UAE: Catalina Bastons wins Shaikha Fatima Endurance Cup

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Aya Abdullah Reda Ishaq Ali secures best finish for UAE lady riders

Staff Report
Published: 19:55 November 29, 2014

Abu Dhabi: Argentina’s Catalina ‘Catita’ Bastons upstaged a strong field of over 100 riders to post an exciting victory in the HH Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Ladies Endurance Cup at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba on Saturday.

Riding the 10-year-old Moreno, trained by Abdullah Al Hammadi for the Al Reef Stables, Bastons completed the challenging 90-km CEN ride in a time of 2 hours 58 minutes 40 seconds.

Finishing second and only a second behind was Spain’s Laia Soria Pinol aboard KY Inefe while the UAE’s Aya Abdullah Reda Ishaq Ali clinched third placed with Oued El Kebir Larzac.

In fourth place was Spanish rider Nuria Figueiras Rifa on Vitamina II while Ireland’s Amy Louis on Terminator Te finished fifth...

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/horse-racing/catalina-bastons-wins-shaikha-fatima-endurance-cup-1.1419834

2014 Brazilian Endurance Championships

The 24th annual Brazilian Endurance Championships will be held December 6, 2014 at the Brasilia Country Club, Brasilia. Events will be the 160-km CEI3* 160-km race, the CEIYJ 2* 122-km race, and the CEIYF 1* 80-km race. The Young Rider-Junior races will be observations for the Young Riders 2015 in Chile.

For more information see:
http://www.enduroonline.com.br/cbee2014.php

2014 Central American and Caribbean Championship

Twenty-one entries representing 4 countries have been confirmed for the first annual Central American and Caribbean Championship to be held December 6, 2014 in Tecpan, Guatemala.

The CEI1* race, organized by the Asociacion Nacioinal de Ecuestres de Guatemala and director Juan Briz, will be held over 100 km divided into 4 phases.

For more information on the event, see:
http://www.endurance.net/international/Guatemala/2014CCEChampionship/

Staff changes at FEI Headquarters

Photo caption: Manuel Bandeira de Mello (POR) who has been appointed as the new FEI Endurance Director. Photo Hugues Siegenthaler/FEI


27 Nov 2014
FEI.org

Manuel Bandeira de Mello (POR) has been appointed as FEI Endurance Director to replace Ian Williams, who is due to retire at the end of December. The new Director takes up his post at FEI Headquarters next Monday, 1 December 2014.

Bandeira de Mello was selected following an intensive assessment process led by Odgers Berndtson Switzerland (OBS), a top international recruitment consultancy company in both the private and public sectors. OBS screened 30 applicants for the post prior to the final interview stage.

Manuel Bandeira de Mello, 54, served as Secretary General of the Portuguese Equestrian Federation for 13 years. Since 2001 he has been chef d’équipe for the Portuguese team at numerous FEI championships and was also chef de mission for the Portuguese team at three editions of the FEI World Equestrian Games™: in 2002 in Jerez de la Frontera (ESP), in 2006 in Aachen (GER) where Portugal won team bronze in Endurance, and in 2010 in Lexington, KY (USA). Before joining the FEI he was also Deputy Chair of FEI Regional Group I and Executive Board member of the European Equestrian Federation.

He has strong knowledge of equestrian sport through his work at the Portuguese Equestrian Federation and of Endurance as organiser of the FEI Endurance Open European Championship 2007 at Barroca D’Alva (POR).

Bandeira De Mello competed nationally and internationally in Jumping for 25 years, from 1972 to 1997, and was a member of the Portuguese team at the FEI European Jumping Championships for Juniors 1974 in Lucerne (SUI). He is married and has three children.

“I am very much looking forward to welcoming Manuel to the FEI,” Ingmar De Vos, FEI Secretary General, said. “I have known and worked with him for many years and I am convinced his extensive experience in equestrian sport as an administrator, competitor, and organiser will be important assets for our organisation. We were looking for a candidate with deep understanding of the sport who would be able to take over the Endurance discipline for the long term and clearly we have found that in Manuel.

“Our new colleague will work closely with the outgoing Endurance Director Ian Williams in December and will take over the role fully in the New Year. I wish Manuel every success as the new FEI Endurance Director and am confident he will be a great addition to the team at Headquarters.”

“I am really delighted to join the FEI as Endurance Director,” Manuel Badeira De Mello said. “It is an honour and a privilege to serve equestrian sport at this level. I am looking forward to this exciting new step and to fulfilling this challenging role to the very best of my abilities.”

