Australia's Alwyn Torenbeek - Gone but not Forgotten

by Paul Sidio

We went to Australia for the 2013 Tom Quilty held at Kilkavin Queensland. My hosts, who provided my horse, set up camp there 4 days early. Instead of staying in town at a hotel or B & B, I camped out in a tent. The campsite next to us had been saved for a friend of theirs, Alwyn. He was staying at a friends place about 7 miles away. Every morning, he would saddle up before sun rise, and ride over to the camp. His reason for this was to brew a cup of tea over a wood fire. Alwyn later confided in me that most of his life had been in settings like this, and tea made over a gas or electric stove just wasn't as good somehow. He would arrive there, putter about, singing and getting his iron tea pot ready while the fire got hot. This would get me awake, so, I would revive the embers of the previous nights bonfire, and start to clean up around it.

When his tea was ready, Alwyn would come over, sit down, and start telling stories. He was called the Kokotunga Kid because he was a champion rodeo rider at the age of 21. But to me, he was always a kid. Most people, as the age become older acting..more solemn, grave, slower.... .Alwyn always had a smile and attitude of a lively kid. His body may have got to be 76 years old, but he still had the heart and spirit of a young person.

After he finished his tea, he would get on his horse and ride back the 7 miles to his friends house. Jane Davidson, told me to tack up my horse and ride with him. Riding through the Australian brush early in the morning on a good horse with a good companion is about as good as life gets. We would jump up Kangaroos, and Alwyn would tell more stories and occasionally burst into song. I would join in, making up lyrics as we went along . Alwyn would sing something like "It's 2 in the morning, and I'm walking with my darling" and I would respond " No you bloody fool, it's closer to 5, and everyone's still in bed" then he would sing back, " well its time for the lazy buggers to get up and work" .. It was silly stuff,but great fun.

So over the days he and I became friends. Alwyn had a fun way of riding Endurance. He would walk his horse up to the front to be ready for the start. Some of the more anxious riders would crowd past him to be in front at the start. He would just calmly sit there with his horse standing still in place. Then when they would announce that trail was open, he would call out a couee, and take off at a gallop. A Couee is the Aussie equivalent of a Rebel Yell. The cattle stations all had their own Couee so the riders could identify each other in the big herd musters. Alwyn would let out this yell, gallop out of camp, with his right arm raised cracking an imaginary whip, finishing up with a loud Hut! HUT!, Hut! . He did this while leaving camp after every vet check too. Other riders learned not to push in front of Alwyn at the start if their horse spooked at people behind them yelling. He completed the 2013 Quilty in fine fashion at the age of 76.

The Quilty had regular BC judging, and then the Pat Slater Cup, which is their version of The Haggin Cup. This is done under saddle and judged by a panel of distinguished Endurance people. I asked several people what the judges were looking for in selecting the top horse. They gave me technical answers about for and movement. Alwyn, with a twinkle in his eye said, "if you were in a spot of trouble, and needed to make a quick exit from town, and there was a string of these horses tied up to the rail, we choose the one you would grab to outrun the rest" That attitude sums up Alwyn.

After the Quilty, he came over to me and handed me his Quilty bib. His number was #76. They always gave him a number to match his age. I thanked him, but told him I already had a Quilty bib of my own. He said that he had wanted to ride Tevis, like his mate RM Williams had done. He wanted me to take his bib, and wear it in rides in America, and hopefully he would come to the USA someday and also wear it here. He told me to get some dust and mud on it, and even a tear or rip or two was ok, but that I should try to not get it too bloody. I took it and have ridden in it in several rides. In 2014, I asked Tevis ride management if I could be #76, and they let me. We completed, and I called him after the ride to tell him that his bib had completed Tevis, so now he needed to get over here too.

After the Quilty, Alwyn told me that he was going home to take care things for a couple of days, then taking fresh horses and going into the Outback for a week or so camping out. There were some caves with aboriginal art that he liked to sit in and relax. He invited me along. He said we had to be careful, as these places were off limits without a permit, and if the law caught us, we could go to prison. But he was not worried as he would pick out a slower horse for me than his, so they would catch me, while he got away. I told him that it sounded like a great trip, but it would likely cost me half my stuff. He was puzzled by this. I told him that my wife had been very supportive of my horse trip, so far, but if I took off for a week, I might wind up a single man again with only half of my stuff. He laughed and laughed about that.

