Australia: A Gerogery endurance horse trainer is being trained by two of the nation's best in his bid to compete in the Olympics for air pistol

Bordermail.com.au - Full Story

Ellen Ebsary
@EEbsary
24 Apr 2017,

A specialty shipping container shooting range could be the key to cementing endurance trainer Alamdar Dastani’s chances at bringing Olympic gold home to the Riverina.

The Gerogery endurance horse trainer has been competing in air pistol for only 14 months, but has two of Australia’s best in the sport mentoring him.

To meet his daily training requirement of four hours, he floated the idea with Greater Hume Council of setting up his own world-class shooting range in a shipping container.

Dastani, now with council’s blessing, will seek approval from the NSW Police Firearms Registry to construct the 10-metre range.

“My first state-level competition was at the Victoria state titles, held last March, and I won the gold medal in my division,” he said.

“My closest club is the Hume Pistol Club, and the other two clubs are Wagga or Yackandandah.

“I’m a professional horse trainer, so after training 130 horses, travelling to those clubs takes up a lot of my time.

“Hence the reason why I’ve put forward the idea of a completely legal indoor shooting range in a shipping container.”

Plywood 1.5 inches think will be installed at the back of the container with a pellet catcher, a sound-absorbing system preventing pellets from falling on the floor...

Read more here:
http://www.bordermail.com.au/story/4615705/olympics-hopeful-has-podium-in-his-sights/

Australia: Hawkesbury riders saddle up for Tom Quilty

Hawkesburygazette.com - Full Article

Jo Arblaster
26 Apr 2017

More than 50 riders are expected to mount up to tackle the legendary Quilty trails in the Hawkesbury next weekend.

The Q60 - named after the 100-mile Tom Quilty ride which was first held in the Hawkesbury in 1966 - will take place on 29th /30th April. Based at Ararat Lodge in the Colo Valley, there will be distances to suit all abilities, ages and levels of fitness. Rides from 5kms to 100kms will take horses up rocky sandstone escarpments and along shady four-wheel drive tracks through the National Park, and over private property alongside ancient water-courses festooned with waterlilies in the Colo valley...

Read more here:
http://www.hawkesburygazette.com.au/story/4621776/riders-saddle-up-for-tom-quilty/

British Endurance Protocol Endurance Takes Shape - Update

24 April 2017

The Kings Forest national 80km Competitive Endurance Ride hosted a trial of a new award which forms part of the British Endurance Protocol currently being developed by Endurance GB and the British Equestrian Federation. The award is designed to complement the existing competition structure and reward good horsemanship over the course of the competition. At each vetgate and at the finish, presentation times were scored as 20 points minus the presentation time. A 20 point bonus was given for each Cardiac Recovery Index (CRI) result where the second pulse was lower than the first. Scores were also awarded for the other veterinary criteria (gut sounds, gait and dehydration) up to a maximum of 15 points at each vetgate and at the final vetting.

The winners of the trial competition were Christine Ryan & Almaak with 145.40 points, who also won the class. Christine Ryan and Almaak had the shortest presentation times out of all the competitors at each vetgate and at the finish, and they had excellent CRI results including a final pulse of 60/48 in five minutes.

In second place was Saffron Bishop & Ty Shute Golden Savannah with 135.62 points, and in third place was Charlie Chadwick & Sky's the Limit with 132.68 points.

The results of the trial competition will now be reviewed by the working group. Other elements of the protocol which focus on participation, promotion of clean sport and selecting officials are still being worked on and more information will be released in due course.

GB: Hayle dairy farmer Paul Richards to tackle world's longest and toughest horse race in Mongolia

Crnwalllive.com - Full Article

By wbchris | Posted: April 23, 2017

A dairy farmer from Hayle has signed up to take on the world's longest and toughest horse race – a derby across 1,000km of east Asian terrain.

Paul Richards, 59, a dairy farmer from Hayle, will be taking part in the Mongol Derby and is raising funds for Children's Hospice South West (CHSW).

Paul is a fourth-generation dairy farmer and has signed up to take on the 9th Mongol Derby across 1,000km of Mongolian steppe.

Paul is the first Cornishman to ever be selected for the derby and will be riding against 39 other competitors from around the world. Paul is one of only nine riders from the UK taking part...

Read more at http://www.cornwalllive.com/hayle-dairy-farmer-paul-richards-to-tackle-world-s-longest-and-toughest-horse-race-in-mongolia/story-30285183-detail/story.html#cqM1ijAeWfdtqbgl.99

Entire New Zealand endurance board to resign in July

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

April 23, 2017
Horsetalk.co.nz

All members of the Endurance Board of Equestrian Sports New Zealand (ESNZ) have decided to resign, effective from the annual general meeting on July 22.

The announcement comes just days after the announcement of a special general meeting set for May 10, at which a motion of no confidence in the current ESNZ Endurance Board was to be moved.

The push for a no-confidence motion against the board is being pursued by a faction within the sport unhappy over what they allege is a failure by the board to comply with the ESNZ constitution, regulations and by-laws...

Read more at http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2017/04/23/nz-endurance-board-resign-july/#soWxvw2ySBELgTgx.99

Spain: Estepona horse racers take part in first half marathon for charity

Theolivepress.es - Full Article

Caroline Graham and Helen Buteux, who normally race on endurance horses, decided to put themselves to the test through the Malaga half marathon

By Chloe Glover (Reporter) - PUBLISHED - 19 Apr, 2017

HORSE lovers galloped to victory in their first charity half marathon.

Caroline Graham and Helen Buteux, who normally race on endurance horses, decided to put themselves to the test through the Malaga half marathon.

In the process they raised , raising €150 for Estepona’s ADANA animal charity.

“We are used to competing on our horses in 40 and 80 km endurance races but had never run a long race on our own two feet,” said Caroline, 45...

Read more here:
http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-news/2017/04/19/estepona-horse-lovers/

Italy: The FEI Longines WEC is in San Rossore

Endurancelifestyle.it

April 14 2017

These are the days of pride for the Organizing Committee of Toscana Endurance Lifestyle, sistemaeventi.it and Italia Endurance asd, after yesterday that the FEI has made official the assignment of the Longines FEI World Endurance Championship 2020 to San Rossore, which is announced as the world capital of endurance in the coming years.

The Longines FEI World Endurance Championship 2020 allocation represents the confirmation of years of engagamenet and hard work and it joins to the FEI European Endurance Championship for Junior and Young Riders in 2018 and to double dates of 2019 with the FEI World Endurance Championship for Junior and Young Riders and the FEI World Endurance Championship for Young Horses.

"We are ready for the world" will therefore be the leading road of the coming years because the goal - as always - is to be excellent and create the best conditions for all the pairs that will arrive to San Rossore in order for them to have a chance to give their best.

The pride for the allocation of the 2020 World Championship is mixed in a melting pot of emotions and satisfaction for a bidding in which the Italian Equestrian Federation believed with conviction. "We are excited and eager to get to work - commented Gianluca Laliscia, CEO and Chairman of sistemaeventi.it - convinced to continue to give our best in all the championships that we will organize until 2020. A special joy, however, it is that represented by the allocation of Longines FEI World Endurance Championship 2020 that we want to share with HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who always believed in us, granting us the confidence needed to continue our growth".