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2024 Eagle Canyon: Help, My Horse is on Crack!
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April 26 2024
For all you Hillbillie Willie fans who’ve been following his Endurance career, you all know that all I really want out of an Endurance ride is a calm start and a sound horse at the finish. At Eagle Canyon, I got neither!
I always underestimate Willie’s fitness in the first ride of the seasons, but I still opted for caution in doing the 25 on Day 2 (I shot Day 1’s ride; Steve Bradley shot Day 2 so I could ride!), particularly because Willie is not a hill-climbing horse, and this ride is *full* of hills. It’s a tough ride for your horse’s first one of the season.
I had no indication Willie would suddenly become demonically possessed at the start of this ride. We’ve been working on calm starts the last 7 years, and last season was pretty much perfect, going out calm every ride on a loose rein, either in a group or riding solo.
I took him on a long uphill walk on Friday, and he was perfect. After shooting on Saturday, I rode him on a solo warm-up trail ride (I tried this at Autumn Sun two years ago, and he was a total freak riding by himself leaving his buddies in camp; I felt like I was on a half-broke 2-year-old); he was perfect.
Ten minutes before the start on Sunday, he was walking around mostly calmly, grazing, watching horses, a little squirmy, but nothing unusual. I expected everything to go smoothly, because he gave me no indication that a dragon was about to erupt.
As Regina hollered, “Trail’s open!” I tried to find a little bubble. I didn’t want to be right in front of a bigger group, but I didn’t want to be near the faster starters. I found a small bubble but as soon as we hit the road, a crazy demon took over my horse. All his brain cells went out the proverbial window and he morphed into Secretariat (he is an ex-racehorse after all). Oh my lord. Worst start I’ve ever had on him...
Read the rest here:
https://theequestrianvagabond.blogspot.com/2024/04/2024-eagle-canyon-help-my-horse-is-on.html
2024 Eagle Canyon - Emilee Randal
Eagle Canyon Endurance Ride - Day 1
By Emilee Randal
April 22 2024
I’ve never been to this ride before but I had an absolute BLAST. I rode with Max both days.
Fire vetted in perfectly Friday night and I felt confident about holding a strong pace. I wasn’t sure if I had ridden her enough, but Darlene told me about a million times that my horse was fine and we would do well. She was right.
We started at 7:30, nothing hectic and we held 1st and 2nd for a little while. Eventually Suzanne Hayes (the woman with 100 100s!!) passed us and we knew we’d be fools to try and keep up, since we were planning on riding both days.
4 miles in I was in agony. The Ghost I’m using has a flap that rubs my knees and I had to vet wrap my legs. It was hell.
We held 2nd and 3rd the rest of the day. We saw an antelope and a few burrow owls, along with a coyote...
Read the rest here
Ride in the Pines photos by Becky Pearman
2024 Ride in the Pines Endurance ride photos in South Carolina by Becky Pearman:
https://beckypearman.smugmug.com/Other/Endurance-2024/Ride-In-The-Pines
Eagle Canyon photos by Steve Bradley
2024 Eagle Canyon Endurance ride photos in Idaho by Steve Bradley:
https://stevesphoto.smugmug.com/2024-Endurance-ride/Eagle-Extreme-D2
Eagle Canyon photos by Merri Melde
2024 Eagle Canyon Endurance ride photos in Idaho by Merri Melde, The
Equestrian Vagabond:
https://www.theequestrianvagabond.com/Clients-Endurance/2024-Eagle-Canyon-Day-1
USA Teen Uma’s Quick Ascent to the World Stage
FEI.org - Full Story
Words by Stacey Stearns
Photos courtesy of Uma Kraskin
21 April 2024
We catch up with an ambitious Endurance talent...
Young American Uma Kraskin started competing in Endurance in 2022 and is already representing her country internationally.
17-year-old Uma was surrounded by horses and other animals growing up with her parents, Kati and Richard in their Florida home. They gifted her with Twinkie, a Shetland pony, on her fifth birthday. True to the Shetland pony reputation, he challenged Uma and helped her become a better rider, but also provided her with many happy memories. Uma continued riding, and now competes in Dressage and at Arabian breed shows with Habibi, her grey gelding.
