FEI: Is Welfare ‘Paramount’ – or Just a Pain in the Neck?

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Cuckson Report | December 15, 2014
by Pippa Cuckson

On Saturday, I went National Hunt racing to support a friend’s horse. He was caught on the line for third place, but connections were thrilled as he has come back from a couple of niggles last year and runs and jumps better every time. At 15-1, it was also a profitable each-way bet. This prodded to me ponder that no bookmaker would have offered odds on the dead-certainty that Ingmar de Vos would be voted new president of the FEI. The only wager you might have considered was the extent of Ingmar’s landslide.

Thanks to modern technology, I was able to follow the “meet the presidential candidates session” in Baku from the racecourse’s owners and trainers bar. What a futile session that must have seemed for the four other candidates, who already realized they were going to be hammered at the polls (De Vos, 98 votes; Durand, 21; Genecand, 6, McEwen, 6; Helgstrand – dropped out before ballot). Even the FEI’s press release about that session was brief, containing as much information about the marvelousness of Princess Haya as it did about the vision of the quintet vying to be her successor. Maybe profitable bets can be placed on how many times the FEI can magic-up a reason to mention Princess Haya in its future press releases, even though she is longer in office.

You can read about General Assembly decisions on the FEI website or click here. These include positive innovations and other revenue achievements. What you won’t find flagged-up is the day’s most articulate and thought-provoking address, given by Roly Owers of World Horse Welfare.

On Sunday, I followed the GA throughout by livestream, from 5:00 a.m., UK time. The mantra “welfare is paramount” was dropped into several discussions, but there was not much actual discussion about what this means...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/cuckson-report/is-welfare-paramount-or-just-a-pain-in-the-neck/

FEI: ‘Systemic Ineptitude’ Has Put All Sports Horses at Risk

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

CUCKSON REPORT | DECEMBER 9, 2014
by Pippa Cuckson

One of my all-time favourite films is All The President’s Men, about the Washington Post reporters Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, who unravelled the Watergate scandal and ultimately forced the resignation of Richard Nixon.

Woodward had a source known as “Deep Throat,” whom he met in a basement garage.* Deep Throat never gave away solid information; instead, he offered cryptic clues. About 18 months into the investigation, Woodward tells Deep Throat that he and Bernstein are still baffled why the Nixon entourage’s covert operations were thought necessary in the first place. Deep Throat replies: “Forget the myths the media has created about the White House. The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.”

It reminds me so much of the FEI. For sure, it’s appalling that the Marmoog horse swap enquiry dragged on and on. But when they’d already left it eight months why announce the non-result just a week before the General Assembly and presidential election, digging two of the candidates into a bigger hole than they are already in as representatives of the current regime, by highlighting that horse ID, biosecurity and legal processes are not fit for purpose?

And why has the FEI chosen this week to virtually concede that these oversights are being addressed, years overdue, only because the public finally found out about a scandal the FEI knew of NINETEEN months before?...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/cuckson-report/systemic-ineptitude-has-put-all-sports-horses-at-risk/

Australia: Fire victim’s kind heart a standout

QT.com.au - Full Article

15 December 2014

A HEARTWARMING yet also heartbreaking story of friendship has emerged following the loss of Roadvale resident Maureen McCann's home to fire last week.

Boonah's Christine Maroni, an equine Bowen therapist, is helping Ms McCann get back on her feet after she lost everything in the blaze.

Ms Maroni is also a professional photographer who took the pictures that appear on this page. She met Ms McCann a couple of years ago when she was asked to do Bowen therapy on her horses.

Their common interest in horses and endurance riding meant their paths crossed frequently.

"I have a very fond memory of Maureen when I was doing a 40km endurance ride on my mare," Ms Maroni recalls...

Read more here:
http://www.qt.com.au/news/fire-victims-kind-heart-a-standout/2484462/

Great Britain: West's endurance riders gather at Lanhydrock

Westernmorningnews.co.uk - Full Article

Endurance GB South West held its annual Christmas ride on Sunday, November 30, giving local riders the chance to enjoy the wonderful parkland of Lanhydrock House, near Bodmin.

Held by kind permission of the National Trust at Lanhydrock House, the Forestry Commission and local landowners, the pleasure ride covered approximately 10 miles of parkland and was organised by Jo and Peter Claridge from Cardinham.

Riders taking part got into the festive spirit by dressing up as Christmas characters and feasting on mince pies and mulled wines...

