Tag: Horse

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Maple Ridge horse jumping team takes top spots in Dog Days of Summer event – Maple Ridge News

Maple Ridge horse jumping team takes top spots in Dog Days of Summer event - Maple Ridge News

A Maple Ridge team championed in multiple events at the latest hunter jumper show at the Maple Ridge Equi-Sports Centre.

The Dog Days of Summer Hunter Jumper Show had more than 85 competitors from across the Lower Mainland, in addition to Squamish, and the Interior.

Kaitlyn Harbour’s team from Empire Equestrian accumulated many accolades at the event including:

• Geordan Krysak and horse Story Time took the title of Champion in the Cross Rail Hunter division, with Andrea Sylvestri and horse Attie close behind, earning the title of Cross Rail Hunter Reserve Champion, with the second highest points.

• Georgia Dalrymple and horse Athena championed in the Two Foot Hunter division and received third place in the Hunt and Go division, with Sienna Shayler and horse Hemi taking the reserve spot in the Two Foot Hunter division and sixth spot in Hunt and Go.

• Danika Sojka and horse Flower took first place and top ribbons in the Two Foot Hunter and fifth in the Hunt and go.

• Grace Beeley and horse Secret came second in the Accumulator, third in the Empire Medal, and was the Reserve Champion in the .85 Jumpers division.

• Ivory Butler and horse Cruise were Champions in the 1.10 Jumpers and had other top placings.

• Hannah Pringle and horse Maisy were Reserve Champions in the .90 Jumpers division.

• Emily Bettesworth and horse Echo earned top place ribbons int he Cross Rail Hunter and Equitation on the Flat.

• Kate Payne and horse Sugar also earned many top placings in the Trot Rail and Cross Rail divisions.

• And owner and trainer Kaitlyn Harbour with horse Cosmo had top three finishes throughout the weekend in the Open 1.0 category.

The jumper classes were judged on speed, time, and having no faults, explained Harbour. Hunter classes, she added, were judged on rhythm, style, and position of the rider.

“We have been training year round preparing for our competition season,” said Harbour about the team’s great results.

The team is gearing up for competitions in September at both the Maple Ridge Equi-Centre and Thunderbird Show Park in Langley. Next for the team is the September Fall Day Classic Hunter Jumper Show that runs from Sept. 1-4 in Maple Ridge.

Have a story tip? Email: cflanagan@mapleridgenews.com

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Strong showing at Meadow Lake 4-H Light Horse event

Strong showing at Meadow Lake 4-H Light Horse event

“They learn how to properly take care of their horses, about horse health and riding skills — how to handle their horse,” Loewen said.

Lloydminster 4-H Expo this weekend

The Meadow Lake club will next be participating in the 4-H Expo in Lloydminster from Saturday, June 4 to Monday, June 6. The Eagle Hills Multiple 4-H Club in the Battlefords also has members taking part in the Light Horse competition.

The Lloydminster Agricultural Exhibition Association confirmed close to 250 4-H members from the surrounding area will showcase their projects for the year. The event includes heifers, steers, cow/calves, light horses, and multi-projects, and takes place at the Lloydminster exhibition grounds.

Lloyd Ex agricultural manager Shelly Ann Dodgson said clubs from the region, including Lloydminster, Paradise Hills, as well as other clubs from Saskatchewan and Alberta will be participating.

“It really brings them together in a fun and interactive competition, so they are able to meet other kids across the province in an inter-provincial competition,” she said. “There will be a lot of networking happening.”

The Light Horse show and competition will take place Saturday and Sunday starting at 9 a.m. on both days.

“The Saturday [event] focuses more on your performance, so your equitation classes and showmanship,” Dodgson said. “Then, Sunday is the big day where all the kids hang out and get to do Gymkhana [timed activities].”

In addition to the main projects, there will also be sheep, canine, archery and multi-program presentations to bring in more 4-H members.

“We cover a very large gamut of projects,” Dodgson added.

