Apathy Society

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Cuckson Report | November 9, 2015

I meant to tell you the Apathy Society cancelled its meeting due to lack of interest, but I couldn’t be bothered...

How many tens of thousands of man-hours have been expended thinking up new formats for the Olympics and WEG, only to end up not far from where we started?

In April, I spent four days travelling to Switzerland, sitting through the FEI sports forum debates on this huge topic, and writing it up for several publications. Multiply that by 270 other delegates, and that’s 1,350 days of collective effort, before you consider all the time put in by FEI executives, committees and stakeholder groups before and since.

Now, on the eve of the FEI General Assembly in Puerto Rico, the results of a further survey of all national federations (NFs) have been published, which by no means endorse the FEI’s Olympic format preferences. However, the FEI could easily argue that strongly articulated opposition to, say, separate contests in eventing for individuals and teams, is not the majority view.
This brings us to a truth that various movers and shakers sometime utter to me in private, but baulk from saying in public.
Only 47 (35%) of the 133 member NFs bothered to respond to the most important thing they will be asked about in the next four years, apart from re-electing a president. That’s 10 fewer than the nations represented at the April forum; just seven more than competed at London 2012; and 27 fewer than represented at WEG 2014. If you don’t have long-term international ambitions, why join a global federation?...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/cuckson-report/apathy-society/#.VkDzJhHV-TM.facebook

Wild horses could not keep her away: north-west Qld trainer takes on gruelling race in Mongolia

ABC.net.au - Full Story

November 8 2015
By Zara Margolis and Kathleen Calderwood

A horse trainer and endurance rider from north-west Queensland is one of only 40 people in the world who has been chosen to take part in the Mongol Derby, the longest and toughest horse race in the world.

Competitors ride semi-wild horses 1,000km through the Mongolian Steppe, changing horses every 40km.

Originally hailing from a small country town in France, Camille Champagne moved to Australia seven years ago to work on a property in Queensland, and now lives on Summerville Station, north of Richmond.

The keen horsewoman said she was chosen for the ride because of her experience with horses and success in endurance races in Australia.

She has been competing in endurance races in Australia since 2008, but they are nothing compared to the Mongol Derby...

Read more here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-11-09/north-west-qld-woman-chosen-compete-mongol-derby-horse-race/6911846

Endurance officials: The gait keepers of equine welfare

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Neil Clarkson | 9 November 2015

...Horses are nigh-on perfect. Powerful, fast, agile, perfectly balanced. And they’re tractable enough to allow us to climb on their backs and do our bidding for us.

We marvel at their sheer speed on the racetrack and admire their endurance when we ask them to compete over 100-mile distances.

The sport of endurance, at its pinnacle, is about the partnership between horse and rider. Yes, horses are pushed hard, but the rider is attuned to their mount and can sense its performance as surely as any race-car driver can monitor his engine with a myriad of gauges in front of him.

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/11/09/endurance-officials-gait-keepers-welfare/#ixzz3r0cQyC2G

Endurance bosses urge officials to stay vigilant over welfare

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Horsetalk.co.nz | 7 November 2015

Endurance officials are being urged to be vigilant by two of the most senior figures in the discipline, who warn that serious welfare incidents had the potential to irreversibly harm the sport.

The chairman of the FEI’s Endurance Technical Committee, Brian Sheahan, and the FEI’s endurance director, Manuel Bandeira de Mello, in a letter to officials, said endurance had developed into a highly professional equestrian sport over the past decade...

Read more here:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/11/07/endurance-bosses-vigilant/#ixzz3qqauGAgo

Endurance Canada Awards now Open for Nominations

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

November 5 2015

Endurance Canada is pleased to announce that nominations are officially being accepted for the following awards:

Endurance Canada Hall of Fame

The Hall of Fame Award is presented to a member of the Canadian endurance community in recognition of long-term commitment, active involvement, and outstanding contributions to Endurance Canada and the sport of endurance riding in Canada.

Ron Janzen Memorial Trophy

The Ron Janzen Memorial Trophy is given to the Endurance Canada member who best displays the same goals, vision and ethics as the late Ron Janzen. A superb athlete who dedicated much of his time to the sport of long distance riding in Canada and internationally, Janzen passed away on Jan. 6, 2008 at the age of 52, leaving behind his loving wife, Christine and children, Brett and Jaylene. Candidates nominated for the Ron Janzen Memorial Trophy should display some or all of the following qualities:

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/horse-news/endurance-canada-awards-now-open-for-nominations/

FEI appoints Ralph Straus as Commercial Director & The Sports Consultancy

FEI.org

5 Nov 2015

The FEI has appointed The Sports Consultancy as its official global sponsorship sales agency up to and including the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 in Bromont/Montreal (CAN).

