FEI Plan to increase minimum age to protect young endurance horses

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Lucy Elder
10 May, 2023 20:48

The FEI is debating an increase to the minimum age for horses in international endurance, with the age Arabian horses reach maturity and their long-term wellbeing in mind.

It is looking at upping the minimum age of horses in one-star rides from six to seven years old. This would not affect the “novice” qualification level, which is open to horses aged five and above.

“Many of the Arabian horses which predominate in the sport of endurance do not reach physical maturity by the age of six,” states the FEI proposal, adding that the suggested change is “to protect younger horses from competing at excessive speed in CEI*”...

Read more here:
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/endurance-horses-minimum-age-825266

FEI Tribunal issues Consent Awards in Bahrain equine anti-doping case

Inside.FEI.org

05 May 2023
Author: FEI

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

In this case, the horse Intruso del Reparo (FEI ID 106GW63/BRN), tested positive for the Banned Substance Boldenone following samples taken at the CEI1* 100 - Sakhir, Bahrain International Endurance Village (BRN), 8-10 December 2022.

The athlete, Albrahim Alyahya (FEI ID 10204085/KSA) and the trainer Khalifa Saad Sharida Mubarak (FEI ID 10043686/BRN) both admitted the rule violation and accepted the proposed consequences. In its final decisions the FEI Tribunal disqualified the athlete and horse combination from the event and imposed an eighteen-month ineligibility period on the athlete and the trainer; the provisional suspension each already served shall be credited against their imposed ineligibility period. They were each also fined CHF 5,000.

The full Consent Award for Albrahim Alyahya is available here.

The full Consent Award for Khalifa Saad Sharida Mubarak is available here.

More at https://inside.fei.org/media-updates/fei-tribunal-issues-consent-awards-equine-anti-doping-case-1

Adventures in Equine Endurance: Pee Dee Professor Julia Fisher isn’t horsing around

Through her process of self-discovery at the age of 58, Professor Julia Fisher picked up the sport of endurance riding, in which she traversed distances of 50 miles or more on horseback. In 2017, she ponied up for the Mongol Derby on the Mongolian Steppes.

ColumbiaMetro.com - Full Story

By Meghan Godwin

Shortly after moving to Hartsville in 2008 to accept a position as a psychology instructor at the local liberal arts college, Julia Fisher realized something was missing from her life. She had raised two children, earned her Ph.D., spent nearly two decades in corporate marketing and communications, and dedicated another 15 years and counting to academia. “You define yourself as a mom for 20 years, and then when they go away you think, ‘Who am I?’ It really becomes a matter of self-discovery,” she says.

Her process of self-discovery resulted in a fast and furious introduction to endurance riding, an equestrian sport in which riders traverse distances of 50 miles or more on horseback over varying terrains, altitudes, and weather conditions. It was, by all means, a niche hobby to pick up at age 58, but she welcomed the challenge. “I felt like, ‘Why not?’” she says...

Read more here:
https://columbiametro.com/article/adventures-in-equine-endurance/

FEI Sports Forum Tackles Welfare, Tech, Endurance Rule Revisions

Chronofhorse.com - Full Article

PUBLISHED April 26, 2023
WORDS BY Edited Press Release

“The [International Olympic Committee] president once told me that our sport and federation is by far the most complicated one in the Olympic movement,” Fédération Equestre Internationale President Ingmar De Vos said in his opening remarks at the FEI Sports Forum, held April 24-25 in Lausanne, Switzerland. “We have two athletes, six different sports and consequently the biggest variety of stakeholders that have a keen interest in what the FEI does. So having an open dialogue with all parties involved is key for the success of our sport and to make sure that what we decide is relevant.”

The FEI Sports Forum has been held annually since 2012, helping “community consultation [to] become the norm,” De Vos continued. “I believe we can say that we are in a constant ‘state of consultation.’ It became an integral part of how we operate, and this is probably also why the FEI is considered to be a leader in governance, but also why we as a sport have been able to overcome challenges so effectively...”

Read more here:
https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/fei-sports-forum-tackles-welfare-tech-endurance-rule-revisions/

Australia: Far-A-Way look in their eyes

Sarah Sullivan Photography

NoosaToday.com.au - Full Article

The four-day Easter Endurance Challenge at Imbil lived up to it’s reputation of almost 40 years as an inclusive ride. ERLE LEVEY camped out to experience the challenges of horses and riders.

“It’s a matter of keeping riding even though fatigue is setting in. That is part of a marathon. It is about helping each other, and keeping the horses ready for vetting.’’

Hope, enthusiasm and excitement, achievement, pleasure and pain. Not many events bring together so many competing emotions.

The beauty of nature and a rugged landscape, the physical and mental challenge of the ride, the confidence of community support, and the historical significance of the occasion.

The Far-A-Way Easter Endurance Challenge at Imbil lived up to its reputation of being a good test of horse and rider...

Read more here:
https://noosatoday.com.au/news/22-04-2023/far-a-way-look-in-their-eyes/

Oman’s Al Said brothers successfully complete Slovakia Endurance Race

Timesofoman.com - Full Article

18/April/2023
By: Times News Service

Muscat: Battling extreme cold and damp weather conditions, Oman’s riders, His Highness Sayyid Loay bin Ghalib Al Said and His Highness Sayyid Ali Ghalib Al Said, successfully completed the Samorin Endurance Race over a distance of 120km in Slovakia recently.

The brothers, who have an excellent endurance racing record in recent times, are currently preparing for the FEI 2024 World Endurance Championship in Monpazier, France, in September. The world championship race will be over 160km.

This was the second of the five endurance races, the siblings are competing to qualify for the worlds next year. Both the riders ended up with good timings to complete the four-stage race...

Read more here:
https://timesofoman.com/article/129657-omans-al-said-brothers-successfully-complete-slovakia-endurance-race

Gabriela von Felten is Building an Endurance Legacy

FEI.org - Full Story

12 April 2023

We speak to the Swiss athlete...

The 80-hectares of Cavallon Farm in Bougnon, France is nestled on a gently sloping landscape, surrounded by large fields lined with trees where the horses are peacefully grazing. This is home for Gabriela von Felten, an Endurance rider representing Switzerland.

She finished the 2022 season ranked 35th in the world standings and recently returned from the Al Ula 120km Endurance competition in Saudi Arabia where she competed with Mirko du Cavallon.

“The race in Al Ula was mind blowing,” Von Felten said. “The beauty and the wildness of the desert is one of the most amazing I’ve seen. The course was very hard, more like a European race, because it was not flat at all and had a lot of deep sand."

She is eyeing the European Championships for Seniors in September and another strong showing there...

Read the rest here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/sport/endurance/gabriela-von-felten-building-endurance-legacy