Germany: Endurance Festival Bavaria 2019

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

28th June 2019
Race Report made with the assistance of Ursula Klingbeil

Endurance Festival Bavaria, Buch, Germany. Friday 14 and Saturday 15 June 2019. The new location in Buch for the Endurance Festival Bavaria is a beautiful place with enough space to receive a big number of riders and horses.

The new-made concept, a race weekend of two days covering nearly all competitions, was very successful and the varied landscape took the riders along forests, lakes, chapels and even wild animals. Organiser of the event is Ursula Klingbeil (trainer, rider and owner of the Bavarian endurance stable Endurance Team Klingbeil) together with her team.

Scheduled over Friday and Saturday were CEI1*, CEI2*, CEI3* and CEN races, by a lack of interest the 2 day race 80+ and the CEiO`s were cancelled.

Friday at 05:30am the CEI3* 160km started with four riders; Bernhard Dornsiepen (Bekele el Djem) and Tanja Kraft (Atoum’Re) from Germany, Ralph Dürler from Switzerland and Romane Yernaux (Sichen Des Sauvions) from Belgium. Unfortunately Ralph got a heat stress at 120km, the others finished very well with first place for Bernhard, second position for Tanja and Romane came third...

Read more at:
https://endurance-world.com/endurance-festival-bavaria-2019/

Australia: 2016 champion Debbie Grull heads North-West crop at Tom Quilty Gold Cup

TheAdvocate.com.u - Full Article

Juy 3 2019
Jarryd McGuane

Staverton's Debbie Grull will be part of strong contingent of North-West riders battling it out at the Tom Quilty Gold Cup endurance race starting in Queensland on July 11.

The 2016 champion will be joined at the event by Natone's Angela Hawks and Blaine Astell, Wynyard's Angie Clark and Elliott's Megan Finn and will be ready to compete over the 160km track at Stirling's Crossing.

Grull said she was going to race with no expectations, although she was still hopeful of being in contention at the business end of the race.

"I don't haven't got any expectations, I am loyal to my horse by treating well and then I will take whatever happens after that, but it would be great to be a chance," she said...

Read more here:
https://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/6255174/former-champion-heads-north-west-crop/?cs=12

Former FEI President Flees United Arab Emirates

Chronofhorse.com - Full Article

By: Ann Glavan
Jul 1, 2019

Multiple news outlets have reported that Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, the former president of the Fédération Equestre Internationale, has fled the United Arab Emirates with her two children, reportedly seeking asylum. She is also seeking a divorce from her husband, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Princess Haya, 45, is the daughter of Jordanian King Hussein Bin Talal. She served two terms as president of the FEI, from 2006 to 2014. Before her role with the FEI, Princess Haya competed in show jumping, representing Jordan at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Princess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Dubai, in 2004, becoming his sixth wife.

Sheikh Mohammed, 69, earned individual silver in endurance at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky. He also owns several well-known Thoroughbred racing stables, including Godolphin. Sheikh Mohammed has been accused of doping violations with his Thoroughbreds and his endurance horses, and he was suspended from the FEI for six months in 2009 after a failed doping test in endurance with his mount Tahhan...

Read more here:
https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/former-fei-president-flees-united-arab-emirates

Endurance Officials Criticized as Tribunal Bans Three Riders for Abuse

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

July 2, 2019
by: Pippa Cuckson

Abdul Rahman Saeed Saleh al Ghailani was banned 12 months and fined 4,000 Swiss francs for his riding of Sarab during the President’s Cup 160km race.
The FEI Tribunal has slammed endurance officials who turn a blind eye to horse abuse, after handing down record fines and suspensions to three Emirati riders.

In separate decisions last week, Tribunal suggested the FEI open cases against officials who failed to act against abuse on the day, warning that the “survival” of equestrianism is at stake.

In one case, the horse Castlebar Nato sustained a cannon bone fracture on the home stretch, and the incident was caught on camera. Tribunal said he was “violently kicked until the Horse eventually collapsed from exhaustion.”

In the separate case of Songbird FF, Tribunal declared the horse was so tired that even when grooms ran onto the piste to “encourage” him, he could proceed no faster than walk.

