Australia: Miranda Hodges' Tom Quilty Gold Cup success

Inverelltimes.com.au - Full Article

July 29 2019
Laini Kirkman

Inverell horse rider Miranda Hodges, who has only been riding for around 18 months, placed seventh in her first Stirling's Crossing Tom Quilty Gold Cup.

The 17-year-old qualified for the 160 kilometre endurance ride last year. Competing in the junior division against 30 other riders, Hodges started riding at midnight on the Friday, July 12.

Riders have 24 hours to complete the complex endurance ride that has a strong focus on horse safety with regular vet checking. She finished at 6.30pm on Saturday evening in equal seventh place...

Read more here:
https://www.inverelltimes.com.au/story/6290728/miranda-hodges-tom-quilty-gold-cup-success/

Australia: Last muster on NT cattle station before heading to Mongol Derby

ABC.net.au - Listen

On NT Country Hour with Matt Brann
25 July 2019

Sam Chisholm, who grew up on Napperby Station in the Northern Territory, is getting ready for the world's longest and toughest horse race — the Mongol Derby.

The helicopter pilot, who admits he hasn't done too much practice apart from some mustering on a Top End station, is just weeks away from taking on the 1,000 kilometre race through Mongolia.

"I've been at work for the last three weeks, so I haven't done a great deal of riding," he said.

"I've been riding my pushbike around and will be heading back to Auvernge Station to do a couple of more rides on the horse and get back to being saddle-fit, and then I'm on the plane.

"There's a lot of professionals in the field [for the Mongol Derby] and I'm pretty glad they let a few hacks from the bush have a go and hopefully we can hold our own."

Along with his cousin Pip, the two will be taking on the endurance ride while also raising money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

He spoke to ABC Rural about the challenge ahead...

Listen at:
https://www.abc.net.au/radio/programs/nt-country-hour/territorian-sam-chisholm-prepares-for-mongol-derby-2019/11346524

Australia: Racing the Mongolian steppe

ChinchillaNews.com.au - Full Article

by BROOKE DUNCAN
23rd Jul 2019

DERBY: Taroom's Sally Conway is preparing her mental and physical resilience ahead of taking on the Mongol Derby - the most gruelling, rugged and longest horse race in the world.

In two weeks Conway will swap southwest Queensland for the harsh environment of Mongolia, where she will ride semi-wild horses across 1000km in 10 days - tracing the ancient messenger route established by Genghis Khan.

The intrepid adventurer first heard of the Mongol Derby in 2017 while she was working at a safari lodge in Kenya.

A visitor to the lodge had completed the derby and Conway - along with an English friend - decided to do it together.

"Then things in Kenya actually went pear-shaped, we were involved in the Laikipia land invasion where basically our ranch, the safari lodge we were working on, got completely taken over so I came back to Australia and she went back to England,” Conway said.

"Not long after that my aunt committed suicide, and so I decided that I was still going to do it and do it to raise money and awareness for mental illness...”

Read more here:
https://www.chinchillanews.com.au/news/racing-the-mongolian-steppe/3786908/

Royal Cavalry wins French Jullianges endurance horse race

Timesofoman.com - Full Article

July 21, 2019 | 6:23 PM by ONA

Paris: The Royal Cavalry won first place of the two star 122-kilometre French Jullianges endurance horse race organised by International Equestrian Federation.

The race included four stages, as the first stage was for 38 kilometres the second for 33 kilometres, the third for 31 kilometres and the fourth stage was for 20 kilometres. 35 horse riders from the Sultanate, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, Spain and the Netherlands participated in the race.

Ali bin Hassan Al-Farsi, riding Raphal de Creer, won the race...

Read more at:
https://timesofoman.com/article/1644088

Oman: Medication breach sees Endurance rider suspended and fined

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

July 22, 2019
Horsetalk.co.nz

An endurance rider whose mount failed a drug test after a 160km contest in Muscat, Oman, has been suspended for six months and fined 3000 Swiss francs.

The FEI Tribunal also imposed costs of 3000 Swiss francs – twice that sought by the FEI – against the Oman-registered rider, Abdul Hamid Al Murad Al Balushi.

This was because Al Balushi failed to file a response in relation to the failed drug test in a case the tribunal said could have been dealt with through an administrative procedure. This would have removed the need for a formal tribunal hearing.

Al Balushi rode Esus De Maraval in a CEI3* contest on April 12 last year...

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2019/07/22/medication-breach-endurance-suspended-fined/

Australia: Tackling 1000km endurance ride across Mongolia for charity

Beefcentral.com - Full Article

Jon Condon, July 19, 2019

AN intrepid young horse enthusiast from Central Queensland is about to embark on the experience of a lifetime, competing in this year’s 1000km Mongolia Derby endurance horse ride.

Twenty-one year old Sally Conway from Spring Creek and Caenby, between Taroom and Wandoan, will next month tackle what is regarded as the longest and toughest horse race in the world.

While Sally has only limited experience in endurance riding, she ‘grew up’ on a horse, and spent her gap year before uni riding race horses in France, and worked a training season with a trick-riding team in the US...

Read more here:
https://www.beefcentral.com/news/community-and-lifestyle/tackling-1000km-endurance-ride-across-mongolia-for-charity/

Australia: US and Canadian visitors love Rainbow Beach!

RainbowBeachCommunityNews.com.au - Full Article

July 18 2019
By Connie Caudill

Four endurance young riders along with their two sponsors came to Australia from the US and Canada to take part in an International Endurance Ride Exchange.

It’s sort of like a student exchange but only for one event, a 50 mile endurance ride that was to be held near Eidsvold on the Rockybar property on June 8.

This exchange is an arrangement between the American Endurance Ride Conference and the Queensland Endurance Riders Association.

On the first trip to Australia in 2016, the young riders requested to go and ride horses on the beach. So arrangements were made to ride on Rainbow Beach...

Read more here:
https://rainbowbeachcommunitynews.com.au/us-and-canadian-visitors-love-rainbow-beach/