 on offer as prizes.

Entrants will get off to a mass start at 5.15pm and the ride will involve four stages of 40km, 40km, 24km and 16km.
“This is the last ride of the 2012-13 season here at Al Wathba and is being held under the instruction and directives of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and Shaikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,” said Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, Director General of Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club.

“The winner will be rewarded a 4WD car, while the prize fund of Dh450,000 will be distributed among all riders who complete the 120km event. Riders will wear helmets fitted with battery-operated headlights to help them negotiate the course at night,” he added...

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http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/car-and-cash-prize-of-dh450-000-on-offer-for-al-wathba-night-ride-1.1174271

A new book on the history of equestrian sports in Bahrain to be issued

BNA.bh

22/04/2013

Manama, April 22 (BNA)--The Media Office and Information Centre of Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa will issue a book on the history of equestrian sports in the Kingdom of Bahrain, starting from horse racing to showjumping and endurance races.

The decision was in compliance to the directives of Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chairman, Bahrain Olympic Committee President and Honorary President of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation.

The book will include the support and backing of Bahrain’s leadership to equestrian sports since its birth, down to the prosperous era of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

It also highlights the history of horses in the Kingdom, its most prominent strains and competitions that were held during horse racing, showjumping and endurance events, in addition to the most important figures that supported these races as well as horses owners, who had the finest horses, besides leading Arabian breeds in Bahrain.

The Media Office and Information Centre, headed by Director Tawfiq Al Salhi, will work on putting all Shaikh Nasser’s directives into writings and document it in this first-of-its-kind release.

Shaikh Nasser said that issuing this book comes under the guidance of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the first supporter to horses in Bahrain, and aims to document the equestrian sport in the Kingdom, which has a long honorable history thanks to the continued backing of the nation’s leadership.

Shaikh Nasser stressed the importance of knowing the correct history of horses in the Kingdom and its races, especially those held in the past decades, in addition to showjumping and endurance competitions...

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http://www.bna.bh/portal/en/news/557565

The Purebred Arabian Horses of Iraq, by Mohammad Al-Nujaifi

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 20, 2013 in Reviews

For many in “the west”, the very mention of Iraq can conjure up mostly negative connotations of war and strife.

But for horse lovers – arabian horse lovers, particularly – the country and the immediate region should be celebrated and appreciated far more that it currently is as the origin of the world’s oldest and most influential breed.

This new book by Iraqi arabian breeder and racing enthusiast Dr Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Nujaifi sheds much light on Iraq and its neighbors and their horse-loving traditions.

The Purebred Arabian Horses of Iraq – Myths and Realities
by Dr Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Nujaifi
Hardcover, 239pp, RRP £35
ISBN 978-1-909339-01-9
Available from Amazon or Medina Publishing

The author needs no introduction in arabian racing circles in Iraq and in Europe, being the top owner for all races in all countries in 2012 according to the statistics of the International Federation of Arabian Horse Racing Authorities (IFAHR) – the third consecutive season he has held the title.

Dr Al-Nujaifi breeds both purebred and anglo-arabian racehorses at his Al-Nujaifi stud farm north of Mosul, where his family has raised Arabians since 1638...

read more here:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2013/04/20/the-purebred-arabian-horses-of-iraq/#.UXMZBCtAT_o

Thailand: An enduring passion

Bangkokpost.com - Full Article

Published: 20 Apr 2013
Newspaper section: Muse

Despite having just returned from her most recent competition, the 2013 Endurance Horse Ride in Fontainebleau, France, neither jetlag nor a pre-Songkran workload could fizzle Wipawan Pawitayalarp's exuberant enthusiasm in relaying her experience.

What she thought would be just a warm-up for her horse, Mulawa Angelus, turned into a victory of a kind.

"I had not hoped to win at all because it was such a large-scale competition, with professional riders from all over the world competing. It was also cold, and my horse was not used to that kind of weather," said Wipawan, an award-winning Thai endurance rider.

In the first phase of the ride, she and her horse were off to a good start, being in the top five. They continued to speed through the snowy course at such a rate that she could hear the air whizzing past. On the last 3km of the track, holding third place, another horse overtook them, bumping them down to fourth.

"At the time, I wasn't completely deflated or disappointed, because my intention in this competition was really to just test the water and gain experience. For me, to complete [the race] is to win," she explained.

However, at the last corner, things took a turn when the rider who had passed her took a fall.

"I asked him if he was ok, and when he said he was, I just did my best to complete the race. I ended up winning third prize and got to stand on the podium," she recalled with excitement in her voice...

