Since 1986, the United States has been a driving force in world endurance competitions. Seven out of 10 individual gold medals awarded at World Championships from 1986 until 2004 were earned by U.S. riders, and the team won gold in 1988 and 1996.

Since the mid ’90s, however, a combination of technical training, enthusiastic world competition and endurance-specific breeding programs have landed riders from France and the United Arab Emirates on the podium.

This World Equestrian Games competition will feature experienced riders from around the globe who have learned to maximize their training regimens and have tested the mettle of their horses in diverse conditions. Strong endurance nations such as Australia, Belgium, Great Britain, France, the United Arab Emirates and the United States are known for fielding tough teams, and fast times are expected–the leaders should finish the 100-mile competition in nine to 10 hours over the rolling tri-country endurance track.

The U.S. team is primed for the challenge, the first competition of the WEG, to be held Aug. 21.

In their court, the U.S. team has as Chef d’Equipe Valerie Kanavy, two-time World Endurance Champion (1994 and 1998) and team gold (1996) at the helm. With more than 16,000 American Endurance Ride Conference-recorded miles, Kanavy has a matchless record, adding the title of FEI Masters World Champion in 2003.

The team of five riders (four and an alternate) has a combined total of more than 60,000 AERC-recorded miles in rides and races. The youngest horse is 8 years of age; the oldest is 14. Two of the riders are second-generation endurance riders who have grown up, literally, on a horse.

With meticulous selection, observation and training of this year’s long list of endurance riders, there were many solid horses to choose from. “We could easily have fielded two talented teams,” said Kanavy.

Steve Rojek has the most international experience, having competed in two World Championships and five Pan American Championships. He has a reputation for consistency and completion, and he’s recorded more than 14,000 AERC miles, including 50 100-mile competitions.

Rojek believes in taking time to bring young horses up to this level, and his 10-year-old Finch is at his prime. Three best condition awards and five wins in 2006 gave him a ticket to the WEG.

Christoph Schork, although new to international equestrian competition, has a resume stacked with distance events in ski racing and long distance running. He’s amassed 14,000 AERC miles since 1988 and has ridden more than 1,700 miles each year for the past few years. His mount, Taj Rai Hasan, has been steadily seen on the win and best condition lists the past two years. He’s a horse that gets stronger as the race goes on.

Kathy Downs is no newcomer to long distance riding and has more than 10,000 ride miles to her credit, including 65 100-mile rides. Her WEG horse, Pygmalion, is the youngest of the team at 8. “He does everything right,” said Downs. His 2006 record includes three wins with some of the nation’s toughest competitors, and he’s definitely a horse to watch for an individual medal.

Joe Mattingley grew up in a distance riding family and has been competing for more than 20 years. He’s had international experience and has competed in the North American Championships three times. With a dressage background, his team horse, SA Laribou, is “extremely balanced,” according to Mattingly. Two back-to-back wins in 100-mile rides in 2006 and a best condition landed them on the team.

Meg Sleeper has logged more than 6,000 AERC miles since 1987 and been a repeat contender for the U.S. East team for the North American Championships. She was an alternate for the 2002 WEG in Jerez. Sleeper is ready for a chance at a medal with her experienced Shyrocco Troilus, whose racing career is peppered with best condition awards.

Reserve rider Jennifer Niehaus is a seasoned second-generation endurance rider. If her mount, Cheyenne XII, should compete, the 14-year-old, chestnut gelding has the muscle, handily winning his two 100-mile rides in 2006 and earning a best condition award.

Team Members
Finch: gr. g., 10, Arabian.
Steve Rojek: age 61, South Woodstock, Vt.

Taj Rai Hasan: gr. g., 8, Arabian.
Christoph Schork: age 53, Moab, Utah.


Pygmalion: gr. g., 10, Arabian.
Kathy Downs: age 62, Somerville, Maine.

SA Laribou: gr. g., 11, Arabian.
Joe Mattingly: age 34, Scales Mound, Ill.


Shyrocco Troilus: gr. g., 14, half-Arabian.
Meg Sleeper: age 38, Frenchtown, N.J.

Reserve

Cheyenne XII: ch. g., 14, Arabian.
Jennifer Niehaus: age 35, Cloverdale, Calif.

