Bahrain: Stage set for new endurance season

Gulf Daily News

PREPARATIONS are in full swing for Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa Ride, the inaugural event of the 2011/12 endurance horseride season, scheduled for Saturday.

The first event of the season, which is for the Breef President Cup, will feature two races set to take place at the Bahrain International Endurance Village in Sakhir.

The main race will be over 100km and gets underway at 6am, while an additional qualifying ride will begin at 6.15am and cover a total distance of 80km. They will be followed by the awarding ceremony at 1pm.

Some of the kingdom's best riders are expected to take part in the rides, promising to feature exciting and gruelling competitions among the participants.

However, favourites the Royal Endurance Team decided not to take part in this weekend's ride, following a decision from team leader Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa.

Shaikh Nasser, the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports chairman and president of the Bahrain Olympic Committee, said the decision was to give the opportunity to more stables to participate.

He expressed delight as the new season approaches with more riders expected to submit their entries for the opening event.

The Royal Endurance Team captain said the race will be mainly open to public stables interested in taking part, and wished them success.

Shaikh Nasser highlighted the continued support from His Majesty King Hamad to equestrian and endurance activities in Bahrain, which has contributed to the significant development of both disciplines.

He also lauded the efforts of the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef), under the presidency of Shaikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa, in preparing for the season's opener.

Shaikh Nasser, meanwhile, approved the distances of the stages for both races as well as other issues.

The 100km ride has been divided into four stages, including 30km each for the first and second stages. The third will be over 25km while the fourth is over 15km.

In the 80km qualifying ride, participants will battle over three stages and they are 30km for the first, another 30km for the second and 25km for the third.

The organising committee also named the ground jury for the ride. It's being headed by Abdulghani Al Boosta. Other members are Ghalib Al Alawi, Ali Hussain, Mahdi Al Kalaiti and Fahad Al Romaihi.

The technical delegate is Mohammed Dadulla, while Haider Zubi and Abdulla Al Rumaihi are the stewards.

Dr Abbas Al Haiki was appointed president of he veterinary commission, with Dr Mohammed Al Hammad being the foreign veterinary.

Other veterinarians are Dr Fareeda Abdulrazak, Dr Ebrahim Yousif, Dr Sabah Al Kabie, Dr Abu Obaidah Yaqoob and Dr Abdelrahman Abu Shook, all of Bahrain.

The treating veterinarian at the event is Dr Caonabo Melo of the Dominican Republic.

Following this weekend's ride, the federation will then prepare to organise the National Day Ride on December 24. It will be followed by the Heavy Weight Challenge on January 7, next year.

His Majesty the King's Cup ride, the main event of the endurance season, will then take place on February 4, to be followed by Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Ride on February 18.

The Breef Championship is scheduled for March 2, and then His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Cup night ride will be held on April 6. The End of the Season Ride will then be held on April 5.

Abu Dhabi: Richest ride for Arab lady riders attracts 60 entries

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Shaikha Fatima Cup carries Dh800,000 purse

* By M. Satya Narayan, Chief Sports Reporter
* Published: 00:00 November 30, 2011

Abu Dhabi: The Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Flat Racing Festival will mark the 40th anniversary of the UAE National Day by hosting the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Endurance Cup on Friday at the Emirates International Endurance Village.

Addressing a press conference here yesterday, Adnan Sultan Al Nuaimi, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club, said the ride, which is open only to Arab lady riders, will carry a total prize purse of Dh800,000, making it the richest ladies' endurance ride.

"A total of 60 riders from the UAE and other Arab countries will take part in the 100-km ride with the winner taking home a Dh200,000 prize," Al Nuaimi said.

Lara Sawaya, Director of the Shaikh Mansour Festival, said, "We have decided to keep the ride open only to lady riders from Arab countries to improve their chances of winning."

"Around 25 of the lady riders will participate in a ‘Ladies' march of love' for the mother of the UAE, Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairperson of the UAE's General Women's Union, who has touched so many lives in the UAE and made a huge difference to the Emirati women's confidence and belief," Sawaya said. The march will start at 3 pm from the Baniyas Equestrian Centre to the Emirates International Endurance Village.

Richest ride

Abdullah Al Qubaisi, Communications Chief at the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage, said, "The endurance ride is being held under instructions of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs. It is the richest ride and we hope that it will live up to the standards that we expect for any event organised as part of the Shaikh Mansour Festival..."

