THIS WEEK'S CURRENT NEWS
brought to you by
MORE NEWS...
Meet My Endurance Horse: Kayheart
January 25 2022
by Merri Melde-Endurance.net
Kayheart, aka “Katie”
22-year-old Arabian mare
by Kasiaa X Zypher Winds, by Harbit
owned by Robin Schadt
2375 Endurance miles
525 LD miles
Robin Schadt started riding at age 44. She tried Competitive trail in 2008 aboard a tall, muscled Palomino Quarter horse mare who couldn’t handle the central Illinois heat and humidity in a 25-mile competition, so she decided to try Arabians.
She bought three, (“of which I knew nothing about! I trained Standardbreds for racing”) with the thought being to try the three and keep the two that she thought would be best.
“Ha!” Robin says. “Katie drew the short straw and I couldn't ride her. Her trot is big and I had zero riding skills. I had no idea how to post.”
Katie sat in the ‘back 40’ until 2011. “I learned to ride a little better - I was always falling off, zero balance and my Arabs were agile. Fortunately I only suffered bruises here and there.” Robin began riding Katie in LD's with a plan to sell her because she was ‘uncomfortable’. There were no takers, so Robin kept riding her.
January 2013 Robin was riding her gelding Maruf at an Endurance ride in the Goethe forest in Florida. “One of the pigs or something equally scary spooked my guy Maruf. Not sure what got him. It wasn't like him to run off (he was awesome).
“I came off, cracked helmet, concussion for sure. Never did find Maruf.
“Katie gave me my confidence back after losing Maruf. Katie carried me to her first 100 and my first 100 completion. We completed our 4th 100 (at the age of 21) last October at White River in Michigan.”
Last season Robin and Katie achieved Decade Team status, a wondrous accomplishment for a later-in-life-starting rider and a mare that once upon a time she couldn’t get rid of.
“Katie's second dam is by Khemosabi. She’s a kind, easy going mare. She's lifted me up through some tough personal times.
“Katie is very dear to me.”
BLM to increase wild horse gathers in coming year
Larisa Bogardus/BLM photo
Wildlife.org - Full Article
By Laura Bies
January 20, 2022
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management will increase the numbers of wild horses and burros that it removes from the western United States during Fiscal Year 2022, in response to the ecologically feral animals destroying habitat that’s also affected by climate change and extreme drought.
The agency plans to gather a minimum of 22,000 wild horses and burros from areas across the West, where the herds are larger than ecologically based population targets the BLM has set. Of these gathered animals, they plan to permanently remove at least 19,000 animals and treat at least 2,300 with various methods of fertility control before returning them to the range. If successful, this would be the most animals gathered, removed and treated in any one year.
The BLM estimates that more than 86,000 wild horses and burros currently range across 27 million acres of BLM-managed public lands in the western U.S...
Read more here:
https://wildlife.org/blm-to-increase-wild-horse-gathers-in-coming-year/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=getresponse&utm_content=This%20Week%27s%20eWildlifer%20%26%20TWS%20Talks&utm_campaign=
Gallant: The Call of The Trail - Claire Eckard
Gallant: The Call of The Trail
Claire Eckard author, 2021
Phylicia Mann illustrator
Gallant and Gracie have a special bond, rarely seen between human and horse. Separated by a bad accident when Gallant is five, each gets a second chance of happiness pursuing the long-distance sport of endurance riding, neither knowing they are leading parallel lives.
Gallant's arch nemesis, The Almighty Flash, threatens to destroy all that Gallant has worked for. His misguided ambition and greed, developed at the hands of an abusive owner, has created a darkness in his soul that turns to blind fury when his endurance career is threatened.
When Gracie meets Jack, she realizes that nothing will ever be as simple as it used to be.
The characters' lives are beautifully woven together against the backdrop of a sport that tests the physical and mental endurance of horse and rider like no other. Gallant: The Call of The Trail, is ultimately a saga of love, adventure, and self-discovery, with an unexpected ending that threatens to change everything.
