Australia: Kaylea Mahera Takes Out 2019 Tom Quilty Gold Cup

TomQuilty2019.com.au - Full Article and Partial Results

Local endurance rider Kaylea Maher got to fulfil her dream of holding up the most coveted prize in the sport of endurance ― the Tom Quilty Gold Cup ― when she crossed the line ahead of 298 other riders from across Australia and abroad in the iconic 160km endurance race.

Kaylea completed the ride, which was hosted at the Stirling’s Crossing Equestrian Complex in Imbil Queensland, in ten hours and eight minutes after setting off on the ultimate endurance challenge at midnight last night.

She said she was hopeful of taking out the win but there were many factors that influenced the end result.

“Every ride you just take as it comes as you never know what the end result is going to be,” said Kaylea.

“You always have to have hope in your horse and believe in your horse and that’s what we did today. We believed in each other and we worked through all our challenges and he came home really strong. I’m really happy with his achievement today.”

“Credit goes to the people at home in our stable, they do a fantastic job of looking after him and yes, it’s a lot of hours and a lot of time; a lot of tears and sweat that go into getting a horse to the condition they need to be in to perform on the day. And that’s what we’ve seen, the hard work’s definitely paid off and I want to thank everyone who’s helped me get there today.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re at home or away, the competition is still there but to actually pull it off on home ground with the support from all my family, my friends and my team, I guess that’s where it comes down to feeling good about having this win on home ground.”

Kaylea also gave credit to her horse, Matta Mia Dimari, a locally bred Arabian with a feisty spirit.

“The first time I saw this horse I had a connection with him and I always believed from the first time I rode him that he could take home the Gold Cup,” said Kaylea.

“I worked with him from day one on our farm and I had the goal set in my mind that I was going to work towards getting him ready for this 2019 Tom Quilty Gold Cup...”

Read more here:
https://www.tomquilty2019.com.au/tom-quilty-gold-cup-2019-results/

Australia: Taroom's Sally Conway one of 45 entrants in 2019 Mongol Derby

Queenslandcountrylife.com.au - Full Article

Sally Cripps
12 Jul 2019,

A year ago Taroom's Sally Conway was full of dreams of riding in the Mongol Derby and raising awareness of mental health in rural Australia - in another few week's time it won't be a dream but reality.

The 22-year-old is one of six Queenslanders in a pack of 45 competitors from around the world that will be on the ride of their life in the 11th annual Mongol Derby starting on August 7.

Sally had originally planned to take on the world's longest and toughest horse ride last year but realised she needed time to both do a good job of the ride and to honour her desire to make a difference with a suicide awareness message, so she postponed.

She was also in year three of a farm business management degree.

Now she says she's ready for the Mongolian adventure and has a great plan in place to help a cause close to herself and others...

Read more here:
https://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/6271674/sal-saddles-up-for-mongol-derby/

Middleburg woman trains to compete in Mongol Derby

News4jax.com - Full Story

The Mongol Derby is one of the most difficult horse races in the world

By Jamal St. Cyr - Sports anchor & reporter
Posted: 4:01 PM, July 09, 2019

JACKSONVILLE, Fla - A local woman is going to compete in one of the most difficult horse races in the world.

Abbi Bell is a Middleburg resident and has been riding since she was 5. But she’s never attempted anything like the Mongol Derby.

Now, she is preparing to take on the race in Mongolia that recreates Genghis Khan's mail postal system routes.

Bell says that "He was the first to have an official mail route. They could move letters from point A to point B in messages in absolutely no time. The race recreates it with a different route every year just to keep it changed up."

Riders will ride for 13 hours a day for up to 10 days...

Read more here:
https://www.news4jax.com/sports/local-woman-trains-to-compete-in-mongol-derby

Australia: Krambach's Karen Anderson to ride in the 2019 Tom Quilty Gold Cup horse endurance race

GloucesterAdvocate.com.au - Full Story

Anne Keen
July 11 2019

For Krambach's Karen Anderson, taking part in the annual 24 hour Tom Quilty Gold Cup horse endurance race is all about the buckle.

In fact, she has left a spot for the 2019 one in her vast collection which already includes two from this epic 160 kilometre event.

"It's like the Melbourne Cup of the endurance world. It attracts the best riders and best horses from around the world," Karen smiled. "It's an iconic Australian event that celebrates the historical bond between human and horse."

And this bond is crucial to this event, with horse and rider taking off at midnight to complete five legs of roughly 40 kilometre stints.

"It's just me, a headlight and my horse," she said. "There will be many hours where I won't see anyone else."

But it's this aspect of the event that she loves - riding a horse in the Australian bush. It's a far trot from the city of Newcastle where she lived most of her life, growing up with parents who had no experience living life on the land...

Read more here:
https://www.gloucesteradvocate.com.au/story/6258962/just-me-a-headlight-and-my-horse/?cs=435

Australia: Three Ararat riders to tackle 160 kilometre Tom Quilty Gold Cup event

Araratadvertiser.com.au - Full Story

Lachlan Williams
July 10 2019

Ararat will be well represented when Australia's most prestigious endurance horse ride takes place this weekend.

Simon and Kasey Thomas and Shannon Decker are among more than 300 riders who will participate in the 2019 Tom Quilty Gold Cup at the Imbil State Forest in Queensland from midnight on Friday.

The cup is the pinnacle of endurance riding in Australia, with riders tackling a 160 kilometre course over a 24 hour period.

The riders have all participated in and completed the event multiple times, but Simon Thomas said competing again is as exciting as ever...

Read more here:
https://www.araratadvertiser.com.au/story/6266259/ararat-well-represented-at-australias-top-endurance-horse-ride/?cs=1642

Australia: Lebrina's Kristie Lockhart prepares for Tim Quilty Gold Cup endurance rider against odds

Examiner.com.au - Full Story

Andrew Mathieson
July 10 2019

Kirstie Lockhart agonised over saddling up for another Tom Quilty Gold Cup.

The Lebrina rider had all but made the call to walk away from Australia's most prestigious endurance event.

After the standout finishes for four years straight, it was tough to get off the horse.

The trek north of Brisbane near Gympie looked too far inside a float for her beloved Razara Momentum to cop.

"It does put a strain on the horses. You just have to really look after them to make sure they're eating and everything else," Lockhart said...

Read more here:
https://www.examiner.com.au/story/6265289/how-a-top-quilty-teen-got-back-on-the-horse/?cs=96

Australia: Young and old saddle up for Tom Quilty Gold Cup 2019

QueenslandCountryLife.com.au - Full Story

Hayley Kennedy
10 Jul 2019

Kids across the state will return to school next week with stories of the adventures they had over the holidays, but few will be as exciting as those of Zac and Matthew Sample.

When the clock strikes midnight on Friday, the boys will join more than 300 other riders and their horses as they take to the tracks of the Imbil State Forest on the Sunshine Coast to tackle Australia's most prestigious endurance ride, the Tom Quilty Gold Cup.

At just 12 years of age, Zac is the youngest competitor this year and it will be the first time he and brother Matthew, 15, get to take part in the challenging 160 kilometre ride...

Read more here:
https://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/6267236/young-guns-at-the-reins/