The toughest sanction was applied to Nato’s rider Khalid Jumaa Salem Al Khatri – a 30-month suspension plus a fine of 9,000 Swiss francs ($12,000 CAD) for his alleged abuse during the CEI* 100km at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi, on December 8, 2018...

Read more here:
https://horse-canada.com/horse-news/endurance-officials-criticized-tribunal-bans-three-riders-abuse/

Clean Endurance commends the FEI Tribunal’s sanctions for horse abuse

July 1 2019

Clean Endurance is satisfied that the FEI Tribunal has applied exemplary sanctions in the first 3 of a series of Abuse Protests it has submitted to the FEI this year. The athletes involved all received sanctions composed of suspensions ranging from 12 to 30 months, and fines ranging from 4 to 9 thousand Swiss Francs.

All three cases involve horses being harassed, beaten and kicked to go faster on endurance competitions during the past winter season, despite showing clear signs of distress and exhaustion. One horse, Castlebar Nato, was ridden so hard that it sustained a fracture of the cannon bone. It was not humanely euthanised but merely recorded as ‘Lame’ and swiftly removed off the track. Footage of this horse (bib 89) as well as the horse Songbird ( bib 32) which was ridden to exhaustion at the same event can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6N7-OSLU0zI.

The third case involved the abuse of Radja D’Altus (Sarab) and can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD2EJdeWfLI

Clean Endurance acknowledges the efforts the FEI and its Endurance Temporary Committee have made in the past months to come up with an extensive list of rule proposals aimed at restructuring the sport. It is however adamant that unless endurance moves away from purely speed based competitions, the current pattern of increasing horse destruction and abuse will only worsen. It believes the current rule proposals as presented at the FEI Sports Forum 2019, although positive in many respects and long overdue, will NOT be sufficient to achieve a significant restructuring of the sport and the necessary reduction in speeds.

Clean Endurance has submitted an alternative competition format proposal to the FEI, based on the long-standing French and Swiss national systems which rank horses based on their speed in the competition AND their final recovery (heart rate). In their opinion, this simple and well proven system is the only option to move the sport away from the still ever increasing and destructive speeds, and back to

rewarding strategic riding skills, horsemanship and the respect of horse welfare.

Clean Endurance regrets that it has had to file a series of Abuse Protests with the FEI in order to avoid that the athletes in question remain unpunished – had the Officials done their jobs on the day, this would not have been necessary.

It has therefore asked the FEI (again) to start publishing the records of Officials on their public database, similar to what is currently available for athletes and horses. It is vital in their opinion that Organising Committees, Officials and other stakeholders have the basic information on where and in which capacity Officials have been active. This information is key for enabling OC’s to choose the best Officials for their event, to respect minimal rotation requirements and to avoid conflicts of interest. Clean Endurance firmly believes that the FEI must provide transparency about Officials, urgently, as a first step in this no doubt long and complicated improvement process.

The decision notices (attached) for the 3 cases are published on the FEI Tribunal, here: https://inside.fei.org/fei/your-role/athletes/fei-tribunal/other-decisions

Clean Endurance is a global collective of volunteers who are committed to restoring the traditional values of their sport. It has an informal working relationship with the FEI: numerous recent FEI rule changes, procedures as well as sanctions have been developed from matters they have raised.

Clean Endurance is happy to supply further information, and welcomes comments and suggestions.

Find them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cleanendurance and contact them through the message button, or email contact.cleanendurance@gmail.com

Dubai leader’s wife Princess Haya dramatically leaves him and ‘takes £31million to start new life’

TheSun.co.uk - Full Article

Stephen MoyesJonathan Reilly
29 Jun 2019, 12:50Updated: 29 Jun 2019, 16:56

THE wife of Dubai’s ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum has left him — and taken £31million to start a new life, it is understood.

Princess Haya, who had not been seen since February, is said to have fled to Germany with her son and daughter.

She is understood to have immediately requested asylum and filed for divorce from her husband.

But it has sparked a diplomatic crisis between Germany and the United Arab Emirates, where the Sheik is vice-president and prime minister as well as being the ruler of the city of Dubai.

