Seiichi Hasumi 1942-2023

Japanese Endurance rider/athlete and horse owner, Seiichi Hasumi, passed away from heart failure on December 14, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan. He was 80 years old, 8 days shy of his 81st birthday.

Hasumi-san started riding a horse first time at age 59 (2002) after watching a documentary film on TV about the Tevis Cup 100 Mile One Day Ride - Western State Trail Foundation. His very first Endurance ride was in October 2002 at Comstock Arabian Association Endurance Ride in Nevada (USA) with Limited Distance of 25 mile/40km. His last one was in November 2019 in Ito, Shizuoka (Japan) with CEN 80km.

Hasumi-san’s Endurance career (18 years, 2002 – 2019) was essentially cut short by the pandemic. During his career as a rider/athlete, Hasumi-san completed the Tevis Cup 8 consecutive times (2003 – 2011) and participated 4 FEI world championships (2005 WEC Dubai in UAE, 2008 WEC Terengganu in Malaysia, 2012 WEC Euston Park in England, and 2014 WEG Normandy in France). He was honoured by the Japan Equestrian Federation [JEF] for entering four horses in the 2010 World Equestrian Games [WEG] in Lexington, KY, USA.

Hasumi-san's USA AERC Endurance career spanned 12 seasons, with a record of 1555 miles, including 12 100-mile completions and 3 best Condition awards.

As a horse owner, he participated in 5 FEI world championships including 2010 WEG Kentucky (USA), 1 horse in 2005 WEC Dubai, 1 in 2008 WEC Terengganu, 4 in 2010 WEG Kentucky, 2 in 2012 WEC Euston Park, and 4 in 2014 WEG Normandy.

Under his vision, the Organizing Committee of Shining Moon Lake and Ito, Shizuoka in Japan has organized 46 CEI/FEI events between 2007 and 2019.

He was involved in the magazine and publishing industry, serving as president of the Takarajimasha company, which produces several titles in Japan.

For more on Hasumi-san’s Endurance career and the Endurance program in Japan, see the following two stories in 2006 and 2007 by Steph Teeter of Endurance.net.

-2006 October story: Endurance in Japan, http://www.endurance.net/japan/index.html -2007 June story: http://www.endurance.net/international/Japan/2007ShiningMoon/#results

Endurance GB bans the use of whips in elite competitions

EverythingHorseUK.co.uk - Full Article

by News Team
04/12/2023

Endurance GB, the national governing body for endurance riding in the UK, held its AGM at the Delta hotel in Warwick on Saturday 25th November.

Key elements of the AGM are board and member proposals to make change to the rules that govern the sport. These rule changes are voted on by the membership and ensure the sport remains agile and in touch with the environment in which it operates...

Read more here:
https://everythinghorseuk.co.uk/endurance-gb-bans-the-use-of-whips-in-elite-competitions/

FEI Endurance European Championship 2025 award to Castiglione Del Lago Italy

The decision was made by the FEI Board at the FEI Hybird General Assembly in Mexico City.

Castiglione del Lago is preparing to welcome the FEI Endurance European Championship on 6 September 2025, in a setting of breathtaking beauty like the one offered by the green heart of Italy. After the experience of the continental event organized in 2001, sistemaeventi.it will once again organize a new and exciting edition in 2025.

Double victory for sistemaeventi.it, which is experiencing one of the best moments in its history thanks to the awarding of the FEI Endurance European Championship 2025 in Castiglione del Lago (Pg) and the FEI Endurance World Championship 2026 in AlUla in Saudi Arabia. The dates to be circled in red are 6 September 2025 for the appointment in Umbria and 17 October 2026 for the one in the Saudi desert.

The Board of the FEI - International Equestrian Federation, which met on Saturday 18 November in Mexico City on the occasion of the FEI Hybrid General Assembly, chose the candidacies of Castiglione del Lago and AlUla to host the major international events of the 2025 and 2026 endurance calendar. Fully involved will be the sistemaeventi.it team, an Umbrian company led by CEO & Chairman Gianluca Laliscia, which for the European championship in Castiglione del Lago will act as a true organizing committee while for the AlUla World championship it will play the role of technical-sport partner supporting the organizing committee composed of the Saudi Arabian Equestrian Federation (SAEF) and the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU).

“The allocation of the World championship in AlUla and the European championship in Castiglione del Lago – states Gianluca Laliscia, Endurance World Champion – represent for sistemaeventi.it the culmination of 24 years of hard work, passion and commitment in the world of Endurance. For me and for my entire team, reaching this goal is a source of great satisfaction and a starting point for new and important challenges. I therefore wish to express my sincere gratitude to the Italian Equestrian Federation, the Saudi Equestrian Federation, the Royal Commission for AlUla, the Umbria Region and the Castiglione del Lago Municipality for their constant support, trust and full endorsement in carrying forward the two bids".

