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Belesemo Arabians Flourish at the Arabian Horse Association National Championship in Idaho
By Kim Johnson
September 6 2025
WONDERFUL!! A word to describe the Arabian Horse Association National Championship Endurance Ride in Idaho City last weekend! It takes so many talented people to put on a ride of this caliber that had people and horses come from all across the United States. So many thanks need to be given out for the local ride managers Debbie Johnston, Regina Rose and their crew and the AHA representatives - Paige Lockard, Art King, Eric Reuter and Jerry Cummings that came from Colorado, Quebec, Tennessee and Kansas. I apologize for missing some.
It takes several years of pre-planning to put on a ride with these logistics, including location to park all the rigs, mark hundreds of trail miles, prepare meals, bring together veterinarians and support staff, etc. It really is an incredible feat and we salute all involved.
It was great to meet up with old friends, veterinarians, clients and aficionados of the sport of endurance. and we were honored to be one of the sponsors for this great event.
Belesemo Arabians was represented by 5 different horses and owner/riders and we are so grateful and proud of them. CONGRATULATIONS to all of you.
BELESEMO GOLD MONARCH (BR Gold Sovereign x Diva CLL) and Gordon Garewal ended up being the Champions of the Open 3 Day Limited Distance Challenge - a combined 3 day score. Gordon won this as a heavyweight - a great feat which included some Best Condition and High Vet Scores.
BELESEMA AMEELIA (Belesemo Ibn Trad x Meena) and Cherie Garewal placed 4th on the National 50 Mile Ride earning an AHA National Top Ten 50 Mile Award in addition to placing 11th on the Open 50 Mile Ride. They also placed 5th on the Open ride portion on the 3rd day along with High Vet Score.
BELESEMO MOON CRESENT (Belesemo Ibn Trad x Belesema Moon Song) and Bentley French took 29th in only their second 50 mile Ride in the Open portion of the National Championship. This is a pair to watch in the future.
BELESEMA SANS OMEGA (Sanskrit x Belesema Finalia) and Nance Worman took 30th place in the open 50 mile portion of the National Championship ride. Omega's dam, Belesema Finalia, won this National Championsihip back in 2014 so it is fun to watch her progress.
BELESEMA BINT SPICE (Belesemo Ibn Trad x Sans Spice) ridden by Debbie Ellis tied for 12th on the second day Limited Distance ride.
SANSTORMM (Sanskrit x Alta Snow) owned/ridden by Suzanne Hayes was the National Reserve Champion 50 Mile Half-Arabian. Storm was bred by Dee Matlock the previous owner of Sanskrit but we are excited for Susie and Dee as well and want to include them.
It was a fantastic coming together of the best the sport has to offer. CONGRATULATIONS to all of the crew that put it on, riders and horses!! What a great event!!
http://www.endurance.net/advertisers/Belesemo.html
Photo above by Steve Bradley, of Belesema Sans Omega and Nance Worman
2025 Big South Fork photos by Becky Pearman
2025 Big South Fork Endurance ride photos in Tennessee by Becky
Pearman:
https://beckypearman.smugmug.com/Other/Endurance-2025/Big-South-Fork
Home Soil, Big Dreams: Ana Iarina Cosma is Ready for Buftea
FEI.org - Full Story
09 September 2025
Stacey Stearns
The young rider looks ahead to representing Romania on Endurance’s world stage...
Early on the morning of 20 September, athletes and horses will set off on the 120km course of the FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Riders and Juniors in Buftea (ROM).
It marks a milestone for Romania as the first major FEI Endurance event the country has hosted, and for Ana Iarina Cosma, one of the young riders on the Romanian team, it represents the culmination of a dream several years in the making.
“I’m very excited to have this opportunity, especially because, since I heard the news, I worked really hard to be able to compete in the World Championship at home,” said Ana, who turns 18 years old just days after the event.
“I’ve been to Buftea multiple times for national competitions, and I’m glad to see our country has the chance to host an event of this magnitude.”
Ana is preparing for the biggest moment of her career so far as she lines up alongside the best young riders in the world. Fresh from a top 25 finish at the FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Horses 2025 in Jullianges (FRA), she is eager to showcase both her own progress and Romania’s growing strength in Endurance...
Read more here:
https://www.fei.org/stories/sport/endurance/home-soil-big-dreams-ana-iarina-cosma-ready-buftea
Great Britain: Iconic equestrian event set to take place in Builth Wells
CountryTimes.co.uk - Full Article
7th September 2025
By Josh Price
A historic equestrian event is set to take place in Builth Wells.
The British Horse Feeds Dragon Festival of Endurance, a staple on the endurance riding calendar since 1977, is preparing for its annual event.
Held on the last weekend of September, the festival will take place in the picturesque surroundings of Builth Wells, Mid Wales, beginning at the Royal Welsh Showground.