AUSTRALIA

Australia May Be Unstoppable
Australia is sending perhaps its best team ever to the World Equestrian Games, writes Tricia Booker.

Australia is always a team to take seriously, and this year there’s no doubt this powerhouse group of riders is prepared for battle. With a team silver medal at the 2004 World Endurance Championships in Dubai, Australia had a sweet taste of success at the last major international championship and now seeks the entire cake.

Chef d’Equipe Dr. Patricia McKay-Annetts has assembled a top group of riders, from experienced international veterans to new faces, who could easily storm to the top of the podium.

Brooke Sample is a household name in Australia. He’s won the Australian National Championship Tom Quilty Gold Cup five times and placed fourth this year on Brookleigh Mozart. His mount for the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, La Mancha Archduke, won the CEI*** Trans Tasman Challenge (Australia). Carnarvon Cavalier will be Sample’s reserve horse.

Meg Wade is a team veteran, and her current mount, China Doll, completed their Aachen preparation with eighth place in the 2006 Tom Quilty Gold Cup. Wade had a good run with this horse under European conditions last year, placing fifth over the WEG track at the European Championships. She also has Wybalena Lodge Shuska as a qualified reserve horse, if needed.

The husband-and-wife duo of Penny and Peter Toft of Queensland are veterans of the squad and share the endurance passion.

Penny and Bremervale Justice are the team’s anchor. She’s completed a variety of international rides, from the deserts of the United Arab Emirates to the heat and humidity of Europe. Penny was a member of Australia’s bronze-medal team at the 2002 WEG in Spain, and its silver-medal team in 2004 in the United Arab Emirates, making her one of Australia’s most internationally decorated riders in endurance.

The Australians consider Justice one of their country’s most successful endurance horses ever. As an insurance policy, Penny also has Harriet as a qualified reserve mount.

Peter and Electra BBP Murdoch helped to earn that team silver medal in the 2004 WEC. The Appaloosa-Arabian cross is widely known throughout the world for his unique coloring and has competed on four continents. With Penny in the saddle, he placed third in the Tom Quilty Gold Cup in June as preparation for Aachen. Thanks to Electra, Peter also boasts two Tevis Cup buckles from the Western States Ride in California and two top 10 completions.

Jennifer Gilbertson and Bramall Jazzmin earned their team spot in part for their contribution to the silver medal-winning team at the 2004 WEC in Dubai. Jazzmin is owned by Toft Endurance.

Joyce Corbett is a new face on the Australian team, although she’s well known on the national scene. With her Arabian mare Reeflex, Corbett was the co-winner of the 2004 Tom Quilty Gold Cup.

Donna Wiesman and Danielle O’Louglin, both experienced riders, proved themselves team worthy through top placings in 100-mile competitions throughout Australia.

Wiesman and Hirstglen Fargo placed second and third in two rides, while O’Louglin and Pravado completed three rides, including a second place and best condition middleweight at the 2005 Queensland State Championships.

Tora Blar Zay, owned by Toft Endurance, will travel to Europe at the owner’s discretion as an uncommitted reserve horse, and Kristie McGaffin is the reserve rider.

FRANCE

France Is Serious About Retaining Gold
With endurance second only to show jumping as the most popular equestrian discipline in France, they’ll be defending their team gold with depth and talent, writes Pamela Burton.


In 2005 there were 3,000 licensed endurance riders and 20,000 starts at French endurance rides. So, to say the French team has strength is an understatement.

National trainers, appointed by the French Equestrian Federation, are charged with selecting and training the top French riders who will compete at international competitions, such as European and World Championships. They have the sport down to a science.

Since 1994, the visionary and inspiration for French endurance was National Trainer Pierre Cazes. His untimely death last year, weeks before the European Championships at Compiegne, might have deva-stated a lesser team. But he did his job well, and the French brought home the team silver medal there. Jean-Louis Leclerc, who was an assistant to Cazes, has picked up the mantle and now leads the team as national trainer.

Renowned for their team interaction, the French have only been left out of the medals twice in World Championships since 1988 (1999 and 2000), and they took home individual medals at those events. On their home turf in 2000 at Compiegne, they swept gold, silver and bronze in individual medals. They returned to the podium as a team for the gold medal at the 2002 WEG in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.

