Bahrain horse tests positive in French ride

Inside.FEI.org

FEI Tribunal issues Consent Award in equine anti-doping case

19 December 2022
Author: FEI

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

In this case, the horse Elijah Solam (FEI ID 107JS65/BRN), tested positive for the Banned Substance Stanozolol following samples taken at the CEI1* 100 Fontainebleau (FRA) on 14 October, 2022.

The trainer, Jameel Ebrahim Ramadhan (FEI ID 10103145/BRN), admitted the rule violation and accepted the consequences. In its final decision the FEI Tribunal disqualified the horse from the event and imposed an 18-month ineligibility period on the trainer; the provisional suspension he already served shall be credited against the imposed ineligibility period. He was also fined CHF 5,000 and asked to pay costs of CHF 1,000.

The full Decision is available here.

World Endurance Riders Told to Manage Pace Following Test Event

HorseSport.com - Full Article

Four of 13 starters completed the test ride for the title race in the UAE; footings expert to assess part of the natural desert track.

By Cuckson Report // Pippa Cuckson | December 18, 2022

Changes to parts of the track for the reallocated FEI World Endurance Championship in Butheeb, Abu Dhabi on February 25 have been proposed following last week’s test ride, the first 160-km ride at the venue in over 30 years.

Footings expert Dr. Lars Roepstroff will assess the track next month “to quell any remaining concerns” and in the championship itself there will be six loops (instead of the test ride’s five) to enable more horse recovery time, plus extra watering points.

The test ride saw just four of 13 starters complete, plus longer presentation times as horses that managed to progress beyond the third loop began to tire...

Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/world-endurance-riders-told-manage-pace-following-test-event/

Athlete Selection Procedures Now Available for FEI Pan American Endurance Championships

USEF.org

by US Equestrian Communications Department | Dec 16, 2022, 5:00 PM EST

Lexington, Ky. – Selection procedures for athletes interested in competing at the 2023 FEI Pan American Endurance Championships for Seniors and Juniors/Young Riders are available on the Endurance section of USEF.org.

The Pan American Championships will take place in Llay Llay, Chile, November 10-12, 2023. Athlete/horse combinations will be selected based on the ranking formula outlined in the selection procedures documents. Athletes must submit their Application of Intent online no later than 11:59 p.m. ET on July 15, 2023, to be included for consideration and must designate at least two and no more than five selection events during the selection period of October 21, 2022, through August 15, 2023.

Click here for more information on the 2023 FEI Pan American Endurance Championships and to download the selection procedure documents. Contact Susan Edwards, USEF Director of Endurance, at sedwards@usef.org with questions.

Butheeb (UAE) hosts successful Test Event for the FEI Endurance World Championship 2022 just one month following allocation

Inside.FEI.org

FEI PRESS RELEASE
Lausanne (SUI), 15 December 2022

Butheeb (UAE) hosts successful Test Event for the FEI Endurance World Championship 2022 just one month following allocatio

Organisers for the 2022 FEI Endurance World Championship - which was only recently reallocated to Butheeb (UAE) at the FEI General Assembly in Cape Town (RSA) last November - pulled out all the stops to provide an open-house invitation for National Federations (NFs) and teams to experience first-hand the facilities on offer at the Butheeb International Endurance Village (BIEV).

The Test Event was held from 8 to 11 December, using an existing event in the FEI Calendar, and included three competitions from 1* to 3* with a healthy mix of international combinations taking the top positions - including Uruguay, Portugal and Great Britain, alongside the host nation UAE.

President of the Ground Jury and Chair of the FEI Endurance Committee Christian Lozano (FRA) was very impressed with the outcomes of the Test Event, explaining “the OC had just under one month to prepare for this test event, but they were keen to go ahead as this was an ideal opportunity to test all the systems in place and give the chef d’equipes the opportunity to get to know Butheeb and provide feedback on the facilities, the different logistical preparations as well as the track and footing.

“While this was used as a test event for the World Championship to be held from 20-26 February next year, this was not a test event of the World Championship track itself; for example, the 160km competition on Friday 9 December was held over 5 loops, unlike the Championship competition which will be held over 6 loops, giving the horses more recovery opportunities between loops.”

Technical Delegate Sharon Du Plessis (BOT) reiterated the intention of the Test Event, adding “we were able to see the full spectrum of the terrain on offer at Butheeb, with good, natural, wide tracks, fully secured and very little deep sand, with just five kilometres of deep sand areas to be modified for the Championship track – among other improvements to be made in the coming weeks.

“The whole community has been asking for more technical and slower tracks – and this is what they will get in Butheeb.”

In addition to testing the sporting and technical infrastructures, the OC held a hybrid information session for Chef d’Equipes on 10 December which proved very popular with approximately 60 participants, including fourteen NFs represented at the meeting in person, and a further 12 NFs joining online. The debrief began with members of the OC including Mustafa Mafoudi, and UAE National Federation representatives, Dr. Ali Tweisi, Mahmoud Zyoud and Abdullah Al Naqbi, Director of Administration and Support Services, Head of Media and Communication Department, presenting the venue and discussing some of the more logistical details.

