World Championship Young Horses at La Garda, Italy

Horsereporter.com

On September 28, the World Championships for Young Horses will take place along the scenic shores of Lake Garda and the breathtaking landscape of Parco Giardino Sigurta' in Valeggio sul Mincio. This is the the first time this event will be held in Italy.

Team UAE make a clean sweep to clinch Endurance Cup honours in Italy

Khaleejtimes.com - Full Article

Kelly Ann Clarke / 1 September 2013

Team UAE reigned victorious on Saturday at the Horse Country Endurance Cup held in Sardinia, Italy – a first for the autonomous Italian region – with Dubai-based horses and riders snapping up the top three places of the tough 120-km race.

With competitors from the UAE, Italy, Spain, Great Britain and Algeria all vying for the top spot, it was the strength and agility of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai’s; horses that proved winner worthy.

Crossing the finishing line first at 14.08pm – nine and a half minutes ahead of the runner up and just over six hours after setting off – was Saeed Mohammed Khalifa Al Mehairi from MRM Stables in Dubai. Wearing the number 15 jersey and riding Qaid Larzac, Al Mehairi had a tense wait to confirm his winning position as the vets checked over the horse, but as the thumbs up were given, the rider and his team erupted into cheers and began throwing water over each other in celebration...

Read more here:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-article-display-1.asp?xfile=/data/sportstalk/2013/September/sportstalk_September1.xml§ion=sportstalk

Epic ride through the Americas close to completion

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Aug 30, 2013

A German adventurer is crossing the Alaskan wilderness on horseback, nearing the end of one of the most remarkable equestrian journeys in history. His epic trip began nearly 20 years earlier in Patagonia, near the southern tip of South America.

Guenter Wamser is currently out of contact, but is almost certainly nearing the end of his epic journey, during which he has covered more than 25,000 kilometers (15,535 miles).

In 1994, Guenter, an airplane mechanic by trade, set out from Patagonia on horseback with the intention or riding north to the top of Alaska...

Read more here:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2013/08/30/epic-ride-americas-close-completion/#axzz2dSp7gJWL

Australia: Alwyn's Life in the Saddle

Weeklytimesnow.com.au - Full Article

Johanna Leggatt | August 28, 2013

AWLYN Torenbeek "doesn't do anything in life that doesn't give him a natural high".

That's the words of the retired stockman and rodeo champion.

From rough riding horses in rodeo tournaments in his late teens to competing in endurance horse rides in his late 70s, Alwyn has always ripped off a fair chunk of life.

Such is the strength of the stories at his disposal, Alwyn finally relented to friends’ requests and shared his ups and downs with author David Gilchrist, in the newly released memoir Life in the Saddle.

“You have got to want to get out of bed every day when it is still dark to feed the horses,” he says.

“You have to want to live. It is no different from when you are riding a big bad horse that wants you off it, the thing is, you have to want to stay on.”

Alwyn has always wanted to stay on the horse, and as the wild and talented teen discovered, was pretty good at it, too.

He grew up mustering cattle on his parents’ property at Myella in Kokotunga, south-west of Rockhampton in Queensland, before leaving to work as a “taker” on a nearby station in his teens...

Read more here:
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2013/08/28/580793_country-living.html

Endurance Team Great Britain Announced for the FEI European Endurance Championships

Endurancegb.co.uk

5th August 2013
Holdsworth PR and Marketing report that Endurance GB has announced the team of horses and riders that will represent Great Britain at the FEI European Endurance Championships 2013

Link to Team Profiles

The riders in alphabetical order are:

· Beccy Broughton-Booker from Nottinghamshire riding Mr & Mrs T Broughton’s Tawmarsh Muharram
· Carrie-Ann Dark from Wiltshire riding her own Vavavoom
· Emma Finnie from Abu Dhabi Riding Al Wathba Stables’ Baraka Farid or Djella D’Enfer
· Annette Masterson from Staffordshire riding her own El Sabio or Millenium Chorus

Chairman of selectors, Di Latham said, on behalf of the selectors and management team, “This year’s team is a combination of new and experienced members. This is a perfect mix for the European Championships in preparation for the World Equestrian Games next year”.

Team Chef d’Equipe, Annabelle Scofield said, “It is very exciting to have new blood in the team. Each one of the members brings their own knowledge and experience. Emma has competed extensively in endurance and showjumping in Abu Dhabi, Carri-Ann comes to the senior team off the back of a Young Rider medal in 2012, Annette was a member of the 2012 World Endurance Championships team and Beccy is very experienced at senior level. We are expecting all the riders and crew to pull together really well”.