The team for Aachen was selected in large part by their performance at the 60 km CEI*** Rambouillet ride on May 13. Team picks Virginie Atger riding Kangoo d’Aurabelle, Cécile Miletto Mosti riding Baja de Piboul, and Philippe Benoit with Akim du Boulvé, all placed in the top 10 with ride times averaging 8:33.

Atger’s horse continues to show potential, and despite offers to buy the gelding, the family elected to keep the horse for France.

Miletto Mosti is back on the team, six years after her individual silver medal at Compiegne.

Elodie le Labourier had a pass to the WEG, as she rode Sangho Limousian to the team silver medal at the 2005 European Championship after her seventh-placed finish at the WEG in Spain. She continues to be a strong contender.

Florian Legrand had an eighth-placed finish at the 2005 European Championships on Imanh and was captain of the team that produced a silver medal for the 2005 World Junior Endurance Championship in Bahrain.

Alternate Pascal Ditch, riding Hiram du Berthas, also performed well at Rambouillet, finishing in a ride time of 8:45.

Team Members
Kangoo d’Aurabelle: gr. g., 8, Chevaux de Selle.
Virginie Atger: age 22, Greoux les Bains.

Akim du Boulvé: r. g., 8, Arabian.
Philippe Benoit: age 46.

Sangho Limousian: gr. g., 16, Arabian.
Elodie le Labourier: age 24, Moustoir, Bretagne.

Imanh: b. g., 10, Arabian.
Florian Legrand: age 22, Bretagne.

Baja de Piboul: gr. m., 10, Arabian.
Cécile Miletto Mosti: age 28.


Reserve

Hifrane du Bartha: b. m., 9, Chevaux de Selle.
Pascale Dietsch: age 43.

ITALY

The Italians Will Gallop To Defend Their Gold
With a decade of endurance success behind them, the Italians will ride solely for one goal, writes Tricia Booker.

At the 2004 World Endurance Championships in Dubai, the Italian team withstood world-record speed, a tough desert course and the loss of one of their team members to win the gold medal. And not only was their three-member team victorious, the Italians dominated, winning the event by more than two hours over silver medalists the venerable Australians and the Belgians, who took bronze.

The Italians rose to the top of the sport in the mid- to late-1990s, taking the team silver medal at the 1997 European Championships in their home country. In 1998, Fausto Fiorucci and Faris Jabar gave World Champion Valerie Kanavy and High Winds Jedi a run for the individual gold medal in Dubai, settling for the silver after a thrilling sprint to the finish.

In the 2001 Open European Championships, the Italian team–with Fiorucci, Roberto Busi, Alessandro Baldicchi and Chiara Rosi–won the gold medal in impressive form, and Fiorucci earned his individual gold medal aboard Faris Jabar.

Even when a shattered ankle kept him from preparing in full for the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, Fiorucci wasn’t to be denied. He finished sixth and helped Italy claim the team silver medal.

Like Fiorucci, Antonio Rosi struggled to overcome an injury during the 2002 WEG. Riding Alex Raggio di Sole, he led three quarters of the race before a foot injury slowed his pace, allowing United Arab Emirates rider Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed al Maktoum to pass him for the individual gold. Nevertheless, Rosi took the individual silver medal, leading the team to the second step on the podium.

This year the Italian team has had excellent results, most recently with team gold at the Gubbio CEIO (Italy) in June. Riders from nine nations competed, and long-listed members Patrizia Giacchero and Gianluca Laliscia contributed to the team victory and finished in the top 10.

This year’s Italian team will be selected at the last minute and will include riders and horses from their long list: Gaetano Abrosio/Hassan The King, Daniela Blasi/Los Angeles Estashadek, Carlo Gervasoni/Cosroe Gawhar, Patrizia Giacchero/India, Gianluca Laliscia/Kohl, Mirco Mazzocchetti/Fabuloso, Diana Origgi/Primula Baja, Ronnye Schiaretti/ Ecart, and Alfonso Striano/Cischi.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The UAE Will Aim For A Repeat Win
The sport in this country has exploded in the past 15 years, and they are now a force to be reckoned with, writes Pamela Burton.

