A Look Back: Spain's 2008 Al Andalus 10-day Endurance Ride - Part I: The Travels

by Steph Teeter-Endurance.net

Tierras de Al-Andalus - the lands of Andalucia - a 10 day endurance adventure - is the genius of Jose Manuel Soto. He is one of Spain's cherished singers, with a passion for life, a love of his land, an eye for adventure and a reverence for the horse. His dream, and his ability to put together a team of people capable of 'making it happen' gave us the opportunity to experience the beauty and variety of Andalucia on horseback.

The trails were challenging and scenic, traversing historic sites, mountain passes, village streets, beautiful Atlantic beaches...

We stayed in hotels nestled in historic towns, were hosted by different communities with their own styles and traditions.

And the people of Andalucia are warm and friendly, passionate, quick to laugh and smile...Does it get any better?!

Come With Us On The Journey!


Part I: The Travels

March 26-27, 2008

29 hours since we left Oreana. It was cool and gray and sprinkling in the desert on the drive to the airport, snow on the ground and cold in Minneapolis, very cold and gray in Amsterdam, windy and much warmer in Madrid (though the Taxi driver who took us from the airport to the train station said 'hace frio!' (it's cold!), and finally we arrived in Seyville at 8pm to a pleasant 20C (70 F)!

We're staying at the Hotel Occidental tonight, will meet up with everybody tomorrow and go to the start of the event at 'Dos Hermanas'.

I talked to Paco on the phone a couple times - he had to go up north to get the new horse van, which was supposed to be delivered a couple days ago... but instead he'll be driving all night to bring it down and then pick up the horses and bring them to the ride. He has 3 horses - a stallion which he will try to ride all 8 days, another horse that I think Paul Jeffrey will ride (Paul and Madonna arrive from New Zealand tomorrow) and a mare which I will ride on alternate days. At least that is the plan!


Merri and I had a pretty easy trip except for the last part having to lug our luggage around from airport to train station to hotel. No matter how hard I try I simply can't pack light. And I decided to bring my own saddle this time (it's a lot easier to think about riding a new horse when I at least have a saddle I'm comfortable with!) - so I have 2 huge suitcases, one with clothes and stuff, the other with saddle and riding gear. Plus a hefty carry-on bag with computer and camera equipment. Merri packed more respectably with one suitcase (but it was still heavy!) and her back pack with camera stuff and raven.

We actually did pretty well since all the suitcases had wheels, and the cobblestones weren't too bad, just one tense moment when Merri boldly stepped on to the escalator up to the trains station wheeling 2 suitcases behind her and they jammed at the entry point and wouldn't go further and she was already on the moving track having to run backwards cause she didn't want to let go of the handles and I was laughing so hard I could barely help her and I'm not sure how it all resolved, but the suitcases did manage to break loose and we did make it to the top but we were both laughing helplessly and our final exit off the escalator wasn't very graceful either...

So, we're now settled in at the hotel (we had to do one more suitcase trek from the train station to the hotel but it went pretty smoothly) with WiFI, a hot shower and then we'll take a late (Spanish style) dinner downstairs before a very welcome sleep!

hasta mayana!

The extraordinary tale of an Aussie who just completed the ‘world’s toughest horse race’

FoxSports.com.au - Full Story

March 27, 2020 1:00pm
CHRISTY DORAN@christypdoran
Source: FOX SPORTS

At 2:10pm on March 7, 32-year-old Australian veterinarian Campbell Costello was drinking tea on the banks of the Rio Mayer with Argentinian locals when a menacing black cloud started to build down the valley towards the Chilean border.
Just over an hour later, emergency services were deployed.

“There’s a lake and the descent from this lake down through the mountains is quite treacherous, which was made even more treacherous by some really bad weather, we got smashed by a blizzard which resulted in multiple riders’ kit failing,” Costello says.

“I was sitting on a lookout, on a mountain overlooking the Chilean border with some locals drinking some tea and we were watching this storm build up in the background and I said, ‘Pardon my ignorance, but that doesn’t look good?’

“To which they ‘concurred’.

“Sure enough, my satellite phone went off and there were multiple distress calls up in the mountain from crew needing evacuation.”

Welcome to the inaugural Gaucho Derby, a 500 kilometre horse race run over 10 days known as the ‘world’s toughest horse race’...

Read more here:
https://www.foxsports.com.au/horse-racing/the-extraordinary-tale-of-an-aussie-who-just-completed-the-worlds-toughest-horse-race/news-story/a1e074c7cb067ad2344e551a501d23dc

Endurance GB Announces Extended Ride Cancellation Period

Everythinghorseuk.co.uk - Full Article

Endurance News :: Everything Horse
27/03/2020 - ehuknews

The Board of the Endurance GB has announced an extended ride cancellation period due to the Government’s isolation procedures. In light of the notification the board have decided to extend the period until mid-June.

