British Horse Feeds and Golden Paste Company Red Dragon Festival

EGB.myclubhouse.co.uk

30 September 2020

Organisers pledge Endurance GB British Horse Feeds and Golden Paste Company Red Dragon Festival ‘will rise again’

Following news of the cancellation of this year’s British Horse Feeds & Golden Paste Company Red Dragon Festival of Endurance due to a spike in Covid cases across Wales, organisers say support for this year’s planned event will mean it comes back bigger and better in the future.

While the sport’s annual season finale scheduled for next weekend from its home at the Royal Welsh Showground had been billed as Covid-compliant ‘Red Dragon Lite’, entries across all the classes had exceeded expectations and organisers John and Jane Hudson say they had been overwhelmed both by the strong backing of the sponsors and the support of the endurance community.

John Hudson said: “A huge amount of work had gone in to making this happen and we were devastated when it became clear that the Welsh Government would have had to delay their rollout of the relaxation of restrictions for larger events in Wales and were then unable to give us assurance that the restrictions will be sufficiently lifted to enable the event to take place.

“We would like to express our thanks to our sponsors British Horse Feeds and The Golden Paste Company for their unwavering backing and generosity throughout the preparations and to Steve Hughson and his Royal Welsh Showground team and the numerous volunteers and local landowners who worked so hard to try to make the event happen.

“We were hugely encouraged by the support the ride received and can assure everyone that the Red Dragon Festival of Endurance will rise again and this has given us the impetus to ensure that next time it will be bigger and better than ever.”

Meanwhile, Endurance GB’s season has been extended until the end of the year and a number of rides are in the calendar including the popular two-day Concrete Cows event, a uniquely urban endurance ride over purpose built bridleways around central Milton Keynes which is scheduled to take place on 24 and 25 October.

Planning is underway for the 2021 domestic and international season which will see British teams competing at both the World and European Endurance Championships.

FEI Tribunal issues Final Decision

Inside.fei.org

30 September 2020 Author: FEI

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision in a case involving two Prohibited Substances.

The case involves the horse Leslie O’Nil (FEI ID 105PA88/FRA), ridden by Ludovic Saroul (FEI ID 10014413/FRA). Samples taken from the horse at the CEI2* 120 in Al Ula (KSA) on 2 February 2019 tested positive for the Banned Substances Mephentermine and Oxetacaine.

In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal accepted the agreement reached between the FEI and the athlete. The FEI Tribunal took note that the FEI accepted that the athlete bore no significant fault or negligence for the rule violation, as he was able to establish how the Prohibited Substances entered the horse’s system.

As a result, the period of ineligibility was set at 18 months, starting from the date of the FEI Tribunal Final Decision (10 September 2020). The provisional suspension (effective from 11 March 2019) was credited against the full suspension, meaning that the athlete was ineligible until 10 September 2020.

The results of the athlete and horse at the event were disqualified and the athlete was ordered to pay a fine of CHF 1,500. Each of the parties will bear its own legal costs.

More at:
https://inside.fei.org/content/fei-tribunal-issues-final-decision

Endurance GB statement following suspension of UAE National Federation

EGB.myclubhouse.co.uk

25 September 2020

Following news that the FEI has suspended the National Federation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following a detailed investigation into the circumstances around two National Endurance Events (CEN) in January and February 2020 - the Sheikh Mohammed Cup and The President's Cup – that should have been held as International Endurance Events (CEIs) as the number of foreign athletes far exceeded the quota permitted for National Events, Endurance GB has issued the following statement from Director of Welfare, Antonia Milner-Matthews, a veterinary surgeon who also competes at International FEI level endurance.

Antonia Milner-Matthews said: “Following these rides back in January, we made clear our concerns that running these events with a very international flavour as CENs was not within the spirit of Article 101 of the FEI’s General Regulations. Endurance GB also expressed grave concerns via the BEF that such rides do not carry the level of scrutiny, welfare safeguards or sanctions that are in place at FEI CEI International level competition.

