UAE Senior Sheikh Speaks Out Against Winning at All Costs

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

November 11, 2016

by: Pippa Cuckson

A senior Sheikh from the United Arab Emirates has spoken out about the “winning at all costs” mentality in endurance which has “broken” the core relationship between horse and rider.

HH Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed al Nahyan gave his landmark address at the World Horse Welfare Conference in London on Thursday, to welfare workers and other horse industry professionals from all over the globe.

He did not hold back from blaming UAE riders and trainers for the speed-obsessed, racing-style endurance “which ultimately led to our highly publicized situation in the press.”

“Speed is the number-one problem,” he added. “The higher the speed, the greater the risk of compromised metabolism, severe lameness, fracture and death.”

He said UAE endurance has broken “the relationship between horse and rider; horses often ridden and trained by inexperienced people; mismanagement and cruelty through ignorance.”

Sheikh Sultan is already admired for reforms introduced at Bou Thib, his own endurance village in Abu Dhabi.
However, this was the first time endurance in the UAE has been openly criticised by one of that country’s most distinguished figures...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/horse-news/senior-sheikh-speaks-out-against-winning-at-all-costs/

Enduring Hope

Writing-wrongs

November 11 2016

Yesterday, the annual World Horse Welfare conference invited speakers and guests to debate the topic of ‘The Invisible horse’.
There is much to consider from the entire day, with two speakers standing out; Chris Riggs and Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Chris Riggs’ telling narrative on the basic welfare issues facing horses in China was chilling. He described a culture that has inadequate conception of equine well-being, with little comprehension of the horse as sentient, and discussed the paucity of available medication for horses, highlighting the unthinkable lack of drugs licensed to euthanase horses across the population of sports horses, racehorses and working horses.

Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the man behind the Bou Thieb initiative in Abu Dhabi, offered a glimmer of hope for the Endurance horses in the UAE. Clearly uncomfortable on the podium, he deserves massive respect for making the effort to come to the UK, to write and deliver his speech in English, and to have the fortitude to admit publicly that “The UAE form of endurance has broken the normal close relationship between the horse and the rider.”

To help horses in Endurance in the UAE, the change had to come from within. Could this be the tide turning? Could this lead to those in the UAE who do respect their horses being rewarded, and those that don’t, as in the Dubai stables, being excluded?
China is a country developing a very strong interest in Endurance. The horses have to come before the sport. This is an open opportunity for the FEI to make changes, they need to act urgently.

The link to the speech and a transcription is below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TolUllEqIrA

“Your royal highness. Lords, ladies and gentlemen.

Any successful sport must have good rules. And we strongly support FEI and EEF rules, but as these seasons past I became aware with growing concern that the existing rules were encouraging a new type of endurance where speed had become all important. Riders were becoming racers and the effects could be seen in the increasingly poor completion rates. The number of deaths and metabolic problems which ultimately led to our highly publicized situation in the press and media.

It became impossible to ignore the facts. The original type of endurance riding which incorporate respect for the horse and the horsemanship was being lost and they tried to win at all costs.

From the beginning and in Bouthieb we tried to manage our rides with principles of welfare and good horsemanship as high priority. Nevertheless I saw our problems in Bouthieb increasing and I made it clear to those working with us, me and we have to fix this or stop endurance entirely. There could be no compromise, especially where the welfare of the horse was concerned.

I gathered a group of like-minded people and set them the task of making new rules to return endurance to a sport which involves a respectful partnership between horse and rider. When rules not just to be about speed and the first past the post, but also that a horse must finish in the best possible conditions and fit to continue. We should encourage the heart of horsemanship because the culture of speed has taken over.

The rules were developed for our local conditions of flat easy tracks but they can be adopted to anywhere according to the type of country. The rides were through. They are based on the following points:

1. Speed and how to reduce it
It is the number one problem. The higher the speed, the greater the risk of compromise metabolism, severe lameness, fracture and death.
2. The fit to continue

Element of the sport which seems to be disappearing. We have tackled reducing the speed in 4 ways.

- Introducing a presentation heart rate of 56 bpm. FEI maximum of 64.
- Introducing a presentation time of 10 minutes for all loops. FEI maximum 20 minutes.
- Introducing top speed limit of 20 kph within UAE all CENs, with penalties or eliminations for breaking it.
- Instigating 40 minute holds at all vet-gates, with 50 minutes when re-presentation is required.

