UAE: Al Marri completes HH Shaikh Mohammad Cup hat-trick

GulfNews.com - Full Article

More than 340 riders from 35 countries participate in 160km challenge

Published: January 04, 2019 18:42
Leslie Wilson Jr, Racing & Special Features Writer

Dubai: Abdulla Ghanim Al Marri underlined his class once again as a leading endurance athlete by winning the 12th edition of the CEI 3* 160km HH Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup Presented by Longines on Friday.

This is the third time he has won the coveted title, on this occasion aboard the 2009-born Lockelea Starwood Comet.

Al Marri, who is ranked No. 1 in the FEI Endurance Open Riders World Ranking, first won the Cup in 2012 as a 17-year-old when he became the youngest ever to win the title. He repeated the feat in 2013. Al Marri was representing the F3 Stables under trainer Khalifa Ghanim Al Marri, his brother...

Read more here:
https://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/al-marri-completes-hh-shaikh-mohammad-cup-hat-trick-1.61246028

Gallops Of India: Coming March 2019

GallopsOfIndia.com

Save the date: March 2nd to 10th.

In 2019, the new edition of the Gallops will take you deep into the colorful and sumptuous eternal Rajasthan in India!
The registrations are now open!

The Gallops it is a combination of a great ride, a passionate challenging race, a unique human experience, a very entertaining scope and a rich touristic discovery in beautiful natural settings. More than an equestrian adventure, a human adventure!

This unique “Paris-Dakar style” concept is an orienteering and endurance equestrian race in teams of 5 riders, for 6 days endless desertic spaces in faraway lands.

Without being strictly a competition – the quest of performance is not a vital goal –, the « Gallops » will draw from the horse riding qualities of the competitors, from their stamina, their spirit of solidarity, as well as the self-discipline.

The Gallops of Oman, the first edition which took place in 2014, we have experienced international success gathering 110 horse riders – that is 22 teams of 10 different nationalities – over a 180 kilometers long trail in 5 stages in the sands dunes of the majestic Wahiba Sands desert in the Sultanate of Oman.

In 2018, the adventure has taken place in the Moroccan desert, where the beauty of the arid landscapes of Merzouga, is renowned for its Hollywood movie productions. The fantastic epic around the theme of the cinema has fulfilled its promises and the 90 riders from 15 countries around the globe have had their eyes full of stars.

The third edition of the Gallops will take you deep into the colorful and sumptuous eternal Rajasthan in India on March 2019.

In teams of 5, the riders will take part in this exclusive equestrian trail on the Marwaris horses with their cute curved ears. The old mansions and palaces will open their doors to host you majestically and to let you discover the Land of the Maharadjahs.

This international event, which gathers 100 horse riders from all over the world and from all equestrian riding backgrounds, is above all a pretext to discover, by means of our close companion – the horse -, a country with a great variety of breathtaking landscapes and a nation with ancestral equestrian traditions.

The journey is also open to accompanying « non riders » persons (spouse, kids or friends) who will explore simultaneously in 4x4 the natural and cultural treasures and join every evening the race competitors at the camp. Local gastronomy and traditional shows, will make the evenings!

More information at:
https://www.gallopsofindia.com/

FEI warns competitors feeding supplements is ‘negligent’, after failed dope tests

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Eleanor Jones
18:24 - 3 January, 2019

Feeding supplements to horses is negligent, the FEI has reiterated after two dressage horses failed dope tests, owing to the possibility of contamination or the fact ingredients lists may not be accurate.

US riders Kaitlin Blythe and Adrienne Lyle’s rides, Don Principe and Horizon respectively, both tested positive for banned substance ractopamine at a show in Wellington, Florida, in February 2017.

As stated in its report published last month the FEI Tribunal ruled that although the presence of banned substance ractopamine was caused by contamination of a supplement fed to both horses, and that neither rider bore “significant fault or negligence” for the positive results, the FEI stated it is “of the opinion that by using a supplement in the first place, the PR [person responsible; the rider] is already negligent”...

