Endurance.Net: World News

Friday, April 18, 2014

Darley Awards Make Historic Debut at Dolby Studio in Hollywood

Horsereporter.com - Full Article

April 4, 2014, Los Angeles, USA
M. Satya Narayan

HH Sheikh Mansoor bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Flat Racing Festival helped lift the status of Purebred Arabian racing to a new high when the Dolby Studio in Los Angeles (the old Kodak Studio) staged a glittering night of the Darley Awards with the Powell brothers sharing six of the 22 awards on offer.

While the 2013 HH Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival Darley Awards for Arabian Racing in USA saw Mark Powell and his younger brother Scott pick up three awards each, the popular HH Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Darley Awards catered to a much broader section of women and female horses in Purebred Arabian racing at Friday’s ceremony...

Read more here:
http://www.horsereporter.com/2014/04/05/darley-awards-make-historic-debut-at-dolby-studio-in-hollywood/

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Whelan set to retrace Genghis Khan’s 1,000 kilometer mail route through Mongolian steppes

photo: Amy Whelan with Max, one of her Arabian Horses. Mike James.

A ride to remember
Mike James The Independent April 16 2014

LOUISA — Riding 50 miles a day is no big deal to Amy Whelan.

She often saddles up for a quick 15 miles around her Lawrence County farm before breakfast. Her home-based boarding and training business feeds her passion for endurance riding, which pits her against other equestrians in daylong horseback treks.

Whelan has been riding so long and for so many miles it may seem she has spent most of her life in the saddle. And it all has led up to what she anticipates will be her ultimate adventure this August, a 1,000-kilometer ride across the Mongolian steppes retracing the 13th-century postal route established by Genghis Khan.

“It’s one of the last truly wild places on Earth,” Whelan said.

She will be riding Mongolian horses, a tough, stocky breed indigenous to the region, sleeping and eating with locals or on the ground, and competing against more than 40 other riders.

Whelan, 51, was introduced to endurance riding in her college years at Colorado State University, where she studied equine science.

Endurance riders race for 50 or more miles under conditions that tax the rider, but under tight veterinary supervision to ensure the health of the horses. Riders have to finish a 50-mile race within 12 hours and a 100-mile race within 24 hours. The races usually are on trail systems rather than on tracks.

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Marathon riding, to complete is to win..

This Easter weekend national sports media attention will be focused on some of Australia's fastest sprinters, as they compete in the country's most famous race, the Stawell Gift.

In Tasmania, four legged athletes and their riders are competing in a sporting title that will last for days not seconds.

120 endurance riders are competing this Easter in the Van Diemen Marathon, a horse ride up of to 240 kilometres, in rough and rugged country, around Scottsdale in Tasmania's north-east.

For one of Tasmania's seasoned riders, Trish Smith, the marathon is not a race.

"I'm the sort of endurance rider, I don't believe in calling it a race.

"It is not a race, it's a ride, our motto is 'to complete, is to win'", she said.

"Everybody who actually completes successfully with a horse fit to continue by the vet is a winner."

Trish has been training her Arab Rahn for years covering long distances.

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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

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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