Tahlia’s stellar show as Aussies clinch second spot

WeeklyTimesNow.com.au - Full Article

FRAN CLELAND, The Weekly Times
December 31, 2019 11:03am

AUSTRALIAN Endurance riders finished second in the FEI Trans Tasman Event held in Waiouru, on New Zealand’s North Island, hosted by Ruahine Endurance Club.

The Australian team was Tahlia Franke (youth rider), Marty Bryson, Jessie Herman, Sorsha Stuart Rkvic and Alison Noble (reserve). The Chef d’Equipe was Sonya Ryan.

The competition was a borrowed horse event where the Australian riders had horses sourced by ESNZ, and offered by generous owners.

Australia’s young rider Tahlia Franke delivered a stellar performance taking first place in the CEI2* 120km Young Rider competition riding Makahiwi Phoenix, Tahlia was also awarded Best Conditioned Horse...

Read more here:
https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/sport/horses/tahlias-stellar-show-as-aussies-clinch-second-spot/news-story/058f4208091d995f278d47d611a79240

Record Fines for Endurance Riders on Doped Borrowed Horses

HorseSport.com - Full Article

Riders who travelled to the Middle East for big-purse endurance races have paid a heavy price after loaned horses tested positive for banned substances.

December 27 2019
By: Pippa Cuckson

The serious risks in accepting rides on horses managed by someone else have been highlighted by record fines of 7,500 Swiss francs ($10,000 CDN) plus two-year suspensions in each of three anti-doping decisions recently handed down by the FEI Tribunal. The fines are the largest ever set in an equine anti-doping case.

Two leading south American endurance riders Federica Rossi (Argentina) and Jonatan Rivera Iriarte (Uruguay) rode doped horses supplied by the same trainer, Abdullah Hasan Al Hammadi of Al Reef Stables, when visiting the UAE early in 2018...

Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/horse-news/record-fines-plus-two-year-bans-riders-doped-borrowed-horses/

UAE: Coulomb wins Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Festival ride

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Azizi, Meydan’s Pillar Partner, sponsor the event for the third year

Published: December 28, 2019 18:08
Staff Report

Dubai: Talented French rider Camille Coulomb upstaged a strong field to win the prestigious 120km HH Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Festival Ride for Ladies on Friday.

Riding Vista Du Barthas, the 21-year-old endurance rider completed the gruelling distance in front of Spain’s Eulalia Guardia aboard Al Hajaj with Indian teenager Nida Anjum Chelat, the rider of Umour D’ Aurabelle, taking third place...

Read more here:

Kuwait: Winners of ‘Night Ability and Endurance’ Championship honored

ArabTimesOnline.com - Full Article

December 26 2019

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 26: Mubarak Al-Kabeer Equestrian Club recently organized a ceremony in honor of the winners of the “Night Ability and Endurance” Championship organized by the club.

The club’s board was represented at the event by Advisor Tareq Al-Nisf and Chairman of the Planning Committee of the championship Sultan Al- Othab. The chief organizer praised the championship for being the first of its kind to be organized at night, affirming that all objectives were achieved, although there were few negative aspects.

Al-Othab declared that the championship attracted large number of spectators of the excellent performances of the horses...

Read more here:
https://www.arabtimesonline.com/news/winners-of-night-ability-and-endurance-championship-honored/

2019: A Look Back at Endurance, Reining & Vaulting

FEI.org - Full Article

24 December 2019

We look back on a year of thrills in these three disciplines...

Endurance

Meydan FEI Endurance European Championships

Endurance combos showed their mettle over tough terrain at the Meydan FEI Endurance European Championships at Euston Park in Suffolk, Great Britain.

The 200-acre venue in Thetford Forest was perfect for the event, and the new location will help build a legacy for the future, as seniors and young riders are easily able to compete there from throughout Europe.

The Meydan FEI European Championships were the highlight of the HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum UK Endurance Festival there.

Fans lined the tracks that followed along ancient forests and historic parkland, filled with river crossings to test the equine athletes. Sixty-three horses from 20 nations were at the starting line for the Championships.

It was Italy’s Costanza Laliscia who ultimately took the top Individual honours in the 160-kilometre ride, aboard Sacha El Kandhaar. Her teammate Carolina Tavassoli Asli riding Sequinte had held the lead throughout much of the competition but fell back in the final loop to yield to Laliscia.

Paula Muntala Sanchez of Spain took the silver medal on T’Aime De Coeur, whilst Jaume Punti Dachs, also of Spain, and Echo Falls won the bronze, after the disqualification of Tavassoli Asli ahead of them.

It was Spain at the top of the Team podium. France went home with the silver medal, and Germany secured the bronze.

