Vet Preparations in Progress for World Equestrian Games

Thehorse.com - Full Article

by: Erin Ryder, TheHorse.com News Editor
August 26 2008, Article # 12440

While the attention of most equine enthusiasts was turned to Hong Kong for the equestrian events of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, preparations were well under way for the next major international equine competition: the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG).

The World Equestrian Games are the championships of the eight equestrian disciplines recognized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) and are held every four years. The 2010 Games at the Kentucky Horse Park mark the first time the event will be held outside of Europe, and it's also the first Games to include all eight disciplines at a single site.

With just two years to go, many of the plans to keep both the competing and local horses healthy are in their final stages.

Kent Allen, DVM, is serving as WEG's veterinary coordinator. Allen brings years of experience to the job, having served as the team veterinarian for the U.S. Equestrian Team and as vice-chairman of the FEI Veterinary Committee. Allen was the veterinary coordinator for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and was the foreign veterinary delegate for the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

But nothing he's done rivals the scale of the upcoming WEG. "An Olympics is a small horse show compared to this," Allen said...

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Malaysia: 2008 WEC nominated entry list

36 countries (Federations) have filed their list of nominated entries, which is a 'long' list of riders and horses selected based upon eligibility and preference. The final competition squads which will travel to Malaysia for the 2008 FEI World Endurance Championship will be selected (by their respective countries) from the nominated entry list with a maximum of 6 squad members per country. Malaysia, as the host nation, will be allowed to field a squad of 12 riders.

36 countries in total have submitted Nominated Entry Lists. 24 countries are participating with a Team (3 or more entries). 12 countries are participating with Individuals. The maxium riders participating will be 150.

Full listing of nominated entries

Riders brave camels and cold

REG BURTON
28/08/2008 4:00:00 AM

AT 6.30am with the temperature at 9 degrees and a stiff breeze blowing, 11 resilient riders and their hardy camels set off in the inaugural Australian camel endurance race, the Sheikh Zayed Camel Endurance Race.

The 120km race was run over two days around a 7km circuit on the banks and in the bed of the Flinders River, Hughenden.

John Richardson, Emerald took the major prize just 12 minutes ahead of his nephew, Rowan Richardson, with veteran camel trainer Glenda Sutton, Darwin, taking third.

The race carried prize money of $50,000 donated by Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed, ruler of Abu Dabbi and Sheikh of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Named in honour of the founder of the UAE, the current sheikh’s father, it is the feature event of the Arid Lands Festival.

It is not unusual that a western community like Hughenden would stage an Arid Lands Festival. What is unusual is that the idea came from the UAE.

Organiser and president of the Arid Lands Festival committee, Paddy McHugh, said the idea was suggested to him by a vet who was working for Sheikh Zayed.

The vet suggested that a festival in Australia incorporating a major camel endurance race may be a good idea.

Mr McHugh had been on one of several trips to the UAE delivering Australian camels to that Arab state and on his return decided to pursue the idea.

Sixteen months later the inaugural Arid Lands Endurance race for camels in Australia took off.

full article

Tuanku Mizan Wins Pahang-PENN 100km Endurance Challenge 2008

Bernama.com

August 24, 2008 16:47 PM

KUANTAN, Aug 24 (Bernama) -- Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin emerged champion at the Pahang-PENN 100km Endurance Challenge which ended at the Cherating here Sunday.

Tuanku Mizan astride Magna Thor took 8 hours 17 minutes and 49 seconds to finish ahead of the other riders in the gruelling race.

Asri Abd Aziz came in second in 8'17:55s while Datuk Mohd Shuaib Ishak was third in 8'21:14s.

Shamsuddin Ab Roni won the 60km category in 4'42:51s with Yusnar Yusup (4'42:52s) and Mohd Azhar Ariffin (4'59:33s) were second and third respectively.

In the 20km category, M. Syafiq Hakimi was first in 1'40:01s followed by Datuk Mokhtar Haron (1'40:02s) and Rosli Endut (1'40:03s).

His Majesty's team, Royal Terengganu Endurance Stable also won the team category in the 100km endurance while Magna Thor was named the best horse.

-- BERNAMA

Tuanku Mizan Competes In Pahang-Penn Endurance Challenge 2008

Malaysia.news.yahoo.com

Bernama - Sunday, August 24

KUANTAN, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin together with 76 participants began the inaugural Pahang-Penn Endurance Challenge 2008 at Pantai Cherating near here this evening.

In the competition that began at 4pm, Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin was astride horse 'Magna Thor' and wore a jersey with the number '101'

Tuanku Mizan who represents the Royal Terengganu Endurance Stable (RTES) team is up against two other teams, Darul Iman Endurance Team (DIET) and Bunga Raya, in the 100km category race.

The competition, in which each team has four members, is expected to take 12 hours and 30 minutes and Tuanku Mizan is expected to finish at 6am tomorrow.

The 60km category is participated by six teams which are Ar-Raudah, Presco Endurance, PDRM C, Kiara A, Bunga Cempaka and Island Horses.

KING-ENDURANCE 2 (LAST) KUANTAN

Teams Kiara C, Kiara B, Kiara D, RTES, Presco Endurance, PDRM A and PDRM B are in the 20km category race.

