Great Britain: Ridgeway Rally: A private event

Ridgewayrally.com

January 17, 2017

Ridgeway Rally is a private independent event. We are lovers of luxury and all things fabulous including our riding experience. A bit of camping in your lorry on your usual endurance event can be fun but sometimes, just sometimes, it would be amazing to hand your horse over to someone else at the end of a long ride and relax, and when you have riding again the next day, to go to a lovely hotel, get clean and dry, dine and be entertained as well as get to know the other people who are riding too. We created Ridgeway Rally to accommodate both, a great ride with luxury hotels and relaxing entertainment too for an all round superior experience.

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

UAE: Boudheib Initiative - 120km 2* CEI J/YR Presidents Cup a Success

January 22 2017

The last race in the Boudheib 3 day series of the Presidents Endurance Cup took place Saturday with the final of the 120km 2* CEI Junior Young Riders. Two rides take place within the one challenge using both the FEI rules and the Boudhieb Initative Best Endurance Challenge Award (BECA).

The BECA awards go to Magic Glenn All Dun ridden by Imke Lamsma from the Netherlands with an average speed of 15.602 and total points of 100.81. Magic Glenn is strained by Anzaq Mahmood from Al Maneyah Endurance Stables. Closely followed In 2nd place was Winca on 100.15 points, ridden by Ali Mohammad Al Hammadi and trained by Omar Rashid Al Jarwan from Al Nasr Endurance Stables and in 3rd position came A P Piton ridden by Shannon Cossor on 97.93 points - trained by Anzaq Mahmood from ABH Endurance.

The results are in for the FEI award going to Al Fatin in 1st place with an average speed of 18.750, ridden by Shaikh Hamad Dalmook Juma Al Maktoum trained at the M7 enduranece Stables. 2nd place goes to Tao Du Cavallon ridden by Hassan Jumaa Hassan Al Hamadi, trained by Abdul Kader Abdul Sattar from Al Maghaweer Stables and in 3rd place Willowmere Encore ridden by Ahmed Yousef Al Bloushi, trained by Tahnoun Ahmed Al Bloushi of Nad Al Sheba Stables.

For full details see: atrm-systems.fr

UAE: Boudheib's Beginners Endurance Rides

Boudheib Initiative Endurance

January 20 2017

Today Boudheib Endurance Village saw the start of yet another initiative endorsed by H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Boudheib Academy for young Emirati students launched the first in what is to be a series of 'beginners endurance rides'. The course was set for 12km consisting of 2 loops with a vet check at the 6km stage. The young riders, ranging from 10 to 18 years of age, were charged with saddling their own mounts before setting off in 3 staggered groups at only walk and trot (cantering would amount to disqualification), frequent essential water stops along the way and attending to their horses needs at the finish (no grooms participation allowed).

The ride has been a resounding success, no disqualifications, and a fine time was had by all. On completion one young rider, when asked if he'd enjoyed it said 'it was perfect!". A great experience that these future endurance stars will remember for the rest of their lives and at the same time understanding the respect for their partner, the horse!!

Huge thanks go to Boudheib Academy trainer Kieran Treacey for the care and energy that he put into creating this event and the welfare of both his students and horses - congratulations Kieran.

Samorin Gets WEG 2022

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

January 16, 2017
by: Pippa Cuckson

Samorin in Slovakia looks set to run the 2022 World Equestrian Games, after the FEI confirmed it would not re-open the bidding following Kentucky’s withdrawal last week.

Only two venues applied to be considered for the 2022 renewal – the lowest number in the history of the WEG.

Samorin – developed by businessman Mario Hoffman, and officially known as the Napoli Slovak Equestrian Club – must be ratified by the FEI General Assembly in November.

But now it is aware there is no rival bid, Samorin will have the longest lead-time of any recent WEG venue. In a further head-start, Samorin already boasts a lavishly-appointed facility of indoor and outdoor arenas and permanent barn stabling servicing an established calendar of FEI jumping, dressage and endurance competitions. Covering 200 acres, it is one of the most extensive new-builds in Europe and also has a racetrack.

The FEI said today: “The bid process will not be re-opened. We have a very solid bid for the 2022 Games from our candidate Samorin in Slovakia, and are looking forward to working through the remaining bid process, including full assessment of the venue by the FEI Evaluation Commission prior to allocation of the 2022 Games by the FEI Bureau in November this year...”

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/horse-news/samorin-gets-weg-2022/

Camille Champagne Bargenquast calls on nominations for her inaugural Gobi Desert Cup

Queenslandcountrylife.com.au - Full Story

Samantha Walton
@SamanthaWalton0
17 Jan 2017

A north west Queensland endurance rider is calling for nominations for her inaugural ride through the Gobi Desert in south Mongolia.

After competing in the longest and toughest horse race in the world – Mongol Derby – Camille Champagne Bargenquast is preparing her own endurance ride in conjunction with an internationally experienced Mongolian vet and two endurance riders from America.

Ms Bargenquast is the co-manager of Linda Downs station located 225 kilometres south west of Mount Isa and will travel overseas to organise what she describes as “a most prestigious endurance ride”, the Gobi Desert Cup.