Read more here:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/women/346141/an-enduring-passion

Great Britain: New classes turn Golden Horseshoe ride into a festival of endurance

Thisiscornwall.co.uk - Full Article

April 19 2013

The Golden Horseshoe ride on Exmoor is to become a 'festival of endurance' this year (May 12-14) as organisers add three new tests and an invitation-only para class, with a number of high-profile para riders set to take part.

New competitive classes for 2013 include the Exmoor Extra (120km split into three rides of 40km each day for advanced combinations), the Exmoor 40 (a 40km ride for those competing at Open level or above) and the Exmoor Novice (a 40km ride for novices, with slower completion speeds).

The programme, which includes the 48th running of the famous Golden Horseshoe – in its early days 75 miles and now a daunting 100 miles – is completed by the two-day Exmoor Stag class over 80km and 40km routes, the 80km one-day Exmoor 80 and the popular Exmoor Experience class, where the two 40km-a-day rides are designed to give riders and horses a taste of competition over the very testing Exmoor terrain.

Read more here:
http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/New-classes-turn-Golden-Horseshoe-ride-festival/story-18745076-detail/story.html#axzz2R2v160ge

Royal Windsor Endurance ride route bound for Ascot Racecourse

RWHS.co.uk

The 120km route of the inaugural Royal Windsor Endurance CEI 2* ride being held in association with and presented by Royal Windsor Horse Show (8 – 12 May 2013) is set to take in a circuit of Ascot Racecourse, it has been announced.

Not only will the 60 riders participating in the newly introduced event on Friday 10th May get the opportunity to tackle a route around Windsor Great Park, they will have the thrill of completing a single circuit around the National Hunt section of the racecourse.  The Ascot stage of the event will take place early in the race as later in the day it will be business as usual at the racecourse which hosts its meeting of the Flat season that evening.

Achieving speeds of between14-22km per hour, the endurance riders will complete the 120km route in four separate sections with riders returning to a single vetgate on the Review Ground for inspection by the team of international vets and judges. More than 90% of the course will be off-road. Several historic rides in the Great Park have been opened for the event including the Long Walk which it will cross. Endurance competitors will also be given the unique opportunity to ride up to and circuit the equestrian statue of HM Queen Elizabeth II, situated on the highest point of Queen Anne's Ride. The sculpture, a Golden Jubilee gift from the Crown Estate, stands 12ft 6in tall on a 10 foot plinth and will be one of the focal points on the final loop of the event.

Continuing a tradition of association with international endurance competition, this event is generously supported by The Kingdom of Bahrain, who recently sponsored the FEI 2011 European Open Endurance Championship in Florac, France.

Royal Windsor Endurance Director Mike Shephard said: “The route around the Great Park and across to Ascot covers a surprising variety of terrain from parkland to woodland tracks where the going will be softer. There are some sandy sections and gentle inclines. Although there are some open straight sections, parts of the course are quite twisty and technical and will require horses to be well balanced. We are grateful to the team at Ascot Racecourse for allowing us access. The prospect of 60 horses on the circuit will be a thrilling spectacle and it will be without doubt a memorable experience for the riders.” 

Nick Smith, Head of Communications at Ascot Racecourse said: “We are delighted to be working with the team at Royal Windsor Horse Show to host part of the endurance race at the racecourse for the first time. So many supporters of endurance riding are also among racing’s biggest patrons – including important Middle East-based racehorse owners and it is great to welcome the participants to ride at Ascot this year. It is a great opportunity to be able to showcase a sport where, like horse racing, supreme equine athleticism, albeit for endurance rather than speed, is paramount.”

Visitors may watch the endurance event free of charge, access to the event is available in the ‘Review Ground’ which is where the vetgate and start finish is located. The Review Ground and public parking is off the permanent car park on the South side of the A332. Signs will indicate the way.

Royal Windsor Horse Show box office is now open and tickets can be purchased online at  www.rwhs.co.uk or by telephone from 0844 581 4960.

For further information please contact Elizabeth Peplow e.peplow@btinternet.com 0044 7825082595

Great Britain: Windsor horse show entries top 4000

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 16, 2013 in Focus

Record entries have been received by Royal Windsor Horse Show organisers for this year’s 70th anniversary show early next month.

Some 4095 entries have been made for the 174 classes for the show, from May 8 to 12. Over three years, entries have increased by 40%.

The show is also hosting its first international endurance ride in the Great Park. Supported by The Kingdom of Bahrain, the ride will attract competitors from the Middle East and Europe and will cover 120km of the outstanding landscape...

Read more here:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2013/04/16/windsor-horse-show-entries-top-4000/#.UW1cjCtAT_o