5-Day Equestrian Endurance Race Gallops of Oman from Feb 17

Muscatdaily.com

Muscat Daily staff writer
November 20, 2013

MUSCAT -
Gallops of Oman, the first endurance horse race of its kind in the region, will begin from February 17 next year.

This was announced by the Royal Court Affairs, represented by the Royal Cavalry, on Monday. Gallops of Oman, is the brainchild of France-based Bady Kebir – organiser of several horseback expeditions around the world and Benoit Perrier, manager of Polo Club Chantilly, in partnership with the Royal Cavalry of Oman.

“I am sure it will be an eventful adventure for all participants, even the most experienced ones. It will be a great opportunity to explore the sultanate and its amazing deserts, which we heard so much about. I would like to thank the Royal Court Affairs and the Royal Cavalry for this opportunity to visit Oman and to be part of such a unique race which brings together some of the most experienced horsemen in the world,” said Kebir.

The format for the five-day equestrian event focuses on the ability of riders, the endurance of the horses over 180km of some of the most beautiful, yet challenging landscapes in Oman.

It is estimated that 110 riders from around the world will participate in the event, crossing the Sharqiyah desert for a distance of 180km from February 17 to 21, 2014, from Rakah in the wilayat of Bidiyah, to Agdima in the wilayat of Jalaan Bani Bu Hassan.

“It is a big achievement to organise this race for the first time in the sultanate. I am sure we are going to introduce the world to a unique experience of endurance races in the Omani desert,” said Abbas bin Abdullah al Bahrani, head of financial affairs at the Royal Court Affairs and chairman of the main committee of Gallops of Oman.

Brig Abdulrazak al Shahwarzi, commander of the Royal Cavalry, vice-chairman of the main committee, and CEO of Gallops of Oman, said, “Gallops of Oman will be a significant event in the region. A 180 km desert challenge in not an easy task, not even for the most experienced riders.

“However, we are sure that participants are up to the challenge and we wish them all the best.”

Race schedule

February 17 : At 8am in Al Rakah area, a welcoming ceremony will be conducted before the riders set forth for the first stage of Gallops of Oman. Covering a distance of about 40km, the riders will head to Tiwi Mussalam, the second camp.

February 18 : The second stage covers a distance of about 41km. Riders will then head to Tiwi Khazeena camp.

February 19 : The third stage will cover about 34km before the riders reach Al Htahamam.

February 20 : A distance of about 30km will take the competitors to Qudaih Cam

February 21 : The fifth and final stage will see participants cover a distance of about 26km, concluding the race at Agdima camp. Adjustments will be made along the route to take the distance to a total of 180km.

Life’s a beach: Endurance riding on the edge

Endurance is alive and well in the far-flung reaches of the FEI empire. Neil Clarkson reports.

Nine-year-old Robbie James was a young man on a big mission. As he closed in on the finish in last weekend’s 80-kilometre endurance ride run by the Mount Linton Endurance Club in Southland, New Zealand, it was clear he would be battling his sister, Jorja, 13, for first place in the junior section.

The pair pushed their mounts up, and Robbie’s mount Glendaar Amira Fire eased clear to win the contest ahead of his sister on Kilarney Fire. Robbie’s ride on Amira Fire also earned the prestigious Best Conditioned title overall.

Read More ...

FEI: New study is tasked with investigating endurance injuries

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

8 November 2013
Pippa Cuckson

A new Injuries Surveillance System is being rolled out in international endurance as the FEI struggles to allay the escalating crisis about doping and life-threatening stress fractures in the Middle East.

Dr Tim Parkin of the University of Glasgow has been commissioned to conduct the study, having previously researched injuries in thoroughbreds for several racing authorities around the world.

However, his data will only extend to diagnoses at competitions.

The FEI admits “there is no obligation for organisations to report fatalities to the FEI outside of competition”, inevitably casting doubt on the accuracy of official FEI figures about injury-induced euthanasia.

The FEI says that worldwide there were 10 fatalities in endurance this year, 14 in 2012 and 11 in 2011, but critics believe there are dozens a year in the Middle East alone...

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/new-study-is-tasked-with-investigating-endurance-injuries/#M6SOHC2XkIdf3l2B.99

Great Britain: High House - for Personal Growth and Learning

17 November 2013

High House, in the Lake District of Cumbria, England, home of Seren Arabians and High House Labradors, has become a place for rest, recovery and therapy, and for personal development and education. It gives a quite unique opportunity for people to recover and rediscover their strengths, lifted by the tranquil seclusion, the environment and wildlife, the horses and dogs, the centre itself, and extensive access on the doorstep to a wide variety of terrain covering several square miles of one of the least frequented parts of the English Lake District.

High House offers a number of clinics and educational opportunities, including equine assisted psychotherapy and learning (EAP and EAL); Posture Clinics - teaching greater flexibility, coordination and confidence for owners and their horses; Equine Behavior and Ethology, Young Horses - Helping Balance and Confidence; and CPD Workshops for professionals working with trauma.

