South Africa: NSPCA lashes Eastern Cape extreme horse race over ‘exploitation of animals’

DispatchLive.co.za - Full Article

By Matthew Savides - 31 October 2018

The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) said this week a 350km horse race through the Wild Coast region of the Eastern Cape “should not happen” over concerns that the animals were being exploited and that the vets employed to monitor the animals were not suitably qualified.

But the race’s organisers have hit back‚ not just denying the claims made in the NSPCA’s statement but also claiming that the statement’s contents were “very different” from comments made after the race.

In a statement on Monday‚ the NSPCA said that it had monitored the “Race the Wild Coast” endurance event‚ which took place from October 16. The race takes four to five days to complete.

“Four horses had to be disqualified due to injuries sustained during the race‚” said Arno de Klerk‚ the NSPCA’s special projects manager.

“The race organisers had employed six veterinarians‚ not all of whom had equine experience. There were concerns surrounding the conduct of some of the veterinarians which may have impacted on their ability to thoroughly examine the animals.

“The terrain was also inaccessible by vehicles and the only way to assess the conditions would be by helicopter. However‚ any lameness or welfare issues would be difficult to see from the air. This made instant intervention impossible and the only time that the horses could be properly assessed by anyone was at the various veterinary check stations...”

Read more here:
https://www.dispatchlive.co.za/news/2018-10-31-nspca-lashes-eastern-cape-extreme-horse-race-over-exploitation-of-animals/

Mongol Derby: The Ride of Her Life

Jocelyn Pierce (right) riding with Michael Turner in Mongolia. Photo courtesy of Mongol Derby.

BethesdaMagazine.com - Full Story

A Rockville woman recently finished the Mongol Derby, known as the longest and toughest horse race in the world
BY CARALEE ADAMS | Published: 2018-10-29

As soon as Jocelyn Pierce finished her first pony ride at the age of 2, she got back in line for another turn. She started riding lessons when she was 4 and had her own horse by the time she was 10. Pierce competed in jumping and dressage events while growing up in Massachusetts and was on the riding team at Otterbein University in Ohio, where she minored in equine science and got a degree in international studies.

After moving to Rockville in 2015, Pierce continued to ride as a hobby. An associate editor at Practical Horseman magazine in Frederick, she is immersed in the horse world professionally. This past August, she saddled up for a new challenge: the Mongol Derby, dubbed the longest and toughest horse race in the world. From a pool of about 200 hopefuls, she was one of 44 riders selected for the endurance event, in which riders trek across about 600 miles of rugged terrain in Mongolia over the span of about a week to 10 days.

Pierce, 31, followed the Mongol Derby for years but had never participated in an endurance race and didn’t even consider applying until August 2017, after one of her colleagues competed in it. “I was hooked by the adventure, the competition, and was intrigued with how the Mongolian people have a huge history and connection to the horse,” says Pierce...

Read more here:
https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-magazine/november-december-2018/the-ride-of-her-life-2/

Room for improvement in event biosecurity, says FEI’s Veterinary Committee

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

October 29, 2018
Horsetalk.co.nz

Multiple areas where biosecurity can be improved at events have been identified by the FEI Veterinary Committee.

The committee, in its annual report released ahead of the annual FEI General Assembly in Bahrain next month, noted that several outbreaks of equine herpesvirus had occurred during the year and had even led to the cancellation of events.

The FEI’s Veterinary Department had monitored the situation with national head veterinarians and other horse industry stakeholders, and had also communicated guidelines.

“Further to the outbreaks, the Veterinary Department has evaluated six events from a biosecurity perspective and come to the conclusion that there are multiple needs for improvements to ensure a high level of biosecurity,” it said...

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2018/10/29/room-improvement-event-biosecurity-fei/

Endurance ended 2017 with worst record of drug infractions among disciplines

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

October 26, 2018
Horsetalk.co.nz

Endurance had the worst record of drug infractions among the major disciplines during 2017, figures show.

Drug-testing figures for the various disciplines are contained in the one-page Clean Sport Report, released ahead of the FEI’s annual General Assembly in Bahrain on November 20.

Jumping had the most number of samples taken for analysis during the year, at 2517, with 38 positives recorded, which represents 1.5% of all jumping tests.

Endurance had 898 samples taken, which returned 43 positive tests, or 4.8% of all tests within the discipline...

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2018/10/26/endurance-2017-worst-record-drug-infractions-disciplines/

No Doping Positives at FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018; Two Contrlled Medication Cases

Inside.FEI.org

25 Oct 2018

The FEI has announced that there were no doping positives among the 163 horses tested at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018. Samples taken from two Endurance horses have tested positive for Controlled Medication substances. Controlled Medication substances are those that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition.