Endurance GB had previously cancelled all rides to the end of May. The extension to mid June was announced in a member-wide email this morning (27/03/2020) from Chair Phil Nunnerley and Vice-Chair, Esther Young.

The cancellation affects the RiderCise® Southern Championships and all other classes at Three Rivers (6-7 June) as well as Thoresby, Three Shires, Cwm Sirhowi and Wirral...

Read more here:
https://everythinghorseuk.co.uk/endurance-gb-announces-extended-ride-cancellation-period/

FEI warns Endurance officials for failing in their duty

HorseSport.com - Full Article

Three senior officials have been disciplined under the new FEI system after a catalogue of complaints about their running of Saudi Arabia’s richest ride.

By: Pippa Cuckson | March 26, 2020

Well-known officials on the global endurance circuit have received formal warnings from the FEI for failing to comply with their “duties and obligations” at the showcase 120km CEI 2* in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, on February 1. The ground jury president at the same event is also facing disciplinary proceedings.

They are the first officials disciplined through the FEI’s new Administrative Disciplinary Procedure which applied from January 1, following complaints about their work at the event which boasted 3.6 million Euros prize fund.

Chief steward Fernando Carrillo of Spain – who was foreign judge at the 2018 World Equestrian Games – received a formal warning and was briefly suspended until he had attended a refresher seminar, while the technical delegate, Jordan’s Nasri Rashid Nowar, received a formal warning.

Those two admitted the offence. However, any wrongdoing has been denied by ground jury president Ramon Lopez Lax, also from Spain. He now faces further proceedings: the FEI legal department is recommending a three-month suspension...

Read more and see video here:
https://horsesport.com/horse-news/fei-warns-endurance-officials-failing-duty/

Ana Whitehead: New Zealand's Young Endurance Talent

FEI.org - Full Story

25 March 2020

Ana Whitehead is the world’s best young Endurance athlete, holding the No.1 position in the Young Rider world rankings since the start of the year.

The New Zealander, who will turn 18 years old in May, developed an interest in long-distance riding at a young age and is planning on travelling the world to hone her skills and enjoy new and exciting trails when she completes school later this year.

Here we speak to Ana about her love of the sport, her magical and tough horses and what the future holds for her…

“I have grown up around horses ever since I was little. I live on a sheep and beef hill country farm about an hour from the nearest town,” she says.

“Endurance is a sport that the whole family can be a part of and I think that through the support that I receive I’m able to thrive and work to achieve my goals...”

Read more here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/equestrian-endurance-ana-whitehead-new-zealand-2020

Hunting helps British women conquer the Gaucho Derby

Horseandhound.co.uk - Full Article

Becky Murray
23 March, 2020 18:47

The skills instilled by hunting experience came to the fore in the inaugural Gaucho Derby – a 10-day, 500km “race” across the wilds of Patagonia run by the founders of the Mongol Derby.

Not only is the winner, Marie Griffis, heavily involved with the Big Sky Hounds in Montana, USA, but all the three British riders who finished in the top 10 of the 23 starters have strong connections to hunting.

Clare King, who was second, hunts with the VWH and has twice won the Old Berks hunt race on the ex-racehorse Ravens Brook. And joint sixth – although actually first across the finishing line – were Ledbury joint-master Louise Daly and Laura Redvers, wife of Louise’s joint-master David.

“It was a serious adventure,” said Clare, who has so far raised £8,000 of her £10,000 target for the Children’s Cancer and Leukemia Group.

“Was it fun? Absolutely, in retrospect! Scrambling up steep mountains, getting stuck in bogs and being wet, cold and lost in the middle of nowhere wasn’t exactly fun at the time, but it all made for a real adventure. The horses, scenery and great bunch of riders were fantastic, and wouldn’t we all just love to be a real Gaucho!..."

Read more here:
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/hunting-helps-british-women-conquer-the-gaucho-derby-710640

Claire King comes second in the ultra-endurance multi-horse race - The Gaucho Derby

Richard Dunwoody photo
SwindonAdvertiser.co.uk - Full Article

23 March 2020
By Jonathan Leighfield @JonnyLeighfield
Sports reporter

WILTSHIRE’S Clare King picked up silver in the ‘world’s toughest horse race’, The Gaucho Derby.

In early March, King took on 23 other riders from around the world in an ultra-endurance multi-horse race that crossed the mountains of Patagonia and the Gauchos in South America.

Though she narrowly missed out on the title, experienced rider King showed why she had picked up a third in the Mongol Derby in 2013 with some exceptional survival skills and a true determination to run eventual winner, Marie Griffis, extremely close.

Explaining the multitude of skills a person needs to be successful in this race, as well as the Gaucho culture she experienced, King said: “Every single decision affects your adventure and in turn your survival..."

Read more here:
https://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/sport/18329297.claire-king-comes-second-ultra-endurance-multi-horse-race---gaucho-derby/