The Sports Consultancy, appointed after a competitive tender earlier this year, has a proven track record working with the FEI on a variety of commercial consultancy projects over the last seven years.

“With our partners Longines, Furusiyya, Reem Acra and Ariat International, the FEI has already proven the benefits of being associated with equestrian sport,” said FEI President Ingmar De Vos. “We still have a lot of high profile FEI events and assets for which we believe we can attract new partners. We are looking forward to working with The Sports Consultancy again, this time to develop our partnership programmes and to build relationships with premium brands who will greatly benefit from their involvement with the FEI and its wide-ranging portfolio.”

“We are delighted to have been appointed by such a prestigious international federation,” said Marc Hope, Director, Rights Marketing at The Sports Consultancy. “The high interest and participation of equestrian sport in major economies around the world, combined with its distinct positioning and demographic is incredibly appealing and we are extremely confident that our experience, use of data and understanding of the market will deliver significant results for the FEI and for the sport as a whole.”


New Commercial Director

In other commercial news, Ralph Straus (NED) has joined the FEI as Commercial Director. He takes up the post at FEI Headquarters in the Olympic capital of Lausanne (SUI) this week.

Straus was previously Vice President of Marketing and Communications in the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing in the United Arab Emirates, with the primary role of developing the global marketing and communications strategy for the 2020 World Expo in Dubai.

Prior to taking up the Dubai role, Straus was Head of Strategy and Brand Management at FIFA for seven years, in charge of planning and executing the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup marketing campaigns, spearheading global licensing and brand development, and implementing all FIFA experiential marketing initiatives, including the FIFA Fan Fests.

He also oversaw the FIFA Interactive World Cup, an annual international competition of football video games recognised by the Guinness World Records Gamers Edition as the biggest global gaming tournament, collaborated with FIFA sponsors for global consumer engagement programs and developed social media strategies for FIFA event brands.

Straus has held several senior roles in the private sector, including at telecommunications company Swisscom and oil and gas company Royal Dutch Shell. He is also a regular speaker at conferences on sports marketing.

“The wealth of equestrian events, its rich history and the extensive global fan base presents compelling sponsor opportunities and provides fascinating content for broadcasters and digital platforms”, Straus said. “I am joining the FEI at a very exciting time and I am also keen to see how the changes in the digital landscape provide new opportunities to service the equestrian community and grow its fan base.”

“Ralph Straus’ extensive international marketing and commercial expertise in both the sport and private sectors will be massively beneficial to the FEI,” the FEI President said. “His leadership skills and experience in building up expert teams is crucial as we look to maximise our commercial goals into 2016 and beyond.”


About The Sports Consultancy www.thesportsconsultancy.com

The Sports Consultancy was founded in 2006 by Robert Datnow and Angus Buchanan, whose respective expertise in sports law and commercial rights management, has created a strategic sports marketing consultancy poised to provide commercial advice and delivery to venues, brands, rights holders and others involved in top-level sport. Marc Hope joined the business in 2015 to head up a newly created rights marketing practice which aims to combine an insight led approach to consulting with a proven sales record.

About Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) www.fei.org

The FEI, the world governing body for horse sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was founded in 1921. The FEI is the sole controlling authority for all international events in the Olympic sports of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing, as well as Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining. The FEI became one of the first international sports governing bodies to govern and regulate global para sport alongside its seven able-bodied disciplines when Para-Equestrian Dressage joined its ranks in 2006. The FEI governs all international competitions for Para-Equestrian Dressage and Para-Driving.

Bahrain: Endurance Season to start Saturday

BNA.bh

04/11/2015

Manama, Nov. 4 (BNA): HM the King's Representative for Charity Works and Youth Affairs also President of Bahrain Olympic Committee (BOC) cum Honourary President of Bahrain Royal Equestrians and Endurance Federation (BREEF), His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, has expressed optimism at the new season of endurance horseracing events.

The season is slated to open with the 80-km distance prequalification race on Saturday, November 7 from Bahrain's International Endurance Village.

His highness said this seasons will be unlike previous seasons in view of the strong competition and the high standard attained by Bahrain endurance thanks to the constant unlimited support from the Kingdom's Principal Knight His Majesty Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, citing His Majesty's directives which constitute the biggest incentive to all cavaliers and stables.

HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad has expressed full confidence and trust in the abilities of cavaliers and stables to achieve spectacular positive results throughout the season.