"All ages are in for a treat when you put author Claire Eckard's enthusiasm and talent between the covers of a book. This story plays with your emotions in each chapter and then leaves you wanting more as the last page is turned." -Julie Suhr, author, endurance rider, 30,857 recorded competition miles.
"Just finished the book, with tears streaming down my face! The story of a young girl and her love and devotion to her horse is heartwarming! In this world of uncertainty, it was refreshing to read a wholesome, loving book, suitable for all ages." -Diane Marquard, author, endurance rider, 12,654 recorded competition miles.
"The Gallant Series promises to be what Black Beauty, National Velvet, and Lassie were to the youth of previous generations. Eckard has written a riveting story of faith, affection, and adventure that follows the lives of two teenagers as they train to compete in the heart stopping sport of endurance riding. Brilliantly written by Eckard and brought to life by the vivid illustrations of artist Phylicia Mann, this first book is sure to become a classic and will leave you breathlessly waiting for the story to continue in the trilogy of books to follow." -Lucian Spataro, Jr., Ph.D., Author of the "The Long Ride", Endurance Rider and Senior Fellow, Civics, Arizona State University
Claire Eckard is an award-winning author who lives in Arizona. She grew up in England and travels there regularly, where she is still obsessed with clotted cream teas, and the tranquil English countryside of her youth. She is married with two grown sons and two beautiful granddaughters. Gallant is her first novel and is the first in a trilogy of books highlighting the sport of endurance riding. She has several published children's books which can be found on her website at www.claireeckardauthor.com, as well as at Amazon.com and other major online sites and bookstores.
2022 Fire Mountain - Cari Johnson
by Cari JohnsonJanuary 17 2022
All summer, my friend Cathy and I had been eagerly talking about our next endurance ride. We were getting "the itch", but since Covid hit we hadn't done an endurance ride since Sesenta Anos in 2019.
We'd been averaging about 20 miles a week training rides in the mountains, with myself on Sierra, and her on Gallant, so we figured why not give Fire Mountain a shot! The horses aren't as conditioned as I would like, but we planned on just going for fun and completion, we had planned on "turtling" or coming in last place, settling on a nice easy slow pace for the horses as to not over stress them. Well, as Murphy would have it, the weekend before the ride we were on our last conditioning ride in Cuyamaca and suddenly 5 miles in Gallant comes up dead lame on his right front foot. This is a leg he's never had any problems with before, so after walking back, cold hosing, and pondering a bit, we decided he must have clipped it with his back leg. Well poop! We decided to rest him the rest of the week, and then decide Friday morning if he was sound enough to go. He wasn't, so we decided last minute to take Ares instead. We had planned on taking him just to camp, and experience everything, as it would be his first overnight trip ever. Cathy was bummed she couldn't ride, since Gallant was out, but she had prepared herself mentally all week for volunteering instead.
The entire drive up I was pondering if Ares could possibly be ready? Could he do it? Was he ready? Is he fit enough? Was I asking too much? How would he be camping? Would he be a good listener, or would he lose his mind around all these other horses? I decided that I would determine once we got to camp, and I could see how he was behaving.
Read the rest at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2022FireMountain/#CariJohnson
UAE: Jahoori shines as Al Wathba Stables dominates Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Festival
GulfToday.ae - Full Article
19 January 2022
Abdullah Al Jahoori won the main open race for a distance of 120 km to help Al Wathba Stables retained the title
as the third edition of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Festival concluded at the Emirates International Endurance Village, with the participation of 236 jockeys took part in the compeitition held held in honour and appreciation of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, with the support and directives of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs.
Jahoori riding ‘CHA Eclipse’ completed the race in 4:09:31 hours, with an average speed of 28.85 km/h...
Read more here:
https://www.gulftoday.ae/sport/2022/01/19/jahoori-shines-as-al-wathba-stables-dominates-sheikh-mohammed-bin-zayed-al-nahyan-endurance-festival
2022 Fire Mountain Day 3 - Nina Bomar
January 17 2022
by Nina Bomar
It was my third day and Niño’s second at the Fire Mountain Ride. It was a bitterly cold morning by my standards, but Dave Rabe showed up in his usual attire, shorts and a lightweight jacket. I was bundled up like we were headed for the snow. My fingers felt like frozen icicles and I blew on them with hopes that my warm breath would help them to thaw. I’m sure I was making my discomforts known out loud, when Dave blurted out to me an early morning story that suddenly occurred to him.
