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Conditioning Horses on Different Surfaces




Thehorse.com - Full Article

April 1, 2026
Posted by Nancy S. Loving, DVM

Varying the surfaces on which you exercise your horse can help produce a strong, well-rounded equine athlete.

When training your horse, you likely put in a lot of work developing his skill set for a chosen athletic endeavor. Yet, similarly important is the degree of conditioning your horse achieves over time. Conditioning offers multiple benefits, including building the musculoskeletal tissues of the limbs, core, topline, and neck. It also improves the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, nervous system, proprioception (awareness of position and placement of limbs and body), and balance; provides mental stimulation; and builds a horse’s confidence.

Varying the surfaces on which you exercise a horse can bring additional benefits that develop the physical strength of a well-rounded equine athlete mentally engaged in his work...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/1122411/conditioning-horses-on-different-surfaces/?lid=lbh2rj0awf7x&%20Lameness&uuid=01922f47f62f001a2720598a0e2705075009a06d00dc4

South Okanagan horse trainer fundraising to compete in 'longest and toughest horse race'


Castanet.net - Full Article and video

Casey Richardson - Dec 11, 2025

A South Okanagan equestrian instructor and horse trainer is preparing to participate in the Mongol Derby, a 1,000-kilometre race across Mongolia where riders emulate the messenger system of Genghis Khan.

Michelle Van Baalen began riding horses at the age of five, progressing from hunter-jumper riding to Pony Club, 3-day eventing, western riding, packing, and cowgirl racing.

She won the 2022 and 2024 BC endurance races (Heather Bradshaw Memorial Race) and went on to chase feral horses in Canada.

Now well into her career, Van Baalen is setting her sights on her next feat — taking on the “longest and toughest horse race in the world” in 2027.

“I first saw [the Derby] on Facebook, I thought to myself, ‘Oh, man, wouldn't that be a life experience?’” she said.

“To have a different style of horsemanship, be coached in that and then be set loose in the wilderness to fend for myself with nothing but my own skills, appeals to me...”

Read more and see video here:
https://www.castanet.net/news/Penticton/588805/South-Okanagan-horse-trainer-fundraising-to-compete-in-longest-and-toughest-horse-race-

US Equestrian Announces Updates to FEI Endurance Elite Status List


USEF.org

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | 4/2/2026

Lexington, Ky - US Equestrian is pleased to announce the following athletes have achieved new elite status during quarter one of 2026.

An Elite Endurance Athlete is defined as someone who, in their lifetime of competing within FEI Endurance, has reached the following milestones for 1*/2*/3* level of competition.

• Bronze Level - 10 completions within the applicable * level

• Silver Level - 20 completions within the applicable * level

• Gold Level is - 30 completions within the applicable * level

The following athletes have earned FEI Endurance Elite status during the first quarter of 2026:

Jeremy Reynolds: 3* Gold
Heather Davis: 3* Bronze
Nicole Wertz: 3* Bronze

More at:
https://www.usef.org/media/press-releases/us-equestrian-announces-updates-to-fei-endurance-2

Feed Manufacturer Joins Endurance GB for “Suitably Mounted” Welfare Initiative


April 9 2026

Endurance GB is pleased to announce that Baileys Horse Feeds will be supporting the organisation’s Suitably Mounted welfare initiative throughout the 2026 endurance season.

As part of the partnership, Baileys will attend ten endurance rides across the UK, offering riders the opportunity to access free horse weighbridge services, body condition scoring and expert nutrition advice.

The initiative forms part of Endurance GB’s wider commitment to promoting horse welfare, education and informed decision-making within the sport.

At selected rides, riders will have the opportunity to:

• Weigh their horse on a professional weighbridge
• Have their horse’s body condition assessed
• Speak to Baileys nutrition specialists about feeding and management...

