Why Endurance: Get Yer Motor Running

Endurance riding is like long distance running in many ways. Each person has their short and long term goals that hopefully align with their short and long term capabilities. The big difference is that your partner in this, your horse, is a flight animal and as such has abilities to "outrun " or overtax their system and running gear. It is our tough job to prepare ourselves and our horses to easily perform the distance and pace asked of them. With smart riding, a good horse with the right preparation, great speed and distance can be safely and easily accomplished. With adequate rest in between, this same horse can be competitive for many years. Some day when you’re bored, checkout our AERC lifetime horse records. When the flag drops, the BS stops. Mags Motivator is a great example: 10 years racing, over 3,000 lifetime miles and at 17 years old finishes 2 minutes behind the winner and wins Best Condition at this year’s National Championship 100!

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Kiwis eye WEG spots at NZ’s endurance nationals

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 16, 2014

The country’s best endurance combinations are en route to Mayfield in Mid Canterbury for this weekend’s Fiber Fresh National Endurance Championships, the finale of the season and the last chance to impress selectors for the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games.

In coming days nearly 100 horses – along with their riders, grooms, and supporters – will flood into the tiny town of Mayfield for the even, based at the town’s A&P Showgrounds.

New Zealand’s best chance of standing atop the podium at the Games in Normandy in August could well lie with its endurance team. The team of five riders will be chosen in late May to go to France.

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Changes to endurance task force following criticism

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 16, 2014

The FEI Bureau has changed the make-up of the task force charged with finding practical solutions to the problems within endurance, following criticism of its composition. It has also changed its position on accepting funding for the task force from Dubai.

The FEI said the bureau decided during its monthly telephone conference on Tuesday to review the membership following what it said were comments from several national federations.

The two United Arab Emirates representatives, Mohammed Essa Al Adhab, who is general manager of the Dubai Equestrian Club, and lawyer Andrew Holmes, will be removed.

The first replacement is Sheikh Khalid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, of Bahrain, who chairs the FEI Regional Group VII, which has been at the centre of a year-long storm over welfare concerns and what some national federations view as a cavalier approach to the rules by some riders and some officials. Federations have also been angered by the level of doping infractions in the region in recent years.

The FEI said Al Khalifa had a full understanding of the situation in the Middle East.

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Long-distance riding more than just horsing around

Posted: Monday, April 14, 2014 4:30 am
By Susan Sharp | FME News Service


SALADO — Michael Campbell hopes more people will give long-distance horse riding a try.

Campbell, 64, is the new head of the American Endurance Ride Conference, dedicated to long-distance, competitive horseback riding. The group is established across the United States as well as in Canada.

A longtime horse owner, Campbell stood near his stable, watching a friend brush one of his seven Arabian horses, which he described as the “most spirited” of all the breeds.

He remembered his first long-distance horse ride with friends in Central Texas. Afterward, his friends asked him whether he would try endurance riding again.

“I said, ‘Yes,’” Campbell recalled. Since then, he has said “yes” to many more rides, accumulating more than 11,000 miles during the past 20 years.

The endurance rides fall into several categories: The shortest distance is 25 miles; the longest is 100 miles and must be completed in 24 hours.

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FEI cancels hosting deal for 2015 European Endurance Champs

The FEI has cancelled its host agreement with the Danish organisation planning to host the FEI European Endurance Championship in 2015.

The Association Molsridtet expressed its regret over the FEI’s decision, appearing to suggest it felt the world governing body could have done more to find a workable solution over differences between them.

The association was formed in Denmark in 2009 to participate in the development of endurance riding and in 2012 it was awarded the hosting of the championship.

The organising committee said in a statement released today that it had prepared much of the event and made appointments regarding the venue, accommodation, and the renting of facilities. It said it had the full support of local government officials and both Danish and foreign companies.

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Horse races man – and it’s the MAN who wins! Marathon runner streaks past four-legged counterpart in unusual race across moorland, bridleways and lanes - finishing 10 minutes ahead

Published: 14:57 EST, 11 April 2014 | Updated: 15:29 EST, 11 April 2014



He is the youngest person to have conquered 100 marathons and holds the world record for being the youngest and fastest person to run 10 marathons in 10 days.

But Adam Holland has added another first to his list of achievements - beating a horse in a 10-mile race.

The 27-year-old won the unusual contest, taking on Tango, a five-year-old 14.2 hands high Appaloosa Welsh Horse.

The pair raced through the Devonshire countryside, taking on moorland and bridleways near Tavistock.

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Task force named in push for “level playing field” in endurance

By Horsetalk.co.nz on Apr 12, 2014

The task force set up to develop practical solutions to solve the problems within endurance includes the head of Equestrian Sports New Zealand, Jim Ellis.

The task force, announced this week by the FEI, has been asked to develop practical solutions to ensure horse welfare and a level playing field at endurance events globally.

It will also look at deploying modern technology in a bid for equality and integrity in all endurance competitions.

The FEI says it is hopeful that some of the solutions offered by the task force will be ready for implementation in time for the endurance competition at the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France, in August.

The world of endurance has been split amid concerns over the level of doping infractions, welfare issues, and what some consider to be a cavalier approach to the rules shown by some officials and competitors in several Middle Eastern competitions within the FEI’s Group VII.

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