Kiwi news on Dubai

[Thorsten Kaiser <thorsten_kaiser@MAIL.TAIT.CO.NZ>]

Hi all,

this might be interesting for the list, news taken from 
http://www.horsetalk.co.nz

Cheers,
Thorsten ;)
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Kiwis could have gold -- (Dec 11) New Zealand has
surprised the endurance world with a teamwin in the World
Endurance Championships in Duabi, which finished this
morning (NZ time). 

It is the first time a New Zealand team has competed at
the games. 

The placing is provisional until confirined on 11 December
(Dubai time)

. The 160km desert marathon began in the dark at 5.45am on
Thursday (Dubai time) finished when the last New Zealand
rider finished at about 7.45pm. 

The breakdown of the race computer system means race times
are not yet available, although officials say the team
gold appears to be New Zealand's. 

The United States won the individual gold for the third
consecutive games. This result has tal(en the endurance
world by storm as New Zealand has never Competed at a
world championships before. 

Four Kiwis finished the event; team riders John Stevenson
(Tirau) riding Taralea Kaja, Jenny Hearn (Whakatane) on
Simbar, Alan McCaughan (Tauranga) riding Tonka, and Kevin
James (Timaru) on Glendaar Sarita.



Individual Ray Tylee, of Owhango in the King Country, was
eliminated from after the first 40km lap. His horse
Minstrel stood on a piece of broken concrete in the dark
shortly after the start. The other individual competitor,
Timaru's Ainsley King, retired her horse Malik after he
came down with colic at the end of the third lap after
111km. She says the horse had been coping well with the
desert conditions.

The team's oldest member, 61-year-old Alan McCaughan, and
his part Appaloosa gelding Tonka led the New Zealand
contingent from the start, pulling along 49-year-old Jenny
Hearn's Arabian gelding in the later stages of the race.

John Stevenson rode his own race, while further back Kevin
James and Ainsley King rode together until Ainsley
withdrew. The riders said after that riding in the soft
sand was like having lead attached to their horses'
hooves. That and the grueling desert heat made for the
toughest ride of their lives. 

The individual winner was Valerie Kanavy (USA) riding High
Winds Jedi. She took the world champion title from her
daughter Danielle, who had earlier dethroned her mother in
the 1994 championships.

Italian Fausto Fiorucci was second riding Faris Jabar, and
Daisuke Yasunaga of Japan claimed bronze, just three years
after taking up endurnace riding. Back to top