As of next year, the sistemaeventi.it staff will be largely involved in organizing the Test event of the European Championship in Castiglione del Lago; 2025 will instead be the year of the FEI Endurance European Championship in Umbria and the Test event for the World Championship in AlUla and then culminating with the world event in Saudi Arabia in 2026. Leading the now expert and consolidated team of sistemaeventi.it will be Gianluca Laliscia and Brian Colin Dunn, key figures in world Endurance.

The breathtakingly beautiful scenery offered by Umbria, the green heart of Italy, and Saudi Arabia will once again be united in a common path in the name of Endurance, which will allow the two regions and the two countries to be able to create even stronger links and synergies.

More information at:
https://www.sistemaeventi.it/news_show.php?idn=79

Results from the FEI Endurance Pan American Championships for Seniors, YR & Jrs in Llay Llay (CHI) available online

Inside.FEI.org

29 November 2023
Author: FEI Communications

Chilean athletes showcased exceptional performance in the Valparaíso region (CHI) competition, securing their dominance. Local contenders clinched an impressive three out of the four gold medals up for grabs. The Brazilian Young Riders & Juniors team, however, thwarted a potential clean sweep by Chile, securing the remaining gold medal.

Check the full podiums:

Individual Podium - Seniors

1° Martin Garcia Lazo / Si Quililche (CHI)
2° Lukas Buckel / Chella Angostura (CHI)
3° Jose Caio Frisoni / Stud Brasil Itajara (BRA)

Full results here

Team Podium - Seniors

1° Chile (Martin Garcia Lazo & Si Quililche / Lukas Buckel & Chella Angostura / Vicente Mayol & Alcazar Praga / Josefina Paz Maturana & Suffa / Cristobal Larrain & Jota)

Full results here

Individual Podium – Young Riders & Juniors

1° Vicente Larrain / HF Eva (CHI)
2° Amelia Larrain / HC Tia Haydee (CHI)
3° Diogo de Oliveira / CP Latifa (BRA)

Full results here

Team Podium – Individual Riders & Juniors

1° Brazil (Diogo de Oliveira & CP Latifa / Rodrigo Storani & Miranda Rach / Helena Haaland & Valente Heb / Arthur Leonel Machado & Mojito HSSK)

Full results here

More information at:
https://inside.fei.org/media-updates/results-fei-endurance-pan-american-championships-seniors-young-riders-juniors-llay-llay-chi-available-online

Iowa's Shelby Van Weelden to Compete in 2024 Mongol Derby

CommunityNewspaperGroup.com - Full Article

By AMY STOURAC news@vintonnewspapers.com
Nov 27, 2023

VINTON — Shelby Van Weelden from Coggon has been riding horses for 20 years, since she was in the 6th Grade. Shelby, who is the daughter of Vinton Unlimited’s Melody Snow, will soon take her hobby to a new level when she competes in the 2024 Mongol Derby, which according to the race’s website is “the longest, toughest horse race in the world.”

“It was the nerve system of the largest empire in human history, and at its height, Genghis Khan’s mighty horse messenger system connected half the planet. For a decade we’ve been rebuilding this ancient network to stage the world’s greatest equine adventure race. You square up to 1000 km of Mongolian steppe on semi-wild horses, changing steeds every 40km. You navigate and survive on your own wits and skill, living among the herders. It’s you and your horse vs. the wild,” equestrianists.com said.

Five years ago, a suggestion on Facebook led Shelby to a post about an old cowboy from Texas that was doing the Mongol Derby (MD). “I followed that race, and I followed it for a few more years, and I thought, yeah this is something that I have to do,” Shelby said...

Read more here:
https://www.communitynewspapergroup.com/shelby-van-weelden-to-compete-in-2024-mongol-derby/article_86b5a98c-8d42-11ee-9bcf-b364a0dadbb0.html

U.S. Endurance Team Competes at 2023 FEI Pan American Endurance Championships in Chile

Francisco Boetsch Tagle photo

USEF.org

Nov 26, 2023, 6:00 PM

Llay Llay, Chile – Four U.S. athletes contested a challenging 120 km ride at the 2023 FEI Pan American Endurance Championships on Friday, Nov. 24. The event was a tough test and saw only one team, the host nation of Chile, have the required number of three combinations complete to earn a team result. However, the U.S. contingent did earn a successful individual completion thanks to young rider Uma Kraskin (Deland, Fla.), making her senior championship team debut riding CL Magnolia, a 2014 mare owned by Carlos Letelier of Haras El Molino in Chile. The pair finished 13th out of a field of 29 starters.

