Belgian woman embarks on 1,000 km horse race in Mongolia

Brusselstimes.com - Full Article

05 August 2015
Christopher Vincent (Source: Belga)

On Wednesday, Sophie Wilford, a Belgian-French vet, will set off on this year’s Mongol Derby, the longest horse race in the world, 10 days and 1,000 kilometres through the Mongolian steppe.
At 10:00 am local time (3:00 am CET), 38 riders will set off for Erdenesant, 200 kilometres west of Ulan Bator. The race comprises 25 sections, each 40 km long, and the riders will be travelling on a different “semi-wild” Mongol horse for each of these stages.

“There is scope for a lot of different potential injuries because this is a very dangerous race, not to be undertaken on a whim,” said Sophie Wilford in a press release. Sophie has teamed up with Sian, a 34-year-old English paramedic, forming the “Steppe Sisters”. The two met in 2014 when they were both part of the Derby ground-team...

read more here:
http://brusselstimes.com/sports/3774/wednesday-belgian-woman-embarks-on-1-000-km-horse-race-in-mongolia

Mongol Derby: the 2015 Course

Theadventurists.com - Full Article

August 4, 2015
Mongol Derby

The 2015 Mongol Derby start gun fires at 10am (local time). This is the course they'll be racing
To balance out the tougher technical ride we're giving the riders a racing line this year

- An extra 3 Urtuus (horse stations) through the hills
- An extra day's racing, winner expected after 8 days
- All new racing line to take the focus from navigation to riding
- A linear course offering more varied terrain ending further north

We wanted to mix things up a bit for the 2015 Derby and our new course looks and feels a world different.

The linear course ending up in the north by Lake Khovsgol should be cooler than in previous years. There will also be a lot more hilly terrain for the second half of the race. Because of the additional demands of the mountains the Urtuus will be closer together.

The additional horse stations together with a longer route are expected to add an extra day to the course. The champion is expected to finish within 8 days (possibly by the evening of the 7th) and the course will close on day 10...

Read more here:
http://www.theadventurists.com/the-jibber/2015/8/3/mongol-derby-the-2015-course#

Qatari endurance rider banned and fined over positive drug test in mount

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Horsetalk.co.nz | 31 July 2015

A Qatari endurance rider whose mount tested positive for the banned substance propoxyphene has been suspended from competing for two years and fined 1000 Swiss Francs.

Ali Yousef J Y Al Kubaisi rode a horse named In Situ in the 120-kilometre two-star endurance competition at Mesaieed, in Doha, Qatar, on February 22.

The horse subsequently returned a positive test for propoxyphene, which is a painkiller with local anaesthetic properties...

Read more here:
Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/07/31/qatari-endurance-rider-banned-fined-positive-drug-test/#ixzz3hTwGbtc9

Bahrain Royal Endurance Team ready to participate in Belgium

BNA.bh

30/07/2015

Manama, July 30 (BNA): Upon the directives of HM the King's Representative for Charity Works and Youth Affairs, the Supreme Council of Youth and Sports (SCYS)'s Chairman, Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC)'s President and the leader of the Royal Endurance Team, HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Royal Endurance Team will participate in the 120-km Belgium International Endurance Race for adult and junior riders from all over the world on Saturday.

The Royal Endurance Team's participation in Belgium Race will be the first of its type as the team has never been to Belgium before which constitutes a new challenge for the team especially in view of the difference in terrain and atmosphere in this European host country. His Highness affirmed huge confidence in the Royal Team riders and their expertise to achieve best results as they have already done in European races this season.

UAE endurance: There’s one more issue to mop up

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Neil Clarkson | 30 July 2015

Acronyms and abbreviations drive me crazy. We’re not talking Dance Around The Arena Naked kind of crazy, but if I ever developed a facial tick, I have no doubt that acronyms and their ilk would be to blame.

To be strictly correct, I’m talking about abbreviations, contractions, acronyms and initialisms.

Which makes me hate them even more.

This obsessive dislike becomes a major problem when you start writing about the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and the Equestrian Community Integrity Unit (ECIU)...

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/07/30/uae-endurance-theres-one-more-issue-to-mop-up/#ixzz3hPdc6x3u

UAE endurance: Final call for drinks at the Last Chance Saloon

Horsetalk.co.nz - full article

Neil Clarkson | 28 July 2015

The barman has called for final drinks at the Last Chance Saloon, where the FEI and the United Arab Emirates have been holed up for four months trying to broker a deal over endurance.
Early in March the pair had a very public showdown in the Main Street, after the FEI suspended the UAE over concerns around horse welfare and non-compliance with the world governing body’s rules.

The UAE appealed and it was looking very much like pistols at dawn, as the two gun-toting parties squared off.

Who would blink first?...

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/07/28/uae-endurance-final-drinks-last-chance-saloon/#ixzz3hC66WBE1

Mongolia: And I'm Off!

Horse-canada.com - Desk To Derby Blog

by Liz Brown
July 27 2015

Almost 11 months of preparation has brought me here – as you read this I’ll be in the air somewhere over Europe enroute to Beijing and then, after a 16-hour layover, on to Ulaanbaatar.

It’s been another hectic week as I got back to Canada and immediately went about doing the boring Mongol Derby housekeeping stuff – paying my final entry fee installment, squaring away insurance and shopping for the final odds and ends I need (nothing says adventure like battling Toronto crowds as you shop for duct tape and Imodium).

To maintain all the fitness I built up in Moab I went for runs, worked out at the gym and snuck in two rides when I drove back to Brantford to visit my family. Fittingly, my final ride on Canadian soil was on my Canadian Sport Horse Nero, who’s gotten quite fat over the summer. It’s probably the first time I’ve ever been fitter than he is...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/desk-to-derby/and-im-off/