Horsetalk.co.mz
November 7, 2017 David Marlin
As the FEI prepares to vote on imposing a minimum weight of 75kg for senior championship endurance events, equine exercise physiologist Dr David Marlin questions the sport’s weight requirements.
The FEI’s Endurance Technical Committee has outlined a series of changes around rider weights that will be considered by delegates at the 2017 General Assembly in Montevideo, Uruguay, on November 21.
But does it make sense to have a 75kg minimum weight in endurance?
Minimum weight carriage was an important feature of both showjumping and the speed and endurance phase of eventing competitions in the early days of the sports. For a long time both disciplines used a weight of 165lb (75kg), which seems to have its origins in the average weight of a Cavalry soldier with kit.
Australian light horsemen riding waler horses. The soldiers are of the original contingent of the Australian Imperial Force and the photo was taken prior to their departure from Australia in November 1914. The soldier on the right is Trooper William Harry Rankin Woods, 1st Light Horse Regiment, who died of wounds on 15 May 1915, one of the first light horsemen to die during the Battle of Gallipoli."
The 165lb or 75kg minimum weight in horse sports seems to have its origins in the average weight of a Cavalry soldier with kit. Pictured are Australian light horsemen riding Waler horses.
The minimum weight requirement was first dropped from show-jumping and in eventing was reduced from 75kg to 70kg for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and then abolished for eventing in 1998.
As of January 1, 2016, there are a variety of FEI endurance rules relating to the minimum weight (tack + rider but excluding bridle):
Article 812 – Weights
812.1 At all senior CEI4* Championship, the minimum riding weight for Athletes must be 75kg to include all riding equipment.
812.2 At senior CEI3* the minimum riding weight is 75kg – details to be clearly shown on the approved ride schedule.
812.3 At CEI 1* and 2* alternative weight divisions or gender divisions may be allowed, subject to prior approval by the FEI, and must be clearly specified in the FEI schedule.
812.4 There shall be no minimum weight in Young Rider and/or Junior Competitions.
The American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) has a different system with classes according to the weight of the rider and their tack (heavyweight > 211lbs (100kg); middleweight 186-210lbs (86-100kg), lightweight 161-185lbs (73-86kg) and featherweight < 160lbs (73kg). This system relies to some extent on the premise that riders will select an appropriate size of horse, ie, heavier riders will select larger horses to compete on. Of course, smaller riders could choose to compete on smaller horses but they could also choose to compete on large horses, which would give them a distinct advantage.
Read more at https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2017/11/07/horse-welfare-endurance-75kg-minimum-weight/#ojr2CDw7outwPROe.99
Tuesday, November 07, 2017
Sunday, November 05, 2017
Endurance rider weight likely to be a hot-button issue at upcoming FEI General Assembly
Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article
November 5, 2017
Horsetalk.co.nz
A proposal by Endurance officials to impose a 75-kilogram minimum weight limit for riders and their equipment in a bid to reduce speeds in the discipline has drawn fire from some nations.
The FEI’s Endurance Technical Committee has outlined a series of changes around rider weights that will be considered by delegates at this year’s General Assembly in Montevideo, Uruguay, on November 21.
Committee chairman Dr Brian Sheahan, in a report released ahead of the General Assembly, said research was presented at the annual Endurance Forum in May indicating that small speed reductions combined with appropriate rest periods had the potential to reduce bone fatigue...
Read more at https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2017/11/05/endurance-rider-weight-fei-general-assembly/#rLaMZfMJK6yTv8qi.99
November 5, 2017
Horsetalk.co.nz
A proposal by Endurance officials to impose a 75-kilogram minimum weight limit for riders and their equipment in a bid to reduce speeds in the discipline has drawn fire from some nations.
The FEI’s Endurance Technical Committee has outlined a series of changes around rider weights that will be considered by delegates at this year’s General Assembly in Montevideo, Uruguay, on November 21.
Committee chairman Dr Brian Sheahan, in a report released ahead of the General Assembly, said research was presented at the annual Endurance Forum in May indicating that small speed reductions combined with appropriate rest periods had the potential to reduce bone fatigue...
Read more at https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2017/11/05/endurance-rider-weight-fei-general-assembly/#rLaMZfMJK6yTv8qi.99
Applications Open for 2018 Mongol Derby
Plans for the 2018 race are well underway and as the event continues to evolve and flourish, we know it's going to be the most magnificent one yet.
Applications are open now, but spaces are filling up faster than ever. The event is already well over half full and there's already quite a list of people to interview.
