Endurance Wars: The Phantom Menace

Neil Clarkson. March 11 2015. Horsetalk.co.nz

There has been a disturbance in the Force – an anomaly so extraordinary that the endurance community is still trying to comprehend exactly what it could mean for the sport.

Social media has been abuzz since British equestrian journalist Pippa Cuckson unearthed what would seem to be an impossible coincidence in the results of two races in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Cuckson, in her March 6 piece published by the Daily Telegraph, raised questions about the results officially posted on the FEI website in respect of the two races, both of which provided qualifiers for the rich President’s Cup, run over 160km.

One was a 120km race on January 21 in Dubai; the second an 80km event on December 23 in Abu Dhabi. Cuckson noted that finishing rates for the fixtures were much higher than the local average.

But, most controversially, she identified some quite remarkable similarities between finishing times and loop times with previous races.

In fact, the results logged on the FEI website for the leading 47 horses in the December 23 race are identical to those of the 10th to 56th-placed horses from a race at Bou Thib on November 21-22.

[Read more ...]

UAE: Equestrian corruption crisis: Lord Stevens to lead investigation into 12 separate 'phantom' races

Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article

Endurance racing facing huge scandal as Telegraph finds evidence UAE-hosted events never actually took place

By Pippa Cuckson, Equestrian Correspondent

11 Mar 2015

The global body governing equestrian sport has ordered an independent investigation after Telegraph Sport uncovered 12 separate allegedly 'bogus' UAE-hosted endurance races.

The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) asked Quest, the integrity services agency run by former Met police chief Lord Stevens, to examine evidence compiled by the Telegraph that none of the 12 races were ever run, even though detailed results data from them appears on the FEI's official website.

Telegraph Sport exposed last week that 'bogus' or 'phantom' races were the latest scandal to hit the crisis-torn sport of endurance racing, detailing how two races purportedly staged on December 23 and January 21 appeared to exist only as sets of results, and were never actually staged...

Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11463573/Equestrian-corruption-crisis-Lord-Stevens-to-lead-investigation-into-12-separate-phantom-races.html

Equine Canada Supports Endurance Reform

Equinecanada.ca

March 10, 2015
by: Equine Canada

As the national governing body for equestrian sport and recreation, horse welfare is paramount to Equine Canada (EC). Therefore, EC strongly supports the recent actions taken by the FEI to reform the sport of endurance in Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Region Group VII.

EC also fully supports the FEI in its decision to cancel the remaining international endurance events scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in March 2015.

EC feels that these emergency measures implemented by the FEI are necessary to protect horse welfare, and uphold the integrity of the rules governing FEI competitions.

"Dreaming of Tevis" Essay Contest for Young Riders

Teviscup.org

Have you been dreaming of riding Tevis? Then enter the Dreaming of Tevis Essay Contest and you could find yourself riding the 2015 Tevis Cup! One lucky young rider will receive a full Tevis experience including airfaire*, entry and use of an experienced Tevis horse with full crew for the 2015 Tevis Cup.

Write an essay in 650 words or less answering the 3 questions:
1. Why I love the sport of endurance
2. What drives me to excel in it
3. Why I want to ride the Tevis Cup.

Contest is open to foreign and US young riders 18-22 years of age.

Entry form and essay are due before April 29 2015.

For entry form and official rules for guideline restrictions, see
http://www.teviscup.org/tevis-2015/dream-of-tevis-contest

Scotland's Tevis Equivalent: The Cairngorm 100

Cairngorm100.co.uk

The Cairngorm 100 is a 100 miles in 24 hours horse riding endurance challenge with some basic similarities to the Tevis Cup which will be held on July 11-12, 2015.

Horse/rider combinations will start in the early hours of Saturday morning and follow a challenging route through the foothills of the Cairngorm mountain range. The course will consist of clearly marked well-established tracks and paths with some strenuous climbing in some spectacular terrain. The route takes riders into open, and at times hostile, country. Crewing and assistance will be in place as well as vets, farriers and mountain rescue. The welfare of the horse will be paramount.

The successful finishers of this unique challenge will each be presented with a Belt Buckle. These have been specially made and engraved, and are not available to purchase, so anyone seen wearing one will have successfully ridden the Cairngorm 100 ride!

In addition to the 100 mile ride we will also be having a 50 mile ride, which has the same finish venue at Glen Clova hotel. There are also elevator options at 50 miles and 75 miles.

More information and entry forms can be seen at:
http://www.cairngorm100.co.uk/

Win a copy of "The Glory" by Lauren St John

Eclipsemagazine.co.uk-Full article

'The Glory is a born winner' says the reviewer and broadcaster, Amanda Craig.

Lauren St John is the bestselling author of The One Dollar Horse series, as well as The White Giraffe novels and the Laura Marlin mysteries, for which she won the prestigious Blue Peter Book Award. She has now turned her attention to endurance riding, one of the fastest growing sports in the world, and has written a sensational, stand-alone equestrian thriller called The Glory about a gruelling 1,200 mile horse race across the American West.

Alexandra Blakewood has everything any teenager could wish for, apart from the horse she'd love, but she won't stop getting into trouble. Sent to a US boot camp, she dreams of escaping. It seems impossible until she's told about a race called 'The Glory', a deadly endurance race with a $250,000 purse, open to any rider daring enough to attempt it. Now she is a girl on the run from the law....

Read more here:
http://eclipsemagazine.co.uk/competitions-and-offers/competitions/6683-win-a-copy-of-the-glory-by-lauren-st-john

Qatar’s Bughenaim wins Endurance Championship

Gulf-times.com - Full Article

March 8 2015

Al Shaqab team’s Faleh Nasser Saleh Bughenaim on Halte A Tout, a 12-year-old chestnut gelding, won the CEI** Al Shaqab CHI International Ride, a 120-km endurance ride, held in five stages at the Mesaieed Endurance Village yesterday.
Qatar dominated the championship by taking the second and third places as well. A total number of 58 riders started the ride with 43 completing the race. Qatar’s champion Endurance rider Bughenaim completed the course in four hours 56 minutes and 19 seconds with an average speed of 25.55kmph...

Read more here:
http://www.gulf-times.com/sport/192/details/429949/qatar%E2%80%99s-bughenaim-wins--endurance-championship