The 60km race is expected to take 10 hours and the 20km race three hours and 30 minutes. The competition is attended by about 1,000 spectators to watch the beginning of the races as well as to have an outing with their families.

--BERNAMA

USA: Young Riders - Teen makes altitude adjustment

Dubuquer says she 'just put my faith in God' during difficult race in Colorado
By stacey becker TH staff writer





Photo by: Jeremy Portje -
Massman says that her belief in CHF Addios never wavered.


It was a cold Colorado morning, but the girl from Iowa knew it would warm up soon enough.

What she didn't know that early morning were all the obstacles she and her horse were about to face during the nearly 11-hour 2008 North American Young Rider Endurance Ride.

"There were a lot of things that went wrong along the way," Caitlin Massman said. "I just put my faith in God."

The 17-year-old from Dubuque entered her first 75-mile endurance ride with her Arabian horse named CHF Addios late last month. It was the first time the duo dealt with the high altitude and terrain of Parker, Colo.

While some doubted the small Arabian horse and his Midwest owner could handle the altitude, Massman's belief in CHF Addios never wavered.

"He's a tough little horse," she said. "He's definitely one of the best."

Massman and the nine other young riders began their horse endurance adventure at 5:45 a.m. The first of the five phases was a 12-mile loop the riders decided to ride together.

It was during this phase that the riders made a dangerous discovery: Many of the area creeks were dried up.

The lack of water would become one of Massman and CHF Addios' biggest obstacles.

"I did the best I could, and Addios did, too," she said.

After each of the five phases, which alternated between 12- and 19-mile loops, the horses were required to have a veterinarian check and the riders were required to rest for anywhere between 30 minutes and an hour.

"It's almost like he knows and he just calms himself down," Massman said of her horse during the vet checks.

It was while on the "really long loop" of the second phase that Massman was forced to make a difficult decision.

She said the electrolytes for her horse, sort of like Gatorade for horses, were in a bag around her lap. Sometime during that second phase, the contents of the bag began to leak all over Massman's lap.

When the burning sensation of the electrolytes became too much to handle, Massman told the two riders near her that she had to stop. As Massman dismounted her horse to hurriedly give him the remaining electrolytes, the other riders also stopped, waiting for Massman to compose herself despite the competitive nature of the race.

"You know when to be competitive and when to not," Massman explained.

By the fourth phase, the horse began to get bored, and Massman began to become dehydrated. She said she could feel her legs cramp up as she entered the vet check again.

"I got there and put on a smile for the judges," Massman said. "I could kind of feel myself out of it."

Someone noticed Massman seemed dehydrated and told the rider to dunk her head in a large tank of water before the final phase of the long, hot ride.

For the final phase, the 12-mile loop the riders started with, Massman rode alongside Jessica DiCamillo.

"It was so hot and our horses were so thirsty," Massman said, adding that DiCamillo's horse named Crestwind Premiere seemed to energize her horse.

As they neared the end of the race, Massman did something that might shock others.

"I pulled up beside her and asked if she was ready to go," Massman said. "It was just kind of fair game to say when the race started. If I wouldn't have asked, she would have asked."

So the two girls and their horses raced for the finish line.

"He was running his little heart out," Massman said. "He gave me everything that he had in him and I gave him everything that I had in me."

Although she was in the lead for most of the ride, Massman ended up in a close second place. DiCamillo won first when she checked in at four hours, 23 minutes and 30 seconds, just two seconds ahead of Massman.

"We tried our very hardest," Massman said.

Her dedication and love for CHF Addios took her mother, Holly Massman, by surprise.

"Her ambition and her perseverance is quite amazing," Holly said. "I don't know if I could have the stamina to start something like that."

The race brought horse and rider recognition from enthusiasts. CHF Addios, which Massman bought for $700 at a barn sale, is now worth well over $7,000.

"He's one of the toughest horses I know," Caitlin Massman said. "I'm going to keep him. I'm going to keep racing him."


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England: Mohammad triumphs in UK

GulfNews.com
Sports

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, won the 16km Austin Park endurance ride in the UK on Friday as the UAE team qualified for the 2008 FEI World Endurance Championships to be held in Terengganu, Malaysia, from November 6 to 9.

Published: August 22, 2008, 23:51

London: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday won the Austin Park endurance ride in the UK.

Top French, Italian, Australian, Irish, British Irish and UAE horsemen took part in the 160 kilometre event which was a qualifier for the FEI World Endurance Championship that will be held in Terengganu, Malaysia from November 6-9.

Shaikh Mohammad, along with Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Shaikh Majid Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Arts and Culture Authority, all qualified for the World Championships.

Six-strong team

The UAE will be represented at the event by six riders, four of which will take part in team event and two the individual event.

The Terengganu International Endurance Park in Setiu Terengganu, Malaysia, is situated a few kilometers from the South China Sea

It will offer competitors and visitors the best of Malaysia's natural beauty.

First class stabling and quarantine facilities are expected to be available for horses.

The course is designed to provide a safe yet challenging competition, taking riders along the stunning coast line, through palm plantations, along canal banks and through natural vegetation forests.

A long and wide grassy stretch of track provides ample space for the start of the competition and egress from the venue, and for a safe finish line and entry back into the Endurance Park.

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