More Endurance Deaths in UAE?

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

March 29, 2016
by: Horse-Canada.com

Three closely-spaced endurance rides in March at Dubai International Endurance City in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) saw at least two suspected and unreported horse deaths, and the downgrading of a scheduled CEI*** to a CEN, likely to avoid the FEI’s strict new measures regarding endurance.

Endurance racing in the UAE had been suspended earlier this year over continued concerns of horse welfare, including several equine deaths and video evidence of multiple cases of horse abuse. The FEI permitted the sport to resume under the FEI banner after the Emirates Equestrian Federation (EEF) agreed to 12 welfare measures.

Despite the agreement, however, the Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup held on March 19th was downgraded to a national event, but had previously been listed on the FEI calendar as a CEI*** and a qualifying event for the 2016 World Endurance Championship hosted by Dubai this December. The FEI does not have jurisdiction over national competitions...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/horse-news/more-endurance-deaths-in-uae/

2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™ Progress Report

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

March 24 2016
by: Organizing Committee for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™

Luc Fournier, the regional chief executive officer of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games™ (COJEM), met with the regional press on March 22nd to provide an update on the organizing committee’s activities less than two and half years before the Games will be held.

Fournier is no stranger to major events, having spearheaded the Sherbrooke Canada Games from 2010 to 2013, the 1997 Quebec Winter Games, the Quebec Winter Carnival from 1997 to 2002, the Major International Events Network (MIEN) from 2002 to 2010, and the Canadian Festivals Coalition from 2006 to 2010. The Canada Games received all available awards for achieving sustainable development targets in 2013.

He compared organizing the World Equestrian Games to a city welcoming a new professional sports team or building a house. “It starts with a dream, followed by organization,” he said. “This is what we are doing at the moment. We are setting everything in motion. We have made our application – all levels of government are aware that time is of the essence. We are performing follow-ups, and we are conscious of the stakes. We have a small team that is very efficient and effective, and is growing every day...”

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/horse-news/2018-fei-world-equestrian-games-progress-report/

Rebirth of Endurance Tests/ Roadmap to the Future/ Part 1: Endurance Testing Conceptual Chart

AwareWelfare.net - Full Article

by John Crandell

Preamble

Thank you to the thousands who took the time to read the first nine segments of The Rebirth of Endurance Tests, and a very special thank you the many who made the additional contribution of sharing your comments, counterpoint and perspective. This remains a very collective exploration in which I am honored to be gathering and transmitting the energy of many, past and present.

To better engage this interaction of so many readers, I am dividing what I had previously forecast to be a single chapter named Roadmap to the Future into two parts. This first part will further a more specific conversation about where we ideally want to arrive, and soon to follow a second part will then describe specific steps to get from here to there.

Forwarded to guide conversation here is an Endurance Testing Program conceptual model in flowchart format. This chart extends beyond the conventional boundaries of endurance racing to show relationship in the broader equestrian racing and distance riding communities. This is offered as a work platform for developing in the best possible compatibility with traditional ideas and institutions around the world, while allying this diversity for optimal effectiveness in supporting equine welfare.

The accuracy of projections, and the effectiveness of any action plan to bring about change can only be as good as our vision of where we intend to go.

The best path will reveal itself when we build a beacon that shines brightly together.

Interpretation and Use of the Endurance Testing Conceptual Chart

To better express the most effective functional relationship between different classes of equine distance tests, the definitions and parameters of fields in the racing side (Right) of this graphic are different than current conventions. What has lately been identified as “Limited Distance” racing in North America and by other monikers elsewhere is named here as equine Marathon, a term for racing in this range that pre-existed the more recent terminologies. The category of Endurance Race in this conceptual exercise is more specifically reserved for tests in a physiologically distinct zone beyond the range of a primary metabolic surge of effort for equines. The category Extended Marathon covers race events in the broad transition zone between Marathon and Endurance Race as defined in this conceptual exercise.

Gesturally depicted here is as expressed in earlier chapters of Rebirth of Endurance Tests ; Endurance Racing sits at the conceptual crossroads of sport and science.

Arrows indicate proposed developmental pathways. This proposal is again quite different from conventional qualification procedures or development pathways of the either AERC or FEI. It is more consistent with effective development processes in North America prior to the mid-1980’s, and with the more recent rules of events at Boudheib in Abu Dhabi. Notice that by the specific direction of the pathway arrows, the Marathon races (orange blocks) that are so popular today are not even part of the proposed ideal development pathway toward Endurance Racing. These Marathon classes are depicted here as a sport racing group (yellow/orange), which exists along the edge of the unethical, just as we have witnessed in vivo. The intent here is not to condemn all races in these classes, for there is a lot of good science that can come out of tests in this area. This does graphically express how tests in the Marathon and an Extended Marathon range can easily challenge the limits of veterinary control technologies and become unethical if we direct the test conditions to become too sensationally sporting.