We were less than a mile down the trail and we had let most everyone pass us. Dave reminisced about way back when and Calina, the Ducks daughter was a very young girl and probably much less than 10 years old. He said that he and Connie Creech sponsored her on the Grand Canyon ride and it was about 5° out there first thing in the morning and brutally cold. Little Calina began to cry because she said her hands were cold. They told her to hush up and ride and that she did. They all finished the 50 miler that day and walked the last loop in because Calina’s horse was a little off but they made it.
Oh I got the message and quit whining It was a beautiful and sunny morning out here in the desert and it wasn’t before long, when I began to shed my own layers. Dave and I had initially planned to only ride one day together and that was supposed to be on the second day, when he would ride White Cloud.
More at:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2022FireMountain/
Saudi Arabia: Former champ Laliscia: ‘AlUla has potential to become endurance capital of the Middle East’
Arabnews.com - Full Article
January 18 2022
• Laliscia new general sports director for The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup 2022
• Contest will see over 200 riders from more than 30 different countries battle for prize of $4.2 million
ALULA: Former Endurance World Champion Gianluca Laliscia believes that AlUla has the potential to become one of the leading destinations for his sport, and wants to use this month’s 2022 Fursan Cup to take another important step on that journey.
“As soon as I set foot in AlUla, I could see the huge potential,” said Laliscia, who won the FEI Endurance World Championship in 2005, and since retiring from competition. has gone on to found and successfully run a number of businesses within the endurance world, including his current position as CEO and chairman of sistemaeventi.it, and founder of Italia Endurance Stables & Academy.
As the new general sports director for The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup 2022, he is uniquely positioned to give an expert view on AlUla...
Read more here:
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2007036/sport
2022 Tonto Twist photos - Susan Kordish
2022 Tonto Twist Endurance ride photos in Arizona by Susan Kordish, AZ
Cowgirl Photography:
https://www.azcowgirlphotography.com/EquestrianEvents/2022-Equestrian-Events/2022-Tonto-Twist-50/
Meet My Endurance Horse: Gryphon
January 17 2022
by Merri Melde-Endurance.net
Gryphon
22-year-old gelding
Half Arabian, part Caspian (probably)
owned by Mary Howell
3685 Endurance miles
60 LD miles
This 14.2-hand chestnut gelding came into Mary Howell’s life as a nameless, scared, starved gelding from a Pennsylvania rescue in 2012. She gave him the prophetic name Gryphon, after the mythological cross between an eagle and a lion.
It was a long trial rehabbing her new horse. As she wrote in her blog, Mary’s Endurance Adventures, “He became quite a challenge to work with as he gained weight and strength. He clearly had been abused and was very nervous and mistrustful in certain situations, but my experience working with different horses - plus ability to stay on board no matter what - paid off.”
They completed two Endurance rides at the end of the 2012 season, and they finished 11 of their 12 starts in 2013. “As a strong bond of friendship grew between us, I recognized a puppy-dog personality lay beneath the "gangsta" behavior. Adding magnesium pellets to his diet as a calming agent helped too! By June 2013, after eight 50 mile rides in nine months, I could finally post to Facebook that my scary, defiant little rescue horse had morphed into a confident, happy endurance horse.”
They completed Gryphon’s first 100-mile ride, JD’s Carolina, in November of 2013, and they traveled across the country from Virginia to California in August of 2014 to complete the Tevis Cup together.
In the years and miles since, Gryphon has overcome numerous health setbacks, including major surgery for a pedunculated polyp (“the recovery of which deterred him from eating for almost 2 weeks”), a large chest sarcoid, and seedy toe. He’s prone to colic, even when there haven’t been any weird weather changes, and he gets an herbal treatment for equine metabolic syndrome.