“Of course it is a shame that such sanctions are required but we welcome such a step from the FEI emphasising that the situation is being taken seriously. Going forward our advice is that all riders need to ensure they are very aware of the potential consequences of riding in unsanctioned events abroad.”

FEI suspends UAE National Federation for Rules violations

Inside.FEI.org

25 September 2020

The FEI Board has suspended the National Federation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) following a detailed investigation into the circumstances around two National Endurance Events (CEN) in January and February 2020 - the Sheikh Mohammed Cup and The President's Cup – that should have been held as International Endurance Events (CEIs) as the number of foreign athletes far exceeded the quota permitted for National Events.

Under Article 101 of the FEI General Regulations, National Events must be limited to no more than four National Federations (NF) and/or more than 15 foreign Athletes aside from “Athletes living outside their country of nationality” (Article 119.6 of the FEI General Regulations). However, in this particular case, the investigation led by Bird & Bird LLP, found that a total of 93 foreign Athletes from 24 different NFs participated in the 2020 Sheikh Mohammed Cup and total of 88 foreign Athletes from 21 different NFs participated in the 2020 President's Cup.

The FEI Board met via videoconference on 16 September to hear presentations from Bird & Bird and the UAE NF legal representatives. Legal counsel from both parties responded to questions from the FEI Board prior to the Board Members reaching their in-principle decision, which has been formally notified to the UAE NF on 24 September 2020.

The Board concluded that the UAE NF had violated the FEI Rules, in particular, Articles 101, 109.2 and 100.7.2 of the FEI General Regulations and Article 2.8 of the FEI Statutes (see Notes to Editors below). In the case of the Sheikh Mohammed Cup, the violations were deemed intentional, and in the case of the President’s Cup, the violations were considered at the very least negligent. The Board also concluded that the reason for re-classifying the events as CENs was to avoid the application of the new FEI Endurance Rules that were scheduled to take effect as of 1 January 2020.

Given the serious nature of the rule violations, the FEI Board unanimously agreed that a significant sanction was required and in accordance with Article 8.3 of the FEI Statutes, the UAE NF will be suspended with effect from 24 September 2020 as follows:

• A full suspension of the UAE NF (all activities across all FEI disciplines) until 31 December 2020
• A suspension of the UAE NF’s activities in relation to the discipline of Endurance until 31 March 2021

The suspension also affects any events (including national Events) in the UAE, which become “Unsanctioned Events” during the suspension period and any FEI Athlete, Horse or Official participating will be liable to a period of ineligibility of up to six months in accordance with Articles 113.4 and 155.7 of the FEI General Regulations.

The Board also imposed a financial sanction on the Organisers, requiring them to pay a percentage of the prize money – 50% for the Sheikh Mohammed Cup and 10% for The President’s Cup - as well as the organising dues that would have been payable to the FEI had the Events been held as CEIs. The Board also decided that the UAE NF must pay the FEI’s legal fees. The suspensions imposed on the UAE NF will remain in place until all financial sanctions have been paid in full to the FEI, as per Article 164.5 of the FEI General Regulations.

“The decision to suspend the UAE National Federation was not taken lightly, but it reflects our commitment to good governance, integrity and horse welfare”, FEI President Ingmar De Vos said.

“Regrettably we were forced to suspend the UAE Federation in 2015 following an investigation into Endurance horse welfare issues and non-compliance with FEI Rules and Regulations. It is extremely disheartening that we are tackling similar issues in 2020 and that we have had to revert to the suspension of the National Federation. However, the UAE National Federation’s clear intent to avoid the application of the new Rules at the biggest events in their calendar was reflected in their actions around these two events and, as a community, we cannot allow individual NFs to apply the rules only as and when it suits them.

“It is my sincere hope that this suspension will drive change within the Federation and give rise to a new era for Endurance in the UAE equestrian community.”

The UAE National Federation was notified of the decision by the FEI on 24 September 2020 and has 21 days to appeal the decision to the FEI Tribunal.