Read more: http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/West-s-endurance-riders-gather-Lanhydrock/story-25712502-detail/story.html#ixzz3LyqN96Pi

Dubai chosen to host 2016 World Endurance Championship by FEI

Insidethegames.biz - Full Article

Thursday, 11 December 2014
By Emily Goddard

Dubai will host the 2016 World Endurance Championship ©Getty ImagesThe International Equestrian Federation (FEI) today revealed that Dubai will stage the 2016 World Endurance Championship as it allocated its Championships and finals for the next two years.

The FEI Bureau, currently meeting in Baku, announced that the United Arab Emirates city will host the discipline's flagship event in the December, with the exact date yet to confirmed.

It also named Sithonia in Greece as the host of next year's Balkan Jumping Championship for Seniors, Young Riders, Juniors and Children, which is scheduled to take place on September 3 until 6 and the Turkish city of Istanbul as the stage for the Balkan Dressage Championship for Seniors, Young Riders, Juniors and Children due to take place July 29 to August 2, with Ruse in Bulgaria hosting next year's Balkan Endurance Championship on October 2 until4.

Meanwhile, the European Dressage Championship for Young Riders, Juniors and Children is due to take place in Madrid, Spain on July 6 until 10, 2016, the World Jumping Challenge Final heads to Zhitnica, Bulgaria, on July 2 until 6 next year and the World Cup Vaulting Final will be staged in the Austrian city of Graz on February 19 to 22 also next year...

Read more here:
http://www.insidethegames.biz/sports/summer/equestrian/1024301-dubai-chosen-to-host-2016-world-endurance-championship-by-fei

New Zealand: Team Competition at North Island Champs

Nzequestrian.org.nz - Full Article

By Natasha Guest
December 11 2014

North Island Championships – Team Challenge

Becoming a regular feature on the North Island Endurance calendar is the annual Team Event. Sponsored by Equibrew, the 2015 challenge is open to all riders competing at the North Island Endurance Championships held in the beautiful Wairarapa.

Teams aim to complete a total of 500kms and are awarded points for distance travelled as well as for placing’s. And it’s not all the top level riders that are necessarily the winners. More points are awarded for distance over placing’s, and a qualification will earn your team 1 point for every 10 kilometres qualified over. A vet out will earn your team 0 points. Last season’s winner, the “Ruahine Club -Smith family” won by a margin of just 7 points. With Second place going to “Auckland-Woodhill club” and “Ruahine club - Ruahine Gang”, in both teams a vet-out had caused both teams to fail to be awarded the necessary points which would have seen them over take the winning team.

The team event was the brain child of the Waitomo Endurance Club after they hosted the 2014 Championships. It was designed as an inter-club challenge with the intention to create comradery amongst clubs, with each club putting forward as many teams as they wished. This year however, the club angle has been dropped so that every rider gets a chance to be part of a team. The only rules are that members must have a team name and a team captain (not necessarily a rider), horse and rider combinations can only compete in one team and a team’s pre-ride kilometres cannot ad up to more than 550km...

Read more here:
http://www.nzequestrian.org.nz/endurance/news/2014/december/team-competition-at-north-island-champs/

FEI Elections: "A Shadow of Doubt"

Chevalarabenews.com - Full Article

Special FEI Election Issue
“A shadow of doubt”

by Annaïk Le Floc'h
December 9 2014

Six days from now, the FEI will have a new President – there is no female candidate since Princess Haya decided not to stand for a third term in spite of having prompted a change in the Statutes for that purpose last spring. The number of candidates competing for this position is unprecedented: there are still five people in the running since the Spaniard Javier Revuelta Del Peral withdrew. In alphabetical order: Ingmar De Vos (BEL), Pierre Durand (FRA), Pierre Genecand (SWTZ), Ulf Helgstrand (DEN) et John McEwen (GBR).

But these elections are a cause of concern, distrust and suspicion, including among some of the candidates for the presidency. The Spaniard Javier Revuelta announced he was withdrawing his candidacy on November 12, one month ahead of the election. He accuses Ingmar De Vos of “conflict of interest” as a result of being the current Secretary General and as such able to make use of the whole FEI apparatus to campaign, and of blatantly trying to influence a number of decisions during the election period. In his letter withdrawing his candidacy he says “I think Mr. De Voss should have resigned from his position as Secretary General the day he announced he was a candidate: being both Secretary General and Candidate flies in the face of all the principles of impartiality and equality during the election process...”

Read more here:
http://www.chevalarabenews.com/images/CAN-5-EN.pdf