Kentucky Horse Park one of two finalists to host 2022 World Equestrian Games

Kentucky Horse.com

BY CHERYL TRUMAN
ctruman@herald-leader.com

The Federation Equestre International announced Tuesday that Lexington and the Kentucky Horse Park are one of two candidates to host the 2022 FEI World Equestrian Games.

The other candidate for host city is Samorin, Slovakia, about 4,800 miles away from Lexington.

Lexington and the Kentucky Horse Park hosted the games in 2010, becoming the first venue outside of Europe to host the games and drawing attendees from 63 countries and all 50 states.

The games, which are held every four years, include competitions in all eight of the FEI disciplines: jumping, dressage and para-equestrian dressage, eventing, driving, endurance, vaulting and reining.

The FEI will conduct site visits between January and May 2017. Candidates will be required to submit their completed bids and sign the host agreement by June 2017, with formal presentations made to the FEI Evaluation Commission in the third quarter of 2017.

The final decision will be announced in November.

Laura Prewitt, executive director of the 1,224-acre Kentucky Horse Park, said horse park officials “believe the Kentucky Horse Park is the world’s premier equine tourist destination, and we look forward to exploring the opportunity to host the 2022 Games.”

Don Parkinson, secretary of the tourism, arts and heritage cabinet, said Kentucky “appreciates how important this global event is for the equine and tourism industries. ... We will now focus on what effect these Games would have on the commonwealth and our taxpayers.”

Samorin, Slovakia, was part of Czechoslovakia until the 1993 split of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The town has more than 13,000 residents, including Hungarians, Slovaks and Czechs, and a large sports complex for professional and amateur sports, including Olympic training.

The Longines FEI World Endurance Championships 2016 were held at the Samorin Equestrian Centre in September. The FEI Endurance Committee picked the Slovakian venue over sites in Fontainbleau, France, and San Rossore, Pisa, Italy.

Kentucky did not pursue the 2018 World Equestrian Games after they were pulled from Canada in July because the state decided a last-minute bid would “put the commonwealth and the taxpayers at enormous financial risk,” according to a statement from the Cabinet for Tourism, Arts and Heritage.

Bromont, Quebec, had been scheduled to host the games in 2018 but pulled out. Bromont had been awarded the games in 2014 over Kentucky. The 2018 games are to be held Sept. 10 to 23 at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina.

Laura Brooks, a spokeswoman for the tourism cabinet, said in July that Kentucky “is preparing a strong proposal for the World Equestrian Games in 2022. ... The Kentucky Horse Park is already improving its amenities as its prepares a successful bid for the 2022 World Equestrian Games.”

Great Britain: Introducing the Ridgeway Rally

Ridgewayrally.com

Ridgeway Rally is an annual event to rival no other. Ridgeway Rally is a three day riding competition covering 30 miles (48km) a day over the length of the Ridgeway trail.

The 2017 debut event is March 26th-30th and is full; the 2018 event will be held March 25th-29th 2018.

Entrants of the rally can expect four/five hours a day in the saddle, marquees on route for lunch and evening dining with ‘super’ chef’s. Chauffeuring from the riding route each evening to their no expense spared hotels each night, including dinner and entertainment at top 5 star hotels and an evening at Highclere Castle.

The rally combines a superb riding competition with first class hotels and entertainment with world royalty and celebrity.

The Wrangler Jeep and the Ridgeway rally gold cup goes to the winner.

This event is exclusively high end.

A combination of fitness and speed determines the winner.

The Ridgeway is an ancient Roman trail covering some 89 miles. A mixture of mainly chalky tracks running along side open fields of crop land and rolling hills, this is the perfect traffic free riding terrain.

All riders must be advanced and fit for this level of endurance riding. Riders and horses should be currently fit for riding five hours in trot and canter with no problem to be able to enter this rally.

This event is also the perfect training ground for longer endurance rides and gives horses the opportunity to ride terrain they would not otherwise experience, especially horses and riders from the Middle East.

Maximum of 20 entrants.

For more information or to enter, see:
http://www.ridgewayrally.com/

No NAJYRC in 2017 for Endurance

December 20 2016

New locations for the North American Junior/Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) have been announced, but endurance will not be an event.

While Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana, will host the 3-day eventing competition, the disciplines of show jumping, dressage, and para-dressage will take place at Saugerties, New York, if the bid is approved.

According to USEF, endurance did not submit a proposal for endurance for 2017 because there wasn't a "feasible option" for a 75-mile course at a venue.

Bouthib continues to improve Endurance in UAE

The Endurance season is just beginning in the United Arab Emirates and once again, HH Sh Sultan and his team are showcasing the sport of Endurance at the Bouthib venue. With emphasis on horse welfare and 'fit to continue' criteria, Bouthib is forging ahead with its version of Endurance in the UAE. Recent changes in venue and trails are continuing the trend, with more spacious crewing areas to reduce stress on the horses, natural trails to introduce variety and challenge, and reduction of on-track crewing.

The following article is written by François Kerboul, a 4* FEI Judge and TD. In the article he notes:

NATURAL TRAILS
The FEI rulebook is clear:
"The course should include naturally occurring or manmade features such as (but not exclusive to) tracks, ditches, steep climbs, descents and water crossings that implements technically challenging factors including but not limited to: footing, terrain, altitude, direction and speed (art 801.2)". We are far from the compacted "hippodrome like" trails travelled by uninterrupted gallops.


Follow this link to read Kerboul's most recent article on the Endurance transition taking place at Bouthib




Natural course through the dunes.




Crew vehicles prohibited.

To learn more about Bouthib's Endurance 'revolution':

Previous story on Bouthib, The Unbelievable Season 2015-2016

UAE: British Endurance Rider Being Investigated

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

December 14, 2016
by: Pippa Cuckson

The FEI is to discuss with “urgency” the widespread use of severe bits at endurance rides in UAE, after images of a horse ridden by a former British team member caused a storm on social media.

Emma Finnie, 37, an ex-pat working in risk management for the National Bank of Abu Dhabi, was photographed at Al Wathba on December 3 using a long-shanked curb bit and looped reins of the type associated with para-riding. Her horse also wore a flash noseband, which partially comprised a chain link.

To compound the controversy, video footage showed the tiring horse dropping down to trot in the closing stages of the ride, with Ms Finnie energetically using her legs to keep him going, while accepting numerous a series of “slosh bottles” from grooms running on the piste. He picked up speed to finish fourth when another horse passed him. The top six all won cars...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/horse-news/british-endurance-rider-being-investigated/

After kicking cancer, this former Marine celebrated by racing over 10,000 miles across Europe and Asia

Businessinsider.in - Full Story

TALIA LAKRITZ
DEC 13, 2016,

The INSIDER Summary:

• Adam Casey was in the Marine Corps when he found out he had stage IV cancer.
• He celebrated entering remission by racing in the Mongol Rally and Derby.

It's difficult to tell where Adam Casey's story begins.

Perhaps it's when he met a girl who changed his life and inspired him to start a nonprofit called I Do It For Her, helping at-risk youth in St. Louis receive a better education.

Or when he enlisted in the military and became a First Lieutenant Infantry Officer in the Marine Corps.

Perhaps it's when he was diagnosed with stage IV cancer.

Maybe it's when he entered remission, and celebrated by racing 10,000 miles in the Mongol Rally and got halfway through the Mongol Derby before the wild horse he was riding bucked him off and broke his ribs...

Read more here:
http://www.businessinsider.in/After-kicking-cancer-this-former-Marine-celebrated-by-racing-over-10000-miles-across-Europe-and-Asia/articleshow/55950635.cms?format=slideshow

Australia: 9-year-old Georgie Girl Wonder

TheWesterner.com.au - Full Article

POSTED BY: LEE OLIVER
DECEMBER 7, 2016

Georgie Barber is showing the older kids how it’s done on horseback.

Last month the nine-year-old won the junior division of the South Burnett Endurance Riders Association event held at Nanango, for riders 17 years and under.

The Dayboro Pony Club member was the youngest rider to complete the 80km ride, finishing the course in a time of 6 hours and 24 minutes.

Over the past 12 months, Georgie has done ten endurance horse riding races, on three different horses.

“The best one yet was winning my first 80km (ride) on Shanti,” she said...

Read more here:
http://www.thewesterner.com.au/georgie-girl-wonder/