UAE: Dubai Desert Triathlon

November 20 2014

The second Dubai Desert Triathlon will take place December 5 in the Dubai Desert, UAE. Under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Makoum, the event will cover 3 disciplines of running (5 km on a desert trail), cycling (50 km on a cycling course), and endurance horse riding (40 km on a looped track). The start will be at 6 AM with the trail runners.

Nearly 400 athletes were part of history in the making as they competed in the first ever Dubai Desert Triathlon at Dubai International Endurance City on April 19 2014. The world first event brought together the triathlon disciplines of cycling and running with the traditional Emirati heritage sport of endurance horse riding.

The event, a partnership between Dubai Sports Council and Meydan, was a huge success, with the hundreds of participants and hundreds more support crews and spectators thoroughly enjoying the experience.

Participants could enter as an individual triathlete completing all three disciplines, or as a team of 2 or 3 to complete the 5km desert trail run, the 25 km cycle and the 40km endurance ride, and prizes were awarded to winners in the individual, teams, cycling and running sections.

The overall men’s triathlon was won by HH Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamed Al Khalifa of Bahrain ahead of teammate Mikel Calahorra, with Diego Bellon Santos in third.

HH Sheikh Nasser was full of praise for the event, saying “Today was perfect, the organization was very nice and I am very happy to have been part of this first ever desert triathlon. I am very happy with my times, I did what I expected to do, it’s been a beautiful day. I hope this event gets bigger every year.”

His teammate Mikel Calahorra was equally impressed, saying “Today was amazing, I only started horse riding a few months ago, When we saw this event was going to be on, His Highness Sheikh Nasser said to me ‘I am learning your sport (of triathlon), now it’s time for you to learn mine’ (horse riding) so I started riding. It’s a great mix of cultures here today and it’s been a great day”.
Third place getter Santos was thrilled to be competing in such great company, saying “It’s a pleasure to share the track with these guys, I have to fit my training around work, so to compete with great athletes like these two is great”

The overall women’s triathlon was won by Maha Khalid. She was delighted with her result saying “I enjoyed today a lot, I am a professional endurance horse rider so had to train hard on the cycling and running, but today was very good. It’s nice to bring all these cultures together, I’ll definitely be back next year”.

Second place in the women’s overall went to Ines Pintenat, with Sheelagh Pirzada in third. First place in the junior triathlon went to Atiq Hassan Ali.

Prizes were also awarded to senior and junior teams, with Al Bararri -4 taking out the junior competition and Etihad Stables 1 taking out the senior.

In the run leg the fastest female was Moroccan Champion Latifa Essarokh, ahead of Hamda Saif Alshamsi, while in the junior male section Sancho Barcia took the honours. In the senior male section Albert Robb recorded a blistering time of 14.10 for the sandy 5km desert trail. The women’s bike leg was won by Lisa Hancox, the junior male by Talal Al Balooshi and the senior male by Soufiane Haddi, just .03 of a second ahead of Ahmed Yousef Al Mansouri.

But it wasn’t just the winners who enjoyed the day, with participants excited to be part of such an innovative event. One competitor, Geoff Mitchell, said “It was brilliant to be part of this, it’s the first truly integrated multicultural event I’ve seen. It’s great to combine the Emirati culture with a triathlon and it’s so good to see so many Emiratis competing in all three disciplines. It’s a great leveler and we all love being out there competing together. Hopefully this event will carry on for many more years to come”.
Dr Ahmed Saad Al Sharif, Secretary General of the Dubai Sports Council, was delighted with the event. “We are so pleased with how successful today has been, to see such a diverse range of people competing together and enjoying participating is wonderful. We are proud to have made history today and we look forward to seeing this event become one of the hallmark events on Dubai’s sporting calendar”.

The CEO of official charity partner of the event, the Al Jalila Foundation, Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Alolama, said “Through unique events like the Dubai Desert Triathlon, the UAE continues to innovate and maintain a leading position in the global sporting community. Al Jalila Foundation was founded to contribute to the well-being of the UAE, and so we are proud to be involved with an event that not only promotes interest in fitness, but embraces endurance horse riding, a proud component of Emirati heritage.