If you want to get your name in the hat, with a chance to win - or simply be a part of - the world's longest and toughest horse race, then get in touch. We're available in HQ between the normal office hours Mon-Fri and love a good chinwag.
Pip-pip,
The Adventurists
+44 (0) 117 963 5513
https://www.theadventurists.com/mongol-derby
Applications are open now, but spaces are filling up faster than ever. The event is already well over half full and there's already quite a list of people to interview.
If you want to get your name in the hat, with a chance to win - or simply be a part of - the world's longest and toughest horse race, then get in touch. We're available in HQ between the normal office hours Mon-Fri and love a good chinwag.
Pip-pip,
The Adventurists
+44 (0) 117 963 5513
https://www.theadventurists.com/mongol-derby
Saturday, November 04, 2017
Prohibited substance case under FEI anti-doping rules; RESPONSE
On October 30 Endurance.Net forwarded an FEI press notification of a banned substance offense and resulting suspension, http://news.endurance.net/2017/10/prohibited-substance-case-under-fei.html
We apologize for any personal distress over the publication, and sincerely hope that the resolution is favorable.
Steph Teeter
========
The following is a personal response to the finding, forwarded at Ms Meuten’s request:
By now you may have heard that I, Nicki Meuten, have been suspended from endurance riding due to a positive drug test for the commonly used anti-depressant medication found in trace quantities in our horse Dutch’s post competition urine sample. This happened after the Coats Creek ride in Canada on July 3, 2017. We were just informed of the positive urine test result on October 16, 2017 and have been suspended pending the testing of the split sample and the FEI hearing on the matter.
Our horse tested positive for the metabolite of the human anti-depressant medication Effexor, o-desmethyl venlafaxine. Prior to being informed of Dutch’s test result I had never heard of this medication. We did not administer this substance to our horse nor do we give any banned medications to our horses at or prior to competition. Neither Don nor I take this medication. We have absolutely no idea how our horse could have ingested this substance.
I am devastated as this goes against everything I believe in. In our investigations so far we have found that this is a medication that can be found in waste water, sludge used for fertilizer on fields, and is one of the most common anti-depressant medications prescribed to people (17 million prescriptions in 2007). He could have easily been exposed to this medication in the competition environment prior to or at the event. His urine contained just small trace amounts of this substance (nanograms/parts per billion per milliliter of urine). It is a banned substance however, and according to FEI rules, no amount is permissible.
Laboratory testing methods are now so sensitive and environmental contamination by pharmaceutical products so common that situations like ours will occur regardless of the level of vigilance of the owner/trainer. We are working with multiple people to try to determine how this happened. We will then present this to FEI for their consideration at a hearing of the matter to be scheduled if the split sample results confirm the original lab results. If the split sample confirms the presence, a hearing will be conducted and the FEI will render a decision. Until then I cannot compete or attend an endurance ride even as a support person. If you think this could not happen to you, you are wrong. I will not be responding to anything on Facebook. If you want further information or facts about this please contact Don at don_meuten@ncsu.edu.
We apologize for any personal distress over the publication, and sincerely hope that the resolution is favorable.
Steph Teeter
========
The following is a personal response to the finding, forwarded at Ms Meuten’s request:
By now you may have heard that I, Nicki Meuten, have been suspended from endurance riding due to a positive drug test for the commonly used anti-depressant medication found in trace quantities in our horse Dutch’s post competition urine sample. This happened after the Coats Creek ride in Canada on July 3, 2017. We were just informed of the positive urine test result on October 16, 2017 and have been suspended pending the testing of the split sample and the FEI hearing on the matter.
Our horse tested positive for the metabolite of the human anti-depressant medication Effexor, o-desmethyl venlafaxine. Prior to being informed of Dutch’s test result I had never heard of this medication. We did not administer this substance to our horse nor do we give any banned medications to our horses at or prior to competition. Neither Don nor I take this medication. We have absolutely no idea how our horse could have ingested this substance.
I am devastated as this goes against everything I believe in. In our investigations so far we have found that this is a medication that can be found in waste water, sludge used for fertilizer on fields, and is one of the most common anti-depressant medications prescribed to people (17 million prescriptions in 2007). He could have easily been exposed to this medication in the competition environment prior to or at the event. His urine contained just small trace amounts of this substance (nanograms/parts per billion per milliliter of urine). It is a banned substance however, and according to FEI rules, no amount is permissible.