At the same time as the FEI welcomes its new Endurance Director, it is also saying goodbye to a member of staff following the announcement by Veterinary Director Graeme Cooke that he is leaving FEI Headquarters for personal reasons after more than five years with the organisation.

Cooke’s main goal since joining the FEI in August 2009 has been to improve the international movement of horses and he has been instrumental in not only creating the High-Health High-Performance horse (HHP) concept, but also getting it accepted by the World Organisation for Animal Health, the OIE.

“Graeme was brought in to the FEI with the key objective of opening up borders for competition horses and his tireless lobbying of the OIE has resulted in huge improvements,” FEI President HRH Princess Haya said. “It’s a very difficult balancing act between promoting the free movement of horses while assuring governments that sanitary barriers are still in place.

“As our sport becomes more global, the movement of horses across continents takes on even greater significance, so the work that Graeme has undertaken and what he has achieved are extremely important and we are indebted to him for it. We are of course sad to see him go, but we have to respect his decision and wish him well for the future.”

“The FEI has been my home for the past five years and I’m going to miss it enormously, but I am leaving so that I can spend more time with my ageing parents,” Graeme Cooke said. “I feel we’ve really made a big breakthrough in international horse movements and I’m proud that the FEI has led the way on that. It’s an important chapter in equestrian sport history and I’m happy to have played a role in it.”

Bahrain's Shaikh Nasser: We work for a successful endurance season

BNA.bh

November 25 2014

Manama, Nov. 25. (BNA) -- Under the directives of Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chairman and Bahrain Olympic Committee President Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (BREEF) continued the registration process of riders and stables who will participate in the Season-Opening Endurance Race.

The event is set to to take place next Saturday at the Bahrain International Endurance Village. It will be over a distance of 120kms, and it will be held with a qualifying race of 80km.

In this context, Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad stressed that the new endurance racing season will be an exciting one, which will see a high level of competition due to the strong preparations from the riders, horses and stables. He praised the early preparations of BREEF headed by its president Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa and stressed that this race is considered as one of the most important in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad noted that this race will be a very suitable opportunity for the riders to recognize their level of readiness for the new season. He also pointed out that the Royal Endurance Team is ready to reap the victories and titles of this year's season based on their strong preparations and determination to achieve more succcess.

Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad said that apart from winning trophies, his team will seek to achieve new records in the races, praising the outstanding efforts done by members of the team in order to prepare the horses and riders for the season.

On his part, Shaikh Faisal bin Rashid Al Khalifa pointed out that this season will be an exceptional and special one. It will witness plenty of excitement and enthusiasm in the races between the riders and stables, especially with everyone beginning their preparations early for this season.

He stressed that BREEF began early preparations across all their committees for the upcoming season-opener, where he hopes to witness outstanding achievements by the participating stables and riders.

He added that this season's races will be different from the previous years', and he pointed out to the strength of the competition by all the stables.

W H Q

Bahrain: Endurance ride preparations on

Gulf-daily-news.com - Full Article

November 25, 2014

Supreme Council for Youth and Sports Chairman, Bahrain Olympic Committee President and Bahrain Royal Equestrian and Endurance Federation (Breef) Honorary President Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa urged Breef to finalise all administrative and organisational preparations for the season-opening Endurance ride.

The event will cover a total distance of 120 kilometres and it will be held next Saturday at Bahrain International Endurance Village.

A qualifying race over a distance of 80km will also take place...

Read more here:
http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=390729

Scotland: Bonnie Galloway on horseback

Gallowaygazette.co.uk - Full Article

November 24 2014

Dumfries Branch of Scottish Endurance Riding Club

This Autumn has given us such lovely weather to enjoy riding in great outdoors.

Hopefully the wee saga to follow will inspire many more riders to do just that.

Recently, the Dumfries Branch of Scottish Endurance Riding Club organised a wonderful outing in Cally and Disdow woods thanks to all locals who gave permissions. On having a pony party we need parking for our mounts transport and Cally Palace Hotel came up trumps we had good hard standing and the branch congratulate all who left the parking lot immaculate. Thank you all so much.

We enjoyed the company of riders from Biggar area Lothians Branch Glasgow Branch and great support from Cumbria some Dumfries members who reside there and some EGB members so pleased you could all join us as 23 in total came along...

Read more here:
http://www.gallowaygazette.co.uk/sport/local-sport/bonnie-galloway-on-horseback-1-3614312