Read more here:
http://news.endurance.net/2026/04/feed-manufacturer-joins-endurance-gb.html

2026 Qualification Calendar: The Road to AlUla


SOURCE: ENDURANCE.NET - April 11 2026 - Here are the critical dates in the first half of 2026 where the final selections for the competing teams for the World Endurance Championship at AlUla, Saudia Arabia, will be made, starting with The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Endurance Cup...

Read the rest here:
http://endurance.net/international/SaudiArabia/2026WorldEnduranceChampionship/QualificationRaces.html

Flying vet's frontline account of a brutal 400km Patagonian endurance race


Queenslandcountrylife.com.au - Full Article

By Campbell Costello
April 4 2026

The snow line had crept down overnight and as I reached out of my sleeping bag to find my headtorch - you could tell it was frigid with Patagonian cool.

I was manning the fourth veterinary checkpoint for a horse race across Patagonia; the inaugural "Pass of Tears".

A 400km multi horse endurance race that salutes the mighty Argentine "Criollo" horse and Gaucho horsemanship that allows one to navigate the unforgiving Patagonian terrain.

I was stationed at an Estancia called "La Josefina" - a 17,000 hectare ranch nestled along the northern shores of Lagos San Martin against the border with Chile...

Read more here:
https://www.queenslandcountrylife.com.au/story/9210642/campbell-costello-patagonias-pass-of-tears-vet-on-wild-race/

2026 Shanghai Trails photos by John Nowell


2026 Shanghai Trails Endurance ride photos in Texas by John Nowell:
https://remuda.smugmug.com/Endurance-Rides/2026-Ride-Year/Shanghai-Trails-2026

Great Britain: Shanti Roos and Fripon storm to endurance victory at Kings Forest


Wsfp.co.uk - Full Article

6th April 2026

A RIDER based in the Quantock Hills has taken top honours at a national endurance riding event, showcasing both athletic performance and the unique partnership between horse and rider.

Dutch-born rider Shanti Roos, who has lived in the UK for over 20 years and runs an Airbnb business with her husband in the Quantocks, stormed to victory in the 80km (50-mile) race at Kings Forest, Suffolk last weekend

Riding her 11-year-old French-bred gelding, Fripon, Shanti delivered a perfectly judged performance to take the win by four minutes and 30 seconds, finishing at an impressive average speed of 17.01km/h...

Read more here:
https://www.wsfp.co.uk/sport/shanti-roos-and-fripon-storm-to-endurance-victory-at-kings-forest-894621

Australia: 49 years of endurance in the Warrumbungles with an international flavour


Image by Jo Arblaster - Animal Focus.

EquestrianLife.com.au - Full Article

Around 120 riders and horses are gearing up to hit the trails this weekend for the Tooraweenah Endurance Club’s annual event.

Ellen Dunger for Endurance NSW
Published 8 Apr 2026

This year’s weekend of events is going up a notch. In addition to the usual 7, 20, 40, and 80-kilometre events (with 120km event added this year), there are also international-standard FEI-level rides.

With more endurance riders registered worldwide than the Olympic discipline of eventing, the Tooraweenah Club partnered with Canobolas Endurance Riders to give Australian competitors the opportunity to qualify for overseas international events.

It is the first time FEI events have been staged at Tooraweenah and ride secretary Sonia bonham said the inclusion has bolstered entries, with an additional 32 nominations coming from as far afield as southern NSW and Queensland.

“It is our 49th year and we are runnng our first FEI event.” she said...

Read more here:
https://equestrianlife.com.au/articles/49-years-of-endurance-in-the-warrumbungles-with-an-international-flavour/

Kayti Curtis: 310 Miles of Endurance in Patagonia


Tooeleonline.com - Full Article

Kayti Curtis, endurance horse racer, participates in many races including the recent Gaucho Derby in Patagonia

April 01, 2026
Cailéan Anderson

Kayti Curtis is a resident of Erda City who has participated in horseback riding since she was seven years of age. Over the last seven years she has participated in a number of races around the state of Utah, throughout the United States, and in foreign countries—the most recent competition being the Gaucho Derby in Patagonia.

