UAE- Al Naqbi steals the show

Menafn.com - Full Article

29/12/2014

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times) Rowallan claims 120km Endurance Ride title in Al Wathba

Riders in action at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba on Saturday. — Supplied photo

Abu Dhabi: Abdulla Rashid Mohammed Saeed Al Naqbi astride 11-year-old Arab gelding Rowallan Dee Jay worked his way through to win the Shaikh Rashid bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Challenge Festival For Private Owners a CEN 120km Endurance Ride to be held at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba on Saturday.

Trained by Ahmed Mahfouz at the Al Hayar Stables Rowallan made a smooth progress from the eigth position to hit the front in the final loop and held on very strongly to cross the finish line in four hours 64 minutes and 15 seconds at an average speed of 25.153km/hour...

Read more here:
http://www.menafn.com/1094057899/UAE--Al-Naqbi-steals-the-show

New Zealand: Bulfin completes qualifying mission

Stuff.co.nz - Full Article

12/30/2014

The Marlborough Endurance and Trail Club were in action before Christmas with two days of rides at Sweetstream in the Waihopai Valley.

On Saturday, December 20, a few hardy competitors turned out for the club's annual endurance ride, with distances ranging from 25km to 80km. The following day was the preferred choice for most, however, with 42 horse-and-rider combinations opting for the timed competitive trail riding event.

Saturday's 80km event was won by Marlborough club member Heidi Bulfin, guiding Stonelea Sparkling Rose around the three-loop ride, closely followed by Nelson Lakes' Alison Higgins on Twynham El Desiree.

Neither were in a hurry with qualifying being their main goal and they finished in just over seven hours...

Read more here:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/sport/64539929/Bulfin-completes-qualifying-mission

At Endurance Horse Race in Chile, Feeling Thrills of a Fast-Growing Sport

News.nationalgeographic.com - Full Article and Video

Pedro Pablo Gomez trains horses that win—and fetch dollars from Middle East sheikhs.

Katarzyna Nowak
for National Geographic
PUBLISHED DECEMBER 30, 2014

CASABLANCA, Chile—There are compelling reasons for dismounting from your horse and running alongside it in the fourth of five loops in a 120-kilometer (80-mile) race through dusty hill country not far from the capital, Santiago. Especially on a mid-December day at the height of the austral summer, when heat waves are hovering above the ground. And especially when you're going downhill.

"The penultimate loop," says veteran rider and horse trainer Pedro Pablo Gomez, "is what makes Copa Chile [the Chilean Cup] a very difficult race. The horses have already run 80 kilometers, the fourth loop is the hilliest, and it's crucial we reserve energy for our last loop."

I'm in the Veramonte Vineyard, in the dramatic Casablanca Valley, the staging ground for the 2014 Copa Chile, rooting for Pedro and his horse, Otoño (Autumn). Pedro, in a long-ago race in coastal Peñuelas—which he had a crack at winning—chivalrously stopped to assist my friend who had fallen off her horse.

Endurance horse racing, with riders and horses stretched to their limits, is a young sport, like ultra-marathoning. It's growing faster than any other horse sport, with 90 races worldwide ten years ago, and 900 today...

Read more here:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/12/141230-chilean-cup-horse-race-santiago-animals-culture/

Golden Horseshoe versus Tevis by Sally Toye

Endurancegb.co.uk - Full Story

27 December 2014)

Sally Toye (who calls herself an ‘almost Wessex member’ as she enjoys the routes and atmosphere of Wessex rides so much) writes about her Exmoor Extra (3 days of 40km) experience. She came to the Wessex 2013 BAM to talk about her Tevis Cup experiences in USA – fascinating – and she has attempted to draw parallels between GHS and Tevis.

