2018 World Equestrian Games athletes meet fans in Landrum

Goupstate.com - Full Article

By Chris Lavender
Staff Writer
September 7 2018

Jenny Champion of New Zealand is eager to compete in next week’s World Equestrian Games at the Tryon International Equestrian Center.

She and with other members from her team will compete in the endurance competition Wednesday. Champion was among several of the games’ athletes who met with fans Friday at an event at the Landrum Depot, just 14 miles from where the games will take place in Mill Spring, N.C. The opening ceremonies are Tuesday night, which features a free concert at 6 p.m. featuring country music artist Hunter Hayes.

The games are expected to draw 500,000 people to the region and pump $400 million into the regional economy. Champion said excitement continues to build among the athletes.

“We arrived about two weeks ago in Shelby,” she said. “The fans have been just so fantastic so far, and it’s been overwhelming. We are lucky just to be here...”

Read more here:
http://www.goupstate.com/news/20180907/2018-world-equestrian-games-athletes-meet-fans-in-landrum

WEG will be a tick-free zone

Tryondailybulletin.com - Full Article

By Leah Justice
September 7 2018

FEI veterinarian: No way disease will spread to local horses

COLUMBUS — While some have expressed concern over more than 60 horses coming to the World Equestrian Games who have tested positive for a tick-borne disease, WEG officials say they have taken every precaution and then some to ensure the local horse population is protected.

To answer questions of if equine piroplasmosis could be spread to local horses, Tryon International Equestrian Center Chief Operating Officer Sharon Decker brought Fédération Equestre Internationale Veterinary Director Göran Akerström, of Switzerland, to Tuesday night’s county commissioner meeting.

Akerström said there are 63 horses total who have tested positive for equine piroplasmosis and 39 of those are scheduled to run in the endurance race on Wednesday. The endurance race is a 100-mile course, with the trails going through private property.

Akerström explained the process of testing, saying all horses are tested 30 days before arrival. He said if a horse on the same flight tests negative as horses that tested positive, the negative horses are also treated, just to be sure...

Read more here:
https://www.tryondailybulletin.com/2018/09/07/weg-will-be-a-tick-free-zone/

In my mind I’m gone to Carolina, for WEG

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

September 8, 2018
Neil Clarkson

To quote the talented song writer, James Taylor, “I’m gone to Carolina in my mind.”

Yes folks, the final hours are counting down to the opening of the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in North Carolina.

My Facebook feed has been serving up images of friends wending their way across the planet for the latest incarnation of the Games, which will run from September 10-23.

It is only the second time that WEG has been held in North America, after Lexington, Kentucky, hosted the event with considerable success in 2010.

We cynical types tend to take a different view of the FEI’s showcase event, held every four years.

It’s not that I don’t enjoy seeing the world’s finest riders and horses vying for the title of world champion in their respective disciplines.

But WEG always has a habit of throwing up some great curveballs...

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2018/09/08/in-my-mind-carolina-weg/

Endurance at WEG: What You Need to Know

FEI.org

Who will be the partnerships with the speed and stamina to secure Endurance glory at the FEI World Equestrian Games?

Endurance tests the partnership between horses and riders over a marked 160 km course.

Speed and stamina of the horse and rider are challenged as they use pace and navigation skills while racing against the clock. Endurance riders use the slogan, To Finish Is To Win, priding themselves on the fitness of their horses over the course.

The WEG endurance competition is Wednesday, September 12 on the grounds of the Tryon International Equestrian Center and the surrounding area, utilising private land. An elite field of competitors will challenge for team and individual medals, and you can watch it unfold on FEI TV on Wednesday, Sep 12, with the winners to be crowned at around 8.30pm EST (2.30am CET).

Who are the favourites to make the podium in Tryon?

Spain is looking to defend their team gold from the 2014 WEG. Maria Mercedes Alvarez Ponton and teammate Jaume Punti-Dachs both have Individual and Team medals to their names, and are looking to lead their team to another gold.

France and Switzerland earned silver and bronze respectively in 2014 and want to move up the podium. At least 15 riders from eight countries – Ireland, US, Sweden, Great Britain, United Arab Emirates, Spain and Lithuania – furthered their preparation by competing at the WEG test event in April.

Riders from Mexico were training in the mountains of Vermont, Bermuda’s rider competed in North Carolina, and New Zealand’s riders arrived early to acclimate their horses.

Hamdan Bin Mohd Al Maktoum (UAE), Marijke Visser (NED), and Abdulrahman Saad A.s Al Sulaiteen (QAT) won Individual gold, silver, and bronze at the 2014 WEG and are representing their countries again. Penny Toft of Australia is competing in her fifth WEG and is part of a talented Aussie team.