Last season, Mary and Gryphon earned their Decade Team award, given to a horse and rider team who have completed at least one 50-mile ride in each of ten years.
“He has so much heart and truly makes you feel like you’re flying despite his tiny size,” Mary says. “I think being part Caspian gives him the X-factor since he’s so unlike my purebred Arabians in temperament. I joke that there is a tiny nuclear reactor inside him since he needs to get about three times as much feed as my other horses and drinks so much on trail.
“Of all my horses, Gryphon truly captured my heart. No one else rides him but me; our relationship has been like a married couple over the years. He first scared and then frustrated me as well as amazed me. There’s no denying his courage and spunk.
“He’s 22 now and whatever he experienced in the first 10 years of his life seems to be taking a toll, so I hope we get a few more years of AERC rides together before a well earned retirement.”
Equine Land Conservation Resource to sponsor webinar: Trail Ambassador Programs: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices
In partnership with American Trails
January 9 2022
Trail ambassador programs can be a boon to any trail or trail system. They build local engagement, help identify and solve deferred maintenance issues, and turn casual users into lifelong advocates.
We've gathered together leaders of some of the best ambassador programs across the nation, representing a variety of trail user types, to share best practices and offer sage advice for starting programs for your trail.
We have made this a two-part webinar series to showcase great examples and resources that will focus on providing ample time for answering your most burning questions.
The webinar will be a panel presentation with six presenters sharing their ambassador program experiences reflecting different trail user groups
One of the panelists, Steve McClintock, will be sharing his experience from the equestrian perspective.
Steve is one of the two National Directors for Arizona on the Back Country Horsemen of America (BCHA) national Board of Directors.
He was President of the East Valley BCH Chapter in Apache Junction (East Mesa), Arizona from 2015-2021.
He is also Chairman of the BCHA Legacy Fund — an endowment like fund.
Steve has enjoyed many hours in the saddle with his Tennessee Walking Horse named Ranger which he describes as "a darn good trail horse."
All webinar presenters:
• Natalie Ferraro, Engagement Manager, Trailkeepers of Oregon
• Adam Harden, Deputy Administrator, Ambassador Program, NOHVIS
• Randy Harden, Program Administrator, Ambassador Program, NOHVIS
• Steve McClintock, National Director for Arizona, Back Country Horsemen of America
• Ursula Sandstrom, Trail Ranger and Outreach Director, Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA)
• Taylor Goodrich, Communication and Media Specialist, American Trails
Please join us for the Trail Ambassador Programs: Tips, Tricks, and Best Practices Thursday, January 27, 2022, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am Pacific/1:00 pm to 2:30 pm Eastern to learn best practices from some of the outstanding trail ambassador programs across the nation, representing a variety of trail user types, to offer sage advice for starting ambassador programs for your trail.
Click HERE to register and for more information
UAE: Laila shines in Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Festival
GulfToday.ae - Full Article
January 14 2022
The rider Laila Abdel Aziz Al Reda reaped the fruits of her efforts to hand Al Wathba Stables the title of the third edition of Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Endurance Festival for Women, which began on Friday morning for a distance of 100 km, on the sands of the fields of the Emirates International Endurance Village in Al Wathba, with the participation of (145) riders. She was aboard Ayo Raghad.
The festival is being held with the support and directives of Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, and includes three races, the first ride is for women, the second for private stables, and its activities will be held on Saturday, and the third main event will be held on Sunday.
The champion covered the total distance in a time of 3:19:34 hours, with an average speed of 29.57 km/h, Sheikha Mariam Bint Omar Al Qasimi finished second, riding "Cheetac de Cormier", for the Stables (MRM)...
Read more here:
https://www.gulftoday.ae/sport/2022/01/14/laila-shines-in-sheikh-mohammed-bin-zayed-al-nahyan-endurance-festival
Australia: South Coast horse riders prepare for epic Mongolian trip
AboutRegional.com.au - Full Article
14 January 2022
Two keen NSW South Coast equestrian riders will soon follow in the hoofprints of the world’s greatest warlord, helping today’s Mongolian kids move on from lives scavenging garbage tips.