Less than half completed the 14-hour race and many of the last riders finished in the dark. Now, that’s a true show of endurance!

More at:
https://www.fei.org/stories/2019-endurance-reining-vaulting-review

UAE: Endurance Rider Suspended for Kicking Horse ‘27 times’ at the Finish

HorseSport.com - Full Article

The FEI Tribunal rules that kicking a horse is ‘not a normal natural aid,’ and criticizes officials who turn a blind eye to abuse.

By: Pippa Cuckson | December 19 2019

An endurance rider whose exaggerated kicking towards the end of race did not “constitute normal riding” has been suspended 12-months and fined 4,000 Swiss francs (CAN $5,300) by the FEI Tribunal for horse abuse.

In footage of Mohamed Ali AL Marzouqi from the official livestream, the FEI Legal department counted 27 kicks, with long reins used as a whip 19 times, in “only a few seconds of video from a ride that was going on for 100 km over 6 hours.”

The incident occurred at the end of the CEI* 100km race at Al Wathba, the principal venue in Abu Dhabi, on December 8, 2018, in which the accused rider rode the horse Romeo to fourth place.

The rider was not sanctioned on the day. A Protest alleging horse abuse was then lodged by Rosemary Sloan, a member of the “Clean Endurance” community in the UK. She said the rider was kicking so hard “daylight could be seen between the entire length of the rider’s legs and the saddle. He struck the horse repeatedly with the reins and threatened to strike it with his left arm. The horse was visibly exhausted and unable to accelerate its canter despite Mr Al Marzooqi’s actions...”

Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/horse-news/endurance-rider-suspended-kicking-horse-27-times/

FEI Tribunal sanctions rider in new Abuse Protest lodged by Clean Endurance

PRESS INFORMATION FROM CLEAN ENDURANCE
18 December 2019
Immediate Release


Clean Endurance is satisfied that the FEI Tribunal sanctioned Mr al Marzouqi (UAE) with a 12-month immediate suspension in the 4th of a series of Abuse Protests they have brought forward this year.

Mr Marzouqi rode the horse Romeo at the CEI 1* 100 KM event in Al Wathba on December 8th 2018. The Tribubal took note that video evidence submitted by Clean Endurance showed that “Mr.al Marzouqi was kicking the horse as hard as he could, to the point that daylight can be seen between the entire length of the rider’s legs and the saddle. He struck the horse repeatedly with the reins and threatened to strike it with his left arm. The horse was visibly exhausted and unable to accelerate its canter despite Mr. al Marzouqi’s actions”. The FEI stated that that it counted the excessive kicking to 27 timewhipping with the reins to 19 times.

Mr al Marzouqi stated in his defense that he wanted to assure the Tribunal that he looked after his horse during the whole ride. He said that because he is a tall rider with long legs it may have looked like he was hurting his horse by kicking it, but that he encouraged it to move forward without abusing or beating it. He also mentioned that the Ground Jury members and Stewards present and watching at the finish line did not notice nor sanction any horse abuse, but that they congratulated him and recognised his position (5th) in the competition.

Ms Rosemary Sloan from Clean Endurance who lodged the protest said “Someone has to speak up for our gentle partner, the horse. We know from anecdotal evidence that this behaviour is but the tip of the iceberg, and we are only able to lodge abuse protests and obtain sanctions because of our diligent monitoring of video footage provided by the official broadcasting companies of these events. I hope the rider in question learns from the sanctions imposed on him for the brutal treatment of a horse in his care.”

The Tribunal mentioned, as it did in 3 previous abuse protests brought forward by Clean Endurance this year, that it encourages the FEI to investigate and open disciplinary proceedings against FEI Officials present if they did not act on the present horse abuse case during the event. To Clean Endurance’s knowledge, the FEI has not acted (yet) on this recommendation by the Tribunal.

Until the FEI does, Clean Endurance regrets that it is apparently up to them to lodge abuse protests with the Tribunal in order to avoid that abusive riders continue to escape the sanctions they so well deserve, and which Officials fail to apply.

In addition to the 12-month suspension, Mr al Marzouqi was disqualified from the event thus forfeiting medals, points and prizes, fined 4 thousand Swiss Francs and required to contribute 1 thousand Swiss Francs towards the cost of proceedings.

The video footage used as evidence before the Tribunal can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q32o7ps3Eng


The full FEI Tribunal decision notice is published here:
https://inside.fei.org/system/files/Decision%20of%20the%20FEI%20Tribunal%20-%20Alleged%20Horse%20Abuse%20Case%202019-08%20-%20Ms.%20Sloan%20vs.%20Mr.%20Al%20Marzouqi%20-%206%20December%202019.pdf