2017 Jr/Young Rider World Endurance Championship Applications of Intent Available

March 7 2017

The 2017 Longines FEI World Endurance Championship for Young Riders & Juniors is scheduled to take place in Verona, Italy on 22-24 September. The Application of Intent, and instructions for submitting is available here:
https://www.usef.org/compete/resources-forms/disciplines/endurance/young-rider-world-endurance-championship

Cambodia: Equestrian fed takes step to Sea Games

Phnompenhpost.com - Full Article

Wed, 8 March 2017
H S Manjunath

The Cambodian Equestrian Federation (CEF) took a giant step in preparing the Kingdom’s team for endurance events at the forthcoming SEA Games in Malaysia later this year by holding the first ever 80 kilometre trial at Phnom Penh’s Areyksat Club’s horse park.

The CEF is planning to organise the second of the three mandatory trials required for qualification in Siem Reap in the near future.

It was a match race only of sorts as two contenders lined up for the 80km event, but there was plenty of excitement around the park since this was the first time ever that local riders and horses had taken up this gruelling challenge.

“We were indeed thrilled that the trials went off better than expected, with both riders finishing the course.

“One of the horses failed in the gait test but I am confident we will have more horses and riders making the grade as we go on,” president of the CEF Mona Tep, herself an accomplished equestrian rider, told The Post yesterday.

With the Malaysian SEA Games set for August this year, the CEF has been pursuing the preparation of endurance riders as a top priority since it is a mandatory eligibility criteria for a participating country to complete a minimum of four trials three over 40km, extending to 80km for the final one...

Read more here:
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/sport/equestrian-fed-takes-step-sea-games

Terengganu seeks to groom young talents in equestrian sports

NST.com.my - Full Article

By ADRIAN DAVID - March 3, 2017

ETIU: Terengganu is destined to be the home for equestrian sports as the state’s most influential supporter is Sultan of Terengganu Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, said Terengganu youth, sports and human resources committee chairman Datuk Rozi Mamat.

Rozi pointed out that the Sultan’s interest and keen involvement has helped equestrian sports to gain popularity and develop rapidly in the region.

It is no secret that Sultan Mizan is an avid endurance rider, who has competed in prestigious endurance competitions globally...

Read more here:
https://www.nst.com.my/news/2017/03/217292/terengganu-seeks-groom-young-talents-equestrian-sports

20 Mule Team FEI Ride, USA

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

March 2 2017
Article and images created for Endurance World by Kimberly Rivers

20 Mule Team FEI Ride in the heart of the California Desert

Ridgecrest, CA, USA – On Saturday 28 February Dominique “Dom” Freeman of Great Britain and her Arabian gelding Rising Heat (Desert Heat VF x Zemina) placed first in the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) 160K 3* 20 Mule Team endurance ride in the heart of the California desert. Freeman finished the ride in 12 hours, 43 minutes with an average speed of 12.58 KPH. Freeman was the only finisher in the FEI 160km ride.

“It is hard to qualify here in the West, we only have two chances a year,” said Anne Marie Barnett of Cool, CA. She brought her 15-year-old Arabian gelding Momentto (Moment of Valor x MA Pollianna) with a goal of obtaining her Certificate of Competency by completing the 160km ride. Barnett and Momentto were pulled at Vet Check 4 for “GA” – gait aberration. She led the early stages of the ride...

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/ridgecrest-ca-usa-28-february-2017/

The Rebirth of Endurance Tests - Parts 1 to 10

Awarewelfare.net - Full Article

By John Crandell

Contents

Prologue
The Time Is Now
The Genesis of Modern Endurance
Expansion Across North America
FEI Enters the Scene
Back in the USA
Our Issues are More Alike Than We Realize
A Rebirth Begins
Building Wise Endurance Testing Programs
Roadmap to the Future: Part 1
Creating Healthy Goalposts and Incentives (COMING SOON)

Prologue

Endurance riding was once on the vanguard of equine welfare, generating new definition in the meaning of equine welfare itself. Now that honorable position is obscured under a mountain of saddening imagery on the internet and a growing contempt from other equestrians over the level of equitation and horsemanship displayed at endurance races.

Who’s to blame? We all are, and perhaps especially those of us that have been engaged in the discipline as long as myself. I’ve been endurance racing for over forty years now; long enough to have won two Tevis and Haggin Cups, first to finish at six Old Dominion 100 mile Rides, and FEI championship medals as early as 1986 and as late as 2010. I certainly should have known better, should have spoken out more at the right time way back when. Well, no time like the present.

It’s impossible address the governance issues we’re now facing in a way that guarantees that they’ll never return if we can’t openly identify our collective mistakes that allowed this travesty to develop in the first place. So please notice that as I dissect this calamity of errors, I offend people on both sides of highly polarized positions equally. I have been party to both camps and am therefore as culpable as anyone.

I will show that the root issue here has been brooding for a long time, and goes back to a time before the involvement of the Federation Equestrian International (FEI) and well before the Persian Gulf countries participation in internationally sanctioned endurance racing.


The Time is Now

At this time the entire world, especially the equestrian community, is aware of the alarming spectacle of endurance racing activity in the United Arab Emirates. This has devastated the already fragile reputation of the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), which sanctions these races. The FEI has been supplying the public years of image posturing and repeated announcements that is making “sweeping changes”, but the carnage has continued with its renewed sanctioning.