Bodalla’s Duncan McLaughlin and Moruya’s Cele Stone are among 16 riders selected for the 3600km Blue Wolf Totem Expedition across Mongolia commencing in May 2022. Raising funds for the Children of the Peak Sanctuary, the three-month adventure will see the pair onboard native Mongolian horses, riding roughly 50km each day.
The horses are descended from those belonging to Genghis Khan’s armies as he carved out the world’s largest empire: an area covering more than 23 million square kilometres, including nearly all of Asia, the Middle East and a swathe of eastern Europe.
Mr McLaughlin said the expedition is “much more than simply riding from A to B”...
Read more here:
https://aboutregional.com.au/south-coast-horse-riders-prepare-for-epic-mongolian-trip/
2021 January's Horses in the Morning Endurance Podcast
Horsesinthemorning.com - Listen
Endurance: Horse Market, Winter Riding and Listener Questions for Jan 11, 2022
Aubree Becker of Kentucky Horse Exchange gives some tips on shopping for Endurance horses and Karen answers some listener Endurance questions. Plus, Karen gives some tips on keeping motivated during the winter and some Endurance news. Listen in...
https://www.horsesinthemorning.com/endurance-horse-market-winter-riding-and-listener-questions-for-jan-11-2022/
US Equestrian Announces Endurance Award Winners for 2021
©Becky Pearman Photography
USEF.org
by US Equestrian Communications Department | Jan 11, 2022, 10:00 AM EST
Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian congratulates the top endurance athletes from the 2021 competition season. Cheryl Van Deusen (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.) will receive the Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award, which is presented annually to the top U.S. senior endurance rider. Charly Dugan (Muncy, Pa.) will receive the Brunjes Junior/Young Rider Trophy as the top U.S. junior or young rider in the sport.
During the 2021 season, Van Deusen rode Nazeefs Flashy Rose, her own 2007 Arabian mare, to third-place finishes at Greenway Gallivant CEI2* 120 in December 2020 and Broxton Bridge CEI2* in January. With her 2012 Arabian gelding, JG General, she won the CEI1* 100 at Horseshoe Bend Boogie in October and was Reserve Champion at the 2021 USEF Endurance National Championship CEI2* 120 in November.
Van Deusen and her 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games partner, Hoover the Mover, placed second at the Greenway Galivant CEI3* 160 in December 2020 and won the CEI3* 140 at Broxton Bridge in January and Celebration 2021 in February. In May, she traveled to Italy with the 2004 Arabian gelding where they completed the test event for the 2022 Longines FEI Endurance World Championships in Verona.
This marks Van Deusen’s fifth consecutive season at the top of the U.S. senior endurance rankings.
Charly Dugan had a busy and successful 2021 season with multiple horses on the road to becoming the top youth endurance rider in the country. With Sally Jellison’s 2014 Half-Arabian mare, Gold N Charm, she won the CEIYJ1* 100 at Celebration 2021 in February. She rode Melody Blittersdorf’s 2010 Arabian gelding, Perseveranze, to a second-place finish at Fun in the Sun CEIYJ2* 120 in March and a win at the Broxton Bridge CEIYJ2* 120 in April.
Dugan had an exceptional year with her own Southern Justice, a 2012 Arabian gelding. Together, the pair finished second in the CEIYJ2* 120 at Broxton Bridge rides in January and April and went on to win the USEF CEIYJ2* National Championship in November. In September, the pair traveled to Ermelo, the Netherlands, where they competed as part of the U.S. Endurance Team that finished in fifth place at the FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Riders & Juniors.
The Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award is generously sponsored by Gold Medal Farm and Larry and Valerie Kanavy in memory of Maggy Price. Price was the 1992 FEI Endurance World Championship silver medalist and was instrumental in developing international endurance in the U.S. The Brunjes Junior/Young Rider Trophy is awarded in memory of Kathy Brunjes, a successful endurance athlete and active supporter of the junior/young rider program.
More at:
https://www.usef.org/media/press-releases/us-equestrian-announces-endurance-award-winners