Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Report from Leo:  (Leo and his horse Dario completed the 140km ride  
on Friday and will send photos and updates from the Young Horse  
Championships over the weekend)

Full coverage will be at
http://www.enduranceeurope.net/international/France/ 
2008YoungHorseChampionship/

Compiegne, France – under the rain but always with the same pleasure

It is always the same pleasure to come back to Compiegne. First of  
all, it is not far from home – only 250km – not even 3 hours. Then  
there is the spirit of Compiegne, something special that one feels  
when returning to the venue. Everyone who counts in endurance in  
France comes to Compiegne, to compete with one or several horses, or  
just as a spectator or to help some friends.  Walking the half mile  
from the stables of the racetrack to the Grand Stadium(where the  
start/finish and the vetgate and grooming area are located) takes  
sometimes more than one hour and you may not be in a hurry or having  
your partner waiting for you with a beer because it will be warm when  
you arrive… Every 10 meters, you will meet a friend, another rider  
that you rode with and didn’t see for some months, an international  
friend that you didn’t expect there, a vet, an organizer, a  
journalist, people that you know the face but don’t remember the name  
and the list goes on…

OK, you pay 350 euros for the entry fee but for this price you get an  
entry to a World class competition, you receive 4 meals for the – all  
that you can eat and drink - gourmet cooking restaurant at the venue,  
one bottle of Champagne. Riders interesting in business will also get  
also the unique opportunity to show your horse to buyers from the  
Gulf countries.

Compiegne in August is the World Championship of young horses. During  
the preceding editions of the events, horses of 7 and 8 years were  
mixed on the same race on the distance of 120km. This year, the  
organizer innovated by splitting the two categories in two different  
races: the 120km for the 7years and the 140km for the 8years.  This  
was more fair for the 7years and also more respectful of the spirit  
of the French young horse program of waiting as much as possible  
before throwing young horses in heavy competitions.

Friday was the day of the young horses World Championship.

Sunday the 140km open – and team - competition will take place

Let’s concentrate on Friday… There were 57 starters on the 7 years  
and 48 on the 8 years representing 15 nations, including one rider  
from Argentina and four riders from Brazil. The 7 years started at  
7Am, half an hour later than the 8 years who had to cover 140km.

The circuit hasn’t been changed since the EC in 2005. A technical  
circuit with several challenging hills – three to four hills to climb  
on each loop – and good forest pads. But this time it was pouring  
with rain just half an hour after the start and it didn’t stop for  
the whole day. It was like in Malaysi but with some 15 degrees less…  
Funny and frustrating enough, the rain stopped almost when I arrived.  
So it became more and more technical as the race was progressing.  
More rain means mud and slippery tracks. Some horses were better than  
others for coping with the footing, mine which is quite at the heavy  
side had more trouble to fly over the mud. But some did, like the  
first and second who were able to cover the last loop at more than  
22kph. If you would see the state of the trail, you would better  
understand.

France dominated the 7 years race with 9 horses in the top ten;  
Vincent Dupont on board Nita Lotoise was the undisputable winner.  
Spanish horse Kat Flecha ridden by Alberti Sanchez finished 4th. We  
completed the race at 18place.

On the 8 year race, Sandrine Lance with Mediatik Larzac is the  
winner. Like in the 120km, 9 of the top ten horses were French.

On Saturday, there were several halter classes for endurance horses.  
Horses are judged according to criteria’s specially defined for the  
aptitude for endurance. The judges here do not concentrate on the  
type of the horses.

Tomorrow there will be a good eighty horses competing on the 140km  
team race.

Stay tuned…

Leonard  Liesens (www.endurance-belgium.com)





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