That was how he was, happy, ready for adventure, and quick to laugh. I hate that he is gone, but better quick and doing what he loved , than in a hospital bed hooked up to machines. He was a legend in Australia, and I am proud to have known him and called him Mate… Gone but not forgotten.

Hugely Successful FEI Endurance Courses Attract Almost 1,400 Delegates in UAE

FEI.org

14 Oct 2015

Close to 1,400 people have attended a series of FEI Endurance educational courses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi (UAE) over the past four days in advance of this week’s Endurance season opener, a CEI1* 80-kilometre ride. The attendees, numbering 1,347 in total, included athletes, trainers, grooms, Veterinarians, Judges, Technical Delegates and Stewards.
The courses were an important element in the legally binding agreement signed between the Emirates Equestrian Federation (EEF) and the FEI prior to the lifting of the provisional suspension at the end of July. The FEI Bureau had suspended the EEF in March of this year following an investigation into major horse welfare issues and non-compliance with FEI Rules and Regulations in the country.

Chair of the FEI Endurance Committee, Brian Sheahan, acted as Course Director alongside Dwight Hooton (USA) a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee and veterinary advisor to the EEF, and FEI Endurance Director Manuel Bandeira de Mello. The EEF Assistant Secretary General Faisal al Ali attended the first session on 10 October, and Dr Ali Al Twessi from the EEF Endurance Department was also on hand to offer translation services.

The athletes, trainers and grooms’ sessions, which attracted 1,065 attendees, 25% of which were female, covered FEI and national rules, mandatory rest periods, penalty points, the entry system, field of play and veterinary aspects, including Vet Gate procedures, anti-doping rules (human and equine) and medication procedures.

John Robertson, Deputy Chair of the FEI Endurance Committee, was in charge of the courses for FEI Judges (Levels 1, 2 and 4), Stewards and Technical Delegates. A total of 190 Stewards attended, including 160 from the police force who will be working at events, as the national rules are now fully compliant with FEI rules.

Brian Sheahan and Dwight Hooton also ran a course for Veterinarians, with 68 attendees. Both the Veterinarians and Judges were then required to sit an exam, with a 100% pass rate.

The EEF’s new entry system, delivery of results to the FEI, horse welfare issues including cars in the field of play, video cameras in the stabling area and prevention of accidents in the vet gate area were discussed at two separate meetings, one with Adnan Sultan Saif Al Nuaimi, General Manager of the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, and the other with Dubai Equestrian Club General Manager Mohammed Essa Al Adhad.

There was a general consensus that the courses and the individual meetings had all been extremely successful and effective.
“We have a fantastic sport in Endurance and it was wonderful to have had such successful courses in Group VII, particularly from an attendance perspective but also for the enthusiasm of all the delegates”, FEI Endurance Director Manuel Bandeira de Mello said at the end of the four days. “The courses were really interactive and there was a huge thirst for knowledge and a desire to increase the depth of understanding of all aspects of the discipline from everyone who attended. There has been great team work here in Dubai, and everybody is fully committed to success.”
Provisional suspension

As part of the ongoing clean-up of the discipline in Group VII, Abdul Aziz Mohd Yasin Sheikh, Head of Endurance at the United Arab Emirates Equestrian Federation (EEF), has been provisionally suspended as an FEI Official by the FEI Secretary General, Sabrina Zeender, for consistently failing to observe the FEI Rules and Regulations at a number of events from which duplicate results were submitted to the FEI.

The provisional suspension, which is in accordance with Article 156.1 of the FEI General Regulations and which comes into immediate effect, is for an indefinite period. For the duration of the suspension, Mr Sheikh may not take part or be involved in the organisation of any FEI competitions or events, or any event under the jurisdiction of a National Federation.

Mr Sheikh has 30 days to appeal the decision to the FEI Tribunal from the date of notification (13 October 2015). He is the second UAE official to have been provisionally suspended by the FEI Secretary General following the suspension of Dr Hallvard Sommerseth, Head of the EEF Veterinary Department, last month. Both suspensions have the full support of FEI President Ingmar De Vos

The events and duplicate results in the UAE that were used specifically for qualification purposes have now been deleted by the FEI IT Department. Any horse/rider combinations that used these duplicate results as qualification for subsequent events, and were therefore ineligible to compete, have now been disqualified.

