How Consistency Leads to Success for Estonia’s Katriin Kalle

FEI.org - Full Story

08 April 2025
Words by Stacey Stearns
Photos courtesy of Katriin Kalle

We speak to a young athlete who is making a big impression in Endurance...

Katriin Kalle of Estonia is the definition of consistency. Recognised by her national federation for four consecutive years and having completed five FEI Championships with her horse, Mister Tondi, she is proof that dedication leads to success.

The 20-year-old is moving up through the age groups – and raising her standards with every step.

As a result, there has been a steady flow of accolades. Her outstanding performances saw her named Estonia’s best Endurance Pony rider in 2019, best Junior rider in 2021 and 2022, and best Young Rider in 2023.

“This recognition is based on season standings and reflects a rider’s consistency,” she said. “In Endurance, I always focus on the motto: ‘To finish is to win.’ Ensuring a happy and healthy horse is more important than winning...”

Read more here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/sport/endurance/how-consistency-leads-success-estonias-katriin-kalle

New Zealand: National horse endurance riders to race through Marlborough vineyards

ThePress.co.nz - Full Article

Andy Brew
April 23, 2025

Nearly 100 horses and their riders will race over hundreds of kilometres around Renwick’s vineyards this Anzac weekend in the equestrian endurance national championships.

Competitors from across the country will join riders from Marlborough as they trot, canter and gallop their way along courses of up to 160km long in the 2025 Radincon Equestrian Sports New Zealand (ESNZ) Endurance & CTR National Championships.

ESNZ’s Dr Danni Mulrennan said horse endurance was the “marathon version” of equestrian competitions with competitors setting off about 1am and not finishing until as late as 6pm the same day.

“They will do 40km, then they’ll come in, they’ll take their saddles off, and vets will monitor the horse’s heart rate and then hose them down,” she said...

Read more here:
https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360663107/national-horse-endurance-riders-race-through-marlborough-vineyards

UAE: 2024-2025 endurance racing season attracts 444 riders

TribuneIndia.com - Full Article

A total of 444 riders, both men and women, participated in the two endurance qualifier races held on Saturday at the Butheeb International Endurance Village in Abu Dhabi, marking the conclusion of the 2024-2025 endurance racing season.

by ANI
Apr 19, 2025

Abu Dhabi [UAE], April 19 (ANI/ WAM): A total of 444 riders, both men and women, participated in the two endurance qualifier races held on Saturday at the Butheeb International Endurance Village in Abu Dhabi, marking the conclusion of the 2024-2025 endurance racing season.

The first race, covering a distance of 80 km over three phases, saw the participation of 175 riders, out of which 120 completed the race, while 55 were eliminated due to their horses failing to pass the veterinary checkpoints.

The second race, spanning 40 km, featured 269 riders, with 236 successfully completing the course, while 33 were unable to finish...

Read more here:
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/world/2024-2025-endurance-racing-season-attracts-444-riders/

Tribute to Becky Hart: Champion Endurance Athlete and Equestrian Educator

Bob Langrish photo

USEF.org

As an athlete, coach, and leader in the sport, Becky Hart had a profound impact on endurance riding in the U.S. and around the world. Hart passed away on February 28, 2025, at age 71.

During her competitive career, Hart (San Juan Bautista, Calif.) was a dominant force in the sport, highlighted by her winning a remarkable three individual FEI Endurance World Championships in a row in 1988, 1990, and 1992. She won these titles with R.O. Grand Sultan, the Arabian gelding who was later inducted into the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) Hall of Fame. With “Rio,” Hart also helped the U.S. win FEI Endurance World Championship team silver medals in 1986 and 1992. Her incredible achievements led to her being named AHSA Equestrian of the Year in 1990. To this day, the Becky Grand Hart Trophy is awarded annually by US Equestrian to Equestrian of the Year finalists from international non-Olympic sports.

Hart also had a phenomenal record in national endurance rides, including two wins in the Western States Trail Ride, better known as the Tevis Cup. She was the AERC National Champion twice and was inducted into the AERC Hall of Fame in 1992.

With her record as one of the sport’s most accomplished athletes and her longtime experience as a riding instructor and coach, Hart was a natural choice to help lead the U.S. Endurance Teams on the international stage. She served as Chef d’Equipe for many years, including for several FEI World Championships in the 2000s.

While Hart’s involvement in elite endurance was an undeniable asset to the sport in the U.S., her love of horses and talent for teaching reached far beyond her high-profile positions. She was a certified Centered Riding instructor and shared her expertise teaching riding and horsemanship to all levels, from brand-new beginners to advanced equestrians, at her home base in California. The enthusiasm she brought to her students came from her own lifelong experience as a lover of all things equine; her earliest equestrian experiences were riding lessons, Pony Club, and local horse shows in all disciplines beginning at age 6.

US Equestrian extends heartfelt condolences to Hart’s family, friends, and the endurance community. The Federation is grateful for her lifetime of contributions to the sport.

