Abu Dhabi: Milena partners Moreno to victory

Khaleejtimes.com - Full Article

November 29, 2015

Last year Moreno carried Argentina's Catalina to victory in this race and this year it was another Argentinean lady Milena Mendez who won a thrilling 100-km ride spread over four stages.

Moreno, an 11-year-old bay stallion from Al Reef Stables won the 100-km Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak Ladies Endurance Cup for the second year in a row at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

Last year Moreno carried Argentina's Catalina to victory in this race and this year it was another Argentinean lady Milena Mendez who won a thrilling 100-km ride spread over four stages.

Earlier in the morning 95 lady riders started in the race which was held under the directives of Shaikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.

The UAE's Mariam Jasim Al Ansaari on Horr Ibn Jahir was second with Kamila Anita Kart on Othentik Du Fausset third. Argentina's Maria Julia Sciaroni on Sugarsop De Sallaz and the UAE's Sara Mohammed Al Jaber on Highland View Dolly finished fourth and fifth and all five top riders were awarded a 4WD car each...

Read more here:
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/horse-racing/milena-partners-moreno-to-victory

Spanish Chef d'equipe Ignasi Casas Appointed to FEI Endurance Committee

November 15, 2015

Ignasi Casas, Chef d'Equipe for the Spanish endurance team, was appointed to the FEI Endurance Committee, replacing outgoing member John Robertson of Great Britain, for a term of 4 years (2015-2019).

He joins the other new appointee, Rocio Echeverri of Costa Rica, who replaces Brian Dunn of Ireland.

The appointments took place at the FEI Bureau meeting in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in November.

Riding ‘Mongol Derby,’ The Longest Horse Race On The Planet

Gearjunkie.com - Full Article

November 25, 2015
By: Erik Cooper

Horses are the ‘vehicle’ of choice in the wilds of Mongolia, where an adventure event each year draws competitors from around the globe. Our correspondent was there to take part in the action.

Riders from a dozen countries converge upon Mongolia to test their skills and luck in the Guinness Book of World Records’ recognized longest horse race on the planet — The Mongol Derby.

Organized by The Adventurists, riders in the event race atop the semi-wild horses of the steppe for 1,000km through the Mongolian wilderness.

They are only allowed 11lbs of essential survival kit — no changes of clothing and no back-ups in case something breaks. For navigation, riders are armed with a GPS device and crude intuition to guide them.

World’s Longest Horse Race

In its 6th year, the Mongol Derby is a multi-horse race taking influence from Genghis Khan’s legendary postal route. The system relied on a vast network of horse stations manned by the nomadic herding families of the steppe.

Throughout the 10-day race, riders live with these same herding families and race in the hoof prints of those ancient messengers.

The Mongolian families are the heart of the race; they open their homes and condition their horses for the Western riders.

Riders race 13.5 hours a day, and they switch horses in pony-express-fashion, sometimes four times a day. It’s really an ultimate test, both mentally and physically, that pushes riders to the absolute limit!

I was one of these scrappy, questionably-sane competitors in 2012, and this year I was offered the opportunity to return to the steppe and experience the race as a crew member, heading the Bloodwagon — essentially scraping broken riders off the dirt and performing search and rescues...

Read more here:
https://gearjunkie.com/mongol-derby-mongolia-horse-race-adventurists/

UAE: Sheikh’s world endurance champs helmet sells for $US6.5m

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Horsetalk.co.nz | 26 November 2015

The helmet worn by Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum to win the 2012 FEI World Endurance Championships has sold at a charity auction in Dubai for $US6.5 million ($NZ9.95m).

The helmet which sold for AED24.05m was among several equestrian items at the auction to benefit the Al Jalila Foundation, which raised a total of 89.8 million dirhams, or $US24.5 million ($NZ37.2m)...

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/11/26/sheikh-world-endurance-champs-helmet-us6m/#ixzz3sc4aITYu

Great Britain: From Racing to Endurance

Endurancegb.co.uk - Full Story

Beths Choice (14yo) owned and ridden by Lynn Harvey from Dorset was named as RoR Elite Endurance Champion 2015. Trained by Milton Bradley Beths Choice ran a total of 15 races on the flat and over jumps winning one race in his career before retiring.

Lynn, who has worked in racing yards for most of her life and now works for Harry Fry, is ‘hooked’ on endurance, said; “Over the past 5 years Harry has surpassed anything I could have dreamt of and he shows just what former racehorses are capable of. He has completed four 80km and five 60 plus km rides, winning two of the 80km rides. We have often been out over varied terrain, ground conditions and in appalling weather but this makes it all so worthwhile...”

Read more here:
http://endurancegb.co.uk/main/news#2015112401

Great Britain: The Long Trot - John o' Groats to Land's End!