FEI suspends UAE endurance boss

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Horsetalk.co.nz | 15 October 2015

The head of endurance at the United Arab Emirates Equestrian Federation has been provisionally suspended as an FEI official.

FEI Secretary General Sabrina Zeender has suspended Abdul Aziz Mohd Yasin Sheikh “for consistently failing to observe the FEI Rules and Regulations at a number of events from which duplicate results were submitted to the FEI”.

The suspension was made as part of the ongoing clean-up of the discipline in Group VII, in which the UAE’s equestrian federation was provisionally suspended by the FEI Bureau in March. It followed an investigation into what the world governing body characterised as major horse welfare issues and non-compliance with its rules...

Read more here:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/10/15/fei-suspends-uae-endurance-boss/#ixzz3oeCfMm8i

Great Britain: Success at Royalties

Endurancegb.co.uk

13 October 2015

Endurance GB's newest FEI ride was welcomed by riders at Royalties on Sunday 10th October as part of the end of season 3day event.

The FEI 1* ride attracted 11 entries of experienced and new riders. The going was good, the weather was good and all seemed to enjoy the day. The course however did pose some challenges and so congratulations to the successful finishers and commiserations to those whose day did not go to plan!

The results were:

1st Richard Allen
2nd Tricia Hirst
3rd Charlotte Strang
4th Bella Fricker

Congratulations also to Daisy Strang, winner of the 3day 170km CER class - a great end to the season.

Australia: State endurance riding championships held at Glen William

Dungogchronicle.com.au - Full Article

October 13 2015

Over the October long weekend the NSW Endurance Riding State Championships were held at Glen William.

Lyn and Leo Dillon’s Banfield property was the venue for the prestigious event which was hosted by the Zone 6 Endurance riding committee.

Competitors from as far away as Tasmania and North Queensland travelled to the Dungog Shire for the event.

The ride base was set on the banks of the Williams River with recent rain providing a lush setting. Interstate riders started arriving from the Wednesday onwards with local businesses reporting a steady stream of riders coming through...

Read more here:
http://www.dungogchronicle.com.au/story/3418467/state-endurance-riding-championships-held-at-glen-william/

Australia: Local author dies in freak farm accident

Themorningbulletin.com.au - Full Article

Madeline McDonald | 12th Oct 2015

IT WAS a freak accident on a neighbour's Canoona property that tragically took the life of local author and former Australian bronc-riding champion Alwyn Torenbeek on Friday morning.

Authorities confirmed the 78-year-old was a passenger in a farm vehicle that was involved in an accident at 11.30am on the Wattlebank Rd property, north of Rockhampton.

As those who knew Alwyn would know, he was a hard-working character who never let his age stop him from helping out on the farm.

Alwyn died while helping his son and their neighbour on their neighbour's property.

When Alwyn hopped into the four-wheel-drive farm buggy, he tried to move over to the passenger side of the vehicle but accidentally pushed his foot down on the accelerator without noticing.

Tragically, Alwyn drove the buggy into a post despite efforts of trying to direct the vehicle.

The bush legend was known in his early days as a champion in the rodeo ring, having won the Australian bronc-riding title at just 21.

He was a triple Hall of Fame winner as an inductee in the Stockman's, Equine and Rodeo halls of fame and was one of the oldest competitors of endurance equestrian rides in the country.

More recently Alwyn was known for his book, Life in the Saddle, which was published in 2013 and featured on ABC's national TV program Landline.

Endurance horse rider helped defeat England with her Wales equestrian team while battling breast cancer

Walesonline.com - Full Article

9 OCT 2015
BY KALHAN ROSENBLATT

Nicola Smith, 50, put off her latest round of chemotherapy to help Wales win a national riding competition.

She put off chemotherapy to represent her country - now Nicola Smith is celebrating an extraordinary sporting victory - despite battling breast cancer.

The 50-year-old equestrian is part of a Welsh riding team which scooped top prize at the recent Red Dragon Festival of Endurance.

The event at Builth Wells attracts some of the country’s most skilled riders, but it was the Welsh Endurance Team who came out on top, winning the 2015 Home International...

Read more here:
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/endurance-horse-rider-helped-defeat-10232337