USA's Devan Horn to Compete in South Africa's Sandymount Express 1000

September 29 2016

It's an endurance horse race, testing riders to the their physical and mental ability to complete 1,000 kms in eight days. She'll have 8 horses to get acquainted with and ride each day. The ride begins October 1.

USA's Devan Horn, a Mongol Derby veteran (2nd in 2013, withdrew in 2015), is thrilled to begin this new escapade in South Africa.

"It feels incredibly right to be headed into another wild, insane adventure," she wrote. "I'm indulging a measure of wild ferocity I generally attempt to batten down in polite company. In three weeks’ time, I’ll have both of the longest horse races on the face of this planet dusted~!"

She got a chance to ride two of her horses on Wednesday. "I'm quite happy with both of them, and I still have 6 to meet!"

Her hotel is a great accommodation with roan antelope and sable antelope out by the pool. "I don't know how I ended up in this African palace, but I'm not asking any questions! I keep expecting someone to come in and tell me I've got a cot in the back of the horse trailer instead. But it seems to me this cozy little room (with ensuite SHOWER!) is mine for the week! I'm in such good hands with these excellent horses and hostesses!"

Keep up with Devan's adventure here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/SouthAfrica/2016SandymountExpress1000/

Statement on fatal accident at Llay Llay, Valparaíso CEI 2* (Chile)

FEI.org

28 Sep 2016

It is with deepest regret that we confirm that there was a rider fatality on Saturday, 24 September 2016 at the CEI 2* 120km at Llay Llay, in the Valparaíso region of Chile. Hugo Valdés Barros (CHI), 58, fell from his home-bred, 10-year-old gelding MP Sifax on the second loop.

There were no witnesses to the incident, but it is thought that the rider fell after his horse failed to make a turn on the track and jumped a small canal. The horse was uninjured in the incident.

The Organising Committee cancelled the rest of the day’s events and a full police investigation has been launched to look into the circumstances of the accident.

Hugo Valdés Barros, who lived just outside Chile’s capital Santiago, had worked with horses all his life. He had competed in Endurance events at national level in Chile for more than a decade and internationally for the past two seasons. This was his second CEI 2* with MP Sifax, having finished 12th at their last outing on 14 May in Matetic (CHI).

He leaves behind his wife Maria Pía, daughter María Elisa and two sons, Cristián and Ignacio.

“We send our deepest condolences to Hugo’s wife María Pía, sons Cristián and Ignacio and daughter María Elisa, and his relatives and Friends,” President of the Associación Chilena de Enduro Ecuestre Cristian Herrera said. “Hugo was an exceptional man. His passion for the sport of Endurance and his love for horses will remain with us. May his soul rest in peace.”

Read the farewell message from the Associación Chilena de Enduro Ecuestre here (in Spanish): http://50.6.74.33/home/?p=7816

“As the President of the Ground Jury at Llay Llay, I would like to extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the family and friends of Hugo Valdés Barros and to the whole Endurance family,” FEI Official Elizabeth Huyghe said.

“Our hearts go out to the family and friends of Hugo Valdés Barros,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said. “The FEI and the global equestrian family send our deep condolences and support to Chile at this very difficult time.”

A funeral mass was held at the Church of Santa Elena in Santiago on 26 September, and a memorial service for Hugo’s fellow riders and friends will be held at the Cementerio Parque del Recuerdo on Saturday 1 October at 17.00.

AERC President and AERC International Committee Chair Pen Letter Regarding Slovakia WEC

September 26 2016

AERC President Michael Campbell, and chair of AERC's International Committee Dr Meg Sleeper, have written a letter in response to the recent World Endurance Championship in Slovakia.

Addressed to USEF's President, Chrystine Tauber, Campbell and Sleeper express their great disappointment at both the outcome of the WEC - a needless equine fatality, and numerous eliminating due to over-riding - and at FEI's appearing to initially "spin" a story about the breakdown, instead of stating what happened.

AERC "is very concerned about ongoing abuses in international endurance riding" and requests several recommendations be forwarded to FEI, including designing championship courses with technical variations, instead of flat for speed only; continued stringent drug testing, including sensitivity tests on horses' legs to detect nerve blocking agents; more emphasis on the goal of "fit to continue"; crewing on trail should be drastically reduced or eliminated all together; significantly increased and serious suspensions for stables, owners, trainers, and riders whose horses have been metabolically compromised from over-riding.

While veterinary standards and rules appear to have improved over the past year, events at the 2016 WEC show there is still a long way to go with horse welfare in FEI endurance events.

The full letter can be read here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/UAE/2013FEIControversy/USEFLetSept2016.pdf

Germany's Sabrina Arnold Wins FEI World Endurance Championship for Young Horses

Germany’s Sarah Arnold and Tsagan Nour won the 120km FEI World Endurance Championship for Young Horses (7 years) in Nègrepelisse, France, leading an all-female podium. (FEI/Pamela Burton)
FEI.org

24 Sep 2016
By Pamela Burton

Smart riding brought Sabrina Arnold (GER) and Tsagan Nour to the top of the podium at the FEI World Endurance Championship for Young Horses (7 years) today in Nègrepelisse, France.

The 120km Championship, which finished with an all-female 1,2,3 yesterday afternoon, with Arnold and Tsagan Nour galloping over the finish line in a time of 05:59:04, culminated in the prize giving today.

Spain’s second-placed rider Emma Rosell Segura riding Danco completed in 06:05:58, followed by third over the line and also from Spain Laia Soria Pinol on Nervi Del Rieral finishing the four loops just two seconds later.

