Canada/Bromont 2018: Overdue Diligence

Horsecanada.com - Full Article

Cuckson Report | May 27, 2016
by Pippa Cuckson

In a long career you can’t remember every news story you ever wrote. However, one from the early 1990s sticks in my mind because it involved a conversation with Jacques Chirac, and it’s not often that a humble equestrian journalist gets her call put through to one of the most famous statesmen of his generation.

At the time M Chirac was the long-standing mayor of Paris. The reason I telephoned his office was because Paris had been awarded hosting rights for the 1994 World Equestrian Games, yet everything had gone awfully quiet aside from growing rumour there was no financial backing after all from the French capital….

Anyway, the gist is that when I explained I was asking about the Jeux Mondiales Equestre his immediate reaction was “what JEM?” Not only was M Chirac unaware of the notion of a WEG, JEM or anything else answering to that description, he was even more surprised to learn this enormous spectacle, at a time of year when Paris is already chock full of tourists, was supposedly being staged on his patch in three years’ time.

I can’t remember without looking it up exactly how the French bid unravelled thereafter, but 1994 ended up in The Hague, and I am pretty sure that if The Hague had been the first ever WEG the concept would have been trashed straight away.

Anyway, I had a strange sense of déjà vu reading recent coverage of the resignations of the five senior members of the Bromont JEM organising committee. A number of media had some of the departees blaming federal government for not coming up with an expected $8-9 million funding, claiming this in turn caused a loss of confidence in any other potential investors.

No one, though, seemed to have got the federal government’s point of view. It now seems neither Bromont, nor the FEI definitely said there was confirmed support from Ottawa at the time of the bid, but there is certainly an inference it had been promised soon after. So had Ottawa reneged on any deal? And if not, what might they have said to Bromont that could possibly have been interpreted as even a gesture of moral support?...

Read more here:
http://www.horse-canada.com/cuckson-report/overdue-diligence/

Dr Jane Greatorex wins the inaugural Scottish Horseshoe Endurance Ride

Lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk - Full Article

26 May 2016

Dr Jane Greatorex, Undergraduate Tutor & Fellow, wins the inaugural Scottish Horseshoe Endurance Ride. This endurance horse ride is 186 km ridden over 2 days (the longest distance ever achieved competitively in the UK) and includes 13,200 ft of climbing for horse and rider...

Read more here
http://www.lucy-cav.cam.ac.uk/news-blog/latest-news/dr-jane-greatorex-wins-the-inaugural-scottish-horseshoe-endurance-ride

Western Australia Endurance Riding Association season kicking off, welcomes riders of all abilities

Communitynews.com.au - Full Article

May 27th, 2016, 01:00AM
Written by Lynn Grierson

RIDERS of varying abilities are encouraged to learn more about an upcoming endurance event in the Avon Valley.

The WA Endurance Riding Association kicks off the season with a challenge on July 30 in Mokine, near Northam.

Co-ordinator Amanda Rayner said organisers were anticipating a big turnout due to the growing popularity of the event in the past two years.

“Local farmers have graciously opened up their properties for the running of this event,” she said.

“This will allow minimal travelling on gravel roads.”

She said the Kep Track and Spencers Brook heritage trail would also be used in the event.

The ride will comprise distances of 80km, 60km, 40km and 20km to cater for qualified endurance riders through to social, trail and pony club riders...

Read more here:
http://www.communitynews.com.au/hills-gazette/news/wa-endurance-riding-association-season-kicking-off-welcomes-riders-of-all-abilities/

Mongol Derby dream come true for ‘adventure junkie’

Langleytimes.com - Full Article

by Monique Tamminga - Langley Times
posted May 25, 2016

Racing 1,000 km through the Mongolian desert, riding wild horses in blazing heat — with a chance she’ll have to fight off packs of feral dogs — is everything Langley’s Heidi Telstad signed up for.

