FEI, UAE vet tells of time at forefront of equine welfare developments

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

November 23, 2018
Horsetalk.co.nz

A pioneering horse vet who was at the forefront of several landmark equine health and welfare developments in the sport horse world has published his memoirs on his time in the industry.

When Irish veterinarian Alex Atock, 86, began his first job in regulatory veterinary medicine as a racing official, he would not have guessed that one day his lifelong affection for horses would impact how horse sports are conducted worldwide, and that his advocacy for their welfare would improve their treatment near and far.

As a pioneer of international equine health regulation and welfare for several organizations such as the FEI, World Horse Welfare, the Irish Turf Club and the UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation, Atock initiated programs and wrote policies still endorsed and followed by regulatory veterinarians and stewards around the world.

Now retired, Atock has put away his passport, and picked up a pen...

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2018/11/23/fei-uae-vet-equine-welfare/?fbclid=IwAR0NrwmnLh0KxsZqIXYFqmPMHB6XiKL3B-3Pd9tds8BWvirZaMV615aBOX4

South Africa: Race the Wild Coast blog: it was utterly brutal, an onslaught, heroic and redeeming

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Katy Willings
10:55 - 30 October, 2018

My ability to sit and write this final post has been hampered far more by an inability to sit vs. an inability to write. The saddle sores are finally healing over acceptably and so in this post I’ll take you through my race and the experience, and cover off the most frequently asked questions by my friends, family and fellow seekers of equine adventure.

So, how was it?

Utterly brutal, an onslaught, heroic, redeeming. An adventure so full of hazard and hardship that you must focus your entire self on the immediate, the now, the horse under you and the terrain in front of you, and cope with the utter basics of your existence.

You can breathe, you can run, you can ride, you can see (for most of it… more on that later), so you are not dead yet and you are still in this race...

Read more at https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/blog/race-wild-coast-blog-utterly-brutal-onslaught-heroic-redeeming-669257#KKIuRSvzwgrGDsjr.99

South Africa: Brave adventurers tackle the ride of their life on Horse & Country

Horseandcountry.tv

November 15, 2018

The thrilling series The Ride returns to Horse & Country for a third series, with Barry Armitage and Joe Dawson tackling yet another incredible journey on horseback.

Human endurance
In 1835 Sir Harry Smith took just six days to ride 950km from Cape Town, using the horse-based postal system of the Cape Colony. His mission was to take command of the British garrison at Grahamstown.

Smith had fresh horses waiting for him at post stations every 40km, but it was still a remarkable feat of human endurance and horsemanship. Riding at an average speed of over 22km per hour, he covered around 150km a day.

Brave duo
This incredible race against time is relived by Barry and Joe in the latest series of The Ride.

Using 40 horses, sourced from the local trail and endurance riding communities, the brave duo replicate the postal system of 1835 and endeavour to match the furious pace set by Smith.

You can watch their epic journey on Horse & Country. Episode one of The Ride: Ghost of Harry Smith premieres on 1 November at 7pm.

Horse & Country is available on iOS and Android apps. You can also find us on Amazon Video, Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV, Sky 184 and Virgin TV 298.

Watch the preview, or sign up to watch:
https://horseandcountry.tv/brave-adventurers-tackle-the-ride-of-their-life-on-horse-country/

French Riding Federation announces departure of French national endurance coach

Grandprix-Replay.com - Full Article

[translation]

Friday, November 23 - 10:53 | Interviewed by Yeelen Ravier

"I HAD THE IMPRESSION OF ENDORSING THINGS THAT I DO NOT LIKE", BÉNÉDICTE EMOND BON

This morning, the French Riding Federation announced the departure of Bénédicte Emond Bon from her position of national endurance coach. Petrified of convictions and love for his discipline of heart, like a Nicolas Hulot devoured by its principles, the Southern decided to throw in the towel, feeling helpless against the continuing excesses of his sport.

GrandPrix-Replay: What motivated you to leave your post at the French Riding Federation?

Benedicte Emond Bon: Let's say that I recognize myself less and less in the discipline of high level endurance. There are many drifts that taint this sport. The straw that broke the camel's back was the scenario of the Tryon World Equestrian Equestrian Games ( read here ) ... It was beyond anything I could imagine. It was not even imaginable! This has totally demotivated me, and I do not see any solutions to the current problems. So, I feel helpless. I feel like endorsing things that I deeply dislike.

GPR: So you decided to leave, even in spite of the recent declarations of the International Equestrian Federation, which has in particular launched avenues for reflection on the future of your discipline?

BEB:For me, the FEI says it takes action, but they are just facades...

Read more here:
http://www.grandprix-replay.com/article/8469/javais-limpression-de-cautionner-des-choses-qui-me-deplaisent-benedicte-emond-bon?fbclid=IwAR0BWp41u1ZToJo2QXH10cGqQlkZQVNzPy3cztbiqNNBo94Ii0t5MOLs_6U

Unanimous support for re-election of Ingmar De Vos as FEI President

Inside.FEI.org

20 Nov 2018

Ingmar De Vos was today re-elected unopposed as President of the FEI at the General Assembly in Manama (BRN), where he pledged to build on the success of his first term in office. The Belgian native received unanimous support for a second four-year term from delegates representing the FEI’s 133 National Federations.

It is the first time since 2002 that there has been an uncontested election for the FEI’s top role. The Belgian native is the 13th FEI President since the Federation was founded in 1921, and only the fourth to become an IOC Member.