There will also be a beef component to the expo.

The Beef Projects Club Judging Competition will take place Sunday at 10 a.m. and the Cow/Calf and Heifer Project Show will be held a little later at 2:30 p.m.

–

angela.brown@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW

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Equestrian event to be dropped from Olympic pentathlon after German coach struck horse

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Coach Kim Raisner punched a horse at the Tokyo Games when it refused to jump a fence, an attack that led to criticism of the sport

Publishing date:

May 02, 2022  •  2 hours ago  •  2 minute read  •  17 Comments

Annika Schleu of Germany is stymied by a balking horse during the Modern Pentathlon competition at Tokyo 2020 Olympics, August 6, 2021. Her coach later punched the horse, called Saint Boy.
Annika Schleu of Germany is stymied by a balking horse during the Modern Pentathlon competition at Tokyo 2020 Olympics, August 6, 2021. Her coach later punched the horse, called Saint Boy. Photo by REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado

Obstacle course racing looks set to be voted in as the replacement for the equestrian element in the modern pentathlon at the Olympic Games from 2028, but an athlete group opposing the move is calling for an investigation into the sport’s governance.

The sport’s global governing body, the UIPM, said in November it would remove equestrianism from the Los Angeles Games, with a suitable replacement determined by a consultation process.

That decision came after Germany’s modern pentathlon coach Kim Raisner struck the horse Saint Boy at the Tokyo Games last year when it refused to jump a fence, an incident that led to widespread criticism of the sport.

Pentathlon United representatives including Britain’s Olympic champion Joe Choong wrote to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach on Sunday asking him to intervene and investigate the UIPM’s lack of transparency.

“The UIPM’s consultation process has been illusory at best and, it would appear, designed only to legitimise a pre-determined outcome (which we are advised will be obstacle racing in collaboration with World OCR),” the group stated in their letter.

“The IOC was clear in its expectation that athletes must play a central role in the review and consultation process for a fifth discipline. This has not happened,” they wrote.

The UIPM, which is set to hold an executive board meeting later on Monday, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Modern pentathlon has been an Olympic sport since 1912 and features five events: fencing, swimming, equestrian show jumping, pistol shooting and cross-country running.

“We request that the IOC conducts a comprehensive, independent investigation into the standards of governance and probity of the UIPM and the fifth discipline consultation process.”

Pentathlon United also said a survey of 310 past and present athletes found that 95% of them were unhappy with the UIPM’s decision, while more than 77% said they were unlikely to stay in the sport if the equestrian element were to be removed.

“Athletes have been excluded from the dialogue and their clear preference for the retention and reform of the equestrian element has been ignored,” the letter added.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford and Hugh Lawson)

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Council votes to move forward with quest for elite horse event

Council votes to move forward with quest for elite horse event

Fort Worth, a city with a historic reputation for horses and equestrian pursuits, is on a quest to secure one of the world’s leading equestrian events.

The City Council on March 29 authorized execution of an agreement with the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau (doing business as Visit Fort Worth) and the Split Rock Jumping Tour, LLC (SRJ) to pursue hosting the 2026 Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) World Cup Finals for Jumping and Dressage at Dickies Arena.

The official announcement of the host site won’t be made until June 1, said an optimistic Fort Worth Sports Commission Executive Director Jason Sands. With the exception of one year, the event has been hosted by a city in the United States or Europe every year since it began in 1979. It will also be outside those nations in 2024 when it goes to Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. last hosted in 2017 in Omaha, Nebraska, which is also hosting in 2023. Las Vegas was a recent host with one of the highest total attendances for the event, drawing 86,000 in 2007.

Fort Worth was encouraged by the FEI to make a bid to host following the success of the FEI World Cup Qualifier at Will Rogers Memorial Center in December.

“Booking this prestigious, international equestrian event would be a huge win for the city. We take great pride in our western culture and our great history of hosting equestrian events and being able to secure an event of this magnitude would be further proof that Fort Worth is a world class sports destination,” Sands said.