Lawyer by day and daredevil by night, 43-year-old Telstad is taking her love of extreme sports to the next level this August as the only Canadian accepted into the Mongol Derby.

“My family is used to me doing crazy things, often coming back with a broken hand, ribs, but I got some strange looks from my colleagues, some saying ‘I hope you make it back,’,” said the self-described “adventure junkie...”

Read more here:
http://www.langleytimes.com/news/380705951.html

Great Britain: BEF Futurity 2016 Dates and Venues

Everythinghorseuk.co.uk - Full Article

POSTED BY: ROBERTA COLL MAY 20, 2016

BEF Futurity 2016

The dates and venues for the 2016 Baileys Horse Feeds/British Breeding/BEF Futurity evaluation series have been announced. The Futurity evaluations aim to identify British bred young potential sport horses and ponies, destined for top level careers in dressage, eventing, show-jumping or endurance. The Futurity is fast becoming recognised as an important first step in the careers of many potential top level horses and provides a valuable marketing tool for breeders.

The 2016 Futurity evaluations will run from the 15th to the 31st August, covering 11 venues nationwide, with a total of 12 days of evaluations. Entries are taken online and will open on the 1st July 2016.

The Futurity is open to British bred horses and ponies with group ages for foals, yearlings, two and three year olds, and selects for the main disciplines of dressage, show jumping, eventing and endurance. Each horse or pony undergoes a vet’s assessment and is then evaluated in hand and loose in an indoor school. Three year olds entered into either the show jumping or eventing sections are required to loose jump.

The BEF’s Head of Equine Development Jan Rogers said:“Breeders, buyers and riders of British bred horses are increasingly finding that a Futurity premium is very useful in helping to assess these horses. We are also seeing a marked improvement in the standard of youngsters entered in the futurity, which is very good news for the future of British breeding”...

Read more here:
http://everythinghorseuk.co.uk/bef-futurity-2016-dates-venues/

Great Britain: Major sponsor announced for Euston Park endurance rides

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Eleanor Jones
15:09 - 19 May, 2016

Emirates has been confirmed as the major sponsor for endurance events at Euston Park this summer.

The airline is supporting rides of 80, 120 and 160km, on 28 May, 19 June and 13 August, which organisers hope will “attract a broad spread of leading international horses and riders”.

Nick Brooks-Ward, event director at The Hpower Group, said: “We are truly delighted that such a major global brand is supporting the 2016 endurance rides at Euston Park, and we hope the rides will become a regular fixture in the Endurance calendar.

“The backing of Emirates – which has a strong track record in major sporting event and equestrian sponsorship – will allow us to ensure that the competitors’ experience with us is a memorable one and we will also be able to provide great facilities for our spectators...

Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/major-sponsor-announced-euston-park-endurance-rides-536136#JBmz3DHezFJXJw0a.99

Could Australia succeed in hosting WEG in 2022?

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

Neil Clarkson | 18 May 2016

Even Queen Elizabeth admitted to enduring an annus horribilis – a horrible year – in the early 1990s, so it can happen to the best of us.

Australia’s quarantine service racked up its shocker in 2007. That was when the equine influenza virus escaped from its Eastern Creek quarantine station near Sydney, probably from an infected Japanese stallion.

Australia’s horses had never been exposed to equine influenza and the disease swept up through New South Wales and into southern Queensland. At its peak, 47,000 horses were infected across New South Wales alone.

It was a massive and impressive biosecurity effort that finally eliminated the virus from Australia.

The country then rejoined New Zealand and Iceland as the only nations free of the disease.

I am sure that staff at the headquarters of the Australian Quarantine Inspection Service were gripping their pencils tighter than usual yesterday when Equestrian Australia announced it was interested in hosting the World Equestrian Games in 2022.

If successful, the event could potentially draw up to 1000 horses to Australia’s shores to compete across the eight disciplines showcased at the FEI event...

Read more: http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2016/05/18/could-australia-host-weg-2022/#ixzz4978EyyDE