Chairman of EGB’s International Committee, Emma Miller, said, “This is a strong team of committed and hardworking riders. We are confident they will rise to the challenge in the Czech Republic”.

The FEI CEI 4* European Endurance Championships takes place 12 - 15 September, at Most in the North West of the Czech Republic; the riders will compete over a course of 160km in distance.

There will be a live twitter feed throughout the day of the Championships @enduranceGB, #Egbeuros. For further information about the sport of endurance riding visit www.endurancegb.co.uk.

For more information about the British equestrian team go to www.equestrianteamgbr.co.uk.

France: Test Summary Test of 2014 WEG in Normandy

El Raid Blog - Gabriel Gamiz

August 24 2013
[google translation]

One of the more Raid International Judges requested by the Committee Organizers important evidence in the international calendar, Fernando Carrillo, has made a summary of this test Test, preparatory Raid World 2014 to be held by the Norman lands in France next year 2014.

Sure that these views of a lover Judge Raid and expert in the field, have your weight within the Organizing Committee to make a good World Cup and that everything runs through the trails CRAVED of participants and assists ( how good and important work done in Equestrian Endurance test), and for much the public, which will likely resort to an event of such importance and resonance within the Raid World.

This is written by Fernando:

"Many friends have called me to know how was the test event for WEG 2014 and asked me to make a summary.

No professional is a summary only say the things that caught my attention.

The first thing people and people of Normandy, very kind and willing to WEG 2014 raid that goes well or yes.

And I am referring to several things, first, there are few since they cross paths huge farms and roads intersect and in each farm-road crossing two volunteers of the organization that become cops when national wagons.

I think there were more than 200 volunteers. I did not count but they were everywhere.

Countless have reaped corn farms for the tour passes by, making broad ways in which fit more than 5 horses at par. Victorian mansions, have opened their farm for horses passing by, even in some spend almost next to the front door.

Going through the villages is amazing, in this day, public holiday in France, people in some places, set up tables with food and drink and there were applauding every rider or group of riders passed.

Nothing to say about the gallop along the beaches, one with the Mont St. Michel in the background, each think or imagine what you want, but I will tell you is not to be missed. Cool!

The mountain route without hills but with up and down but also with flat stages. The sandy soil in many places, you have to run with head, especially if it's hot, it did the day before and had a very high temperature with high humidity.
The very large vet gate and next year it will be even more like the enclosure of blocks, which occupy part of what was the vet gate this year.

The assists very well marked and very large sites, the route well marked and signposted and also, again, volunteers fluorescent overalls and stop signs all over the place. Health, medical and ambulance assistance and one in every other fixed with two mobile hospitals vet gate.

I think it has all the ingredients to be a success, considering also that the Secretariat and the organization is run by one of the most experienced Organizing Committees in organizing European Championships as that of Compiegne.

I think I do not forget anything, perhaps only downside the distance to other events or equestrian disciplines, we will be slightly apart, but hopefully not for that, we are forgotten.

I attached some photos for you to see with your eyes what I have told you. "

Thanks Fernando for your contribution to our discipline riding is increasingly important and competitive.

Greetings from Gabriel.

Spain: Shortlist for the European Championships in Most (Czech Republic)

El Raid Blog - Gabriel Gamiz

[google translate]

In the page of the Spanish Equestrian Federation give us the list of names of those who will binomials of the five pairs selected to attend the Senior European Championship in Most, Czech Republic Raid.

This is the note of the Federation:

List of names for the Senior European Championships RAID MOST, Czech Republic.

After a first round of tests conducted in recent weeks, the 10 riders who have entered the list of names for MOST of which will the final list of 5, is:

María Álvarez Pontón con NOBBY
Jaume Punti Dachs con QURAN EL ULM
Laia Muixi Crusellas con FLYNG TORNADE
Bernat Casals Fores con DZSAMILA P
Florentino Pereira Suarez con AGENTE 67
Ingrid Valls Vazquez con FLETXA D’OR
Ibon Alberdi Sánchez con ABANDO AB BAKAR
Maria Uriarte Cañellas con RUFO
Angel Soy Coll con FOR-XINXETA
Javier Cervera Sanchez-Arnedo con STRAWBLADE

Next week will start the end of selection tests that define the final team that will travel to the European Championships representing Spain.