In 1992, the United Arab Emirates launched the Equestrian and Racing Federation, which included the discipline of endurance, under President His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan. The sport has come a long way since the opening 40-kilometer event where camels competed against horses in the dunes surrounding Dubai. (Horses took the first 15 places.)

Endurance riding has captured the top position in equestrian sports held in the UAE. Among its strongest supporters are many members from the Royal families and several of their Highnesses, and rulers of different Emirates regularly take part in endurance competitions alongside UAE nationals, resident foreign riders and visiting riders from abroad.

In 1996, UAE riders contested their first World Endurance Championship in Kansas. By 1998, the UAE’s enthusiasm for the sport was evident as they hosted the WEC on Dubai’s newly built course. A record number–162 competitors–were invited to this 160-km ride, and 78 riders completed the course.

The UAE has been a driving and generous force in expanding the scope of endurance with the mission to broaden its appeal and popularity around the world. Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has personally led the team from Dubai to many international competitions.

In 2001, Sheikh Mohammad’s son, Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, won the title of Open European Champion in Italy. In Ireland in 2003, the UAE finished one, two, and three as Sheikh Mohammad won the Open Championship title. The gold at the 2005 Open European Championship in Compiegne went to second son, Sheikh Hamden Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum.

The UAE team has been successful as well, capturing the gold medal at the Open European Championships three times, in 1999 (Spain), 2001 (Italy) and 2003 (Ireland). In 2002, Sheikh Ahmed bin Mo-hammed Al Maktoum became the youngest rider in history and also the first man to win the coveted FEI World Endurance Championship at the 2002 WEG in Spain. The 20-year-old will be riding to defend his title in Aachen.

For the 2006 WEG, the UAE will send 10 qualified riders and 12 horses. This list will be winnowed down to five riders and six horses on the eve of the championship. The UAE team captain is expected to be Sheikh Mohammed, and he’s named Georgat, the French horse he purchased from 2005 World Endurance Champion Barbara Lissarge, as a possible mount.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum has added to his record the silver medal from the 2005 Open European Championship in Compiegne.

Sheikh Rashid Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, the oldest son of Sheikh Mohammed, is the former Open European Champion (2001) and won the Gubbio*** CEIO in June on Huzie D’Ax, an 11-year-old, gray, Selle Fran�ais gelding.

Sheikh Hamden Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, second son of Sheikh Mohammad, won the 2005 Open European Championship in Compiegne. He was also on the 2001 gold-medal Open European Championship team.

Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammad al Maktoum, one of the younger riders, most recently won his qualifying 160-kilometer CEI*** in Perugia, Italy, in June.

Other team candidates include: Saeed Abdullah Al Ketbi, Open European Championships team member; Sheikh Hazza Bin Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, another young rider on the squad who already has four impressive international wins; Sheikh Khalid Bin Sultan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who won a silver team medal in the World Junior Championship; Sultan Ahmad Sultan Bin Sulayem, who has 17 finishes in the top 10 and is one of the UAE’s more consistent riders; and Ali Mohammad Al Muhairi, the bronze medalist in the 2003 Open European Championship.

The UAE riders have a selection of proven horses, which include Georgat, Jazyk, Horsik de Grazette, Orcara and Jassasgrisbi Colombier.

THE U.S. REINING TEAM

EASY OTIE WHIZ: b. s., 7, Quarter Horse, owned by Outwest Stallion Station and Bobbie Cook.
MATT MILLS: Scottsdale, Ariz.

SMART PAUL OLENA: ro. s., 12, Quarter Horse, owned by Meg Griffith-Ralston.
AARON RALSTON: Silt, Colo.


MISTER NICADUAL: ch. s., 6, Quarter Horse, owned by Jerry Kimmel.
TIM MCQUAY: Tioga, Texas.

STARBUCKS SIDEKICK: gr. s., 6, Quarter Horse, owned by Adair Reiners LLC.
DELL HENDRICKS: Tioga, Texas.

Reserves

RUFF HEARTED JAC: s., 7, Quarter Horse, owned by Sarah Willeman.
TOM MCCUTCHEON: Aubrey, Texas.

DUN WITH CAUTION: d. g., 8, Quarter Horse, owned by RVR Performance Horses LLC.
CRYSTAL MCNUTT: Scottsdale, Ariz.