U.S. Athletes and Horses Set for 2025 FEI Endurance World Championships for Juniors and Young Riders

The U.S. Endurance Team at the 2025 FEI Endurance World Championships for Juniors and Young Riders (©Nicole Zerbee)

USEF.org

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | 9/19/2025

Buftea, Romania – Five U.S. athlete-and-horse combinations have been accepted at the first horse inspection for the 2025 FEI Endurance World Championships for Juniors and Young Riders hosted by the Shagya Sports Club Association in Buftea, Romania. The team is supported by their dedicated crew members, Interim Chef d’Equipe Heather Reynolds, Team Veterinarian Dr. Olivia Rudolphi, and Team Leader Nicole Zerbee.

The Championships officially opened on Thursday evening, September 18, with a welcoming ceremony that brought together athletes from across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and North and South America. The U.S. athletes and their horses passed the pre-ride horse inspection on Friday, September 19, and will move forward to competition, which begins on Saturday.

The following athlete-and-horse combinations were accepted:

• Jax Beloberk (Loomis, Calif.) and Highh Treason, a 2011 Arabian gelding (Tomanchie x Ecstatika) owned by Katie Beloberk

• AnnaMaria Clarke (Davis, W.Va.) and Southern Justice, a 2012 Arabian gelding (PA Gazsi x PA Ecolina) owned by Valerie Kanavy and Dessia Miller

• Vanessa Erickson (Rocklin, Calif.) and Leno, a 2016 Arabian gelding (Dahess x Ta Dance WithTheStar) owned by Samantha Ellis

• Uma Kraskin (Deland, Fla.) and Maggies Nchanted Pipi, a 2011 Arabian mare (FSF Dakaros Enchanter x Whizlin Comets Maggie) owned by Evelyn Baig

• Lila Reeder (Loomis, Calif.) and Cricket MHF, a 2017 Arabian gelding (Jolly By Golly x Awesome Zell MHF) owned by Bethany Reeder

The course for the 2025 FEI Endurance World Championships for Juniors and Young Riders will cover 120 km (~74 miles) across grass, fields, agricultural roads, and forest terrain. Horses must cross the finish line in a maximum time of 20:07:30 to be classified. Designed to test stamina, skill, and partnership, the course requires athletes to balance pace with precision while maintaining their horse’s health, as verified by rigorous veterinary checks at each phase.

Competition Information

Competition officially begins Saturday, September 20, at 6:45am GMT+3 and will conclude with the Prize Giving and Closing Ceremony on Sunday, September 21, at 12:00 p.m. GMT+3/5:00 a.m. EST.

More at https://www.usef.org/media/press-releases/us-athletes-horses-set-for-2025-fei

Australians line up for FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Riders & Juniors

Australians Poppy Kettlewell and OSO Irazu will line up for the 2025 FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Riders & Juniors. Image by Sarah Sullivan Photography.

EquestrianLife.com.au - Full Article

Equestrian Life
Published 18 Sep 2025

Australia may not travel with the numbers of Europe or the Gulf nations when it comes to endurance riding, but their athletes carry stories of grit and ambition. Seventeen-year-old Poppy Kettlewell, riding the rising 15-year-old Australian-bred grey gelding OSO Irazu, will make her first championship start at this year’s event.

Poppy is joined by 17-year-old Eadie McWilliam and another 15-year-old Australian-bred grey gelding, Larntainey Silver Treasure – a partnership that finished inside the top 20 at the last FEI Endurance World Championship. Larntainey Silver Treasure is by Silver Conquest out of Abrock Gemma and is owned by Australians Penny and Peter Toft...

Read more here:
https://www.equestrianlife.com.au/articles/australians-line-up-for-fei-endurance-world-championship-for-young-riders-juniors/

Australia's Poppy Kettlewell: From pony club loops to the world stage

Photo Credit: Amanda Kettlewell

Inside.FEI.org - Full Story

17 September 2025
Author: Bella Fricker

When 18-year-old Poppy Kettlewell canters out of the start line at the FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Riders & Juniors in Buftea (ROM), on 20 September 2025, it will mark the realisation of a dream she has carried since she was a little girl. Riding the 15-year-old homebred gelding OSO Irazu, Poppy will represent Australia at her first ever Championship - a remarkable milestone in a journey that has already spanned thousands of kilometres, countless hours in the saddle, and an unwavering passion for Endurance.

Early beginnings on a white pony

Endurance has been woven into Poppy’s life from the start. Her very first taste of the sport came in 2015, at just eight years old, when she rode a 5km on her little white pony, Cherry, who, remarkably, is still happy on a farm at the age of 35. Two years later, she tackled her first qualifier, an 80km on her paint pony Jess. That ride, Poppy recalls, “really sparked my love for the sport.”

The trajectory was steep. At only 10 years old, she completed her first 160km on the horse of every child’s dreams, OSO Nicholas. “He taught me so much and naturally led us to take on the 160km challenge together,” Poppy says. “I had a real passion for Endurance riding and had watched many other team members complete these rides. Both my mum and the team knew it was my turn, and I was motivated by the excitement of the challenge and the opportunity to learn and grow alongside Nicholas...”

