Olympic riders among top names to campaign against endurance scandals

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Pippa Cuckson
10 February, 2016

An online petition demanding the FEI removes the December 2016 world endurance championship from Dubai reached 4,000 signatures over night (Tuesday 9 – Wednesday 10 February).

It has also attracted high-profile support from outside endurance, with British Olympic rider Jennie Loriston-Clarke among signatories from all over the world.

The petition was launched by the continental-based “clean endurance” community last Friday afternoon (5 February). The group says it will advise FEI president Ingmar de Vos of the interim results before the FEI meets the Emirates Equestrian Federation tomorrow (11 February) to discuss solutions to the latest welfare scandals that brought UAE endurance to a halt on 4 February.

However, the petition will remain open...

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/olympic-riders-among-top-names-to-campaign-against-endurance-scandals-526455#WL7cd5jcy4ddTQxI.99

Swiss Demand New Venue for 2016 Endurance Championships

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

February 10, 2016
by: Swiss Equestrian Federation

Following further incidents during the endurance season in Group VII of the FEI in the Middle East, the Swiss Equestrian Federation (SEF) is strongly opposed to the intended venue for the Elite Endurance World Championships in December 2016, namely Dubai (UAE).

Since the beginning of the season in October 2015, 10 Catastrophic Injuries have been reported to the FEI, with seven horses confirmed dead.

After persistent criticism from around the globe, the FEI amended the regulations for endurance competitions in 2014, with the protection and welfare of horses as well as equal treatment for all competitors as the main objectives...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/horse-news/swiss-demand-new-venue-for-2016-endurance-championships/

Qatar: GCC Women's Endurance Cup: Omani Women riders take bronze

Muscatdaily.com - Full Article

February 07, 2016
Omani riders claimed the team bronze at the GCC Women's Endurance Cup in Doha, Qatar on Friday.

The Omani women competed in the 90km race, which was won by UAE, while hosts Qatar took the silver. UAE's Alyazah al Rumaithi won the individual honours...

Read more: http://www.muscatdaily.com/Archive/Sports/GCC-Women-s-Endurance-Cup-Omani-Women-riders-take-bronze-4lef#ixzz3zas1t2Y5

Pressure mounts to strip Sheikh Mohammed's Dubai venue of 2016 world championship endurance event

Telegraph.co.uk - Full Article

American Endurance Ride Conference – pioneers of the “classic” sport since 1972 – is demanding that the FEI relocate over cruelty to horses

By Pippa Cuckson, Equestrian Correspondent
8:39PM GMT 07 Feb 2016

The International Equestrian Federation is under pressure to strip Sheikh Mohammed’s Dubai International Endurance City of the 2016 world championship event, as the horse welfare crisis in the United Arab Emirates sport escalates.

The FEI and Emirates Equestrian Federation halted all UAE long-­istance race-rides last Wednesday until at least Feb 11 while further solutions were sought. The flogging of five exhausted horses by riders and their grooms during in a 120-kilometre youth ride at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi on Jan 30 was witnessed by thousands of horrified viewers on the event’s live-stream.

Now, the American Endurance Ride Conference – pioneers of the “classic” sport since 1972 – is demanding that the FEI relocate the 2016 world title event, and imposes a new, minimum one-year suspension on the EEF.

The Swiss federation has suggested a boycott, while the Dutch announced on Friday that if the FEI could not wrest back control, it would consider its own measures...

Read more here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/12145562/Pressure-mounts-to-strip-Sheikh-Mohammeds-Dubai-venue-of-2016-world-championship-endurance-event.html

Kuwait wins Gulf popular heritage title for endurance riding

GDOnline.com - Full Article

Kuwait: Kuwait's jockey Meshari Al­Sour, of Al­Mutrega team, won the popular heritage championship for 120­kms endurance riding race for elite horses on Saturday at Sabah Al­Ahmad Heritage Village, part of the Sixth Gulf Popular Heritage Festival.

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti jockey Mohammad Al­Lezam, of Nasis team, came second in the race, followed by Talal Al­Rashdan, of Asayel team, in the third place, and Ali Sultan, of Al­Hazm team, in the fourth place to be awarded cars for each one of them...

Read more here:
http://www.gdnonline.com/Details/64782/Kuwait-wins-Gulf-popular-heritage-title-for-endurance-riding

US endurance officials baulk at world champs in Dubai

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Horsetalk.co.nz | 7 February 2016

The United States is unlikely to be represented at this year’s World Endurance Championships should it go ahead in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) president Michael Campbell, writing to the US Equestrian Federation (USEF) on behalf of its membership and board of directors, said it wanted the world championships to be removed from the UAE to a “more suitable location”.

Campbell said the AERC was of the view that, should the FEI resist moving the venue from Dubai, the US Equestrian Federation should forego plans to send an endurance team to the championships...

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2016/02/07/us-endurance-officials-baulk-world-champs-dubai/#ixzz3zV2cf28H

Endurance Day of Reckoning

Equinerescuefrance.org - Full Article

Posted by ERF on Feb 6, 2016

Apologies for this being a blog of links. There is so much information currently flying about that it’s easier to collate in one place.

The EEF have cancelled all races until the 11th February 2016 as a result external pressures from the rest of the world having viewed the appalling scenes and news of abused, exhausted and vanished horses coming from the Dubai ride at the weekend. Unsurprisingly, the restrictions just stop short of the high profile President’s Cup, due to be held on the 13th of February 2016.

More info below:
http://horsetalk.co.nz/2016/02/04/fei-uae-eadline-serious-endurance-issues/#axzz3zNZ12D7I

The initial purpose of this blog is to share the petition far and wide about stopping the UAE and other Group VII countries from the ongoing extreme abuse to horses, and taking the privilege of hosting the WEC away from them.

Primarily, please sign and share the below link:

https://www.change.org/p/ingmar-de-vos-president-fédération-equestre-internationale-say-no-to-2016-world-endurance-championships-in-horse-hell

Read more here:
http://www.equinerescuefrance.org/2016/02/5759/