High House is owned by Dom and Jan Atkinson, both retired from Lake District mountain rescue teams and the Search and Rescue Dog Association, and both EAGALA practitioners (Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association - the leading international nonprofit association for professionals using equine therapy to address mental health and humans development needs.)

Also part of the High House team are Dr Stuart McNab, Director of the Centre for Research and Education in Psychological Trauma at the University of Chester, England and EAGALA practitioner; Coral Harrison, EAGALA practitioner, mentor, and the EAGALA coordinator for Europe and the Middle East; and Erica Donnison, TTEAM practitioner and Council member of the Alexander Technique professional body.

For more information, see
High House

UAE: Al Jaber claims the Wathba Stud Cup Endurance Ride

Horsereporter.com - Full Article

November 16, 2013
By Pamela@horsereporter

November 15, 2013, Abu Dhabi ~ UAE top rider Ahmed Mohammed Al Jaber partnered Omani Quandra to glory in the opening Wathba Stud Cup for Private Owners, a CEN 100km Wathba Challenge Endurance Ride at the Emirates International Village on Friday.

The winner covered the distance in three hours, 35 minutes and 49 seconds at an average speed of 27.80km/hour to lead by seven minutes 21 seconds ahead of Al Ain Stables contender Hamad Badr Abdulla Al Hammadi astride Venica and behind them came Azam Oan Al Kathiri to claim the third place honours for Al Ain Stables in three hours fourty five minutes and 30 seconds...

Read more here:
http://www.horsereporter.com/?p=8247

2014 Normandie Ticket sales open to EVERYONE on Monday 18 November

JEMFEIAlltech2014-normandie.fr - Full Article

13 November 2013

Following on from the equestrian family’s priority purchase period, in a few days’ time ticket sales will open to the general public, (both from France and abroad), individuals or companies. This second sales period is exclusively for grouped tickets in the form of Passes, which allow access to several events. In total, during this second phase some 15,000 Passes will be put on sale until 3 March 2014.

25 Passes to discover all of the Games disciplines

Tickets for all of the disciplines are available, thanks to our selection of 25 Passes: 18 Discovery Passes and 7 Sensation Passes. Discovery Passes are ideal for non specialists, enabling the spectator to witness the action in various disciplines over the course of one or two days. Sensation Passes, more suited to horse-riding enthusiasts, also enable the spectator to watch several different events, with the added bonus of at least one guaranteed final!...

Read more here:
http://www.jemfeialltech2014-normandie.fr/en/news/ticket-sales-open-to-everyone-on-monday-18-november-a260.html

Pippa Cuckson: reflections on an FEI GA gone wild

Horsesportinternational.com - Full Article

Today, dear readers, a very special treat. I am delighted to share with you the ruminations of journalist extraordinaire, Pippa Cuckson. I’m even more delighted to read her post and realize that she and I are on exactly the same page when it comes to the momentous events of last week in Switzerland. Sometimes, as a journalist toiling away in the vacuum that is a freelancer’s existence for at least 350 days a year, one begins to doubt one’s judgment. One’s confidence can be so shaken by the kinds of accusations that were tossed about on the floor of the GA last week, one may even come close to succumbing to the charming pressures of the one who rules the roost. Which is why it was critically important that there were enough of us sitting there at the GA last week, sharing glances of incredulity with one another as the events I’ve already reported on were unfolding, and realizing that we all saw the same thing, which is apparently very much not what most of the delegates around us were seeing.

Without further ado, here is Pippa’s guest post. Thank you Pippa, for sharing with us.

Pippa Cuckson: reflections on an FEI GA gone wild

I was amongst the small media presence at the FEI General Assembly in Montreux, where six of the scribblers had a total of more than 150 years experience in reporting FEI politics. The Thursday was certainly one of the most astonishing days any of us have sat through.

The strain on the faces of FEI senior personnel was evident earlier in the week, even in the jolly environment of the first night party where, prophetically, entertainment was provided by acrobats, fire-eaters and contortionists.

Yet by Thursday there was near-delirium as federations pleaded to reinstate a third term for Haya, after all.

Just days before, journalists around the world had been prodded to report that Haya would face calls to quit because of the doping and injuries crisis in endurance. Some – not lots, but some – national federations were briefing media that’s what they were going to ask for, oh yes, most definitely. Reporters didn’t need to make this stuff up – there is still enough shocking material about Middle East endurance riders and trainers, and the shameless behaviour of so-called officials who let them get away with it, to keep headlines going for months without resorting to invention.

But on the day, the federations we’d expected to pipe up changed their minds or lost their nerve. There are three main reasons why:

Read more here:
http://www.horsesportinternational.com/2013/11/pippa-cuckson-guest-blogger/