This venue, renowned for its excellent facilities, is a favourite among riders, providing stabling for horses and a host of amenities for riders and their support teams.
The festival, affectionately known as the Red Dragon, is considered one of the UK's iconic endurance rides...
Read more here:
https://www.countytimes.co.uk/news/25444066.iconic-equestrian-event-set-take-place-builth-wells/
The Role of Carbohydrates in Horse Feed
August 17, 2025
Posted by Kelly Vineyard, MS, PhD
Discover which horses can benefit from higher carbohydrate levels in their diets and the feeds that can supply them.
Q: What role do carbohydrates play in horse feed? I often hear about carbohydrates in a negative context because they can be harmful to horses with metabolic problems, but what groups of horses might need more carbohydrates and what sources should they be getting them from?
A: Thank you for asking this question because this is an important but often misunderstood concept in equine nutrition. With the increased awareness of and ability to diagnose horses with carbohydrate sensitivities (i.e., insulin dysregulation, equine metabolic syndrome) and the rise in popularity of low-carb rations for horses, it’s understandable how some horse owners might be unaware there are many benefits of feeding nonstructural carbohydrates (NSCs) to horses.
Nonstructural carbohydrates are the simple sugars (i.e., glucose and fructose) and starches in feeds readily digested and absorbed in the horse’s small intestine. This results in a rise in blood glucose and, subsequently, blood insulin levels following a meal...
Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/1129226/the-role-of-carbohydrates-in-horse-feed/?lid=plijzilkhlhg&uuid=019205ef454c0001d30cabe5878605089009a081004ea
Endurance Horse Podcast - Virginia City 100 with Tami Rougeau
Endurance Horse Podcast - Listen
September 1 2025
Hosted by Christina Hyke of WARHORSE Endurance™
In this heartfelt 71st episode of the Endurance Horse Podcast™, we head to the wild beauty of Nevada to visit with Tami Rougrau, ride manager of the legendary Virginia City 100.
Tami shares her deep love for the trail, her horses, and the endurance community, along with fun behind-the-scenes stories (yes—her chickens often chime in!) and insight into what it takes to keep a 100-mile tradition going strong. We talk about the spirit of endurance riding, the magic of the Virginia City 100 trail, and the dedicated team behind it all, NASTR.
We take time to highlight NASTR—Nevada All-State Trail Riders—a phenomenal organization that plays a critical role in trail preservation, mentoring new distance riders, and keeping the future of our sport alive. If you're looking for a club that blends heart, history, and boots-on-the-ground trail work, NASTR is worth joining and supporting.
To listen and to see more about WARHORSE virtual rides: https://endurancehorsepodcast.podbean.com/e/virginia-city-100-rm-tami-rougrau-56th-anniversary-of-vc100/
Endurance Competition Returns to Biltmore Following Hurricane Helene
USEF.org - Full Article
“We were under more than 20 feet of water in some locations,” said Elizabeth McLean, Director of Equestrian Activities at Biltmore, when discussing the impact of the deadliest hurricane in North Carolina history.
by Debbie Elliot | Sep 2, 2025, 9:30 AM
On September 27, 2024, wind and flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated the western Appalachian area of North Carolina, including the town of Asheville, which is home to Biltmore, a majestic house and historic property dating back to 1895. Several rivers in the region overflowed and the subsequent destruction led Helene to become the costliest natural disaster in North Carolina history.
The 8,000-acre Biltmore estate hosts two endurance rides each year: a spring ride in May and a fall ride in September. While the spring event had to be cancelled earlier this year due to ongoing recovery efforts, the Biltmore Fall Endurance Ride to Benefit Hope for Horses will take place around the estate’s stunning trail system on September 20-21. The event features a number of different classes: 30-mile Limited Distance, 50-mile, 65-mile, and 75-mile Endurance Rides, plus FEI divisions (2* Open, 1* Open and Junior/Young Rider). Biltmore's bi-annual endurance rides follow the Biltmore trails; photo by Becky Pearman
“Our primary facility and a lot of our pastures are right alongside the French Broad River in Asheville, so we had significant flooding after Helene, worse than I've ever seen, and certainly worse than the area had seen in over a hundred years,” said Elizabeth McLean, Director of the Biltmore Equestrian CenterActivities at Biltmore. “We were under more than 20 feet of water in some locations...”