Sands noted that the city has hosted and is scheduled to host a wide range of high profile events, and he credits that to the city’s vision to build Dickies Arena. These events include music legend Paul McCartney coming to town in May for his first concert in Fort Worth since 1976; the recent first and second rounds of the men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament; and many more.

“We’ve always known Fort Worth was a fantastic city, but we now have a spectacular venue that can host a variety of different events, and we are leveraging this new asset to bring in major events,” Sands said. “These events are driving millions of visitors’ dollars into our local economy and our city is thriving as a result.”

The 2019 event, held in Gothenburg, Sweden, was broadcast in 130 countries and generated 887 million impressions across all media platforms, according to a report from city staff. The estimated attendance and economic impact for the event, if held in Fort Worth, is 60,000 attendance and an estimated $21 million in direct spending.

The cost of hosting the event is currently estimated at $8.1 million, said Fort Worth Public Events Director Mike Crum.

“The host organization (SJR/Visit Fort Worth/City of Fort Worth) plans to recover that investment through a combination of revenues that include ticket sales, hospitality sales, and sponsorships,” he said.

City staff is forecasting $11.3 million in revenue and said the event must generate 72% of forecasted revenue to financially break even.

The city’s public events department provided the council with a financial breakdown:

  • The city will cover the initial host fee of $110,000, along with promotion/production expenses estimated at $900,000. This includes marketing, equine transport, stall setup, venue rent, etc.
  • Visit Fort Worth will cover additional expenses associated with promotion/production estimated at $500,000.
  • The city and Visit Fort Worth  will be repaid from the Event Trust Fund, currently estimated at $1.6 million.
  • SJR will cover remaining event expenses.
  • The parties agreed to a three-way split of profit or loss, with the city’s share capped at $1 million profit or loss and Visit Fort Worth’s share capped at $500,000.

Mayor Mattie Parker said the invitation to bid is yet another exciting example of how Fort Worth is gaining international recognition.

“World-class events like the FEI showcase our outstanding Cultural District and its premier event venues, especially the state-of-the-art Dickies Arena, as well as Fort Worth’s strong reputation as a leading destination for equestrian events,” Parker said. “The FEI opportunity and the many other significant sporting events landing in Fort Worth are all examples of how our Fort Worth Sports Commission is propelling the sports tourism industry in this city.”

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Farmhand jailed for raping sleeping women at horse-riding events

Rapist Joshua James David Slape with two horses.

A man who raped two women as they slept in swags and horse floats at South Australian equestrian events has been sentenced to 11 years in jail, but could be eligible for parole in just over half that time.

Joshua James David Slape, 24, from Glenburnie near Mount Gambier, was found guilty in the District Court of rape, attempted rape and indecent assault over the incidents in 2017 and 2018.

The horse breeder and farmhand raped and indecently assaulted one of his victims as her child slept just metres away in a horse float following a riding event in the state’s south-east.

Slape had claimed that the mother had initiated the incident and then made up a false story against him.

Six months later, he raped another young woman as she slept in her swag next to friends after a rodeo in the south-east.

During sentencing, Judge Gordon Barrett said Slape was aged 19 at the time of his offending and had no prior convictions.

A grand building with columns with a tall building behind and a tree with blossoms in the foreground
Slape was found guilty in the SA District Court.(ABC News: Michael Clements)

He sentenced Slape to 11 years in jail, backdated to November 2020 when he was taken into custody, with a non-parole period of seven years.

The court previously heard Slape’s crimes had turned his victims’ worlds upside down, destroyed their trust in men and left them with lasting trauma.

“He sexually offended against them when they were in situations of vulnerability, in that they’d both been consuming alcohol in the hours before the attack, and they’d both gone to sleep in their swags in locations that were somewhat isolated from other people.

“The defendant has not accepted the verdict and therefore he’s displayed no contrition or remorse.”