Magma Aviation and Intradco Global team up to transport 34 endurance horses

AirCargoWeek.com - Full Article

March 10, 2025

Magma Aviation, the innovative air cargo solutions company, and Intradco Global, the leading horse transportation air charter specialist, have successfully transported 34 endurance horses from Liège (Belgium) to AlUla (Saudi Arabia) for the AlFursan Endurance Cup. Held in AlUla, in the heart of the desert, Saudi Arabia’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site, this prestigious event offers the highest prize money in the sport and showcases the pinnacle of endurance riding. Both companies demonstrated their expertise in equine logistics and dedication to animal welfare throughout this operation.

Endurance horses are extremely valuable and clients’ expectations for such transportation are always based on the highest standards. The companies transporting racehorses must ensure the best service and care to guarantee all goes smoothly. The client, ordering endurance horses transportation from Magma Aviation and Intradco Global, was highly pleased with the level of service, from the first encounter to the safe arrival of the horses...

Read more here:
https://aircargoweek.com/magma-aviation-and-intradco-global-team-up-to-transport-34-endurance-horses/

New Zealand: Horse prevails in Central Otago's Only Fools and Horses race

RNZ.co.nz

3 March 2025
Joe Shaw
joe.shaw@rnz.co.nz

Four legs have - unsurprisingly - triumphed over two in the inaugural Only Fools and Horses race in Central Otago at the weekend.

The race started as an idea tossed around at the pub, but on Saturday more than 50 runners and 26 horses and riders tackled the 40-kilometre race through the rugged terrain of Maniototo.

Jorja James and her horse Ruby were victorious with a time of about two hours and 50 minutes.

But James praised the runners for their efforts as they remained snapping at the heels - or should that be hoofs - of their four-legged competitors.

"The runners did really well. I was actually so impressed by the runners - I could not run 40 kilometres any day," James said...

Read more here:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/543576/horse-prevails-in-central-otago-s-only-fools-and-horses-race

MRM and Al Mazrouei make Magic in Dubai's feature HH Sheikh Mohammed Cup

February 22 2025

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: The His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Festival drew to a close at Dubai International Endurance City in Seeh Al Salam on Saturday with a tactically-astute performance from MRM Stables that resulted in a famous success for Saif Al Mazrouei aboard Magic Glenn Torque in the feature HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup sponsored by Emirates Airlines.

One of the most prestigious competitions on the world endurance calendar, the festival was held in honour of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, a former World Endurance Champion himself and one of the world’s most ardent supporters and benefactors of equestrian sport. The five-day Festival, organised by Dubai Equestrian Club, comprised four rides, with the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup drawing the curtains down on a frenzied week of competition that saw Al Mazrouei claim a second title in as many rides following his success aboard Bullio Ahnu in the Gamilati Cup for Mares sponsored by Al Tayer Motors on Thursday.

Victory in the Gamilati was a fine achievement, but it is the 160 km HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup that truly tests the skill, stamina and ability of both horse and rider, with the background support of the teams crucial throughout the five-loop contest. And it is in the big ones where the Bhanwar Singh-trained Magic Glenn Torque has time and again proved his class. It was much the same from the 14-year-old bay gelding on Saturday as he played his part in Al Mazrouei keeping close to the summit throughout the day, starting with fifth behind Spain’s Marc Vila Sabata, who led after the 40 km first stage aboard M7 Endurance Stables’ Malikan Wajir 13.

Even as the Spaniard held sway over the first three loops, Al Mazrouei and his mount dropped to eighth and found themselves up at sixth at the end of the third. Sabata dropping out of contention during the course of the fourth loop spanning 30 kms, witnessed F3 Stables pair of Sultan Aref Mohsen and Colorado Armor emerging as leaders heading into the fifth and final loop over 20 kms.

Al Mazrouei, meanwhile, would be making his bid from fourth, two minutes and 35 seconds behind the pace. But as he turned up the heat and went all out at a staggering 31.26kph, the Emirati ace cruised past the rest of his rivals to win, a 16 second buffer separating him from second-placed M7 Endurance Stables pair of Saif Juma Al Beljafla and Lalick De Fignols, who started the day at 20th and made consistent upward moves to finish the runners-up.

Al Mazrouei’s winning time was six hours 20 minutes and 31 seconds (6:20:31), while second placed Beljafla was timed at 6:20:47. Third place was claimed by Al Aasfa 2 pairing of Ali Abdulla Al Falasi and Goliath Larzac (6:20:55).

The first two events on the festival’s schedule, the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup for Ladies sponsored by Azizi Developments and the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Cup for Private Stables were won by Seeh Al Salam’s Omani rider Zamzam Al Hosani (Dorzok) and Al Awasif 2 Stables’ Ali Mohammed Qambar Al Blooshi (Sandine Raptor), respectively.

ABOUT DUBAI EQUESTRIAN CLUB

Established in 2002 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Equestrian Club is a world leader in the sport of endurance riding and a pioneer when it comes to organising competitions in the United Arab Emirates at its purpose-built, state-of-the-art Dubai International Endurance City. Its annual calendar is headlined by two globally-renowned events: the HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Endurance Festival and Crown Prince of Dubai Endurance Festival.