In spring of 2022, she saw a social media post about Endurance, and it piqued her interest. Uma decided to try the sport as part of her Dressage cross-training and signed herself and Habibi up for a 15-mile American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) introductory ride. They both loved it and decided with the veterinarians that they could do 10 more miles. Uma also met her mentor; Cheryl Van Deusen, a US Endurance rider, at the competition. The rest is history and she’s made a quick ascent to the Endurance world stage...
Read more here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/sport/endurance/teen-uma-kraskin-quick-ascent-world-stage
FEI Goes Quiet on Sanctions Against Countries with a Doping Problem
HorseSport.com - Full Article
After a huge spike in positives in Saudi Arabia, last year the FEI told HorseSport.com it would discuss a counter-measure — but we cannot obtain an update.
By Cuckson Report // Pippa Cuckson | April 18, 2024
The FEI has apparently rowed back on its own proposal to sanction national equestrian federations with a “prevalence” of doping. If the measure had gone forward it would most likely have penalised the sport’s wealthiest benefactors; Middle Eastern endurance racing still returns more positives than any other region or any other FEI discipline.
New sanctions were suggested last year following a significant spike in positives in Saudi Arabia. But despite enquiries by HorseSport.com over the past seven weeks, the FEI has declined to confirm if new sanctions are in the draft EADCMP (anti-doping) rules for 2025, slated for debate at the FEI Sport Forum on April 29-30.
The FEI already stands accused of succumbing to “sportswashing” through allocating this week’s World Cup jumping and dressage finals to Saudi Arabia. Three leading equestrian news organisations, The Horse Magazine, Reiten St Georg and WorldofShowjumping.com announced a boycott, largely citing Saudi Arabia’s attitude to human rights.
Simultaneously, HorseSport.com has pressed the FEI on the contradiction of allocating “big-ticket” championships to countries with known equine doping and cheating problems at a time when the FEI is focussed on public concern about sport horse welfare and the Social Licence to Operate (SLO)...
Read the rest here:
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/fei-goes-quiet-sanctions-against-countries-with-doping-problem/
Four Omani riders qualify for Endurance World Championship
MuscatDaily.com - Full Article
16 April 2024
Muscat – Oman’s equestrian prowess will be in the spotlight at the upcoming Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Endurance World Championship 2024, with four riders from the sultanate qualifying to compete in this prestigious event in France come September.
Royal Equestrian Team’s Hisham bin Saleh al Farsi and Ahmed bin Salem al Hamadani have won the FEI-recognised 160km French Soumoul race to qualify for the world event...
Read more here:
https://www.muscatdaily.com/2024/04/16/four-omani-riders-qualify-for-endurance-world-championship/
2024 Lead Follow or Get Out Of My Way photos by Linda Sherrill
2024 Lead Follow or Get Out Of My Way Endurance ride photos in Arizona
by Linda Sherrill, Justus Photography:
https://www.lindasherrill.com/proofing/lead-follow-ride-bumblebee-ranch-2024
2024 Antelope Island photos by Merri Melde
2024 Antelope Island Endurance ride photos in Utah by Merri Melde, The
Equestrian Vagabond:
https://www.theequestrianvagabond.com/Clients-Endurance
2024 April's Horses in the Morning Endurance Podcast
Horsesinthemorning Podcast - Listen
Walking for A Fitter Horse, Endurance Mustangs, Tips for New Riders, for April 9, 2024
Apr 9, 2024
Jeannie Waldron, DVM talks about conditioning a horse that is new to endurance to set them up for success. Ann Scott Wicks shares her adventures riding her Mustang Jicarilla Journey to multiple AERC high mileage awards. Karen’s training tip highlights the importance of walking.
Listen:
https://horsesinthemorning.com/walking-for-a-fitter-horse-endurance-mustangs-tips-for-new-riders-for-april-9-2024/
WN Johara Aljassimya: Defying All Odds
ArabianHorseWorld.com - Full Story
04.01.24
By Allyssa Baird
She was a pretty dark grey filly when little “JoJo” was born in the beautiful hills and sanctuary of Aljassimya Farm in Santa Ynez, California. Upon being tested as a weanling, she tested positive for CA/CA, a genotype that will have cerebellar abiotrophy. They waited for her to show typical signs of CA, such as tremors, wobbling, and poor balance, at which point she would euthanized.