Endurancegb.co.uk

The Long Trot by Grant Nicolle

13 November 2015

After eight years, I have just completed a book on my 2007 trip from John O’Groats to Lands’s End with horse Marv. This is the story, told in mostly diary format, of that adventure, in the hope that others may undertake similar travels.

My main riding experience was gained when I served as a Captain in the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, a ceremonial mounted unit of the Army, then based in St John’s Wood London.

After my time in the Army I moved to Edinburgh and in 2005 began work as a project manager in the construction industry. It was a time of transition in my personal life and career and I frequently reminisced about the exciting challenges experienced whilst in the Army. I still hankered after adventure and conceived the idea of a long distance journey in the UK by horse, trying to recreate the mostly forgotten experience of long distance travel pre 20th century. With my affinity with horses, passion for exploring new places and skills in logistical planning, I thought I had relevant skills to undertake the challenge of traversing the length of Britain with a horse.

With the decision to complete the trip made, I was lucky to obtain a 3 month sabbatical from work, as I was prepared to forgo my employment to complete the journey. Marv (a 16hh Clydesdale cross) was bought from a farm in East Lothian in the January and soon thereafter commenced the fitness training and logistical planning required. We set off from John O’Groats on the last day of April, as this was when it is thought to be warm enough to be able to travel without rugs for Marv but also early enough in the year to escape the dreaded midge when traversing the Highlands.

Keeping away from the main roads we explored the fascinating byways, tracks and minor roads through rural Scotland and England with me often sleeping in the same field as Marv. The generosity and genuine welcome received in every village we visited was uplifting. My Scottish highlights included: having to construct a makeshift enclosure next to a remote bothy in Sutherland; traversing stunning and remote Strath Vaich; the high level crossing of the Corrieyairack Pass from Fort Augustus to Laggan and cantering along a grassy former Roman Road (Dere Street) just south of Jedburgh deep into the Cheviots towards the border with England.

When passing through the industrial north of England, we utilised the canal towpaths where possible and also the newly created Pennine bridlepath. Later on, it was with good fortune that we managed to stay just ahead of the terrible flooding which hit the south of England that year, only needing to divert from their planned route once near Evesham.

We averaged no more than 20 miles a day with at least every Sunday taken as a day off. I rode Marv daily for a limited time in trot and canter (if the ground was suitable), also frequently dismounting and walking with Marv for longer periods each day. The rationale behind this was, riding Marv in walk would have been no faster, and by walking, the daily pressure on Marv’s back was substantially reduced. Marv would therefore be more likely to remain healthy for the duration and a sound Marv was paramount to the success of the trip.

Although the trip was not originally planned to be undertaken for charity, we did manage to raise £10,000, split between the International League for the Protection of Horses (ILPH) and Cancer Research UK. Many donations were from people we met on the road.

This adventure was a great opportunity to test and combine my military endurance experience, navigational and equestrian training whilst also seeing parts of the country that so often get missed. With no back up or replacement horse, we arrived exactly on the planned completion date at Land’s End, some 1100 miles and just over 11 weeks later. I had purposefully planned a slightly longer route rather than a more direct one to ensure I could share the trip with friends and family.

Long Trot is available on Amazon here:
http://www.amazon.com/Long-Trot-Grant-Nicolle-ebook/dp/B011OA5GWG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1448207147&sr=8-2&keywords=the+long+trot

FEI General Assembly Concludes with Approval of Endurance Rule Modifications

14 November 2015

The FEI General Assembly concluded in Puerto Rico on November 14, 2015.

During the annual meeting, member National Federations voted on a wide range of topics.

For Endurance, the General Assembly heard an update on the application of the Endurance Strategic Planning Group (ESPG) recommendations, the majority of which have been implemented. Endurance Committee Chair Brian Sheahan gave a report to delegates, detailing additional key recommendations that are being implemented.

These recommendations include:

• Key Performance Indicators consisting of the number of NFs organising Endurance events; number of CEIs; number of registered horses and athletes; number of starters; the relationship between metabolic issues and lameness; horse fatalities; number of horses leaving competition per year; number of doping cases; and promotion of officials.

• A lifetime ban for a horse that suffers a fifth consecutive disqualification for gait irregularity
at FEI and national events

• An increase to 80 penalty points (from 50) for an athlete whose horse suffers a catastrophic injury

• Ranking lists, including additional ranking points for athletes with no penalty points

• Online publication of progress reports

• Coaching development programme

• Generating sponsorship

• Endurance Organisers Guide (to be ready in March 2016)

• Endurance FEI Coaching System (to commence in February/March 2016)

The General Assembly approved the modifications of the FEI Endurance Rules. The 9th edition, effective 1 January 2016, will be available on the FEI website here.