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/richest-ride-for-arab-lady-riders-attracts-60-entries-1.940399

FEI Celebrates 90th Birthday

FEI.org

FEI CELEBRATES 90TH BIRTHDAY AND 1000-DAY COUNTDOWN TO ALLTECH FEI WORLD EQUESTRIAN GAMES™ 2014

24 Nov 2011

Today, 24 November, is a historic day for the FEI as the Federation celebrates its 90th birthday and joins in the celebrations for the 1000-day countdown to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014.

Exactly 90 years ago, on 24 November 1921, representatives from national equestrian organisations from Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United States gathered in Paris (FRA) with the objective of forming an international federation. The inclusion of equestrian sport in the Olympic movement and the rapid development of the sport overall made it clear that internationally recognised rules supervised by a world governing body were essential. The Fédération Equestre Internationale was born and Baron du Teil of France was elected as the first FEI President.

“The FEI was founded in 1921 at a small gathering in troubled post-war Europe; now, 90 years later, the FEI is an international organisation with 132 Member Federations and is in charge of almost 3,000 events organised all over the world. More than 50,000 horses and 32,000 riders, drivers and vaulters are today registered with the FEI,” FEI President HRH Princess Haya commented.

“We are proud of the history and tradition of our sport, which celebrates the centuries-old relationship between humans and horses. We continue to celebrate equestrian sport, which has proved beyond any doubt that it has the magic and charisma to remain attractive and relevant in the modern sporting landscape. What an incredible journey it has been and what an incredible journey it will continue to be over the next 90 years!”

Another important date was also marked today with the launch of the 1000-day countdown to the FEI’s flagship event, the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Caen (FRA). To celebrate the occasion, the French minister for sport David Douillet, personalities representing the Organising Committee, the region of Lower Normandy, and the city of Caen, as well as Alltech Chief Marketing Officer Catherine Keogh, and FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos unveiled the 2014 Games’ official logo at the Caen Fine Arts Museum.

The logo, which depicts a horse’s head and a human’s head superimposed on a leafy green background, demonstrates the unique bond between human and horse at the heart of the Games. The shared profile and shared eye are a creative way of showing the relationship between two elite athletes and their combined determination to win. The beautiful host region of Normandy is present in the bold green colour and the apple blossoms on the backdrop. An animated version of the logo can be viewed here.

A totem pole constructed from three Jumping rails pointing up towards the sky will be erected near the stadium Michel d’Ornano in the city of Caen, where the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 opening and closing ceremonies will be held. A solar-powered countdown timer will be placed on the totem pole, so that the Games become a part of the local residents’ everyday lives even before the event gets underway.

Celebrations will continue on Saturday 26 November when the people of Caen will be invited to learn more about equestrian sport through games and family-oriented activities.

Join the party on FEI Facebook and Twitter where fun quizzes, giveaways, photos and videos are being posted.

The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 logo which was officially unveiled today in Caen (FRA)

Australia: Wade's Triumph Inspires

Weeklytimesnow.com.au - Full Article

Kim Woods | November 28, 2011

AUSTRALIAN endurance champion Meg Wade has become an inspiration to riders around the world.

Her recovery from a traumatic brain injury and determination to ride again has earned her the Federation Equestre Internationale award, Against All Odds.

The FEI Awards 2011 were announced in Rio de Janeiro on November 14.

FEI president Princes Haya said Meg was an inspiration to the equestrian community.

Although her flight to Rio de Janeiro was unexpectedly cancelled, Meg was overwhelmed to receive the award.

"It is my hope that awards like this will raise the awareness of brain injury among the whole equestrian community," she said.

Meg fell from her horse during an endurance ride at Tumbarumba, in southern NSW, in April 2009.

She spent 255 days in rehabilitation and was never expected to ride again.

Until the accident, Meg had competed in 65 160km events, winning 25 of them.

She created history in 2008 as the first person to win the prestigious Tom Quilty Gold Cup four times.

Meg surprised the medical fraternity by learning to ride again in November last year with the help of Riding for the Disabled...

