Cambodia: Dara keeps up SEA Games endurance drive

Phnompenhpost.com - Full Article

Wed, 24 May 2017
H S Manjunath

The Cambodian Equestrian Federation’s relentless drive to build an endurance team of six riders and horses meeting SEA Games participation standards met with a measure of success last week when Ly Sovanchandara became the first rider to qualify in an international level competition at a pregames event in Malaysia.

Also making the grade, but at the national competition level, was Phay Visal, while Moeng Sochea, who has already qualified, could not complete his run as his leased horse returned with an injury after the first lap.

Competing in the International Federation for Equestrian Sports-approved 80km event at the Terengganu International Endurance Park in Kuala Lumpur, Sovanachandara, riding Ohara Armor, was ranked 12th in the pregames trial and qualified with an average speed of 14.038. He led the first lap at a speed of 19.327 but slowed down on the next two to conserve his leased horse...

Read more here:
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/sport/dara-keeps-sea-games-endurance-drive

Great Britain: UAE riders take Euston Park by storm

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Make clean sweep of four endurance rides held in glorious weather in Suffolk

Published: 16:10 May 23, 2017 Gulf News
Leslie Wilson Jr, Racing & Special Features Writer


Suffolk: UAE riders made a clean sweep of the four classes at the first Euston Park Endurance Rides, sponsored by Emirates Airline, which took place in stunning weather conditions in Suffolk, England.
Contests were held in four categories — CEI3* 160km, CEI2* 120km, CEIYJ2* 120km and CEI1* 80Km — on the Euston Park Estate and surrounding land.

All the winning horses represented the MRM Stables and were trained by Esmail Mohammad Al Jeziri.
“We started our European season last week at Royal Windsor Endurance but this was our first three star ride and it’s just amazing,” said Al Jeziri. “The horses finished in great condition and it looks very positive for the season ahead...”

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/uae-riders-take-euston-park-by-storm-1.2031724

Great Britain: Annie Joppe’s endurance blog: ‘he stood stock still with a look of utter amazement’

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Annie Joppe
10:55 - 22 May, 2017

Well the decision was made; Fantom was going to Windsor and Dilmun would be prepared for the popular inter-regional enduarance championships in July, this year to be held at Cirencester Park.

All the last-minute preparations were made for Windsor. We had a final training session of approximately 20km around a cross-country course averaging 20kph, a relaxing massage (for Fantom, not me!), and a new set of shoes complete with pads in the front to guard against any random stones with our name on it!

I have to admit that I was looking forward to this event with, shall we say, nervous anticipation. I had a plan! Now in endurance there is a saying that plans are bad as they tempt fate with the endurance gods, but in this case it was vital. Fantom was definitely fit enough and carefully prepared for this particular race, but our long term plan this year is to maximise our chances of being selected for the European Championships and to this end, we needed a solid result without taking any undue risks...

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/blog/annie-joppes-endurance-blog-stood-stock-still-look-utter-amazement-621236#qH8dK7qTGS4KJbxi.99

Great Britain: Equine endurance expert will hold special clinic

Oxted-today.co.uk - Full Article

19 May 2017 By Kevin Black

Equine expert Maggie Pattinson will be holding a special clinic at Lingfield Park Racecourse to put riders of all abilities through their paces.

The Chef D’Equipe of the England Home International Endurance Squad will pass on some of her lifetime skills and passion to enable riders to achieve their personal performance goals.

Run by Lingfield Equine Vets – the official vet partner of Lingfield Park Racecourse at each of its race fixtures – the clinic, on Wednesday, May 31, will aim to develop rider skills and optimise equine fitness.

Maggie, who has a lifetime of experience across equestrian disciplines from dressage to racing, will be working alongside experts in equine nutrition on the day. As well as her endurance work with the England team, she is also official coach and trainer for the Mongol Derby entrants, a race across 1000km of Mongolian Steppe which draws riders from across the world...

Read more here:
http://www.oxted-today.co.uk/article.cfm?id=113931&headline=Equine%20endurance%20expert%20will%20hold%20special%20clinic§ionIs=news&searchyear=2017

NZ Endurance forum identifies four strategic areas in need of attention

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

May 17, 2017
Horsetalk.co.nz

Leadership, marketing, promotion, administration and growth were identified at a forum as key areas requiring attention when a new board is elected to run the equestrian discipline of Endurance in New Zealand.

A forum last week, attended by 31 people, examined the strengths and weaknesses of the discipline after a series of resignations from the Endurance Board which left it unable to form a quorum...

Read more at https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2017/05/17/nz-endurance-forum-strategic-areas/#3vTS0CI1AgxCs6gY.99

Great Britain: Good Horsemanship Award at Windsor

Endurancegb.co.uk

16 May 2017)

The Good Horsemanship Award was trialled in the CEI 2* ride at Royal Windsor Endurance last weekend. This was the first time the award had been trialled at a large FEI competition with full electronic timing.

The results were:

1st: Nicolas Garcia Maria/As Flor Del Pago (ESP)
2nd: Harry Ingram/Bronze Nahdir (GBR)
3rd: Taher Tarek/Taori R (KSA)

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 trials to date have been particularly useful in working out an effective way for the data to be collected and analysed. A further trial will take place at the first Euston Park after which the final proposal will be put before the Board of Endurance GB. This award is just one element of the 'British Protocol' which will be announced in due course.

USA's Wylie vs. the Mongol Derby: What If?

Eventingnation.com - Full Article

By Leslie Wylie on May 15, 2017

Part of the fun of survivalist genre books and film is imagining yourself in the characters’ shoes. When life takes a turn toward do-or-die and it’s just you versus the world, how would you fare?

What if?

Personally, I’ve always figured that I’d be the first to go: the Hunger Games tribute who gets wiped out in the opening scene, the first sucker to get eaten by zombies in the Walking Dead, the settler who dies of dysentery in Oregon Trail as soon as you press play. I have the basic survival skills of a 10-year-old Girl Scouts dropout, and yet here I find myself, a soon-to-be-competitor in a horse race wherein just making it out alive and more-or-less intact is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Taking place Aug. 6-19 on the Mongolian steppe, the Mongol Derby is inspired by Genghis Khan’s original “pony express” — there’s no trail or set route, just 25 GPS checkpoints/horse exchange stations spanning some 620-miles. The horses are semi-feral, riders are in the saddle 13 hours a day for 7-10 days straight, and nights are spent with nomadic herding families in yurts.

This is no holiday trail ride. Maybe half who start the race make it to the finish line each year. Last year a couple folks got airlifted to Hong Kong with serious injuries, and one co-winner doesn’t even remember a couple days of the race because she was concussed from being trampled. A couple years before that eight riders were held up by motorcycle bandits. Even the luckiest folks come home with accounts of being bucked off, chapped by the elements, plagued by hypothermia or food poisoning, and chased by dogs.

I’ve followed the Derby in previous years with a mix of horror and awe. Why would anyone in their right mind want to put themselves through that sort of thing? And yet another part of me craved the experience for myself. How would I fare out there?

What if?

One day, on a lark, I filled out an application for the 2017 race. It was a slow news day, I guess, and one does what one must to keep entertained. My own life at that moment, staring at a computer screen in suburban America, felt boring; racing ponies in the wilderness on a mission to stop deforestation, on the other hand — INFINITELY sexier and more noble...

Read more here:
http://eventingnation.com/wylie-vs-the-mongol-derby-what-if/