Read more here:
https://www.usef.org/media/equestrian-weekly/endurance-competition-returns-to-biltmore
2025 Old Selam/AHA Distance Nationals photos by Steve Bradley
2025 Old Selam/AHA Distance Nationals Endurance ride photos in Idaho
by Steve Bradley:
https://stevesphoto.smugmug.com/2026-Endurance-Rides
2025 Iron Mtn Jubilee photos by Becky Pearman
2025 Iron Mtn Jubilee Endurance ride photos in Virginia by Becky
Pearman:
https://beckypearman.smugmug.com/Other/Endurance-2025/Iron-Mountain-Jubilee
2025 Tevis Cup photos by Merri Melde
2025 Tevis Cup photos in California by Merri Melde, The Equestrian
Vagabond:
https://www.theequestrianvagabond.com/Clients-Endurance
2025 Tevis Cup photos by William Gore
2025 Tevis Cup photos in California by William Gore Photography:
https://williamgorephotography.smugmug.com/Tevis-2025
2025 June's Horses in the Morning Endurance Podcast
HorseRadioNetwork.com - Listen
Endurance Day: Horse Signals, Hat Creek and Bad Feet for June 10, 2025 by Arabian Horse Association
by Ashley Winch | Jun 10, 2025
Karen reviews the Fi Tracker and goes over the Ten Horse Signals to Watch for During an Endurance Ride. Plus, Cyd Fairbanks tells us all about the Hat Creek Hustle Ride in Northern California, listen in...
https://www.horseradionetwork.com/2025/06/endurance-day-horse-signals-hat-creek-and-bad-feet-for-june-10-2025-by-arabian-horse-association/
Garmin Launches New Wellness Product for Horses
US eventer Julie Wolfert demonstrated the product on her horse during its launch in Kansas. (Caelan Beard photo)
HorseSport.com - Full Article
Blaze, the company’s first foray into the equine market, helps deliver insights into horse’s health and fitness.
By: Caelan Beard | August 29, 2025
Garmin, maker of GPS navigation and wearable technology, has launched a new product for horses: Blaze, an equine wellness system.
Blaze is comprised of a sensor that pops into a thin neoprene sleeve. The sleeve is wrapped around the base of the tail, with the sensor pressing closest to the underside of the tail.
Once paired with the Blaze app on a smartphone or a Garmin watch, the sensor then delivers live stats on your horse’s health, including their heart rate, skin temperature, and strides. (If you don’t ride with a phone or watch, the sensor still records data, and updates the information on the app once it reconnects to your device).
Other features of the product include biometric data such as changes in skin temperature, and a heat score based on AAEP guidelines and temperature and humidity pulled from local conditions.
It also provides kinetic information on the horse’s stride frequency, weather, speed and distance, the latter two which both rely on GPS data from a host phone or watch.
The sensor will also prompt alerts for certain conditions – for example, if you’re approaching a high heat score...
Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/horse-news/garmin-launches-new-wellness-product-horses/
2025 May's Horses in the Morning Endurance Podcast
HorseRadioNetwork.com - Listen
Endurance at Older Ages, Extruded Feed and Trail Manners for May 13, 2025 by The Arabian Horse Association
by Ashley Winch | May 13, 2025
Karen shares her experience at the High Desert 50 ride, offers tips for trail etiquette and safety, and Diane Whitlock about her experience as an older rider transitioning to long-distance riding with an older horse. Plus, Kristyn Sturken, Equine Product Manager of Sentinel Feeds on how extruded feed can help the endurance horse. Listen in...
https://www.horseradionetwork.com/2025/05/endurance-at-older-ages-extruded-feed-and-trail-manners-for-may-13-2025-by-the-arabian-horse-association/
Electrolytes and Your Horse: What You Should Know
USEF.org - Full Article
In the right circumstances, oral electrolytes can provide important support for equine athletes
by Natalie Voss | Aug 26, 2025, 8:33 AM
If you’ve been checking the daily forecasted highs and letting out a sigh of frustration this summer, you’re not alone. Many of us are constantly on the lookout for the best ways to support our horses if we need to train or compete in warm weather.
Oral electrolyte pastes and powders are a popular tool to help horses replenish minerals they may lose while exercising or due to certain medical conditions.
Horses can produce several gallons of sweat in the course of a workout, depending upon air temperature, humidity, work intensity, and fitness. Contained in that sweat are minerals like sodium, chloride, and potassium, but also calcium and magnesium in smaller amounts. Having depleted levels of those minerals can, in extreme cases, have an impact on body system function...
Read more here:
https://www.usef.org/media/equestrian-weekly/electrolytes-your-horse-what-you-should-know
Wild horses are pitted against grazing cattle in a battle for survival across the West (Opinion)
DailyCamera.com - Full Article(Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
Stop blaming wild horses for the severe damage the meat and other industries inflict on federal public lands
By Jennifer Best | Guest Commentary
PUBLISHED: August 18, 2025
Colorado does not have a wild horse problem as a recent Denver Post headline states. The real issue lies with the meat industry’s grip on our public lands. The federal government authorizes ranchers to graze an exorbitant amount of cattle in wild horse herd management areas. It is this industrial use of our public land that degrades it.
Instead of confronting the outsized influence of private industry on public lands, the state of Colorado looks the other way and scapegoats wild horses.