Sally writes: With an excellent third endurance season so far, I entered my 9 year old mare into the Exmoor Extra class. 120k over three days. I wasn’t sure how it would go or if “we” were fit enough and after last year’s 80k over 2 days. Exmoor can throw at you curved balls and I hoped our preparation work on a variety of hills and with gates would all come together. This ride is a great test for any combination and we had come away from the previous year having so learnt. Time to see if she was a three day horse.

At the venue before the start there was a bit of time to hang out before the evening briefing. Here some people asked if I was going to the Tevis Cup again after my previous successes (and failures!) And then I get the inevitable question, “is Golden Horseshoe as hard as Tevis?”

These two rides are very different and also very similar. These rides both involve terrain and a time limit and yet there is no fog, sleet, wind or sideways rain in California and no mountains in Somerset!...

Read more here:
http://endurancegb.co.uk/main/news#2015011501

Great Britain: Meydan Sponsorship Deal Criticized

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Horse Sport December 23, 2014

by: Horse-Canada.com

At the beginning of December, Endurance Great Britain (EGB) approached members with proposed sponsorship package from Meydan, a company owned by HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The package proposed providing EGM with a large but undisclosed sum of money to support EGB while also providing new ride opportunities in Great Britain. However, given the terrible troubles facing Endurance as a result of serious rule infractions committed by riders in Group 7, including members of the Maktoum family, many EGM members have voiced serious concerns about accepting sponsorship proposal. Herewith is an open letter written to the board of EGB:...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/horse-news/meydan-sponsorship-deal-criticized/

Great Britain: Intrepid Reporter Gets More Accolades

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

Horse Sport December 19, 2014
by: Horse-Canada.com

Equestrian journalist Pippa Cuckson has received the Liz Dudden Memorial Trophy in recognition of her tireless quest to expose horse welfare issues at the highest level of sport. Her ongoing coverage of the Middle East endurance scandals in international media outlets, including her blog at horse-canada.com/cuckson-report, has shone a light on these issues, and demanded improvements.

Presented by the British Equestrian Writers Association (BEWA), the Liz Dudden Memorial Trophy recognizes outstanding contributions to equestrian sport. Cuckson accepted the award at the BEWA annual awards ceremony, held December 18th at the Olympia Hilton, at a special luncheon during the London International Horse Show at Olympia.

BEWA president, Alan Smith, explained that the Liz Dudden award was started in 1993 in honour of accomplished journalist Liz Dudden. “She died, all too early, of cancer,” said Smith. “So, we decided to give an award in her honour to someone other than a competitor: e.g. a team trainer or manager, a show organiser or official. Generally speaking, we prefer to give it to someone outside our profession, but felt that Pippa’s work, especially on endurance and associated horse welfare, warranted it this year.”

Cuckson is only the second journalist to receive the award...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/horse-news/intrepid-reporter-gets-more-accolades/

Abu Dhabi: Abdullah Rashid Mohammad Saeed Al Naqbi wins Dh1m Abu Dhabi endurance ride

Gulfnews.com - Full Article

Rowallan Dee Jay triumphant in 120km event, overtaking Al Kamda on Baraja in final loop

Staff Report
Published: 18:44 December 27, 2014

Abu Dhabi: Abdullah Rashid Mohammad Saeed Al Naqbi took top honours at the 120km Shaikh Rashid Bin Hamdan Al Maktoum Challenge Festival Endurance Ride For Private Owners at the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba on Saturday.

Al Naqbi rode 11-year-old Arab gelding Rowallan Dee Jay, trained by Ahmad Mahfouz at the Al Hayar Stables, to first place.
Rowallan made smooth progress from eighth and was in second place after four of the five stages with just 16km to go. In the lead at that stage was Rashid Saeed Al Kamda on Baraja, but a steady pace in the final loop saw Al Naqbi finish ahead of the pack in four hours, 46 minutes and 15 seconds at an average speed of 25.15km/hour...

Read more here:
http://gulfnews.com/sport/abdullah-rashid-mohammad-saeed-al-naqbi-wins-dh1m-abu-dhabi-endurance-ride-1.1432703