Re-establishing the relationship between riders and horses. The UAE form of endurance has broken the normal close relationship between the horse and the rider. Horses often ridden and trained by inexperienced people which has frequently led to a disagreement for welfare. Mismanagement and cruelty through ignorance.

Solution. We have introduced the Best Endurance Ride Challenge. As an incentive to encourage the welfare of the horse and return the responsibility to the riders and trainers through education the winners will receive 70% of prize money.

The winners are assisted on 5 basic criteria through a system of points: Speed parameters; recovery time; cardiac recover index; metabolics; gate/lameness.

Method of ride management to control riders, trainers and their followers too.

- Reinforce fair play on the track and in the vet-gate area to ensure competitors can be controlled and rules are observed.
- Introduce as much objective assessment as possible.
- Develop a method of hypersensitivity testing for metablock.
- Enforce attendance of ride briefings as part of the entry qualifications.
- Install cc tv cameras in all hold areas.
- Fixed water points every kilometer. No crewing except emergency outside the points.
- Restrict number of crew per horse and control the crew through number vests to manage horse number.
- No crewing permitted in last 2,5 kilometers and horses must maintain forward movement to finish line.
- Restrict number of cars on the track to one per 5 horses maximum. Two for more horses.
- Spot checks for riders.
- Spot ID check on riders and catch substitutions.
- There may be compulsory hypersensitivity test for outer sensitized on the limb nerve blocking.
- In 2017 season we’ll see more technical and natural trials including in the loops.
- Basic FEI and national rules also apply throughout.

Implementation

The rules work. Last season 4 endurance meetings were run in the UAE using the new rules. The cues of exhausted and injured horses disappeared. Completely with no horses requiring invasive treatment in the clinic. Something unheard of in the village in previous seasons. Unfortunately, catastrophic injuries happen in all equestrian sports and 3 horses out of seasonal total of 3035 starters had to be euthanized. Previous years I’ve seen double figures.

The clinics remained empty, no invasive therapy. We’re sure we’re heading in the right direction. Our strict heart rate and presentation time made it impossible to speed. Riders must slow down if they want to pass the vet check. The rules are used in the CENs which have a 20 km speed limit.

And that gave an added challenge to the riders and bring back a new opportunity for endurance horses. Still with excellent heart rate and recovery, we have seen many horses retire because in the speed races they are too slow.

The veterinarians and officials have all been astonished at how such simple changed have had such dramatic results. The clinic has been so quiet and the vets a starting to bring books to read while they wait. Over the summer, rider were held in Uruguay, Argentina, Germany, France and Morocco. Using some or all of these rules. After initial reservation, the majority of people appreciated them and we are receiving more requests from all over the world to be able to use them.
Planning for the future.

Through last season we enrolled the FEI and received considerable support from their officials. Also the positive feedback and international publicity has received is perhaps the most encouraging credit. It is also highly gratifying that ride organizers around the world have shown an interest in using the Bouthieb initiative.

Bouthieb rides will start to incorporate more natural desert terrain. Riders will be forced to use tracks away from cars so that they have to think for themselves. Plans are being made to develop a Bouthieb Initiative APP for use by ride organizers and competitors. We have plans to help educate young riders and encourage safe competition for novice horses.

Finally we hope to spread the word further greater tv and media coverage.

Thank you.”

Uma Mencia Uranga Brings Lessons from Endurance Horse Racing to the Hilltop

SFS.Georgetown.edu - Full Article

November 7, 2016
by Margaux Fontaine

Uma Mencia Uranga, graduate student in the Walsh School of Foreign Service, is working towards her Master of Arts in Arab Studies (MAAS). But outside of her academic career, she is a professional endurance horse racer.

“My interest in endurance horse racing began when I was a young girl,” Mencia said. “It was a sport that combined both my passion for the outdoors and my love for horses.”

Mencia grew up in a small town in the Basque country of northern Spain. Taking lessons from the endurance team at her riding school, she participated in her first race at the age of twelve and never looked back. Since 2008, Mencia has been based out of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, working with the Fazza Endurance Team (now referred to as Al Aryam Endurance Team).