Read more here:
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2011/11/28/410121_horses.html

UAE: Fatima rides to endurance cup glory

By M. Satya Narayan, Chief Sports Reporter
Published: 00:06 November 27, 2011
Gulfnews.com
Emirati woman on Siloah Hamza beats strong field to script national day race history



Abu Dhabi: The National Day celebrations came early for Emirati woman rider Fatima Jasem Saeed Al Merri, who made history when she became the first lady rider to win the prestigious National Day Cup 120km endurance ride at the Emirates International Endurance Village here yesterday.

Fatima rode brilliantly on 9-year-old Anglo-Arab chestnut gelding Siloah Hamza to a superb win from among 170-strong starters who included two-time world champion Maria Alvarez Ponmton and recently-crowned European Open champion Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri.

Fatima along with Mohammad Saeed Mohammad Al Faresi on Kheops De Lozelle completed a one-two finish for the Seeh Al Salam Endurance Stables.

Fatima and Siloah Hamza were placed 44th after the first stage of 33km and then the Dubai College student moved up to 21st after the next loop of 27km. It was in the third loop that Fatima forged into the leading pack and then faced some stiff completion from Maria on Portos. Fatima moved to fourth place after the third loop of 24km and with Maria making an exit in the next stage after her horse went lame, Fatima took the lead in the penultimate stage of 20km.

Good condition

While compatriot Mohammad Al Faresi moved from fifth to second in the final 16km, Fatima and Siloah Hamza maintained their lead and won in 4hours 20minutes 52seconds.

"This is my horse's first win but I have won a ladies ride last year," said Fatima after winning a car for her effort.

"It was a very tough ride with so many taking part. The third loop was tough but after that I realised my horse was in good condition and I managed to win."

Sultan Ahmad Al Beloushi on Marlicia Walter saw his bid to win this event for the second year end early when his horse went lame in the second loop of the five-loop ride. Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri, who won the European Open ride earlier in the year, finished fifth on Lourizon Frost in the 120km ride.

RESULTS

Top 5 results in yesterday's 120km National Day Cup Endurance ride:

1. Fatima Jasem Saeed Al Merri (Siloah Hamza) 4 hours 20 minutes 52 seconds;

2. Mohammad Saeed Al Faresi (Kheops De Lozelle) 4:27:27;

3. Saeed Sultan Shames Al Maamari (IFO El Pablito) 4:30:33;

4. Ahmad Ali Al Sabri (Castlebar Cable) 4:31:09;

5. Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri (Lourizon Frost) 4:34:43.

Who Won the Mongol Derby and How!?

Horsehero.com - Full Article

by Katy Willings

15 November 2011

(Editor’s note: If you are not familiar with the Mongol Derby, read Katy’s article, the 'Spirit of the Derby' first.)

In August 2011, the third edition of the Mongol Derby, the world’s longest and toughest horse race, thundered through 1000km of pristine Mongolia, catapulting (at times literally) another 23 riders into the Adventurists Hall of Fame, and with any luck, the Guinness World Record books. Organiser Katy Willings gives the inside track on this thrillng race....

Immediately after the race, I spent several weeks analysing the reams of data which came back from the Steppe, leaden with horse sweat and the faint whiff of goats, in order to bring you a less whimsical, and more informative blow-by-blow account of what happened this year, where the race was won and lost, and where it hung in the balance.

The beauty about the event is that no one individual has the full story. So much of the good and bad is privately enjoyed and endured, but nevertheless a coherent story emerges form the paperwork! I’ll mix key statistics with brief explanations, points of note and any lessons learned, and invite questions from the floor (in the Comments area below).

Race overview:
The Mongol Derby was won by South African dairy farmer and endurance rider Craig Egberink by 2 minutes (a nose over 1000kms, surely?) from Inner Mongolian contender Sanbayier, first of a cluster of three Chinese riders who were a formidable team throughout. The field spread out over the first two days but though injuries and subsequent drop-outs, the survivors were more clustered than they might have been. All bar two riders fell off, most at least once...

Read more here:
http://www.horsehero.com/editorial/?feat=73811

UAE: Final Entries for JYR World Endurance Championship

November 26 2011

The final list of entries have been posted for the FEI World Endurance Championship Junior-Young Rider 120 km race to be held on December 10th, 2011, in the UAE.

61 riders from 29 countries will participate in the race that will be held at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi.

For the complete list of entries, see
http://www.endurance.net/international/UAE/2011WECYRJ/DefiniteEntries.pdf