More:
https://inside.fei.org/content/fei-suspends-uae-national-federation-rules-violations

Strong performances at first Endurance GB FEI competition of 2020 at Lavenham Ride in Suffolk

EverythingHorseUK.co.uk - Full Article

26/09/2020
Suzanne Ashton

Britain’s leading endurance riders were out in force as the sport staged a return to FEI competition for the first time in 2020 at Suffolk’s Lavenham Ride.

The popular Lavenham Ride (19-20 Sept) saw strong performances and given the lack of competition over the past year, encouraging completion rates across the classes.

Organisers and riders alike were delighted to have been able to meet stringent COVID guidelines to enable the competition to take place from the grounds of Semer Manor near Ipswich. Sponsors over the two days included; RiderCise, Zayin Arabian Stud, Gadebrook Stud, Lancashire Group Endurance GB, Haygain, Elm Farm Arabians, Equine Exceed and On The Hoof Distance Training

In the top FEI CEI 3* 140km class, Dorset-based Nikki Malcolm and Oso Arabian’s Oso Spiralling Wind, who made their mark on the 2019 season with wins in the RiderCise Southern Championship and at the British Horse Feeds Red Dragon, maintained their record with a superb victory. The pair won by a nose after a racing finish ahead of second-placed James Dickinson with Magdy, who train in West Sussex with Powys rider Fiona Griffiths with Balishla who followed in third...

Read more here:
https://everythinghorseuk.co.uk/endurance-riders-suffolk-lavenham-ride/

Poland: Kliczków; an excellent ride in historic location

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

22nd September 2020
Race Report made with the assistance of Paweł Górski

Kliczków, Poland, Friday 11 and Saturday 12 September 2020.

Kliczkow is a small village located in the Lower Silesian part of Poland. It is mostly known for its XIII century Castle where the horses represent a large part of the castle’s 700-year history. In the historic park there is the remaining bit of a full 800 meters horse track. More than 100 years ago, the one and only horse cemetery was built in the middle of the track.

Castle Kliczków was the central point for the whole event. The scenery for the endurance event gave everybody a special and unforgettable experience. For the third time, the castle as well as the Lower Silesian Forest were hosting the endurance event. Thanks to the Polish National Forests, Equestrian Club Brawura and local authorities it was possible to organise an endurance ride in cooperation with Polish equestrian federation. For the second year in a row competitions were in the rank of Polish National Championship...

Read more here:
https://endurance-world.com/kliczkow-an-excellent-ride-in-historic-location/

Mongol Derby Diary #4

TheAdventurists.com - Full Story

August 6 2020

The Adventure Continues...

Rosie Bathhurst ~ ” Coming into HS2 at the end of Day 1, I was riding in a big group and most people decided to stay there than risk going on, but Alice, Marie and I got on our steeds and off we went. Along we trotted, hopping back and forth across a river. We saw some camels, got excited by camels… then realized we had a long-ass way to go until HS3 and not much time. We debated whether we should go left or right of a big rock. We went left. Shoulda gone right! Got chased by some big scary wolf dogs because we got a bit close to a ger!

After riding away we saw some wooden buildings in the distance. We realized that we were going to get penalized to hell if we kept riding past curfew, so we investigated and decided we were here for adventure. Camping it was! Turns out it was a goat shed with a little corral. Marie and Alice hobbled their horses and put them on one side of the shed. I had lost my hobbles along the way – great job on Day 1!

Once the horses were happily settled, selfies were taken, and we went to find where we could sleep. We stepped into a hut filled with goat poo, picked our way over the decaying goat carcasses, and settled down for the night! We tucked into dinner… chocco protein bar for the win. It was nice and dark when we saw car headlights through the shed walls and we SHIT ourselves! We definitely thought we were in trouble! Thankfully, it was just the Derby crew checking on riders. The crew was followed by another car with the family whose scary doggos had chased us earlier. They had taken in rider Chips Broughton earlier in the evening and saw us ride over the hill, so came over to check on us as it was forecast to rain like crazy. What legends!...

Read more here:
https://www.theadventurists.com/updates/derby-diary-4/