After starting the second loop in 10th position after a 2-minute recovery in the first hold, Arnold was assured that her mount was doing well with the trail conditions. Continuing with good recoveries, the duo were able to move up in the finish order on each loop and took possession of the ride on the final loop to emerge victorious.

France seals Best Condition

The first-placed French rider, Paul Bard, riding Volny Du Leff, finished sixth and later the highly coveted Best Condition was awarded to his seven-year-old chestnut gelding.

Ana Barbas (POR) riding her own E Da Fuica scored fourth and Mohammed Khalifa Al Sowaidi (QAT) riding Dufawan finished fifth, with the rest of the top eleven spots secured by French athletes on this striking trail in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region of southern France.

Young Horses - future champions

These annual FEI World Endurance Championships for Young Horses, first held in Compiègne, France, in 2001, are an important foundation ride for future champion horses as they mature.

A total of 42 combinations from Bahrain, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, Slovakia, Spain, USA and the UAE joined 52 combinations from France for this year’s Championship.

Trail tactics - Sabrina Arnold and Tsagan Nour

Tsagan Nour is part-owned by French champion rider Jean Philippe Frances, technical advisor and partner to the 36-year-old Arnold, who has been a distance rider since she was a child. Together they made a plan for the Championship’s challenges:
“These horses are young and it is better for their mind to have a companion,” she explained. “On the first loop we were too fast and I slowed down and rode with two other riders. My horse was immediately good in the vetting and I rode with our second rider on the next track through the third loop. On the fourth, the rider from Qatar rode with me for a while. On the last loop, the trail was very challenging. I had some information from other friends on the trail that we were many minutes in the lead, so I slowed him down and let him breathe.”
First-time Championship trail

The FEI Endurance Championship for Young Horses 2016 was held for the first time in this farming community northeast of Montauban. The course followed forest trails and farm tracks from the equestrian centre in Domaine de Pousiniès through local communes of Saint-Etienne-de-Tulmont, Nègrepelisse, Vaïssac, and Genebrieres. Temperatures for the day hit 26C by 2pm. Organised by Endurance Equestrian Nègrepellsse, and supported by the Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Festival, the trail was contested with four loops of 35kms, 30kms, 35kms and 22kms, beginning at 07:30.

FEI Endurance Director Manuel Bandeira de Mello said of the day: “Horses in Young Championships are not yet at their maximum fitness, and the most important thing for me was how well the riders managed their horses.”

Gérard Aurel, President of Endurance Équestre de Nègrepelisse, said after the ride: ”We are very happy to have organised this Championship with 14 nations and the day went very well.”

Final results - FEI World Endurance Championships for Young Horses 2016
1. Sabrina Arnold (GER), Tsagan Nour - (completion time) 05:50:04
2. Emma Rosell Segura (ESP), Danco - 06:06:58
3. Laia Soria Pinol (ESP), Nervi Del Rieral- 06:07:00
4. Ana Barbas (POR), E Da Fuica -06:13:04
5. Mohammed Khalifa Al Sowaidi (QAT), Dufawan - 0606:13:05
6. Paul Bard (FR), Volny Du Leff 06:13:24
7. Amandine Lorenzi (FRA), Velvette El Mazel - 06:13:31
8. Laetitia Goncalves (FRA), Sadi Lotois - 06:15:59
9. Emilie Brard (FRA), Natfet - 06:17:00
10. Emmanuelle Gaudino (FRA), Cayrel Bashkhaar - 06:18:17
Full Results: http://www.atrm-systems.fr/index0eng.htm
Best Condition: Paul Bard (FRA) with Volny Du Leff

Slovakia: Was fatally injured endurance horse taken to livestock crematorium?

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Pippa Cuckson
18:46 - 23 September, 2016

The FEI’s equestrian community integrity unit is to investigate allegations that the body of Ajayeb, the mare who broke a leg at the world endurance championships at Samorin, Slovakia, was diverted to a livestock crematorium instead of being taken directly to a pathology lab for her compulsory autopsy.

The FEI ordered the investigation on Friday afternoon after hearing allegations that Ajayeb, the ride of UAE team member Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum, was traced to the crematorium by vets suspicious about her whereabouts..

As part of tougher rules for endurance imposed in 2014, the FEI has insisted autopsies be held for all at-competition fatalities...

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/was-fatally-injured-world-endurance-championships-horse-ajayeb-taken-to-livestock-crematorium-598436#RRRkkqVcVF1KddKY.99

Australia: Sisters to mount up for Tom Quilty Gold Cup

Weeklytimesnow.com.au - Full Article

DALE WEBSTER, The Weekly Times
September 20, 2016 7:00am

JULIE Woods will become the oldest Victorian to ride in Australia’s toughest endurance horse race next month when she mounts up at the age of 80 for the Tom Quilty Gold Cup.

Ms Woods rode her first “100-miler” when she was 50 and if she completes the course successfully on October 8 she will collect her sixth Quilty buckle.

With her at the starting line for the first time will be her sister, Lois Sharam, who is making her Quilty debut at age 75...

Read more here:
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/sport/horses/sisters-to-mount-up-for-tom-quilty-gold-cup/news-story/77b62ce01ddb2c961fb07c4e70293bdf

Aussies have right stuff at World Endurance Championships

Weeklytimesnow.com.au - Full Article

FRAN CLELAND, The Weekly Times
September 20, 2016 7:00am

AUSTRALIA’S endurance team finished fourth in the teams section of the 2016 World Endurance Championships in Slovakia at the weekend.

Members were Ben Hudson, Sasha Laws-King, Rebecca Pinder, Jodie Salinas and Alexandra Toft...

Read more here:
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/sport/horses/aussies-have-right-stuff-at-world-endurance-championships/news-story/866774433fd37e6211e6a81fbc2c6c9a