“We are delighted to be the official charity partner of this successful event and extend our sincere appreciation to Dubai Sports Council for giving us the opportunity to raise awareness about Al Jalila Foundation. We look forward to working together on more sporting events in the future”.

For more information see
http://dubaideserttriathlon.com/

Current FEI World Rankings

As of October 31 2014, Great Britain’s Nicola Thorne tops the FEI Open Riders World Endurance Ranking by just 9 points ahead of France’s Philippe Tomas. France’s Jean Philippe Frances is third. Willemina De Boer is the USA’s highest ranking rider in 29th place.

Occupying top spot in the Open Combination World Endurance Ranking is Switzerland’s Barbara Lissarrague and Preume De Paute. Spain’s Jrdi Arboix and Mystair Des Aubus is in second, and Hungary’s Jozsef Toth is third.

Laiza De Jalima (from the Netherlands) is the top ranked Open Endurance Horse, with Preume De Paute (from Switzerland) in second, and Kedjari Des Serres (from the UAE) in third.

Uruguay’s Teresa Sanchez tops the Young Riders World Endurance Ranking, with USA’s Emily Dibasic in second, and Brazil’s Jose Jaio Frisoni in third. USA’s Christina Kimery is 5th.

Christina Kimery and Noslo’s Selket Da Yankee are the top Young Riders Endurance Combination, with Namibia’s Sune Wessels and Kalharabi Dakar in second, and USA’s Josie Whelan and FFC First Csea Lord in third.

Noslo’s Selket Da Yankee (USA) tops the Young Riders Horse World Ranking, with FF Federico (Uruguay) in second, and Kalharabi Dakar (Namibia) in third.

For complete rankings, see
https://data.fei.org/Ranking/List.aspx

The World Arabian Horse Organization Conference – WAHO Qatar 2014

Horsereporter.com - Full Article

by Pamela Burton

17 November 2014, Doha ~ Doha in Qatar was once again the site of the The World Arabian Horse Organization Conference – WAHO Qatar 2014 – from 10-14 November.

A welcome reception and dinner on the lawn of the impressive Museum of Islamic Art staged a dramatic opening to the Conference. Providing the backdrop was Doha’s high-rise skyline outlined across the bay in electric colors.

The guests were given a warm welcome by Sheikh Mohammed bin Faleh Al Thani, Chairman of the Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC), who said the club was delighted to be hosting some of the world’s leading authorities in their respective fields.

Pride of Qatar Visits Before and After the Conference

“To complement the conference we will be inviting delegates to visit some of Qatar’s major stud farms and training centers providing a rare opportunity to see such a high concentration of quality Arabian breeding stock, race and show horses anywhere in the world...”

Read more here:
http://www.horsereporter.com/2014/11/17/the-world-arabian-horse-organization-conference-waho-qatar-2014/

Great Britain: The ‘Rogate Rabble’ ride again - in style

Bognor.co.uk - Full Article

November 18 2014

Rogate and District Riding Club have again qualified for the Red Dragon endurance championship.

They are a relatively-new club who took up endurance riding only two years ago. It was in 2012 that member Dawn Knee entered her first EGB ride and this was the catalyst for the club’s passion for endurance competitions.

Knee became team manager and organiser and the response from members was overwhelming.

They qualified in 2013 for the Red Dragon Festival of Endurance in Wales, finishing on a score of 104 and coming second in one of the most enduring and challenging rides in the country.

This year was equally successful and buoyed that success the club have been encouraging more members to participate in shorter-distance rides in the hope they would also get the endurance bug and join the teams...