Her riding career has been complemented by her successful academic career as well. While in Dubai, she studied at the American University, where she majored in Fine Arts in the school of Visual Communications and completed a certificate in Middle Eastern Studies.

“The years I had spent in the United Arab Emirates and my Arabic language studies in Egypt and Morocco sparked my desire pursue the academic study of the language and region at the graduate level,” Mencia explained. “The strong focus on the Arabic language, the diverse classes taught by top faculty in the field, as well as the content courses taught entirely in Arabic is what made the Arab Studies M.A. at the Center for Contemporary Arab Studies of Georgetown my top choice program.”

Though she is enjoying her time at Georgetown, riding remains a central part of her life...

Read more here:
http://sfs.georgetown.edu/uma-mencia-uranga-maas17-brings-lessons-endurance-horse-racing-hilltop/

France: Franck Laousse and Charlotte TE win Les 2 Jours de Montcuq

France's Franck Laousse and Charlotte TE won the 40th running of the 2 days of Montcuq on October 29 and 30, 2016. Their final time for the two 90-km days was 10:55.58.

Second place went to the Netherlands' Liselore Van Zetten, riding El Kebir Florival, in a time of 10:56.13. Third place went to France's Karine Mabilon, riding Rihad La Majorie, in a time of 11:36.

Laousse was Champion of France in 2013.

Bred and owned by Peter Toft's Toft Endurance in Australia, the 11-year-old mare Charlotte TE is by the famous Chip Chase Sadaqa out of the mare Scarlette. In all 26 of her starts over her 6-season career, the mare has had only one non-completion.

28 riders out of 52 starters completed both days of Montcuq. This year's race was dedicated to Pierre Passenard, founding president of the race.

More at
http://www.2jdemontcuq.com/

Tryon (USA) to host FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018

FEI.org

3 Nov 2016

The FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 will be held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina (USA) from 10 to 23 September 2018. The FEI Bureau today unanimously agreed that the Games should be awarded to Tryon, meaning that the FEI’s flagship event remains in North America, following the withdrawal of Bromont (CAN) earlier this year.

The original dates for the Games (12-26 August) have been changed following two scientific studies commissioned by the FEI which stated that climatic conditions would be significantly more favourable in North Carolina during September, particularly from a horse welfare perspective. The FEI also looked at date clashes with other fixtures on the FEI Calendar to ensure the optimum timeslot for the 2018 Games.

“We are very pleased to announce Tryon as the host of the FEI World Equestrian Games 2018”, FEI President Ingmar de Vos said. “The Tryon team submitted a really impressive bid and we have every confidence in the organising committee. It’s a truly spectacular venue and almost all the necessary infrastructure for our eight disciplines is already in place. We are looking forward to a fantastic celebration of top level sport as all the disciplines come together to crown their world champions at the Games in two years’ time.”

The Tryon International Equestrian Center, created by Mark Bellissimo in Mill Spring, North Carolina is situated on a 1,600 acre site at the foothills of the Blue Mountains. The venue has 1,200 permanent stables, 12 arenas including a floodlit international arena with a potential spectator seating capacity of up to 12,000 and VIP seating for up to 1,500, a covered arena with 5,000 seats, and has a world-class cross country course that will be used for both Eventing and Driving. The venue is surrounded by hundreds of miles of equestrian trails for Endurance. The venue contains excellent facilities for athletes and spectators including restaurants, hospitality, accommodation, retail and resort amenities. An on-site state-of-the-art veterinary facility is currently under construction.

“We are thrilled with this news and thank the FEI Bureau for having faith in us and entrusting us with the honour of hosting this prestigious event”, Mark Bellissimo said. “It’s a really great fit for The Carolinas Equestrian heritage and we look forward to working closely with the FEI and with the USEF to produce fabulous FEI World Equestrian Games in 2018.”

The FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018 were previously awarded to Bromont (CAN), but a lack of secure funding led to mutual agreement between the FEI and the Canadian Comité organisateur des Jeux Équestres Mondiaux 2018 (COJEM) to terminate the host contract in July of this year.

Following the withdrawal of Bromont, the FEI Bureau mandated the President to find a solution and, after a thorough assessment of a number of options, the President proposed that the Bureau allocate the Games to Tryon. In light of the timeframe, with the Games in less than two years, existing infrastructure was a crucial factor in the evaluation process.