FEI Endurance Director Christina Abu-Dayyeh (JOR) as well as FEI Director Technology and Sport Services Gaspard Dufour (FRA), alongside President of the Ground Jury Christian Lozano (FRA), Technical Delegate Sharon Du Plessis (BOT) completed the line-up, providing a broad panel to answer any questions or concerns raised by the participants.

With a little over two months to go, the OC actively encouraged the Chef d’Equipes to provide their feedback in a bid to find effective solutions for many of the more logistical and operational questions. Overall, the National Federations expressed their satisfaction with the conditions and facilities on offer, and the success of the Test Event, noting the further modifications to be made to the track prior to the Championship, with the six loops providing additional rest points and veterinary checks, and the additional water points as agreed during the meeting.

Executive Board Member and Chair of Group VII Sami Al Duhami (KSA) provided the closing remarks and noted the positive efforts and great collaboration with the Organising Committee and the UAE NF to deliver the Championship in February.

Following the Test Event and to quell any remaining concerns regarding the terrain, internationally renowned footing expert and Professor at the Swedish University for Agricultural Sciences, Dr. Lars Roepstroff has been commissioned to assess the Championship track in January of 2023. Roepstroff, who also has a background as the Swedish Team Veterinarian for Endurance, will then deliver a report to the FEI and the Organising Committee, with relevant feedback on the terrain and any potential improvements that might need to be made prior to the Championship.

“There is no “standard” terrain, this is a World Championship, and world-class riding and fitness is required in order to be successful and to ensure both horse and rider complete the course in good condition”, said FEI Endurance Director Christina Abu-Dayyeh (JOR).

“It’s important that a certain percentage of the track is natural and in keeping with the local environment, wherever that may be, and as you would expect at this level, every athlete taking part will need to plan and manage their ride and pace according to the conditions and according to their horse.

“We are confident the horses will be very well looked after, with great facilities and an experienced Organising Committee in Butheeb, ensuring all the veterinary checks and processes in line with the FEI Rules are fully adhered to.”

Timeframe: The UAE's first, record-breaking international endurance horse race

TheNationalNews.com - Full Article

1998 World Endurance Championship in Dubai surpassed all that came before

Hareth Al Bustani Dec 09, 2022

On December 10, 1998, the UAE cemented its growing commitment to the sport of endurance horse racing in the most spectacular fashion — hosting the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) World Endurance Championship.

Centred on Ghantoot Racing Club, with 162 riders from 37 countries competing, the event set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of participants at an official world championship event.

The event was made all the more remarkable by how young the sport was in the UAE at the time — having only been introduced to the country by the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in 1992. However, it was a natural fit for a people who had, for millennia, cherished horse-riding not only as a sport and passion, but a way of life; with horses and camels not just a means of transport, but an extension of the rider.

The UAE’s first two endurance marathons, open to camels and horses, were held in January 1993 and March 1994 — with the first horse-only race, Al Asayl Endurance Race, setting the blueprint for things to come in December 1994. That year, Sheikh Zayed set up the Presidents Cup for Arabian horses, helping to raise the breed’s international profile in the years since...

Read more here:
https://www.thenationalnews.com/weekend/2022/12/09/timeframe-the-uaes-first-record-breaking-international-endurance-horse-race/

‘Horses will die’ warning after UAE awarded world championship

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Eleanor Jones
8 December, 2022 17:26

“Horses will die” is the warning from campaigners, in response to the World Endurance Championships’ move to the UAE. The event had been to run in Verona in October, but the FEI pulled the plug as horse and rider safety “could not be guaranteed”.

The FEI reopened bidding and six venues were in the mix, including Samorin, Slovakia, and Pisa, Italy, both of which have previously hosted the event. But it will run at Boudheib International Endurance Village (BIEV), in February.

The FEI said “the safety and security of human and equine athletes is the FEI’s top priority”, and a spokesman added: “Under the guidance and support of the late former deputy UAE prime minister HH Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Boudheib protocol initiative was implemented in BIEV and other venues to ensure that the welfare of the horses and horsemanship prevail.”

But Sheikh Sultan, driver of the horse welfare-led initiative, died three years ago...

Read more here:
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/horses-will-die-warning-after-uae-awarded-world-championship-811287

CEF back in action with first-ever 80-km endurance race

Khmertimeskh.com - Full Article

Jose Rodriguez T. Senase / Khmer Times
December 2 2022

The Cambodia Equestrian Federation (CEF) galloped back into action by holding its first-ever 80-km endurance race.

The competition was held on the heels of the CEF’s participation in the Princess Cup Thailand 2022 from November 21 to 27.

The CEF was represented in Thailand by Amrita Norodom, Rothanak Kong and Chantola Kiri.

“It allowed us to measure our skills against strong countries like the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore and others gathered under the Princess Cup,” CEF President Tep Mona said...

Read more at:
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501195178/cef-back-in-action-with-first-ever-80-km-endurance-race/