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The UK’s Best Horse Racing Events

The UK’s Best Horse Racing Events

We all know that football is the main sport in the United Kingdom, but did you know that horse racing is the UK’s second most popular spectator sport?

Every year over six million fans click through the turnstiles at racecourses up and down the country, making horse racing much more popular than cricket and rugby.

In this article we take a look at five of the best horse racing events in the UK – the ones that make horse racing so popular with the Great British public. Think we’ve left an event out? Let us know in the comments section below.

The Cheltenham Festival

When? Tuesday, 15th March – Friday, 18th March

Where? Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Normally scheduled to coincide with St. Patrick’s Day, the Cheltenham Festival is not just a highlight on the sporting calendar but on the social one too. Over 260,000 people flock to the Gloucestershire venue to watch the sport’s best jockeys battle it out for a share of the £4 million purse.

There are 28 races stretching out over 4 days with the most famous being the Cheltenham Gold Cup which is held in the same regard as winning an Olympic Gold Medal. The favourites for this year’s Gold Cup are A Plus Tard, Galvin and Minella Indo.

Where there is horse racing, there is most certainly betting. Every single year, thousands of punters bet on Cheltenham and some win fairly substantial amounts of money.

Royal Ascot

When? Tuesday, 14th June – Saturday, 18th June

Where? Ascot, Berkshire

Perhaps the most famous racecourse in the UK, Royal Ascot plays host to a five day Flat racing meeting every June which hosts 18 Group races. The racecourse was founded in 1711 by Queen Anne when she visited the area and decreed that the heath looked, ‘ideal for horses to gallop at full stretch.’

Since then it has become traditional for British royalty to visit the annual event. In fact, many of Queen Elizabeth II’s horses can be seen racing at the five-day Royal Ascot event. They are identified by their distinctive purple body with gold braid colours.

The Gold Cup which is held on the third day of the event is the most prestigious and is currently held by Subjectivist who upset Stradivarius to romp to success.

The Grand National

When? Tuesday, 7th April – Saturday 9th April

Where? Aintree Racecourse, Merseyside

The Grand National was founded by William Lynn in 1829 with the first running happening in 1836 when The Duke won the inaugural event. The modern day Grand National is the culmination of a three-day race event held in Aintree, Merseyside.

It is widely regarded as the most challenging race on this British calendar and sees competitors fight it out over a 4 miles and 514 yards and 16 fences, 14 of which are jumped over twice. It’s no wonder then that around 60% of the horses that start the race never make it to the finish line.

Red Rum, who won a historic treble in 1973, 1974 and 1977 is probably the most famous horse to have run the course at Aintree. Minella Times, last year’s winner made history as it became the first horse to be ridden by a female to win the Grand National.

(Rachel Blackmore made history in 2021 riding Minella Times to Grand National victory.)

Epsom Derby

When? Friday, 3rd June – Saturday, 4th June

Where? Epsom Downs, Surrey

First inaugurated in 1780, the Epsom Derby is a Group 1 flat race open to three-year-old colts and fillies. It has a purse of £1.125 million and is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious events in the country.

In recent years however it has morphed into more of a social event than a sporting event with the prizes for best-dressed, celebrity guests and musical performances taking as many headlines as the racing action.

The Epsom Derby is also home to the self-proclaimed ‘Greatest Flat Race in The World’ which is some claim!

The Scottish Grand National

When? Friday, 1st April

Where? Ayr Racecourse, Ayrshire

When it comes to great races in the UK, the action isn’t just limited to England, there are great meets all over the UK. The Scottish Grand National however, is one of the best races outside of England in the calendar.

Inaugurated in 1867 this Grade 3 National Hunt steeplechase is full of drama and intrigue with horses racing over a distance of 4 miles and running 27 fences. If you love the Aintree Grand National you’ll love the Scottish Grand National too.

In terms of the purse, there is slightly less money on offer to winners but if anything, that opens up the field and adds more excitement to the race.