Human anti-doping testing was also carried out in Tryon, in conjunction with the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). There were no positives from 92 samples taken from athletes at the Games.

Samples taken on 11 September from the horse Mora Inocente (FEI ID 103TG88/ARG), ridden by Pablo De Los Heros (FEI ID 10017972/ARG) have returned positive for the corticosteroid Dexamethasone.

Samples taken on 11 September from the horse El Pangue Ciromagnum (FEI ID 104AV29/CHI), ridden by Raimundo Undurraga Mujica (FEI ID 10063169/CHI), have returned positive for the corticosteroid Triamcinolone Acetonide.

Controlled Medication positives at the FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) or the Olympic and Paralympic Games are not eligible for the FEI administrative (fast-track) procedure, so these two cases will be heard by the FEI Tribunal. And, as these cases involve only a single Controlled Medication substance, there is no mandatory provisional suspension of the Person Responsible (PR).

Enhanced anti-doping measures were rolled out in advance of Tryon 2018 as part of the FEI’s Clean Sport campaign, with National Federations being offered two types of anti-doping testing so that they could ensure horses were clean: pre-arrival testing (PAT) and elective testing. PAT (available for both the FEI World Equestrian Games™ and the Olympic and Paralympic Games) detects prohibited substances, with no limit to the number of substances tested for. Elective testing is for Controlled Medications only and is limited to four substances.

The FEI also launched the FEI Clean Sport Guide in eight languages ahead of Tryon 2018.

“Clean sport is an absolute must for the FEI and we are very encouraged by the absence of any positives for Banned Substances and that all human tests came back negative from last month’s Games”, FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said. “While of course we cannot overlook the two Controlled Medication positives, overall the outcome is evidence that the awareness campaign conducted prior to Tryon, the opportunity for our National Federations to test their horses before departure and, on the human anti-doping side, our excellent cooperation with the United States Anti-Doping Agency all had a positive impact.

“These two positives show that our testing programme works, but even though these are not doping substances, athletes should be aware that treatments from the Controlled Medications list must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. It is clear that we need to work even harder to get the message across that clean sport and a level playing field are non-negotiable.”

WATCH: Rosie Riall wins wildest horse race in the world in South Africa

SouthCoastHerald.co.za - Full Article

During Race the Wild Coast, the constantly changing conditions due to rain and wind on the first two days resulted in frequent alterations to the leader positions. Horse and rider had to work together to overcome obstacles.

October 22 2018

Young UK-based rider Rosie Riall triumphed as the winner of the second Race the Wild Coast endurance horse race, crossing the finish line at the Kei Mouth ahead of 13 other international competitors to take home the honours.

Race the Wild Coast, which is sponsored by international apparel brand KTC and supported by Striped Horse craft beer, is a new breed of long-distance horse racing set along the aptly named Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape. This year’s race was staged from October 16 to 19.

The race is organised by South African company Rockethorse Racing, which launched its first event in 2016. This complex, multi-stage race covers 350km of untamed wilderness and includes river and estuary crossings, narrow cliff-top tracks, rocky paths, beach runs, and often adverse weather conditions – earning it the moniker of “the wildest horse race in the world”. From a technical perspective, it is certainly one of the most challenging endurance races in existence...

More story and photos here:
https://southcoastherald.co.za/323404/watch-rosie-riall-wins-wildest-horse-race-world/

South Africa: Wildest horse race in the world ends in thrilling fashion

Sport24.co.za - Full Article

2018-10-22 15

Cape Town - Young UK-based rider Rosie Riall triumphed in the second-ever Race the Wild Coast endurance horse race, crossing the finish line at the Kei Mouth ahead of 13 other international competitors.

Race the Wild Coast, which is sponsored by international apparel brand KTC and supported by Striped Horse craft beer, is a new breed of long-distance horse racing set along the aptly named Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

The race was organised by South African company Rockethorse Racing, which launched its first event in 2016. This complex, multi-stage race covers 350km of untamed wilderness and includes river and estuary crossings, narrow cliff-top tracks, rocky paths, beach runs, and often adverse weather conditions - earning it the moniker of “the wildest horse race in the world”. From a technical perspective, it is certainly one of the most challenging endurance races in existence.

Says race organiser and co-founder Barry Armitage of Rockethorse Racing: “This year’s race was certainly tough and it’s an achievement just to finish. We congratulate all our riders who traversed the rugged paradise that is South Africa’s Wild Coast. And we take our racing cap off to the winner. It was a tight finish, but Rosie pipped her mate Anna Boden to the line due to strategy, determination, sheer grit and excellent horsemanship!”...

Read more here:
https://www.sport24.co.za/OtherSport/South-Africa/wildest-horse-race-in-the-world-ends-in-thrilling-fashion-20181022