Meanwhile in the United States the endurance riding disciplines national governing body is in a different kind of downward spiral. The economic demography of the U.S.A. has lured the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) into a dangerous trap. When businesses and organizations here listen to their constituents too democratically what they will always hear most loudly is that “we want more quantity, less cost; and we enjoy being patronized gratuitously”. Following this mandate usually creates economic growth initially, but it then leads to departure from the organizations original purpose, alienation of its original supporters, and declining standards until there is nowhere lower to go in order to acquire new members.

This is written as a warning to other regions with developing equestrian programs not to follow in our footsteps. The following is chronical of the foolish choices we’ve made that led to this mess nationally and internationally. Review this history to learn by our mistakes as the modern endurance riding discipline begins an inevitable rebirth...

Read the full article here:
https://awarewelfare.net/2016/02/28/blog-post-title/

FEI Conference Fatigue

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Cuckson Report | March 1, 2017

I have been to all but one of the FEI Sports Forums in Lausanne, Switzerland every April since its launch in 2012.
The format has changed from the first year, when it spanned three days often with simultaneous debates in different halls. The jam-packed program was quite an assault on the brain cells, and it became a two-day event thereafter.

The forum is usually a “news fest” so I felt a modicum of disappointment when this year’s itinerary (April 11-12) plopped into my mailbox. I guess the media corps was spoiled in 2015 and 2016 by the emotive debates about future Olympic and World games formats.

This time the first day is devoted to jumping. The Nations Cup discussion looks the most interesting; two forums ago, it was hinted Nations Cups become the main route to qualifying for the Olympics and World Equestrian Games, to mitigate the growing rival demands of the Global Champions Tour. If so, that could be lively.

On the second day, there are sessions of 90 minutes each on risk management in eventing, and the long-awaited injury and bones study for endurance...

Read more here:
https://www.horse-canada.com/cuckson-report/conference-fatigue/

UAE: BOUDHEIB - DRIVING THE FUTURE OF ENDURANCE

https://www.facebook.com/boudheib/posts/431796127164351

February 25 2016

H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan
11th International Endurance Festival, 6 - 11th March 2017

His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has for many years been concerned by the wonton waste of fine Arabian horses in the sport of endurance here in the region and decided to make changes with the consideration of the 'Welfare of the Horse' at its core.

As a result of recent developments of this sport in the desert regions of the world, speeds have increased from around 18kph in 1998 to current speeds nearing 40kph which exceeds the natural ability of most horses. In order to achieve such speeds, natural dune trails have been replaced by specifically prepared tracks that are maintained hard surfaces. Such tracks were originally necessary in order to preserve any semblance of soundness in horses of these regions, however as speeds continued to increase over the past two decades, so have the countless horse injuries and fatalities!

Sheikh Sultan decided to take a stand by introducing strict rules regulating speed and horse heart rates and so the 'Boudheib Initiative' was born. Returning to natural desert trails which have increased in length to as much as 50% as their
Value has been proven time and again in naturally reducing speed and thereby vastly reducing horse injuries. Boudheib is proud to note that the Boudheib Endurance Village hospital is almost always empty, a fine achievement in less than two years.
Each year, to further improve horse welfare standards, His Highness Sheikh Sultan holds an annual Conference during the Boudheib International Endurance Festival, inviting top international speakers from around the globe to participate in sharing views to enhance the rules which are now being requested worldwide.

This year is no exception, the conference Boudhieb Initiative Worldwide is being held on 8th March at Boudheib Endurance Village at Al Khatem, Abu Dhabi, (registration 9.30). The organisers are delighted to announce a top class panel including :- Roly Owers, UK (World Horse Welfare), Melanie Scott, AUS (AERA President), Laurentinus (Franz) Arts, NED (Senior Endurance Vet), Sybille Merkhart North GER (Endurance Event Organiser), Ahmed Samarraie, GER (Holds National Champs), Kevin Croke IRE (FEI 4* Judge), Leonard Liesens, BEL (Head of Endurance), John Crandell, USA (Endurance Promotion), Kseniia Horbunova, Ukraine and Jean-Paul Boudon, FRA (Organiser FLORAC).

Another newly introduced initiative encouraging conference participation from local trainers, riders, owners and breeders is an invitation which has been accepted by celebrity football club Al Jazira. They will spend time discussing training tactics and injury rehabilitation which can be applied to the same training program for endurance horses. Once again Boudheib is making ground breaking progress!

His Highness Sheikh Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan also wants to tackle the future of endurance by educating young Emiratis in the art of true horsemanship and has put in place a series of beginners rides for both the Boudheib Academy Equestrian Centre Riding School under 16's and open events for young riders never having participated in endurance, this wonderful program teaches the youngsters horse welfare from a young age and both the boys and their horses are loving it.

Everyone is welcome, we have a full program of endurance rides and events with the main feature Boudheib Festival Cup 3 day 3* FEI 240km starting on 9th March

Come and enjoy the beautiful natural desert trails unique to Boudheib.

For festival information and timings visit: www.boudheib.ae or social media: - twitter, instagram & facebook @ boudheib