Laboratory testing methods are now so sensitive and environmental contamination by pharmaceutical products so common that situations like ours will occur regardless of the level of vigilance of the owner/trainer. We are working with multiple people to try to determine how this happened. We will then present this to FEI for their consideration at a hearing of the matter to be scheduled if the split sample results confirm the original lab results. If the split sample confirms the presence, a hearing will be conducted and the FEI will render a decision. Until then I cannot compete or attend an endurance ride even as a support person. If you think this could not happen to you, you are wrong. I will not be responding to anything on Facebook. If you want further information or facts about this please contact Don at don_meuten@ncsu.edu.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Great Britain: Red Dragon Festival of Endurance 2017
Endurancegb.co.uka report from Wessex - (Published:27 October 2017)
2017 saw EGB launch a new set of Championship classes. The National Championship has long been a fixture on the EGB ride calendar but this year an additional three championships were launched for Novice, Open and Advanced level with the finals held at the Red Dragon to coincide with the ride’s 40th anniversary on 29th Sep - 1st Oct.
The weather was certainly not kind over the course of the weekend with heavy rain in the run up to the ride making going slippery on the hills and boggy on the moors. The ride days themselves saw continued rain with some quite heavy fog in places in higher areas….some might say typical Red Dragon weather!
There was a strong turnout of Wessex members in classes across the weekend with Wessex members winning in 3 of the 4 championship classes in some very tough conditions. We asked the championship winners to recap their experiences of the weekend .... click here to view their reports!
Monday, October 30, 2017
Prohibited substance case under FEI anti-doping rules
FEI.org
25 Oct 2017
The FEI has announced an adverse analytical finding involving a prohibited substance.
The new case involves the use of O-Desmethyl Venlafaxine, which is a *Banned Substance under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).
Horse: FYF Dutch (FEI ID 103CM43/USA)
Person Responsible Nicki Meuten (FEI ID 10030582/USA)
Event: CEI3* 160 - Coates Creek (CAN) 02.07.2017
Prohibited Substance: O-Desmethyl Venlafaxine
The athlete has been provisionally suspended from the date of notification (16 October 2017) until the FEI Tribunal renders a decision. The horse has been provisionally suspended for two months.
Details on this case can be found here.
25 Oct 2017
The FEI has announced an adverse analytical finding involving a prohibited substance.
The new case involves the use of O-Desmethyl Venlafaxine, which is a *Banned Substance under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).
Horse: FYF Dutch (FEI ID 103CM43/USA)
Person Responsible Nicki Meuten (FEI ID 10030582/USA)
Event: CEI3* 160 - Coates Creek (CAN) 02.07.2017
Prohibited Substance: O-Desmethyl Venlafaxine
The athlete has been provisionally suspended from the date of notification (16 October 2017) until the FEI Tribunal renders a decision. The horse has been provisionally suspended for two months.
Details on this case can be found here.
Monday, October 23, 2017
Australia: ‘To complete is to win’
Begadistrictnews.com.au - Full Article
23 October 2017
Keen riders can pick up tips and tricks on keeping their horses healthy while riding long distances at an endurance-riding training-day.
The South Coast Zone Endurance Riders Association (SCZERA) will hold educational talks and introductory rides at Willinga Park, Malua Bay, on December 3.
Committee member Clare Feary said the training day gave keen riders right along the south coast the chance to try endurance riding in a supportive environment.
“The sport motto is: to complete is to win,” Ms Feary said.
“We want to show riders how to succesfully complete a ride.”
She said joining any new sport could be confusing and difficult.
“We are welcoming new riders: Offering10, 20, and 40 kilometre rides and explaining all the rules and processes involved,” she said.
The training day was proposed after a survey by the sport’s state body found the majority of riders who hadn’t yet tried endurance riding said they needed more information and support...
Read more here:
http://www.begadistrictnews.com.au/story/5005988/horse-riders-test-long-distance/
23 October 2017
Keen riders can pick up tips and tricks on keeping their horses healthy while riding long distances at an endurance-riding training-day.
The South Coast Zone Endurance Riders Association (SCZERA) will hold educational talks and introductory rides at Willinga Park, Malua Bay, on December 3.
Committee member Clare Feary said the training day gave keen riders right along the south coast the chance to try endurance riding in a supportive environment.
“The sport motto is: to complete is to win,” Ms Feary said.
“We want to show riders how to succesfully complete a ride.”
She said joining any new sport could be confusing and difficult.
“We are welcoming new riders: Offering10, 20, and 40 kilometre rides and explaining all the rules and processes involved,” she said.
The training day was proposed after a survey by the sport’s state body found the majority of riders who hadn’t yet tried endurance riding said they needed more information and support...
Read more here:
http://www.begadistrictnews.com.au/story/5005988/horse-riders-test-long-distance/
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