Equestrian fans will also be excited to see teen sensation Pilar Saravia of Uruguay, as well as Bermuda's Marvin Brangman, an ordained minister who only took up the sport in 2015.

Many steps are taken to ensure the safety of the horses during these challenging races.

Mandatory veterinary checks take place between each of the five phases. Horses must be presented to the team of veterinarians with a heart rate of 64 bpm or lower, and pass lameness and metabolic exams.

They have a timed rest period before starting the next phase. Crews assist horses and riders at the checks and designated places on the course. Treatment veterinarians are also available for horses.

What about the 160km course?

Sue Phillips (USA) designed the course and is a four-star technical delegate, course designer, judge, and FEI steward. She also designed the course for the April test event.

Trails are nestled amongst the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and a mixture of dirt, sand, and crushed stone dust. Technical aspects of the course will limit speed. Trails have been groomed to ensure safety, clearing all rocks, holes and tree limbs.

Tune into FEI TV to watch the WEG Endurance competition from 7am - 8.30pm CET on Wednesday, Sep 12...

Endurance Veterinary Conference held this Sunday, before WEG in Tryon

Equimanagement.com

The second International Veterinary Endurance Conference (IVEC) will take place September 9 before WEG Tryon 2018.

EDITED PRESS RELEASE
SEP 7, 2018

The second International Veterinary Endurance Conference (IVEC) will take place this Sunday, September 9, just before the endurance race of the World Equestrian Games in Tryon, USA. Around 100 veterinarians and other endurance professionals will get together for a full day of presentations. Topics include myopathies, pre-purchase exams, assessing conditioning, and statistically based race strategies. The program will end with a round table on the difference between traditional and modern endurance.

IVEC is organized before every biannual world championship, providing the international endurance community with the latest research in the sport. Speakers from all FEI groups are represented in the program.

Organizer and initiator of IVEC Monica Mira said, "I am very excited about our the second IVEC conference this Sunday. We have registrations from people from all over the world, of course from the US and Europe, but also from China, Costa Rica, Uruguay and South Africa to name just a few. An incredible number of sponsors are supporting us, including Merck, Haras Albar and Ameira Endurance. Our program for Sunday really is world class with top scientists from the endurance veterinary world. One of the speakers this year will be Stephanie Valberg from the USA, the most renowned veterinarian in the field of muscle pathology."


The conference will be live streamed, and it will be possible to access the video coverage and presentations via the IVEC website after the conference. Anyone interested in this should "like" the IVEC Facebook page to be informed when the information is available to download.

The first IVEC took place in Samorin (Slovakia) in 2016, and feedback from many of the nearly 100 attendees, including veterinarians, scientists, trainers, riders, breeders, was overwhelmingly positive "A unique opportunity to learn and share highest level knowledge and latest research," said one attendee.

You can find the IVEC Conference program at http://ivec.info/#schedule and the latest news at https://www.facebook.com/IVEC-671441803004100/

Canada: Fort rider heading to World Equestrian Games

Fortsaskatchewanrecord.com - Full Article

Jeff Labine
Published on: September 7, 2018

Being able to compete with Team Canada at the World Equestrian Games is a dream come true for Colleen DeVry.

“I’m very, very excited,” the 52-year-old told The Record. “It has been a dream of mine for many years.”

The local endurance horse rider was one of four chosen out of a possible 23 nominations to represent the country at the prestigious event, which is being held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Spring, N.C. The event, which runs from Sept. 11 to Sept. 23, features a long-distance endurance race where competitors will trek across 160 kilometres. The fastest team able to get across that distance wins but the catch is the horses have to be in good condition. DeVry and the rest of Team Canada will all set out at the same time to do the 160 kilometres and their combined points will be their overall score...

Read more here:
https://www.fortsaskatchewanrecord.com/sports/local-sports/fort-rider-heading-to-world-equestrian-games

WEG Endurance Riding on NBCSN

ENDURANCE RIDING ON NBCSN (and the NBC Sports app) --

Endurance team and individual coverage from the FEI World Equestrian Games is scheduled to begin at 8:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, September 12. 

If you are interested, you can cheer on AERC members competing in the WEG from your home (or wherever you happen to be with the app). 

For more info about all WEG programming, see: http://nbcsportsgrouppressbox.com/2018/09/06/nbc-sports-presents-nearly-65-hours-of-fei-world-equestrian-games-tryon-2018-coverage-beginning-wednesday-sept-12/