Big Money Bolsters Equestrian Endurance Race

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/sports/27equestrian.html?_r=1
By KATIE THOMAS
Published: September 26, 2010

Sunday’s race, won by María Mercedes Alvarez Pontón of Spain, took 100 horses and their riders across a Kentucky landscape of tobacco and thoroughbred farms as competitors tested the stamina and grit of their prized Arabian horses.

Much is made of the long ride, but seasoned competitors know the race is often won or lost when horse and rider are not on the course. The endurance competition is as much a Nascar race as it is a horse marathon: a winning strategy often plays out in the rest period between the race’s six loops, when riders cool and relax their horses so they can pass a range of medical tests and advance to the next stage as quickly as possible.

Teams left little to chance during Sunday’s race, which is on a par with the Olympics among endurance riders. As soon as riders pulled their horses into a cooldown area, grooms worked in tightly choreographed motions, yanking saddles and dousing the animals with buckets of ice water. Horses cannot move to the mandatory veterinarian check until their heart rate drops below 64 beats a minute.

“The more quickly he passes through, the faster he will leave,” said Jean-Louis Leclerc, the chef d’equipe, or team leader, for the French team. If a horse does not cool down quickly enough, “you can lose four or five minutes and then you have to make up the time later.”

Maintaining such expert crews takes deep pockets, and for several top competitors, that is not a problem. The modern-day sport of endurance riding began in the 1950s in California, but an influx of money from Arab royalty in the last decade has transformed it into a pastime of kings and sheiks. The royal families of Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai maintain vast stables of horses that have been bred and conditioned for the epic rides as well as high-performance centers devoted to the sport.

full story at http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/27/sports/27equestrian.html?_r=1

Sheikh has early lead in Endurance

By Mark Maloney - mmaloney@herald-leader.com

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum of the United Arab Emirates has the early lead in the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games endurance event.

The sheikh, riding Ciel Oriental, arrived at the Kentucky Horse Park for the first vet check with an average speed of 24.1 kilometers per hour. He made it through the check in 1:11, his horse’s heartbeat at a comfortable 52. (Criteria heartbeat is 64 beats or lower.)

The check came after the first 32 1/2 kilometers — about 20 1/2 miles — of the 100-mile race.

photo: Jason Sankovitch

Mercedes Tapia of Argentina, riding Ras Senor, led early Sunday in the 100-mile Endurance event at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Right behind the sheikh is the reigning world champion, Maria Mercedes Ponton of Spain, riding Nobby.

Then came Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum on SAS Alexis, and Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum on Rukban Dikruhu MMN, both of the United Arab Emirates.

Fifth was the leading American, Heather Reynolds, on Ssamiam.

Deborah Reich, the Team USA alternate, moved into the lineup because Ellen Rapp’s mount Berjo Smokey was lame.

• While most entrants rode off to a cheering crowd, one did not. The Canadian horse RBF Super Sport, ridden by Ruth Sturley, wanted nothing to do with the noise and balked at the start line. Not until the crowd quieted was Sturley able to urge her horse on, about four minutes behind the leaders.


Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2010/09/26/1451371/sheikh-has-early-lead-in-endurance.html#ixzz10eV9LlJ5

Technology at WEG Endurance Event: GPS Tracking and Swipe Card Accuracy

TheHorse.com
by: Marsha Hayes
September 25 2010, Article # 17009

Cutting-edge GPS technology will provide real-time tracking of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) Endurance competitors as they race tomorrow in Lexington, Ky.

"Anyone with a laptop will be able to track the horses, at the event, or at home, around the world," explained Emmett Ross, endurance discipline manager for WEG. Ross also noted the system will be in place in the staging area to alert crews when their horses are coming into a vet check and allow them to adjust race strategy based on knowing competitors' positions.

For equine enthusiasts on site at the Kentucky Horse Park, several large viewing screens will be stationed around the park in the trade show and hospitality areas, and perhaps other sites to enhance viewing of the lengthy WEG event, projected to last around eight hours.

Announcements will also be broadcast on site alerting spectators when horses will be arriving in the vet-check staging area.

The GPS system initially will be set to "ping" or update data every 30 seconds. Ross plans to lower the update rate to six seconds near the finish, where at that time, "You will be able to really see that little icon move along."

Because the Kentucky course does not allow spectators on the trails, public roads, or private lands where horses are competing, "This system will be a way to allow everybody to view the event," said Ross.

Swipe cards will also be added to enhance efficiency at the games. According to Becky Hart, chef d'equipe of endurance Team USA, the cards have been used in the Middle East and Europe and furnish valuable time-tracking data to crews and event veterinarians. Ross also noted a back-up system is in place, should electricity fail.

When a horse comes into a vet check, a crew member swipes that rider's card which records that horse's number, team, and logs the time of when the horse entered vet check. When the horse is presented to the vet to determine if his or her heart rate has dropped to the required rate to allow the horse to continue, the card is swiped again. After a set number of horses have swiped a computer printout is generated.

Because the time between check in and pulse down can be indicative of a horse's fatigue, Hart explained print-out access allowed one to, "keep an eye on the competition" by watching for an increase in pulse-down time. "It also allows me to keep track of each loop time, for my team and [their] competitors," Hart continued.

According to Ross, the computer print-outs assist event-monitoring veterinarians in awarding Best Conditioned awards by providing a summary of pulse-down times over the 100 mile race. Soundness after the event will also be keenly scrutinized, but the swipe card's fast, accurate analysis of each horse’s pulse rate data is a valuable veterinary analysis tool.

During the vet checks, hand-held heart rate monitors will connect to large viewing screens, allowing spectators to see for themselves the equine athlete’s moment of reaching the criteria needed to start another loop.

