By Brian Sosby Long before the sun rose over the first day of competition at the 2006
FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen, a flurry of activity was going
on as the stage was set for the first medal decisions made in the
equestrian discipline of endurance. The consensus is that today’s
championship served as the biggest in the sport’s interesting development
and history, and the fact that temperatures didn’t make it much past the
mid-60 degree range were a blessing to those who had feared that the heat
that Germany saw weeks ago might wreak havoc in a sport where weather
conditions can send the placings into a scramble.
Crews, horses,
riders, inspectors and a contingency of blurry-eyed spectators woke up the
proverbial rooster. Riders and their mounts took off under a dark
rose-colored early morning sky just outside the Main Stadium near the
start of the cross-country course. The 100-mile route saw them traverse a
mix of terrain and territory through three countries – Germany, The
Netherlands and Belgium. The teams took off en masse at 6
a.m.
At the end of the long haul, it was 34-year-old Spaniard
Miguel Vila Ubach and the eight-year-old Arabian gelding,
Hungares, to cross the finish line first in a time of 09:12:27.
Over the nine-plus hour ride, Ubach and Hungares averaged a pace of 10.8
miles per hour (or 17.38 kilometers per hour). He steadily climbed the
rankings over the course, always leaving something in the tank, from a
first gate finish of 47th to 33rd to 21st to 16th to 8th to his final
victory.
Throwing his helmet into the air just after clearing the
line, his expressions and tears told the whole story. Prior to his win
today in Aachen, Ubach was listed at #86 on the FEI World Ranking of
endurance riders.
In April 2006, Ubach won the CEI Three-Star
Cordoba ride in his home country. He acknowledged that his competition
today was tough, saying, “I knew all the best riders in the world were
here from the U.A.E. and France.” An enthusiastic and appreciative crowd
cheered and clapped as the pairing claimed their place as the first World
Champion to be crowned at the 2006 WEG. “I can’t believe it,” he said in a
downpour while still standing on the victory field.
For France, who
was favored going into the competition, it was a double-medal haul
after the rain-soaked challenge. French teammates Virginie Atger and her
eight-year-old Arabian gelding Kangoo d’Aurabelle took the Silver medal
while her compatriot Elodie Le Labourier and the 16-year-old Arabian
gelding Sangho Limousian brought a Bronze-medal
finish.
Atger and Le Labourier road neck-and-neck to the
finish. There was no charge to the end. Instead, each rider crossed it
with acknowledgement to the other in a display of
sportsmanship.
The Gold medal in the team competition was won by
France. The Swiss team finished in Silver-medal position, and the Bronze
medal went to Portugal.
The American
Effort Finishing lead among the American contingent was
Maine’s Kathryn Downs and her 10-year-old Arabian gelding,
Pygmalion. Entering Gate 1 at 50th place, the pair climbed in the
rankings over the morning to stand at 20th at Gate 2. They continued their
effort, improving their standings by five spots to land at 15th by the
time they entered Gate 3. They held their own, slipping down only two
placings by Gate 4 and finished their 10:06:27-hour journey at 15th
place.
Second spot for Team U.S.A. was filled by New
Jersey’s Meg Sleeper, DVM, and her14-year-old half-Arabian gelding
Shyrocco Troilus. The pair sat at 68th position after Gate 1 was
cleared and jumped an impressive 24 spots upon checking in at Gate 3 to
sit at 34th position. They continued their climb, pushing past another 11
riders to come in at 23rd at Gate 4. Final times and results were not
available due to computer problems in the main press
center.
California’s Jennifer Niehaus and Cheyenne XII, the
14-year-old Arabian gelding, stepped into competition as the first
alternate. The pairing cleared Gate 1 in 75th; Gate 2 in 81st;
Gate 3 in 75th; and Gate 4 in 69th. Niehaus and Cheyenne XII’s results
were also not available due to computer problems in the main press
center.
Illinois’ Joseph Mattingley aboard his SA Laribou
(an 11-year-old Arabian gelding) made it as far as Gate 4 before
being eliminated due to lameness. The pair had put in a respectable effort
crossing Gate 1 at 78th; Gate 2 at 83rd; and Gate 3 at 70th. Their
elimination left only four American riders in the
running.
American Christoph Schork from Utah, who rode his
eight-year-old Arabian gelding, Taj Rai Hasan, was pulled at the
last vet check. Across the day, Schork and Taj Rai Hasan sat at 64th place
at Gate 1 and 74th at Gate 2. From that point, the pair pushed forward,
jumping 34 places to come into Gate 3 at 40th position, but they slid back
a bit in the standings to land at 57th leaving Gate 4.
Team U.S.A.
Chef d’Equipe and former WEG Endurance Champion Valerie Kanavy lent her
extensive experience and advice to the U.S. team. One point of advice she
shared with the riders just prior to the start of the ride…”Don’t get
kicked.” The start of the race resembled a packed charge of Bedouin riders
taking off.
More Than Just A Race In the sport of
endurance, horse-and-rider combinations face not only the extreme
distances, but a series of what are known as vet gates – mandatory stops
on the race where the riders dismount and the horses are checked by a
veterinary crew. The condition of the horse is paramount in continuing
along the long distance course, and it is at the vet gates where the
horses are held for inspection. Among the many criteria checked at the vet
gate are the horse’s heart rate, temperature and other metabolic factors,
as well as general condition and soundness. Riders approach the
predetermined vet gates and dismount, allowing the horses to access water
and nourishment, plus it allows the riders to replenish their own needs.
The findings of the veterinarians are recorded on the vet cards (including
the riders’ arrival and departure times). A horse may be declared lame and
may be withdrawn from the competition.
At the World Championships,
individual and team medals are presented. A single horse-and-rider’s time
is used to determine the individual champion. The team championship is
decided based on the combined times of three predetermined “team score”
members.
Two vet gates were established along the ride, with teams
crossing them more than once. Vet Gate 1 was situated at Dreilanderpunkt
(where horses were inspected after loops 1-4) and Vet Gate 2 Soers (for
loops 5-6).
Endurance was officially welcomed under the umbrella of
the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) and recognized as an
international horse sport. Centuries ago, Bedouin tribes placed bets on
endurance-type races. Just over a century ago, German and Austrian
military officers held similar races between Vienna and Berlin. Today,
endurance has seen an explosion of interest with numbers growing
impressively in the United States.