“While racing in Mongolia last year, I realised that three-quarters of the riders couldn’t handle the roughness of the horses and the race situation in general,” Ms Bargenquast said.

“From the food which consisted of floating bits of mutton fat in a soup, the danger of camping wherever at nights with semi-wild horses, the distance, being on your own with no assistance (only serious emergency) and no showers for 10 days. Those people around me weren’t prepared and their experience wasn’t a success.

“I was listening to the riders around me. They inspired us to create the Gobi Desert Cup.”

The Gobi Desert Cup is a 480km endurance race in which riders compete for six days, riding 80km a day. Starting at sunrise every morning, each must reach the camp before sunset. Two vet checks are held in a day; one at the 40km checkpoint and another one at the end of the 80km.

“Every night riders will camp together and enjoy the luxury of basic amenities and meals prepared by a five star chef,” Ms Bargenquast said...

Read more here:
http://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/4406433/camille-creates-overseas-endurance-race/?cs=4698

FEI imposes two year suspension in endurance case

Inside.FEI.org

16 Jan 2017

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision in the case involving Dr Pasha Syed Kamaal (IND), identified as support personnel in the 2012 equine anti-doping case of Glenmorgan (FEI ID UAE40813).

Samples taken from the horse, which was ridden by HH Sheik Hazza bin Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan (UAE) in the CEI3* 160 km at Al Wathba (UAE) on 10 February 2012, returned positive for the Banned Substance Propoxyphene, an opioid analgaesic, and its metabolite Norpropoxyphene.

In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal has imposed a two-year suspension on Dr Kamaal as a member of the Support Personnel, in accordance with Article 169 of the FEI General Regulations and Article 10 of the Equine Anti-Doping Rules. The period of Provisional Suspension, effective from 16 November 2015, has been credited against the period of ineligibility, meaning that Dr Kamaal will be ineligible through to 15 November 2017.

The Tribunal also imposed a fine of CHF 2,500 and costs of CHF 1,000.

Dr Kamaal has 30 days from the date of notification (13 January 2017) to appeal the decision to the CAS.

The FEI Tribunal had previously imposed a 27-month suspension on HH Sheik Hazza as the Person Responsible. This was reduced to 18 months on appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), although the CAS upheld the FEI’s principle of strict liability in the application of its equine anti-doping rules. During the FEI Tribunal and CAS proceedings, Dr Kamaal stated that he had administered the product Fustex to the horse the night before the event. Fustex contains Propoxyphene, although it is not listed as an ingredient.

Following the original case, the FEI issued a communique to stakeholders in July 2015 urging caution over the use of Fustex, an Argentinian product used to promote muscle growth. The communique stated that lack of knowledge regarding the ingredients of Fustex would not be a valid excuse in any equine anti-doping procedures.

Further details on the case can be found here.

Endurance UAE - Good, Bad, and Ugly

Grandprix-replay.com - Full Article

16 January - 10h09 | Lulu Kyriacou

Endurance in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues to make equestrian headlines this week although not only for bad reasons. Although the FEI will be holding urgent talks with the UAE endurance organisers this coming week there was also a lengthy statement from 4* judge Francois Kerboul in support of Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan's Boudhieb Endurance Challenge which is aiming to change the current face of the sport within the Arabic nations.

In total three horses were listed as catastrophically injured during the recent Maktoum Cup meeting at the Dubai Endurance International City, the venue that was deposed as hosts for the 2016 World Championships when horse welfare could not be guaranteed according to the FEI. Since then a further sanction preventing international competition was imposed on the venue and the Maktoum Cup Festival of Endurance was the first CEI 160 to be held after this sanction was lifted. Another horse died during that race, making four at the venue in total and five in the Dubai area in the last three months. According to endurance expert Pippa Cuckson in her latest column for Horse Canada, the FEI are looking into improvements in training regimes as all four of the horses died on the first loop of the rides, leading to a suggestion that the horses may already have been suffering from pre-existing conditions caused by training techniques. It is also just as possible that these sort of injuries are caused by incidents during the mass starts of dozens of horse and it must be asked why the FEI are entering into what amounts to speculation on incidents that are not exactly a rarity.

A spokesperson for the FEI told Cuckson that "The catastrophic injuries that have occurred this season have all been in the first loop, so it suggests that these are pre-existing fractures and that there is a serious issue with training techniques. Data from all events, including national fixtures, is being fed into the Global Endurance Injuries Study (GEIS) and Equi-ratings is also providing the FEI with statistics for surveillance and monitoring.

“The FEI will continue to work closely with the new management at the Emirates Equestrian Federation and a strong course of action will be agreed upon depending on the outcome of these meetings, including a requirement for reduced speeds and heart rates, shorter presentation times to enforce slower speeds and/or potential suspension of CEIs in the calendar.”

​All about the money?
Unfortunately, the FEI can do little to stop large amounts of foreign riders accepting invitations to compete, many of whom are no doubt lured by the €25'000 guaranteed prize money just for completing...

Read more here:
http://www.grandprix-replay.com/uk/article/4359/endurance-uae-good-bad-and-ugly