Full article at http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=17009&source=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheHorse%2FNews+%28TheHorse.com+-+News%29

UAE: Dubai royals in medal bid

http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100925/SPORT/100929812/1004
Geoffrey Riddle
September 24

photo: Sheikh Mohammed, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, will lead his sons in a five-man team over a 160km endurance course. Awad Awad / AFP
The Dubai royal family will bid to cement the UAE’s position at the top of the endurance riding field this afternoon when they compete on the second day the 2010 World Equestrian Games at Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, leads his sons Sheikh Hamdan and Sheikh Majid in a five-man team that will compete against 29 other nations over the challenging, 160km endurance course. Sheikh Rashid Dalmouk Al Maktoum and Ali Mohammed al Muhairi make up the rest of the side.

Sheikh Mohammed led home his sons when they won the Stars Challenge race at Austin Park in England on July 25, a success that makes the region favourites to win the punishing race.

“The team have prepared as best they can,” said Mohammed Essa, the assistant team manager.

“The Americans, France and Spain are probably our major rivals. They are the strongest three teams in a very strong field. The reason that we are here is to win and if they ride as best they can then we can do it.”

The race, sponsored by Meydan Racecourse, consists of six loops of varying distances, with each loop starting and finishing at the compound’s Forego Polo Field.
All riders start at the same time, and there are five mandatory veterinary stops.

The winner is judged by completing the course in the shortest time, which is likely to be around the 12-hour mark.

Endurance riding is the ultimate test of speed and stamina for a racehorse and jockey combination, as it requires the riders to understand their mount’s abilities.

“The course is hard,” Essa said. “They have put in obstacles, tunnels and rivers. It is very challenging, and it makes it so important to make the right move at the right time.”
The ruler of Dubai, who rides Arcadienne, has not raced competitively since his victory in England, but Essa does not believe that to be a problem.

“From the end of July he has just been preparing himself, not necessarily just for this event, but for the rest of the year.

“He loves the horses and the sport. He is totally in touch with all the best practices and training methods. Sheikh Hamdan is the same. It’s in his blood after all.”

Due to the hardy nature of the breed, the majority of competitors, including the UAE, will race on pure-bred Arabians. The rest will challenge on Anglo-Arabs, which are half thoroughbred on the distaff side, and half Arabian.

The Games run until October 10, during which time 54 national federations will compete in eight equestrian disciplines, including dressage, driving, eventing, jumping, reining and vaulting.

sports@thenational.ae

2010 WEC Endurance Entries

2010 WEC Endurance Entries can be seen here

Bahrain: Endurance team set for US event

Gulf-daily-news.com

September 23, 2010

SUPREME Council for Youth and Sports president and Bahrain Olympic Committee president Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa will arrive today in the US to lead a five-member Royal Endurance Team in the endurance horseride event of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, scheduled for Sunday in Lexington City, Kentucky.

Shaikh Nasser will be accompanied by Supreme Council for Youth and Sports first vice-president and Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation president Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who however, is not taking part in the ride due to a recent wrist injury.

Other members of the Bahrain Royla Endurance Team are Ghazi Al Dossary, Ahmed Abdulla, Jaffer Mirza and Abdulrahman Al Saad.

It will be the fourth appearance for the Bahrain team in the World Championships, having taken part in the 2005 and 2006 edition cups in Dubai and Aken, Germany, respectively, before winning an impressive third-place finish in the 2008 event in Malaysia.

Other members of the Bahrain team arrived yesterday after an 18-hour trip via London. On arrival, the Bahraini riders were given a special welcome by hundreds of volunteers at the endurance village.

Commenting on the occasion, Shaikh Nasser expressed delight in taking part in an endurance ride in the US for the first time, adding that his team was looking forward to clinching a place among the top countries.

Shaikh Nasser said the team is well-prepared for the ride after successfully completing races in France, UK and Germany during their training camp earlier this summer.

The Royal Endurance Team leader extended his appreciation to His Majesty King Hamad for the continued support to endurance riders in Bahrain in general and to members of the team in the World Equestrian Games in specific.

Al Khaldiya Team captain Shaikh Khalid stressed the importance of taking full advantage of competing with the world's best in this international gathering.

Shaikh Khalid, who celebrated his birthday yesterday, said he is working hard on preparing the team to achieve remarkable results in international championships.

He expressed sadness over his inability to join his team members in this world event but said that the rest of the Bahrain team along with team leader Shaikh Nasser are capable of putting in an impressive show.

Belgian Endurance WEG Team Horse Poespass Undergoes Colic Surgery

Eurodressage.com

September 20 2010

The 2010 World Equestrian Games have not even started yet and we are already sadly have to report that one WEG qualified horse got ill. Belgian endurance team horse Poespass suffered from a severe colic attack and had to be operated on. The horse was in quarantine in Cincinatti and was supposed to arrive in Lexington at the Horse Park today.

Poespass is owned and competed by Karin Boulanger. The combination was the 2008 Belgian Endurance Champion and winner of the 2008 CEIO Gubbio (160 km) in Italy. Poespass is a seasoned traveller.

A few hours after his arrival in quarantine the chestnut suffered from a bout of colic. The horse was transported to the Hagyard Equine Clinic near Lexington where he was operated on in the evening of 20 September 2010. Belgian team vet Jef Desmedt was present during the whole operation. Poespass made it through surgery but the next 24 hours are of course critical. Naturally the horse can no longer participate in the World Equestrian Games.

The Belgian endurance team, managed by chef d'equipe Pierre Arnould, is now left with three combinations and no longer has a scratch score.

We wish Poespass a speedy recovery.