Read more at https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/feeding-supplements-negligent-fei-warns-failed-dope-tests-674605#WTivVKckOrd3D6wO.99

A 1000km horse race! Anne’s 2019 Mongol Derby

Everythinghorseuk.co.uk - Full Story

04/01/2019

Readers Blog: Anne’s story

Written by Anne Binnendijk

Mongolia, the country with few people and lots of horses in between Russia and China is the place where every year, the Mongol Derby takes place. About 40 riders, 1000 horses and 27 horse stations get set to cover a distance of 1000 kilometers (about 621 miles). It’s called the longest and toughest horse race on Earth, and guess what? I am going to ride in the 2019 derby!

My name is Anne, I’m 26 years old with a great passion for animals, nature and culture. I’m not and endurance rider. At least, not yet! ‘Normally’ I work with horses as an instructor and working on straightness and classical dressage, by following the view of old masters and the Spanish Riding School...

Read more here:
https://everythinghorseuk.co.uk/a-1000km-horse-race-annes-mongol-derby/

New rules force horses with repeat cross-country eliminations to step down a level

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Lucy Elder 18:05 - 3 January, 2019

Horses and riders who repeatedly run into cross-country difficulties will be forced to drop down a level before they compete again.

The new rule is part of British Eventing’s (BE) 2019 regulations, in which safety and welfare are brought to the fore.

This rule was first raised publicly at BE’s AGM in November (news, 8 November) and the organisation has now shared details of how exactly it will work.

At affiliated events this year, horses who have two consecutive cross-country eliminations — as a result of refusals, run-outs, or horse or rider falls — or who have three eliminations within a rolling 12-month period must drop down a level at their next event...

Read more here:
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/british-eventing-rules-2019-674619?fbclid=IwAR2xTz-hufaA-tZwt-LJkZUgfMW2j7mYcMurtw0gWw6TqaujuEVLf8benvk

UAE: Sheikh Mohammed Endurance Cup tops four-day Festival

Khaleejtimes.com - Full Article

Filed on January 2, 2019

The 160km Sheikh Mohammed Endurance Cup ride on Friday will be the highlight of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup Festival of endurance riding.

Sheikh Mohammed Endurance Cup, a keenly anticipated ride on the international endurance calendar is an annual tribute to the vast impact His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has had on the sport of endurance riding and global equestrian sport. His vision and passion for the sport have combined to take endurance riding to new heights in the region and worldwide.

The showpiece 160km Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup will be run on Friday.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, is a multiple winner of the Sheikh Mohammed Endurance Cup. The most recent running was won by Saif Al Mazrouei aboard Nopoli Del Ma, staving off the challenge from an impressive 360 competitors from 44 countries, including former world and European champions...

Read more here:
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/sport/horse-racing/sheikh-mohammed-endurance-cup-tops-four-day-endurance-festival

UAE: Three days of spectacular racing in Dubai

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

Info@endurance-world.com
2nd January 2019

Dubai International Endurance Village, Dubai, UAE. Thursday 27, Friday 28 and Saturday 29 December 2018. The first weekend of the new year is marked with the HH Sh. Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup.

And traditionally three races in a row are scheduled the week before to create a real festival with the HH Sh. Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Ride – CEN 119km for Ladies, HH Sh. Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Ride – CEN 119km Restricted for Private Stables / Individuals and the Gamilati endurance Cup for Mares (CEN 120km).

The weather played an important factor last year, with delays in the private race due to extreme fog, yet was very kind this time although conditions were cold to start with and then rather warm once the sun came through.

First part of the trilogy was the HH Sh. Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Ride – CEN 119km for Ladies on Thursday 27 December.

New for this Ladies race was the increase of distance from 110km to 119km, which according to a member of the organizing committee Dubai Equestrian Club (DEC) was to see the impact on the speed, if this could hopefully reduce it, and possibly to be implemented for all future ladies races. The 119km is more from organization point of view as the criteria remains a ‘1 star’ event...

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/three-days-of-spectacular-racing-in-dubai/