Sunday, March 08, 2020

Latest Issue of Arabian Horse Intl Endurance Available



March 8 2020

The latest issue of Arabian Horse Intl Endurance, published by Cidinha Franzão and Favio Lorenz, contains coverage of multiple endurance races in the UAE, and the North Island Championships in New Zealand.

See the issue here:
http://www.arabianhorseintl.net/

Saturday, March 07, 2020

Patagonia: Gaucho Derby Race Day 2

Richard Dunwoody photo
TheAdventurists.com - Full Story

March 7 2020

Holy moly, what a day that was. Anyone watching the dots would have noticed that the tracking between VS1 & VS2 resembled some madman’s abstract Sharpie art project with riders’ tracks circling around mountains, reversing directions, and laying down tracks over and over and over again. Did we mention this race would be largely about navigation? It’s all fun and games until you are actually lost in the mountains. To be fair, the riders are traversing some pretty gnarly countryside, with trails through passes, river valleys, dense forests, and bogs – yes, bogs – while trying to chivvy along a reluctant packhorse and keep their own horse on an even keel. Not an easy task by any means and that hard and fast first leg may have given some the impression that this race would be easier than they thought. By mid-afternoon, riders were calling 1-800-HelpMeGaucho seeking assistance with reluctant horses and wayward packhorses, but even the gauchos weren’t immune to the seductive charms of the bogs with one gaucho taking an unscheduled bog-bath enroute to VS3. So in other words, Day 2 has been quite a bit slower. The weather has played its part, delivering on its reputation as a fickle beast, turning colder and wetter with possible snow in the higher elevations...

Read more and see photos here:
https://www.theadventurists.com/updates/gaucho-derby-race-day-2/

Queen ‘to distance herself from Dubai ruler’ after court rules he kidnapped daughters

Metro.co.uk - Full Article

Elisa Menendez
Saturday 7 Mar 2020

The Queen is reportedly set to shun the ruler of Dubai after a High Court ruling found he kidnapped his own daughters and detained them for almost two decades. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, and Queen Elizabeth have long shared a bond over their love of horse racing. The sheikh, who owns the elite London-based Godolphin Racing, has previously been described as a ‘friend’ of the Queen’s. They are said to have seen each other on a ‘fairly regular basis’ for the last two decades and the sheikh is believed to send the monarch annual gifts of horses. He has been pictured at Ascot with the Queen, where he was invited into the Royal Box. However, their friendship is set to become strained after Britain’s most senior judges found the 70-year-old ruler ‘ordered and orchestrated’ the abduction of his daughters, Sheikha Shamsa and Sheikha Latifa, and forced them to return to Dubai...

Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/07/queen-distance-dubai-ruler-court-rules-kidnapped-daughters-12362686/?ito=cbshare

Friday, March 06, 2020

Patagonia: Gaucho Derby Race Day 1

Richard Dunwoody photo
TheAdventurists.com - Full Story

March 6 2020

It was fast and furious from the start line this morning as the Pioneers began their epic trek across 500 km of Patagonia. A number of riders, including Zsofia (ZH), Roberta (RM), Annie (AA) and Warren (WS) hit the gas pedal on the way to vet station 1 (VS1) topping out at over 25km/hr with a pack horse alongside. Other riders chose a more moderate pace, adopting the “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” type of mentality which can often yield great results, ensuring there’s something left in the tank to finish the race. After all, it’s a long old haul to the finish line just a stone’s throw from El Chalten. A few riders – Shirley (SH), Nichole (NM) – chose an alternate route around some hilly topography; a plucky gamble which could have put them towards the front had it not been for that awkward impassable boggy canyon floor which forced a detour back towards where they had originated. 100 points to them for giving it a go. (No, the points don’t count.) While we’re at it, let’s give extra pretend points to Julie (JY) who hit the deck not far out of the start camp when her bridle parted ways with her horse and her horse parted ways with its human. The horse then bolted back to the start line for Derby Start Take Two. Don’t count Julie out just yet; a firefighter by trade and a Mongol Derby veteran, she’s as tough as they come and will be back in the thick of it in no time...

Read more here:
https://www.theadventurists.com/updates/gaucho-derby-race-day-1/

How to follow the Gaucho Derby - in Progress

TheAdventurists.com - Full Article

The first annual Gaucho Derby, "The Patagonian iteration of the world's toughest horse race," is underway.

You can follow the riders with a tracking map, on twitter or instagram, on Facebook or the Gaucho Derby blog. See all the options here:
The Patagonian iteration of the world's toughest horse race

UAE: 12th Dubai CP Endurance Cup to be held tomorrow

GulfToday.ae - Full Article

March 5 2020

The 119km Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline will be hosted by the Dubai Equestrian Club on Saturday. This highly anticipated ride is the highlight of the Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup Festival, which opened on March 2. The Festival comprises a total of four rides, catering to a wide range of riders and horses—including female riders and mares—adding variety to this celebration of endurance riding. The festival is sponsored by Meydan pillar partner Emirates Airline and is held at Dubai International Endurance City, a purpose-built, state-of-the-art endurance facility.

Named for His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, the week-long festival opened with the 119km Dubai Crown Prince Ride for Ladies on March 2.

This was followed by the 119km Dubai Crown Prince Ride Restricted to Private Stables/Individuals on March 3, and the 119 km Yamamah Endurance Cup for Mares on March 4.

The Yamamah Endurance Cup is quite significant, as it is named after the mare the Crown Prince rode to win the 2014 World Equestrian Games Endurance gold medal in France.

The finale, the 119km Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup sponsored by Emirates Airline, will be flagged off on Saturday.. An impressive international contingent is expected to participate, as usual. They will compete alongside local talent...

Read more here:

Sheikh Ordered Abduction of Daughters and Threatened Princess Haya – UK High Court

HorseSport.com - Full Article

Landmark ruling describes fear tactics used by Sheikh Mohammed, but will bombshell revelations affect the reputation of the horse world’s major patron?

By: Cuckson Report // Pippa Cuckson

When the Godolphin doping scandal broke in British racing back in 2013, we were asked to accept that Sheikh Mohammed had not known, was appalled, and that the industrial scale steroids offences at his racing stables in Newmarket, UK, were the isolated work of a rogue trainer.

I don’t intend to appear flippant by implying that sporting shenanigans are on the same scale as issues of human rights. But while rich and powerful people distance themselves from scandal through the employment of layer upon layer of stooges, there really is nowhere for Sheikh Mohammed to hide from the Findings of Fact handed down by one of the most revered courts in the world, our High Court here in the UK today (March 5.)

This was primarily a custody hearing for Jalila and Zayed, the two children of Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed and his former “junior” wife Princess Haya – Olympic show jumper and former president of the FEI...

Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/sheikh-ordered-abduction-daughters-threatened-princess-haya/

FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Horses ready to test tomorrow’s stars in the hills of Haute-Loire

Inside.FEI.org - Full story 30 July 2025 Author: Bella Fricker The FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Horses is set to take pla...