The type of criterion for advancement varies according the type of test. CTR events are capable of yielding academic performance grading (AG), and this is an ideal basis for advancement criterion when available. For advancement through race classes, some variant of completion rate (CR) criterion might afford the best equine welfare protection. Example: “< 65% completion rate finishing at least three races in the top 50% of the field of competition”. With effective rule structure, some of the criterion elements shown here might not be essential for the welfare of the horse, and should be optional at the discretion of regional governance. This might be particularly true of advancement between CTRs. When the veterinary control systems are well developed and supported by conservative test conditions, unprepared horses are reliably identified and dismissed from test early without harm. The potential for failure is then an eloquently adequate discourager of premature advancement. In fact, the more a program can be self-regulating in this manner the better. We should never use advancement criterion simply to inflate participation in events for the support of image and bureaucracy...

Read the full article here:

http://awarewelfare.net/2016/03/27/roadmap-to-the-futurepart-1/

New Zealand: Philip Graham notches first NZ 160km endurance champs win

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Robin Marshall | 27 March 2016

A Canterbury combination has taken out New Zealand’s CEI3* National Endurance Championships over 160km, with Philip Graham and Rosewood Bashir prevailing in the 19-strong field at Springfield, west of Christchurch, on Saturday.

Graham rode the 13-year-old Rosewood Bashir to win in 10 hours and 43 minutes flat over the challenging Canterbury course, about 65km from Christchurch. Mid-Canterbury challenger Kevin James rode into second place with Glendaar Fire Maid in 11:00.49, with Northern visitor Ashley Cole third on Kahuna Moon in 12:06.37.

It was Graham’s first national 160km championship win, though he has achieved several completions. The field was packed with previous winners, including last year’s winner Georgia Smith, Sian Reed (2012), Mark Tylee (2005, 2007, 2009) Jenny Champion (2008), Kevin James (2002, 2003, 1998, 1996) and Andrea Mason (1991, 1996)...

Read more: http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2016/03/27/philip-graham-first-nz-160km-endurance-champs-win/#ixzz44DJun3M3

Australia: Queensland Parliament Seeking Opinions on Hendra Vaccine

Thehorse.com - Full Article

By Pat Raia
Mar 19, 2016

The Agricultural and Environment Committee of the Queensland, Australia, Parliament is asking veterinarians and others there to share their thoughts about the use of EquiVacc, an equine vaccine developed to fight Hendra virus, in horses.

The virus was first recognized in 1994 following the death of a popular horse trainer and 20 horses in Hendra, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland. Hendra virus (HeV) occurs naturally in flying foxes, or “megabats,” found in Australia.

“The megabats carry the virus but don't get sick,” explained Melissa Hines, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine.

The virus, which to date has only been found in Australia, is thought to be transferred to horses via contaminated urine, feces, and/or fetal fluids. According to the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), the disease can cause respiratory or neurologic signs of disease in horses, and 70% of the horses that tested positive for the virus die...

Read more here:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/37293/queensland-parliament-seeking-opinions-on-hendra-vaccine?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=welfare-industry&utm_campaign=03-24-2016

New Endurance Great Britain events put focus on welfare

Horseandcountry.tv - Full Article

By Charlotte Ricca-Smith on 22nd-Mar-2016

Great Britain is to host four new endurance events this summer – with all prize money going to the horses that finish in the best condition.

Best Condition Award

The events at Euston Park in will be fun in ‘strict accordance’ with the FEI’s Best Condition Awards.

Each course will be designed to keep horse speeds down to an average 20kph and will include up to five vet gates. The events will use ‘sophisticated veterinary knowledge and experience’ to ensure they adhere to the highest standards of horse welfare.
The biggest change to the events is that all prize money will be allocated to the Best Condition Award.

'Restore the reputation'

“The Euston Park rides offer Great Britain an opportunity to restore the reputation of the discipline by enforcing our key values of endurance riding,” said John Hudson, chairman of Endurance GB...

Read more here:
http://www.horseandcountry.tv/news/2016/03/22/new-endurance-gb-events-put-focus-welfare

UAE endurance: Gauging the depth of frustration

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Neil Clarkson | 22 March 2016

Petitions have been a time-honored way to highlight a cause, and the one that seeks to have this year’s World Endurance Championships moved from the United Arab Emirates has certainly done that.

Petitions can be treated purely as a numbers game, but the internet has changed the terrain somewhat.

What constitutes a good number of signatures on a petition about an equestrian discipline that is little known outside the horse world? A thousand? Two thousand? Fifty thousand?

Who knows? The Change.org petition that targets the Dubai event had 5385 at the time of writing, which I would suggest is a solid show of support, indeed, for a sport with a modest international profile.

The first tranche of 4000 online signatures went to FEI President Ingmar De Vos on February 10.

For me, the comments posted by the mix of individuals who signed the petition provide valuable insight into the prevailing views on this matter.

One hopes that De Vos and the FEI’s endurance chiefs have taken the time to read the responses, for they paint a picture of a very angry horse community...

Read more: http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2016/03/22/uae-endurance-depth-frustration/#ixzz43eAU49lR