Mongolia: Gobi Gallop 2020 Screenings Begin in July

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (April 30, 2019) - Do you have what it takes to become one of a Magnificent Ten? Like Kurosawa’s intrepid characters on a noble mission, the Veloo Foundation’s Gobi Gallop pairs 10 riders, screened from 100s of applicants from around the world with Mongolian horses and guides, and gives them 10 days, riding 8-14 hours daily, to traverse 700 kilometers (435 miles) of the wild Mongolian Steppes before concluding with an annual Gobi Gallop Gala.

Julie Veloo, founder of the Veloo Foundation, estimates the continued success since 2013 of the world’s longest charity horseback ride has raised more than $450 thousand dollars for orphans and disadvantaged children in the developing world, and supports operation of Narnii Huuhduud Kindergarten (Children of the Peak Sanctuary Project), serving 150 children from impoverished families who scavenge Ulaanbaatar garbage heaps to survive.

Gobi Gallop rider screenings begin in July and are finalized by October. Fully 50% of each rider entrance fee goes to help three- to five-year-olds entering the charity kindergarten.

Are you warrior enough for the longest annual charity horseback ride on earth? Apply now at www.horsetrekmongolia.com/gobi-gallop and learn more about sponsorships at www.veloofoundation.com.

Australia: Close to 200 entries at Table Top Endurance

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

28 April 2019
Race Report made with the assistance of Tahlia Franke

Oso Arabians, New South Wales, Australia. 19, 20 and 21 April 2019. With close to 200 entries over the weekend Table Top Endurance hosted their third event. The ride was held in southern New South Wales, Australia, at Oso Arabians.

Oso is an Arabian breeding and training facility that specialises in endurance while still demonstrating the versatility of the Arabian horse for other disciplines. The ride was run mainly over undulating farmland and around the Hume Weir. National and FEI events were held, ranging from 40km-120km. All events over 80km run under FEI VGIH rules. This was the first of Australia’s FEI events for the year, giving the opportunity to continue FEI qualifications for horses and riders including those aiming for future championship events. The ride also had an international feels with riders not only from 4 states of Australia but also from Belgium, Hong Kong, Iraq, Scotland and Switzerland...

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/close-to-200-entries-at-table-top-endurance/

France: Close finish racing in Lignières

Endurance-world.com - Full Article

26 April 2019
Race Report made with the assistance of Lignieres Endurance

Pole du cheval et de l’ane, Lignières, France. Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 April 2019. The second CEI 3* of the French 2019 calendar, took place last weekend at Lignières in Central France.

The venue has become an established destination for FEI riders under the watchful eye of Christelle Mafille and the Ecurie de Minuit.

The 6-loop CEI 160km was fiercely contended by seven combinations, five of them French. The weather conditions were hot for this time of year and there was a windstorm halfway through the afternoon to further test the combinations!

At the first vet gate, the riders were very close and Julia Montagne took the lead in the first loop with a speed of 18.7km/h, however by the end of the second loop Daniel Thepault moved up into first place where he remained for the rest of the ride...

Read more here:
http://endurance-world.com/close-finish-racing-in-lignieres/

Mother-daughter duo win New Zealand endurance horse riding titles

Stuff.co.nz - Full Article

Jane Matthews
14:44, Apr 23 2019

Pip Mutch was born and bred on what she calls the best hills for horse riding - maybe that's why it's a family affair.

Mutch has been named the New Zealand Endurance Horse Riding Champion after a 160 kilometre, nearly-11 hour ride at the national competition in Taupō at the weekend.

She said the achievement had taken taken decades of work with her mother, and now her daughter...

Read more here:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/taranaki-daily-news/news/112203357/motherdaughter-duo-win-new-zealand-endurance-horse-riding-titles

Saudi Arabia: Prohibited substance case under FEI anti-doping rules

Inside.FEI.org

17 Apr 2019

The FEI has announced a new adverse analytical finding (AAF) involving an equine prohibited substance. The case involves a *Banned Substance under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).

The athlete has been provisionally suspended as both Person Responsible and Trainer from the date of notification until the FEI Tribunal renders its decision. The horse has been provisionally suspended for two months from the date of notification.

Horse: Tra Duncan (FEI ID 104CE66/KSA)
Person Responsible: Mohamed AL JABERI (FEI ID 10063829/ KSA)
Trainer: Mohamed AL JABERI (FEI ID 10063829/KSA)
Event: CEI1* 110 - Al Qaseem (KSA), 09.03.2019
Prohibited Substance(s): Diisopropylamine
Date of Notification: 11 April 2019

Details on this case can be found here.

Endurance advocacy group welcomes reform proposals for discipline

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

April 20, 2019 Horsetalk.co.nz

Clean Endurance, a group which has pushed for reform to rein in cheating, doping and horse abuse within the discipline, says it welcomes the findings of the Endurance Temporary Committee (ETC).

The ETC was appointed by the FEI in October last year in a bid to find solutions to ongoing welfare issues and reputational damage to the discipline, much of it arising from the fast-style desert racing centred on the Gulf region.

It presented its extensive findings this week, on the second day of the FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Clean Endurance said in a statement that it was heartened by the FEI’s expression of its intent to move Endurance to a better place.

The group said cheating, welfare issues and drug use were still rife in Endurance...

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2019/04/20/endurance-group-reform-discipline/

The Heart(rate) Of The Matter: Endurance Committee Proposes Significant Changes At FEI Sports Forum

Chronofhorse.com - Full Article

By: Laura Lemon
Apr 18, 2019

“How do we shift the focus of endurance away from racing and more to completion and riding?” was the question at the heart of the endurance discussions at the 2019 FEI Sports Forum, held April 15-16 in Lausanne, Switzerland. In the hopes of pushing forward proposals that would help ground the discipline in its roots, the Sports Forum spent an unprecedented entire day devoted to a single topic.

After years of endurance turmoil, including many horse welfare issues and the cancellation of the championship at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games (North Carolina), the FEI Bureau announced that it had set up the Endurance Temporary Committee on Oct. 22, 2018, to assess the sport through an in-depth review of rules and research.

“We need to bring the discipline back to the principles of the FEI where welfare of the horse and horsemanship prevail,” said FEI President Ingmar De Vos at the time. “The temporary committee will conduct a thorough review of the discipline with the aim of getting back to real endurance riding, with the focus on horsemanship and partnership between horse and human. The sport has evolved, and there needs to be a recognition of that, but the essence of the sport must remain the same. What we need are rules that place greater emphasis on completion of the event, rather than the ‘win at all costs’ mentality that is more and more threatening our sport...”

Read more here:
https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/endurance-committee-proposes-changes-at-fei-sports-forum