The Bureau met by teleconference today (3 November) to agree the allocation and were unanimous in their support of the Tryon bid.

“The FEI is 100% committed to the FEI World Equestrian Games concept and we are extremely grateful to all those that showed interest in hosting the 2018 Games”, Ingmar de Vos said. “Their enthusiasm demonstrates the importance of the event across the equestrian community.”


The FEI World Equestrian Games™, held every four years in the middle of the Olympic cycle, is one of the biggest events on the global sporting calendar, combining eight World Championships at one event. The FEI disciplines - Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining - are all included on the competition schedule.

The inaugural FEI World Equestrian Games™ were hosted in Stockholm (SWE) in 1990. Since then the Games have been staged in The Hague (NED) in 1994, Rome (ITA) in 1998, Jerez (ESP) in 2002, and Aachen (GER) in 2006. The first Games to be organised outside Europe were the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Kentucky (USA) 2010. The Games came back to Europe for the 2014 edition, the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy (FRA).

The 2014 Games in Normandy attracted more than 500,000 on-site spectators and a worldwide television audience of 350 million, as well as delivering an economic impact of €368 million to the French economy.

The FEI World Equestrian Games™ History Hub can be viewed here.

Why Yellow Cards Need a Stronger Hue

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Cuckson Report | November 2, 2016

In my last blog, I discussed whether it’s time to introduce a more detailed rider demerit system for rule-breaches in eventing. Or indeed, any sport. This followed the latest bout of social media angst over another alleged blood-in-mouth incident, and the invidiousness of the FEI yellow warning card, which, in eventing, is used to punish everything from failing to present yourself to a doctor after a fall – that’s the rider’s own risk, not the horse’s – to dangerous riding though not, it seems, for blood on the horse.

A demerit system has the useful potential to grade rule-breaches of any sort according to their seriousness, and the flexibility to be tailored towards relevant issues in each of the FEI sports. This is something the yellow card cannot do on its own.

In this recent appalling case before the FEI Tribunal, the ground jury at an endurance ride in Portugal resorted to yellow-carding the same person twice within minutes, for ranting at and then assaulting the president of the ground jury. These warning cards were clearly awarded within 12 months of each other, so this automatically suspended the rider for two months. Genius in its simplicity – though isn’t it time there was a more structured way of dealing with behaviour that is so offensive handcuffs might be required?

This case came to light when the yellow-cardee, one of Portugal’s leading international riders António Vaz Freire, tried to appeal to Tribunal against that two-month suspension. Tribunal did not admit his appeal, ruling that field-of-play decisions are sacrosanct. On top of that, the FEI argued Freire had not protested receipt of the cards within the requisite 30-minute time-frame...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/cuckson-report/why-yellow-cards-need-a-stronger-hue/

Conquering the Mongol Derby

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Written by: Amy Harris

Canadian Heidi Telstad won the 8th annual Mongol Derby in a three-way tie.

Last November, Heidi Telstad, a 43-year-old lawyer from Vancouver, British Columbia, posted the first entry in her Chase Endurance blog on Horse-Canada.com. She planned to chronicle her experience preparing for and competing in the 2016 Mongol Derby – the world’s longest and toughest horse race. Along the way, she hoped to raise funds for the BC Epilepsy Society, through Canada Helps, in honour of her nephew, four-year-old Chase.

Not only was Heidi successful in raising money and awareness for the charity, but she rocketed to equestrian fame when she actually won the race, in a three-way tie. It is the first time in the competition’s eight-year history that riders chose to cross the finish line together – a true testament to the camaraderie between Heidi and her co-winners, 28-year-old Will Comiskey from Australia and 45-year-old Marcia Hefker-Miles from New Mexico.

Held in August each year, the 1,000km race recreates Chinggis Khan’s legendary messenger and supply route on the Mongolian steppe, with riders changing horses every 40km, and living with local herders or camping out each night.

Heidi, Will and Marcia met before the start of race, and spent time together during training. Heidi and Will decided to pair up and rode together for the duration of the ride.

“Will and I raced hard against Marcia,” said Heidi. “She had a lot of tricks up her sleeve and I respect her competitiveness. I learned a lot from her before, during and after the race. Marcia was really fast at the Urtuus [horse stations] and would get on the steppe much faster than we did...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/magazine_articles/conquering-the-derby/