Read more here:
http://www.bognor.co.uk/sport/other-sports/the-rogate-rabble-ride-again-in-style-1-6418133

New Zealand: Junior Team Announced

NZEquestrian.org.nz
18 NOVEMBER 2014

Junior Team for Southern Cross Challenge

The selectors have much pleasure in announcing the team to compete in the Southern Cross Challenge against the QERA Juniors on the 14th December at Kuratau.


Team members are:

Aaron Wakeling & Alshar Blue Chief

Brigitte Smith & Glenmore Titan

Charlotte Berrett & Kava

Patricia Ireland & Phoenix Alshar



First reserve

Hanna Whitehead & Craig Royston Sonatina



Second reserve

Ana Whitehead & Dundevale Nazecca



Congratulations to these riders and we wish them all the best for the upcoming competition

UAE: Mansour wins Al Wathba Challenge endurance ride

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

UAE riders complete 1-2-3 sweep in five-stage race

Staff ReportPublished: 17:27 November 16, 2014

Abu Dhabi: Mansour Saeed Mohammad Al Faresi on Fenwick Sunset Tryst, a 10-year-old chestnut gelding, won the Al Wathba Challenge, a CEN 120-km endurance ride at the Emirates International Endurance Village, Al Wathba in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

A total number of 153 riders started the five-stage race with 58 completing the race.

Al Faresi completed the course in four hours 12 minutes and 54 seconds.

Shaikh Hamed Dalmouk Juma Al Maktoum on Printemps De Marot finished second in 04:15:25 while Rashid Ahmad Al Beloushi on Rivergum Drifter was third in a time of 04:16:06.

After the 1-2-3 sweep by UAE riders, India’s Shiv Singh Swaroop Singh on Quersick Niellans and the UAE’s Ahmad Mohammad Ahmad Belqaizi Al Falasi on Castlebar Tornedo finished fourth and fifth respectively...

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/mansour-wins-al-wathba-challenge-endurance-ride-1.1413295

Great Britain: Bring your Ponies to the Golden Horseshoe

Endurancegb.co.uk - Full Story

by Nesta Oliver - (Published:10 November 2014)

When you decided to go into Endurance riding and started to think of what kind of horse to have, was your first thought, ‘I need an Arab’? or was it, ‘My cob/pony/hunter/shire or anything else I’ve got can do that’?

Back in the nineteen-eighties ‘my cob (etc) can do that’ is what most of us thought. The Arab as the ideal endurance horse had not been thought of. And those who thought ‘my cob can do that’ were right. In those days the Golden Horseshoe Ride was what everyone aimed for there was only one class, the one that is now called the Exmoor Stag: eighty/forty kilometers over two days. We worked in miles in those days so it was fifty/twenty five: it sounded easier with smaller numbers. In the eighties there were consistently between eighty and a hundred starters for that one class and everyone rode whatever horse or pony they had and knew how to get them fit.


So what happened? How did we get to entries of four or five horses for a competition that used to be thought of as the pinnacle of Endurance riding, available to all riders and all horses, not just the super brave and the elite? A lot has changed between then and now. There are far more competitions available nowadays so that is one reason perhaps, but here are a few others, and perhaps I can show you some reasons to come instead of not.


In the early nineteen-eighties, the minimum qualification for the Horseshoe was to complete one forty mile ride (sixty-four kilometers) and that was it. Nowadays we have to do more than just one ride to qualify, and sensibly so, because that makes sure that horses are fit enough by proving it in competition instead of just putting the miles in training on our own. But there is a difference in how we think of it. Now we call it ‘upgrading from Novice to Advanced’, and ‘Advanced’ sounds like something only the top people do: those with racing or international competition in mind. Remember those eighties? When anyone with any pony aspired to do the Horseshoe? Let’s look at the reality of upgrading because it’s not really so awesome. To get to Open you need three Novice completions; to get to advanced you only have to do two more rides, one of over sixty-four kilometers and one of eighty or more. That progression to advanced doesn’t sound huge when put like that, but we get frightened by that word ‘Advanced’, and we think it is...

Read more here:
http://endurancegb.co.uk/main/news#2014111001