Meg Sleeper Places First in North American Endurance Team Challenge

Horsereporter.com - Full Article

by Pamela Burton

28 August 2015 – Canada ~ The 2015 North American Endurance Team Challenge (NAETC), was held 21 August 2015 at Cayuse Creek Ranch in Millbrook, Ontario, Canada. Held every two years, NAETC welcomed competitors from Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Meg Sleeper (US) on her homebred Shyrocco Rimbaud (Rim) won the Seniors 120km ride in a ride time of 6:50:34 with Jeremy Reynolds (US) on Bound for Honor coming in six minutes later. Melody Blittersdorf (US) on Synthetic finished in third with a ride time of 7:26:34. Fourth was Tom Haggis on Indian Reinman, The highest placed Canadian individual in the senior division was fifth place Robert Gielen riding 6 yo Arabian gelding More Bang For Your Buck (Doran x Forty Thieves).

The first ten riders came in within a ride time of 8:46:46. The ride finished 23 Senior riders and 9 Junior/Young Riders. The last Senior rider, Nancy Zukewich riding Nightwind’s Classic Whiskee finished in a ride time of slightly over 11 hours...

Read more here:
http://www.horsereporter.com/2015/08/28/meg-sleeper-places-first-in-north-american-endurance-team-challenge/

NZ’s endurance championships reduced to two days

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Horsetalk.co.nz | 29 August 2015

New Zealand’s championship endurance rides will be reduced to two-day events on a trial basis as a cost-saving measure.

Events affected include the North Island, South Island and National Championship rides, which cost up to $40,000 each to run.

In a communication to members this week, the country’s endurance board said that based on the 2015 Nationals budget, reducing a ride to two days would save up to $7000, “reduce metabolic issues and condense sponsor exposure and impact”...

Read more: http://horsetalk.co.nz/2015/08/29/nz-endurance-championships-two-days/#ixzz3kOw69ySJ

Canadians Capture Three Medals at 2015 North American Endurance Team Challenge

Horse-canada.com - Full Article

August 28, 2015
by: Equine Canada

Canadian endurance athletes captured a total of three medals at the 2015 North American Endurance Team Challenge (NAETC), held August 21, 2015 at Cayuse Creek Ranch in Millbrook, ON.

Canada fielded five teams for the 2015 NAETC, which is an FEI sanctioned endurance competition held bi-annually, and attracting competitors from Canada, Mexico and the United States.

In the senior division, featuring a CEI 2* 120km race, the North East Mid Atlantic Menace Team from the U.S. took gold, while the Canada East A Team finished silver, followed by the U.S. Central Team in bronze...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/horse-news/canadians-capture-three-medals-at-2015-north-american-endurance-team-challenge/

Great Britain: Future equine stars showcase potential at Tall Trees futurity

Westernmorningnews.co.uk - Full Story

Westcountry breeders exhibited their most promising young horses at the Tall Trees Baileys Horse Feeds/British Breeding/British Equestrian Federation (BEF) futurity on Friday, August 7.

The BEF Futurity Evaluation series aims to identify British-bred potential sport horses and ponies destined for national and international careers in dressage, eventing, showjumping or endurance...

Read more: http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/Future-equine-stars-showcase-potential-Tall-Trees/story-27694144-detail/story.html#ixzz3k7X86ivj

Former Calgary journalist finishes world's longest horse race with wealth of memories

Calgaryherald.com - Full Article

CLARA HO, CALGARY HERALD
Published on: August 25, 2015

Liz Brown battled a chest infection, survived a wild-dog chase and endured aches and pains as she rode through weather that ranged from bone-chilling to scorching hot.

But as she crossed the finish line at the 7th annual Mongol Derby, billed as the world’s longest horse race, she was filled with an overwhelming feeling of pride.

“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” said Brown, a former Calgary journalist now living in Toronto, in a phone interview Tuesday. “It was amazing, kind of indescribable … I’m still trying to wrap my head around it.”

Brown was among the 40 riders who set off on Aug. 5 to take part in the gruelling race, which recreates Genghis Khan’s ancient horse messenger system, used for rapid intelligence gathering and communication...

Read more here:
http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/former-calgary-journalist-finishes-worlds-longest-horse-race-with-wealth-of-memories

Tucsonan Tanaka breaks down Mongol Derby experience

Tucson.com - Full Article

August 23, 2015 7:40 pm • By Jon Gold

Leave it to someone like Michelle Tanaka to return from a journey like the Mongol Derby only to be disappointed she had no broken bones.

In late July, we previewed Tanaka’s incredible journey to the epic, long-distance horse race over the Mongolian steppe, and it was just as Tanaka expected it to be: painful, exhilarating, exhausting and, well, epic. We caught up with her this week after she finished tied for third in the 1,000-mile journey.

So, you’re back in one piece?

A: “I am back in one piece. Never once came off a horse, no injuries. Nothing bad happened. It was intense, it was painful, but mostly it was so fun.”

Describe the pain.

A: “The last leg, the fourth leg of the second day, I was just in so much pain. I just could not have imagined it. You know it’s going to be the worst pain you ever felt, but it was just so painful and you have to keep going...”

Read more here:
http://tucson.com/sports/tucsonan-tanaka-breaks-down-mongol-derby-experience/article_99b6a848-8b03-57cc-a943-fe926dfb69ba.html

65 Starters in the 2015 Shahzada

August 24 2015

65 horses and riders, including 4 Juniors, started the 400-km, 5-day Shahzada endurance marathon in St Albans, New South Wales, Australia, on Monday, August 24. 60 riders completed the first day.

67 horse and rider combinations are on the start list for the 120-km, 3-day mini-marathon which begins today.

The ultimate test of endurance horsemanship, a horse and rider earn a Shahzada buckle only if they complete all 400 kilometers over 5 days and are judged fit to continue at the end.