Kraskin connected with Haras El Molino Endurance through her mentor and coach, Cheryl Van Deusen, who was also her teammate at this event.

“El Molino paired me and ‘Maggie’ up as we were both ready and looking to do our first 120 km,” said Kraskin. “I rode her in two 120 km competitions before the Pan Am. Maggie is 9 years old and is very calm and relaxed. She’s incredibly sweet and loving and never gives up. Even at the start, she was focused and calm. Nothing really spooks her. I just let her do her job, which she is awesome at!”

Kraskin described the track as “technical but manageable,” and had good strategy support from the team.

“The ground was very hard with lots of hills, but also good flat spaces to gallop on,” she said. “I’ve trained on hills, but I’m more used to softer ground. My strategy was to read my horse and ride the horse I had on that day as well as observing the terrain and weather around me and adjusting as necessary. I found my Chef d’Equipe Lisanne Dorion and team vet Olivia Rudolphi very helpful in helping me make the best decisions for my horse.”

In addition to Kraskin, two other U.S. athletes partnered with Chilean horses for the championship. Cheryl Van Deusen (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.) rode C.L. Misteriosa, a 2012 mare owned by Carlos Letelier, and Tom Rajala (Hillsborough, N.C.) rode HF Barii, a 2010 Arabian mare owned by Maxi Wimmer.

“Some team members opted to partner with El Molino endurance in Chile to overcome logistical challenges and reduce the variables of training for a different set of course dynamics,” said Chef d’Equipe Lisanne Dorion. “Our one U.S.-based combination (Niki Beck (Gillette, Wyo.) and Majestic Cloudy Bay, her own 2009 Appaloosa gelding) smartly trained in Wyoming, is a Tevis-tested rider and horse, and managed the course and heat meaningfully.”

Dorion added that while borrowing horses from the host country does significantly change the way an athlete can prepare for a championship ride, the experience was beneficial for the team members.

“We had an amazing partner in El Molino Endurance,” said Dorion. “Our riders gained all qualifications for this ride over a multiyear period. This proved invaluable in understanding the course itself, the brilliance of partnership in endurance, and was a truly holistic life experience for the athletes.

“Like so many things in life, there is the outward, visible classification of success - in this case medals and placings,” said Dorion. “And then there are the intangible, less visible indications of success - deep team unity and respect. Team USA came home with the latter in spades, and this bodes well for rebuilding endurance in the U.S.”

Kraskin echoed Dorion’s sentiments, citing the bond with Maggie and the camaraderie with her teammates as highlights of the event.

“Some of my favorite moments from the race include cantering along with Maggie and just feeling happy and in unison with her,” said Kraskin. “I also really enjoyed the team spirit we had. Everyone was very supportive of one another, and all of our crew was the best to hang out with!”

For more information and results see:
https://www.usef.org/media/press-releases/us-endurance-team-competes-at-2023-fei-pan

U.S. Team Set to Compete at 2023 FEI Endurance Pan American Championships

USEF.org

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | Nov 22, 2023, 8:00 PM

Llay Llay, Chile – Four athlete-and-horse combinations will represent the U.S. this week at the 2023 FEI Endurance Pan American Championships, competing as a team in the senior division. The opening ceremony took place on Wednesday afternoon, welcoming teams and individual competitors from ten countries.

Team USA Endurance in Chile

The following combinations will be representing the U.S. Endurance Team:

• Niki Beck (Gillette, Wyo.) and Majestic Cloudy Boy, her own 2009 Appaloosa gelding
• Uma Kraskin (Deland, Fla.) and CL Magnolia, a 2014 mare owned by Carlos Letelier
• Tom Rajala (Hillsborough, N.C.) and HF Barii, a 2010 Arabian mare owned by Maxi Wimmer
• Cheryl Van Deusen (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.) and C.L. Misteriosa, a 2012 mare owned by Carlos Letelier

The U.S. team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Lisanne Dorion, team veterinarian Dr. Olivia Rudolphi, and US Equestrian Director of Endurance Nicole Zerbee.

The first vet inspection will take place on Thursday, Nov. 23, at 3:30 p.m. local time (1:30 p.m. ET). The ride begins at 6:30 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 24, with the prize giving scheduled for 8:00 p.m. that evening.

The Pan Am course measures 121.22 km (~75 miles) and is located near the town of Llay Llay, Chile, in the mountains north of the capital city of Santiago. The course consists of four loops described as sandy roads through avocado orchards with approximately 100 meters of elevation change.

Competition Information

For more information on the 2023 FEI Endurance Pan American Championships for Seniors and Young Riders & Juniors, visit panamchile.cl.