Stephen Rojek Named to AERC Hall of Fame

Posted by AERC, April 16

Longtime distance riding competitor Stephen Rojek, of South Woodstock, Vermont, became the newest inductee into the American Endurance Ride Conference’s Hall of Fame at their recent convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

Rojek has amassed upwards of 25,000 miles of endurance competition since getting his start in 1986, including a staggering 176 100-mile rides. For rides of that distance, competitors have 24 hours to complete the ride. Fellow Hall of Fame member Valerie Kanavy of Fort Valley, Virginia, calls Rojek “The Centurion” because has more than a hundred 100-mile completions.

As he accepted his award plaque at AERC’s national awards banquet in front of hundreds of fellow riders, Rojek modestly mentioned his most memorable time on the endurance trails as “Kansas in ’96 when we won the gold medal” — that would be the United States’ gold medal-winning performance at the World Endurance Championships. Rojek has competed in the North American Championships and the PanAm games for endurance riding and has won regional and national endurance awards most every season he’s competed.

Presenting Rojek’s award was Susan Kasemeyer of Friendsville, Tennessee, the 2011 Hall of Fame winner. Kasemeyer, known for her saucy sense of humor, called Rojek “Mr. Clean,” and recalled his years of competing and managing endurance rides. She noted that he is also active in competitive trail riding, with an additional 30,000 Eastern Competitive Tail Ride Association miles.

Rojek’s wife Dinah came on stage to add a few words, stressing that “Steve is the finest human being I’ve ever known.” On rides, she said, “He will stop to help, try to fix your horse’s shoe, give you his only Easyboot.” Many an endurance rider has a tale to tell about Rojek taking time out to assist on the trail, without worrying about his own finish.

Rojek has ridden a number of horses, and with his predilection for 100s, has multiple horses with 100-mile equine mileage achievement awards. Currently he is campaigning Chi-Hi, a 2003 chestnut Arabian gelding (AHR 0602904), with 2,280 endurance miles, including 14 100-mile rides. Rojek is also bringing along Tupelo Ace, a 2003 grey Arabian gelding (AHR 0604175), with 425 endurance miles.

Once he made his way to the stage, he humbly thanked his presenters for the honor, saying, “I’ve gotten older. I have a bunch of miles,” before admitting, “I guess I’m famous.”

His advice to someone new to endurance riding? “Keep on trying. Don’t give up.”

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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