He is said to have asked authorities in Berlin to return the princess, 45, son Zayed, seven, and daughter Al Jalila, 11, to the UAE.

But they have refused and security officials are said to be protecting her.

Princess Haya is said to have told friends she chose to flee to Germany as she “didn’t trust UK authorities to hand her back”. The Sheikh, 69, worth more than £9billion, is a keen racehorse owner...

Read more at:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9395501/dubai-wife-princess-flees-31-million/

Patagonia: The Next Toughest Horse Race on Earth Opens

TheAdventurists.com

If you fancy thundering across the mountains of Patagonia on the ultimate test of horsemanship and survival skills, The Pioneers Gaucho Derby is open for applications.

Remember this is the Pioneers Gaucho and so the first time it has ever been run. That means more adventure than there will ever be...

It's the greatest test of horsemanship and survival skill on earth.

Horse racing re-invented
Imagine yourself thundering deep into the wilds of Patagonia on horseback. You’ve got your steed and, in some sections, a pack horse. You’re navigating across some of the wildest terrain on Earth attempting to win one of the toughest and most unusual equine challenges in history.

After running the Mongol Derby for a decade we knew it was time to grow the new sport of ultra-endurance horse racing we had created. So we went in search of the next world beating adventure. We’ve not replicated The Mongol Derby with new scenery but designed a new race from the ground up – based on the landscape, culture, history and horses of Patagonia and the Gauchos. This is the greatest test of horsemanship and wilderness skills on Earth. This is the pioneers Gaucho Derby.

Race format
A 10 day 500km multi-horse adventure race.
The mind bending terrain in Patagonia makes this a race quite unlike anything else on the planet. It won’t just test your skill on a horse, but push you to the limit of your navigation skills, your ability to handle the wilderness and your physical endurance.
The Gaucho Derby is a multi horse race, but not in the same way the Mongol Derby. The race is broken down into 40km legs but you won’t be changing horse at every section. The high mountains are a test of skill not flat out speed so the horses won’t run out of steam. The flatter pampas sections will see you turning up the MPH to eat up the miles. For these sections you will be swapping to fresh horses regularly.
You’ll be riding large sections with a pack horse. As well as looking after and guiding your second steed you’ll have to switch mount mid leg to ensure the health of both animals by minimising the work.

The support
This might be some of the most remote terrain around but that doesn’t mean we won’t be monitoring the horses welfare at every stage. There’ll be vet checks every 40km as well as race marshals, emergency and roaming vets to ensure that no rider puts their own competitiveness before the welfare of the animals. We would rather nobody wins than someone wins by pushing too hard. Riders seen making bad decisions, riding too fast across difficult terrain or not presenting horses in great condition will get penalties or be disqualified. Full rules will be available to riders as we are developing them with our vet team now.
Riders will be tracked by satellite and we have a world class remote medical support team monitoring rider health and responding to emergencies.

A pack horse?
Gauchos considering a long journey in Patagonia often do so with the help of a trusty pack horse. This makes riding, well, different. You always have a fresh horse with you and can carry a bit more stuff with you. But you now have two horses to look after. Much of the time, if you handle the horses well, the pack horse can run free but in some sections you’ll need to lead adding a complication to the whole proceedings.
It’s not the fastest way to travel on flat open country but it starts to make serious sense on long mountainous regions. The Gaucho Derby won’t be all taken on with 2 horses but key sections will be. It means we can reduce the strain on the beasts carrying you over the slower more technical sections.

Your turn to pioneer
When we launch a new race we like to test it repeatedly to make it awesome. We recently completed the first test of some of the route for the new Derby by all the gods of horses is it a beast.
But once our testing is done we release the adventure to a small select crowd of adventurers to ride the race for the very first time the gauntlet has been laid down.
March 2020 sees the Pioneers edition of the Gaucho Derby. So we’ll only be accepting the most qualified riders to write their names into racing history.

For more information, prices, and dates, see
https://www.theadventurists.com/adventures/gaucho-derby/?utm_source=Mongol+Derby+News&utm_campaign=965436fb6b-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_06_25_02_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e9300b5bd0-965436fb6b-238145705&mc_cid=965436fb6b&mc_eid=cfe963f6ed#8