A test of endurance: Five-day ‘Gallops of Jordan’ equestrian race ends in Petra

JordanTimes.com - Full Article

By Batool Ghaith - Nov 02,2021

AMMAN — Led by HRH Princess Jalila Bint Ali, Jordan took sixth place among 25 teams in the 200km five-day long “Gallops of Jordan” race from Wadi Rum to Petra.

The event, which took place from October 23-30, involved 25 teams of 133 riders from 15 different countries. The race started in Wadi Rum and ended in the ancient rose-red city of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and was won by the French team “Blue Ghallah”.

According to race organiser Sameer Ahmad, the race had previously taken place in India, Morocco and Oman, this being the fourth edition of the event in Jordan.

“This edition had many more people than the previous editions; many people were still on the waiting list as well. We had a few important personalities in the race, a model who won Miss France six years ago, and a Belgian rider who lost both her legs from above the knee in a car crash, and she managed to finish the race,”Ahmad told The Jordan Times over the phone...

Read more here:
http://www.jordantimes.com/news/local/test-endurance-five-day-%E2%80%98gallops-jordan%E2%80%99-equestrian-race-ends-petra

Spanish Endurance Trainer Suspended

Inside.FEI.org

FEI Tribunal issues Consent Award in equine anti-doping case

3 November 2021

The FEI Tribunal has issued a Consent Award in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.

In this case, a horse trained by Maria Esperanza Alonso Calero (FEI ID 10150176/ESP), tested positive for the Banned Substance Nimesulide following samples taken at the CEI1*100 Badajoz (ESP), on 22 May 2021.

The trainer admitted the rule violation and accepted the consequences. In its final decision the FEI Tribunal imposed an 18-month ineligibility period on the trainer starting from the date of the Consent Award (2 November), the provisional suspension already served shall be credited against the imposed ineligibility period. She was also fined CHF 5,000.

The full Decision is available here.

Epic horse race gallops through Jordan's desert

Runners and riders pictured in the first stage (Wadi Rum) of the 200-kilometre (125-mile) five-day long "Gallops", which ended at Petra's famed Treasury building LIONEL BONAVENTURE AFP

France24.com - Full Article

30/10/2021

Galloping across the shimmering red sands of Jordan's spectacular Wadi Rum valley, more than one hundred riders on horses swept through the lunar-like desert as part of an epic long-distance race.

The 200-kilometre (125-mile) five-day long "Gallops" race, involving mainly amateur jockeys, started in Wadi Rum and ended Friday in the famed ancient desert city of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Quazane, an amateur French team comprised of five women medics, took second place, beating the all-male Royal Cavalry of Oman into third spot.

The race was won by another French team, Blue Ghallah, made up of three women and two men.

The cross-country team event, which organisers billed as an "orienteering and endurance equestrian race" across "sparse desert terrains, canyons and mountains" has previously taken place in India, Morocco and Oman...

Read more here:
https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211030-epic-horse-race-gallops-through-jordan-s-desert

Spain: Valencian Junior Championship and other races in Ademuz

Endurance-World.com - Full Article

27 October 2021
Race Report made with the assistance of Jackie Paarhuis and Manuel Ferrer Gómez for Albalat Endurance

Ademuz, Valencia, Spain. Saturday 16 October 2021.

It was the second international competition of the Ademuz 2021 season. 45 combinations competed over 100km and 120km.

The focus for the CEIYJ1* 100km was the Valencian Junior Championship, with a total of 11 young local riders competing for the title. For the first two loops the main group of riders remained together, with an average speeds of 18-19km/h and no clear leader. During the last loop Marina Villalba on Natur Gabo went out in first position, with Nacho Garcia on BJ Noviembre half a minute behind. As the total 100km distance was split into three loops the last 30km loop was long enough for all to change the standings. Initially going out in 8th place at start of the loop, with almost a 4-minute difference from the lead, Lucia Navarro and Amin Al Zaraq came in a clear minute ahead of the trailing group. Martina Madrid on Fraile, Marina Villalba and Carmen Rojo de Miguel on Favorita of Gredos, fought it out for second, third and fourth place with a high-speed sprint finish over the last kilometre. Fraile took his rider, Martina Madrid to the podium for the second consecutive time in Ademuz with second place, leaving Marina Villalba and Carmen in third and fourth place respectively. The average speed for all riders completing the distance was around 18-20km/h...

Read more here:
https://endurance-world.com/valencian-junior-championship-and-other-races-in-ademuz/

Epic Eurasian horse ride begins on a cold Russian beach

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

October 26, 2021
Horsetalk.co.nz

Nikita Gretsi, equipped with a special high-tech suit to keep out the bone-chilling cold of a Russian winter, has embarked on a remarkable 14,100km ride on a hardy Yakutian horse across Eurasia.

Gretsi has left the Pacific coast of Russia on a route that will take him to the Atlantic coast of Europe, then on to London.

The founder of the Long Riders’ Guild, CuChullaine O’Reilly, has characterized Gretsi’s ambitious ride as The Last Great Journey...

Read more and see more photos here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2021/10/26/epic-eurasian-horse-ride-cold-russian-beach/

Minor’ Event Revamp Finally Closes Major Loophole in Endurance

HorseSport.com - Full Article

Many 120km endurance rides in the desert will have to run under FEI rules in future, unless organisers drastically reduce the number of foreigners invited.

By Cuckson Report
Pippa Cuckson | October 25, 2021

A loophole that allowed organisers to side-step FEI rules at numerous high-profile endurance rides for over a decade is finally being closed. The FEI board has resolved to remove 2* senior endurance events from the category of “Minor” events (CIMs), to be rubber-stamped at the FEI General Assembly next month in Antwerp, Belgium.

High-profile races will be particularly affected in the UAE, the country at the centre of so many welfare, doping and cheating scandals. They include the Al Reef Cup in Abu Dhabi where Splitters Creek Bundy broke both forelegs in 2015. That grotesque incident exposed the FEI to a barrage of criticism when it initially responded that the ride’s categorization gave the FEI no jurisdiction.

If the UAE wishes to involve a large international field in its 120km and other 2* races in future, all must either run under FEI rules, or drastically reduce the number of foreigners invited...

Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/minor-event-revamp-finally-closes-major-loophole-in-endurance/

UAE Endurance Rider Suspended for Horse Abuse

Inside.FEI.org

FEI Tribunal issues Final Decision in Horse Abuse case

25 October 2021

The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision in the case against Ahmed Ali Mohammed Allay Al-Naqbi (FEI ID 10114817/UAE) for alleged abuse of the horse F S Don Juan FEI ID 104SN64/UAE ) at the CEI1* 100km at Al Wathba (UAE) on 8 December 2018. The case was opened by the FEI following a protest lodged by a third person.

Video footage showed the athlete repeatedly kicking the horse and flicking the reins from one side of the neck to the other. As this caused the horse unnecessary mental and physical discomfort, this constituted an Abuse of the Horse as per Article 142 of the FEI General Regulations.

The athlete has been suspended for six months from the date of the decision (22 October 2021) and was also fined CHF 1.500 and asked to pay costs of CHF 500. The results of the athlete/horse combination at the event have been disqualified.

The parties can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decision

The full Decision is available here.