Evidence of this problem abounds in the data publicly available from the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) allotment reports. There are four grazing allotments in the Piceance-East Douglas herd management area, where a staggering 10,960 cattle are allowed to graze at various times throughout the year. Yet the Bureau of Land Management insists the area can sustain just 235 wild horses based on BLM’s outdated “aappropriate management levels” or population targets. Only 362 wild horses are allowed to graze in Sand Wash Basin, yet a staggering 12,026 sheep and 300 cattle are allowed to graze in three allotments there at various times throughout the year.
There are a measly 1,516 wild horses left in Colorado on 365,988 acres of land, according to the BLM’s 2025 program data. The fact that the state is now paying the federal government to deploy paid professional darters to expand its birth control darting program in lieu of violent helicopter roundups may make it look like Gov. Jared Polis is listening to public concerns. But the truth is, Colorado’s wild horses are being managed to extinction. A model for the West? It should be anything but...
Read more here:
https://www.dailycamera.com/2025/08/18/wild-horses-grazing-cattle-blm-land-populations/
This is what it’s like to win the ‘world’s toughest horse race’ through Mongolia
Michael Pollard was one of the four winners of the 2025 Mongol Derby (Kathy Gabriel)
Ca.News.yahoo.com - Full Article
Annabel Grossman
Fri, August 22, 2025
When riding across the Mongolian steppe, one mistake can mean game over. This mistake can be anything, from losing a piece of kit to your horse stumbling in a marmot hole while navigating the vast stretches of open landscape.
The wilds of Mongolia are beautiful but unforgiving, as 45 riders discovered earlier this month when they competed in the “world’s toughest horse race”.
The Mongol Derby is not for the faint-hearted, with riders crossing 1,000km (620 miles) of rugged terrain on semi-wild horses, relying on their survival skills, horsemanship and pure grit to reach the finish line.
Out here on the steppe (the wide open plains that characterise this land), the competitors live among local herders, often staying in ger, traditional Mongolian tents, with families. The riders change their mounts every 20 miles at morin urtuu (horse stations) and must deliver the animals in good health at every stage.
Throughout the race (this year, competitors took between eight and 10 days to complete the course), riders found themselves cantering through wide-open valleys, navigating mountain passes, crossing rushing rivers, and traversing rolling dunes.
Speaking to The Independent two days into the race, competitor Anna Boden described the toll this takes on the body and the level of endurance needed.
“Physically, it’s significantly harder than anything I’ve ever done before,” she said. “You’re riding 12-hour days, and because you have a fresh horse each leg, you can ride quite fast – that is really tough on your body...”
Read more here:
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/win-world-toughest-horse-race-103011641.html
Great Britain: Success Stories from the International Thetford Endurance Rides
August 16 2025
Thetford Endurance was held for the first time under new organisers Anna Bridges and Lauren Hirst, showcasing a CEI3 160km, CEI3 140km, and the National 160km, attended by riders from the UK and around the world.
Here are some of the success stories from the weekend.
Barnsley Rider Triumphs in Epic 100-Mile Endurance Challenge After 39-Year Wait
Surrey’s Alice Ingram Completes 160km International Endurance Race – Just 6 Months After Giving Birth
British riders shine at Thetford Endurance 2025
Lancashire Rider Shines with 2nd Place in International Endurance Race
Dale Horst 1945 - 2025
Obits.dallasnews.com
Dale Horst Obituary
Dale Richard Horst was born September 20, 1945 in Ontario Canada and passed away peacefully at home in Pilot Point on August 6, 2025, surrounded by loved ones. He will be deeply missed by his loving companion, Roberta Corbett, and his children, Delinah Horst (Jason Hubbard) and Nicole Hammond. His beloved granddaughter, Cree Horst Hubbard, was a shining light in his life, and she will always be reminded of the wonderful grandfather she had.
Dale is survived by his siblings, Gloria King, Mary Lou Snyder, Myrna & Bob Schlegel, and Steve & Sandra Horst. He also leaves behind many cherished nieces and nephews: Eric, Bradley, Dan, Monica, Maria, Tammy, Barry, Steve, Kim, Kirby, Kari, Krystal, Seth, Roxanne, and Karl. He was predeceased by his parents, Myrtle and Elam Horst, as well as his brothers-in-law, Rev. Ed King and James Snyder.
Dale touched the lives of all who knew him. He was known for his gentle spirit, kind heart, and unwavering generosity. He carried himself with quiet strength and had a special way of making others feel valued. Loyal and hardworking, Dale formed lasting bonds with his colleagues and employees, earning deep respect in both his professional and personal life.
A lifelong animal lover, Dale had a profound connection with the animals around him-especially his beloved horse, Ramsey, and his faithful dog, Wylie...
Read the rest here