“I believe in our sport, in our community and in our potential”, Ingmar De Vos said in a powerful acceptance speech after an extended standing ovation from the delegates. “These are exciting times for equestrian. We are growing, our fan base is diversifying and we have seven amazing and unique disciplines to promote – the sky really is the limit!

“Together – and this is the key word – together we can and we will continue to develop our sport and to attract new athletes, new fans and new sponsors. And we will do this by ensuring great sport, cutting edge formats and great products globally to showcase the unique attributes of our disciplines and our sport.

“One of my biggest priorities is to keep our community together and ensure we stand united, because this is how we can continue to drive the sport to new heights. We are all on this journey together. It is not the mission of one man but of a community and I am grateful to everyone in this room for all that we have achieved and all that we will go on to achieve.”

He gave a heartfelt vote of thanks to his wife Sabine and the couple’s four children for their unfailing support, before going on to thank his predecessor HRH Princess Haya al Hussein for her visionary leadership and his mentor, the late Jacky Buchmann, former President of the Belgian Equestrian Federation.

Under his leadership, the FEI has seen greater youth engagement and universality, continued improvements in governance within the FEI and its member Federations, and a major evolution in the Federation’s broadcast and digital media strategy.

In his Presidential Programme for 2018-2022, A Roadmap for the Future, Ingmar De Vos has pledged to continue working within the five pillars on which he structured his first term, each with their own set of key commitments. The five pillars are Serving our Community; Sport: Our Core Business; Equestrian Sport in the Olympics; Solidarity: The Engine of Development; and Horses as our Partners.

Under the FEI’s constitution, a president can serve up to three four-year terms. Ingmar De Vos was first elected in 2014 at the FEI General Assembly in Baku (AZE) after three years as FEI Secretary General at the FEI Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI).

De Vos (55), who was elected as an IOC Member in September 2017, is also a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) governance taskforce, a member of two IOC Commissions (Legal Affairs and Digital & Technology), and is on the board of the Belgian National Olympic Committee. Earlier this month he was appointed to the Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) Council and as the GAISF representative on the 12-member World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Executive Committee, replacing the late Patrick Baumann in both roles. Mr De Vos will take up the WADA post on 1 January 2019.

More about Ingmar De Vos

A Belgian native, Ingmar De Vos was born on 5 August 1963. He holds degrees in political science, and international and European law, and started his career as an advisor to the Belgian Senate. He joined the Belgian Equestrian Federation as managing director in 1990, and held the additional role of Secretary General from 1997 to 2011.

During his time at the Belgian National Federation, Ingmar De Vos was chef de mission for the Belgian team at all six FEI World Equestrian Games™ between 1990 and 2010 and at three Olympic Games – Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008. He is a member of the Belgian Olympic Academy. He was co-founder of the European Equestrian Federation in 2010 and was also Secretary General from 2010 until 2011, when he joined the FEI.

After three years as FEI Secretary General, Ingmar De Vos was elected as FEI President in December 2014.

Bids for equestrian World Championships sought by end of February

IrishExaminer.com - Full Article

Wednesday, November 21, 2018 - 03:10 AM
By Michael Dunne

The world governing body of equestrian sport (FEI) has given a three-month timescale for bids to host the next world championships in 2022 and has said it will accept representations from venues interested in staging standalone events as well as those who would be prepared to host all seven equestrian disciplines at once.

The all-in-one format, introduced in 1990, has been known as the World Equestrian Games (WEG), but doubts were cast on its future just over two weeks ago when FEI President Ingmar de Vos stated that it may not be the best model going forward due to the enormous cost and logistical challenge to a single bidder.

At its Annual General Assembly, which concluded in Manama, Bahrain, yesterday, the FEI announced that bids are now being invited to find venues to host separate world championships for the various disciplines. However, it also said that preference would be given to a bidder prepared to stage the seven disciplines - jumping, dressage, eventing, reining, vaulting, endurance and para-equestrian dressage - in one location, thus maintaining the WEG format. There is no doubt, though, that this is being said more in hope than expectation...

Read more here:
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/bids-for-equestrian-world-championships-sought-by-end-of-february-886728.html

Patagonia: The New Gaucho Derby

TheAdventurists.com

A new world-class horse race in Patagonia.

We here at The Adventurists created the Mongol Derby a staggering 10 years ago. Not content with running the world's longest and toughest horse race for so long, we thought we should take our equine expertise across the pond. Behold, the Gaucho Derby.
dotty black.png
What?

The Institute of Adventure Research shouted 'Gaucho Derby' at us quite loudly, then disappeared into their cave of intention. This can mean only one thing. Soon, they'll reemerge glorious, sweating and full of ideas that we'll then craft into an adventure that will redefine horse racing. Yet again.

It's going to be a long-distance, endurance event on horseback, in one of the most eyeball-meltingly brilliant spots on this planet.
Where?

Mr Tom initially wanted to do it in the North Pole, but we reminded him it was a bit chilly, had no horses and didn't really go with the name. So Patagonia it is. The Institute is investigating racecourse options in the mountains, deserts, pampas and grasslands of the southern section of the Andes as we speak.
When?

The Institute of Adventure Research are in Patagonia right now meeting people, shaking hands, and gawping at the horses and scenery. Plans are being crafted right now, with an Institute-led pioneers edition penned for early 2019 and the first full edition targeted at October 2019.

Stay tuned at:
https://www.theadventurists.com