Read more here:
https://inside.fei.org/media-updates/poppy-kettlewell-pony-club-loops-world-stage

Team UAE set for FEI Young Riders and Juniors World Championship title defence

Khaleejtimes.com - Full Article

The UAE claimed the top two spots on the podium at the last event at Castelsagrat in France in 2023, with Rashed Ahmad Al Ketbi expertly steering Hadeer to victory

Published: Tue 16 Sept 2025, 6:13 PM
By: Khaleej Times Staff

Team UAE will be represented by five riders at the event.. Photo: UAE Equestrian and Racing Federation

One of the sport’s most formidable contenders, the UAE will bid to defend their individual title and look to claim the team’s honours at the FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Riders & Juniors 2025 in Buftea, Romania, on September 20.

The UAE claimed the top two spots on the podium at the last event at Castelsagrat in France in 2023, with Rashed Ahmad Al Ketbi expertly steering Hadeer to victory ahead of compatriot Rashed Mohammed Al Mehairi. Team UAE will be represented by five riders.

Defending champion Rashed Ahmad Al Ketbi will once again lead the charge. He will be joined by Essa Abdulla, Ali Abdulla Al Falasi, Rashed Mohamed Atiq Almehairi, and Majid Jamal Almheiri, completing a strong five-rider lineup for the national team...

Read more here:
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/sports/horse-racing/team-uae-set-for-fei-young-riders-and-juniors-world-championship-title-defence?_refresh=true

Home Soil, Big Dreams: Ana Iarina Cosma is Ready for Buftea

FEI.org - Full Story

09 September 2025
Stacey Stearns

The young rider looks ahead to representing Romania on Endurance’s world stage...

Early on the morning of 20 September, athletes and horses will set off on the 120km course of the FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Riders and Juniors in Buftea (ROM).

It marks a milestone for Romania as the first major FEI Endurance event the country has hosted, and for Ana Iarina Cosma, one of the young riders on the Romanian team, it represents the culmination of a dream several years in the making.

“I’m very excited to have this opportunity, especially because, since I heard the news, I worked really hard to be able to compete in the World Championship at home,” said Ana, who turns 18 years old just days after the event.

“I’ve been to Buftea multiple times for national competitions, and I’m glad to see our country has the chance to host an event of this magnitude.”

Ana is preparing for the biggest moment of her career so far as she lines up alongside the best young riders in the world. Fresh from a top 25 finish at the FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Horses 2025 in Jullianges (FRA), she is eager to showcase both her own progress and Romania’s growing strength in Endurance...

Read more here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/sport/endurance/home-soil-big-dreams-ana-iarina-cosma-ready-buftea

Great Britain: Iconic equestrian event set to take place in Builth Wells

CountryTimes.co.uk - Full Article

7th September 2025
By Josh Price

A historic equestrian event is set to take place in Builth Wells.

The British Horse Feeds Dragon Festival of Endurance, a staple on the endurance riding calendar since 1977, is preparing for its annual event.

Held on the last weekend of September, the festival will take place in the picturesque surroundings of Builth Wells, Mid Wales, beginning at the Royal Welsh Showground.

This venue, renowned for its excellent facilities, is a favourite among riders, providing stabling for horses and a host of amenities for riders and their support teams.

The festival, affectionately known as the Red Dragon, is considered one of the UK's iconic endurance rides...

Read more here:
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/25444066.iconic-equestrian-event-set-take-place-builth-wells/

This is what it’s like to win the ‘world’s toughest horse race’ through Mongolia

Michael Pollard was one of the four winners of the 2025 Mongol Derby (Kathy Gabriel)

Ca.News.yahoo.com - Full Article

Annabel Grossman
Fri, August 22, 2025

When riding across the Mongolian steppe, one mistake can mean game over. This mistake can be anything, from losing a piece of kit to your horse stumbling in a marmot hole while navigating the vast stretches of open landscape.

The wilds of Mongolia are beautiful but unforgiving, as 45 riders discovered earlier this month when they competed in the “world’s toughest horse race”.

The Mongol Derby is not for the faint-hearted, with riders crossing 1,000km (620 miles) of rugged terrain on semi-wild horses, relying on their survival skills, horsemanship and pure grit to reach the finish line.

Out here on the steppe (the wide open plains that characterise this land), the competitors live among local herders, often staying in ger, traditional Mongolian tents, with families. The riders change their mounts every 20 miles at morin urtuu (horse stations) and must deliver the animals in good health at every stage.

Throughout the race (this year, competitors took between eight and 10 days to complete the course), riders found themselves cantering through wide-open valleys, navigating mountain passes, crossing rushing rivers, and traversing rolling dunes.

Speaking to The Independent two days into the race, competitor Anna Boden described the toll this takes on the body and the level of endurance needed.

“Physically, it’s significantly harder than anything I’ve ever done before,” she said. “You’re riding 12-hour days, and because you have a fresh horse each leg, you can ride quite fast – that is really tough on your body...”

Read more here:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/win-world-toughest-horse-race-103011641.html