Since JoJo wasn’t a “sellable” horse, she was rehomed to Lilia Lucero as a three-year-old after Aljassimya retrieved two successful embryos by Al Ayal AA. “After they told me about her condition, I told them that I wanted her even if she just ended up in my backyard as a trail horse,” Lilia recalls. She worked with JoJo started under saddle, and eight years later, she still has no signs of CA...
Read more here:
https://arabianhorseworld.com/wn-johara-aljassimya-defying-all-odds/
Australia: A true test for riders at Imbil
NoosaToday.com.au - Full Story
11/04/2024
Imbil’s Far-A-Way Endurance Ride lived up to its name and proved to be a good test of horses and riders. ERLE LEVEY was there to capture some of the challenges and achievements of this well-regarded event on the equestrian calendar.
“The event is massive. It’s a matter of building up the endurance of horse and rider.’’
From flooded roads early in the week to sun, showers and humidity, the four-day Far-A-Way Easter Endurance Challenge at Imbil proved to be a test of horses and riders.
Well regarded on the equestrian calendar due to the number of rides held on the weekend, the Far-A-Way also has the appeal of running a 320km marathon and 120km mini-marathon.
The marathon is an event that needs a different approach – the longest of its type in Queensland and twice the length of the famed 160km Tom Quilty Gold Cup...
Read more here:
https://noosatoday.com.au/news/11-04-2024/a-true-test-for-riders/
Mongol Derby: Kiwi woman attempting world's toughest horse race
RNZ.CO.nz - Listen
From Nights, 9:55 pm on 8 April 2024
Brydie Black is an endurance horse rider based in Auckland's Henderson Valley, and come July, she'll be flying to Asia to complete the Mongol Derby.
The Derby involves riding over 1,000km along Genghis Khan's historic postal system in rugged terrain - all on semi-wild Mongolian horses.
She's holding a fundraiser auction to support the trip, with a dinner for six with heavyweight boxer Joseph Parker at Auckland's Baduzzi restaurant up for grabs.
She joins Emile Donovan...
Listen here:
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/nights/audio/2018933405/mongol-derby-kiwi-woman-attempting-world-s-toughest-horse-race
2024 March's Horses in the Morning Endurance Podcast
Horsesinthemorning Podcast - Listen
Mar 12, 2024
We are joined by Melissa Montgomery for a chat about horseback riding in Africa and her recent win at the 20 Mule Team 100 in Ridgecrest, CA while battling 60 mph winds. Plus Debi Sanger tells us about Trot On endurance Rides. Karen shares a great tip on fast effective tack cleaning!
Listen...
https://horsesinthemorning.com/trot-on-endurance-rides-horse-riding-in-africa-for-march-12-2024/
Australia: Everything ready for Kilkivan Great Horse Ride
NossaToday.com.au - Full Article
6 April 2024
Erle Levey
Polish the saddles, get out the cookbook, write a few lines of verse … everything is in readiness for the Kilkivan Great Horse Ride this weekend.
Horse enthusiasts from far and wide are expected to descend on the town to acknowledge its long heritage with horses and celebrate the Australian bush.
Now, almost 40 years since the first ride, the three-day event will be filled with horse rides and entertainment for all ages.
Yet Kilkivan has had a longer association with trail horse riding, having been the site for one of two bicentennial events to mark the opening of the 5330km-long National Trail – stretching from Cairns to Healesville, outside of Melbourne.
That was in October 1988, as part of an Australian Bicentennial project.
RM Williams, then aged 80, headed the procession down the main street, where then Queensland Premier Mike Ahern, opened the Queensland section.
Fabian Webb of the Webb Brothers fame started the Kilkivan Great Horse Ride in the mid 1980s as a tribute to the history of the area.
Adding to this year’s event will be two endurance horse rides on the Sunday. These will be 40km and 20km rides to highlight endurance riding...
Read more here:
https://noosatoday.com.au/news/06-04-2024/everything-ready-for-kilkivan-great-horse-ride/
2024 Shanghai Trails photos by John Nowell
2024 Shanghai Trails Endurance ride photos in Texas by John Nowell,
Remuda Photography:
https://remuda.smugmug.com/Endurance-Rides/2024-Ride-Year/Shanghai-Trails-2024-The-Mud-Ride