The Gaucho Derby is 310 miles (approximately 500 kilometers), lasts ten days, then consists of 40 participants and approximately 600 horses with each contestant utilizing a fresh horse for each leg of the race.

Well, most received seven horses, anyway. Curtis received an eighth because of a mishap involving one of the horses she had received for the race.

“I received a bonus horse because one of the horses I was camping out with overnight—and the way you camp is the horses are hobbled and tied to lead lines—so, my horse was just grazing while he was hobbled and decided that he did not want to be there anymore. He cantered away wearing his hobbles, made his way back to the horse station, and rejoined his friends..."

Read more here:
https://www.tooeleonline.com/articles/hometown/310-miles-of-endurance/

South Africa: Endurance horse fetches highest price at CdP auction


AfricanFarming.com - Full Article

A registered 14-year-old Arabian mare, Silvretta Neen, a proven endurance horse from some of the best Arabian breeding lines of the past five decades, fetched the highest price of R55 000 at auctioneer CdP Auctioneers’ open horse and chicken auction on 21 February 2026. The auction is held bimonthly at the Ditsong Willem Prinsloo Agricultural Museum near Pretoria.

1 April 2026
By Johan Norval

Her breeder, Dr Hercu van Niekerk of the Silvretta Stud on the farm Kililene near Modimolle, says he has since stopped breeding and now has only one horse left that the family still uses for endurance rides.

The online buyer was Xander Human from Riversdale, who plans to use Silvretta Neen’s genetics in his breeding programme. Human also paid R20 000 for the 20-year-old mare Silvretta Beate, who will likewise be used for breeding purposes.

Van Niekerk is a South African pioneer in the field of veterinary medicine in endurance riding and has achieved four-star veterinarian status with the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). In 2018, he was honoured for 50 years of service as a practising veterinarian and still serves as a consultant...

Read more here:
https://www.africanfarming.com/2026/04/01/endurance-horse-fetches-highest-price-at-cdp-auction/

2026 Hunt Country Hustle photos by Becky Pearman


2026 Hunt Country Hustle Endurance ride photos in South Carolina by Becky Pearman:
https://beckypearman.smugmug.com/Other/Endurance-2026/Hunt-Country-Hustle

UAE: MRM Stables dominant in Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup




www.endurance.net/international/UAE/2026CrownPrinceofDubaiEnduranceFestival

April 1 2026

MRM Stables lifted the Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Cup at Dubai International Endurance City in Seeh Al Salam on Wednesday after Abdulla Abdulrahman Al Bastaki sealed the fate of the showpiece event of the Dubai Crown Prince Endurance Festival just past the half-way stage of the competition.

Riding Bullio Charles, Al Bastaki turned up the heat during the third and penultimate phase of the 120 km ride and took over the summit, thereafter doing just enough to ensure a simple but commanding 29 second victory.

Read the rest here

2026 Rides of March photos by Bill Gore


2026 Rides of March Endurance ride photos in Nevada by Bill Gore:
https://williamgorephotography.smugmug.com/2026-Endurance-Rides/Rides-of-March-2026

Great Britain: Jo Chisholm Appointed England Chef d’Equipe Ahead of 2026 Home International




March 31 2026

Endurance GB has announced the appointment of Jo Chisholm as Chef d’Equipe for the England Squad ahead of the 2026 Home International, which will take place in Scotland on 5–6th September.

With a lifelong involvement in endurance riding spanning more than four decades, Chisholm brings extensive competitive and team experience to the role. Having started in the sport in 1989, she has amassed over 17,000km of competition mileage and completed eight 160km rides, alongside representing England as a rider at Home International level.

“I am very honoured to be appointed HI Chef,” said Chisholm. “This gives me another opportunity to give more back to the sport I love using all my experiences, and I hope to do my country and team proud.”

Chisholm is perhaps best known for her long-standing partnership with Grey Medlar, with whom she achieved multiple top results, including success at the Golden Horseshoe Ride and a BERA National Championship title in 2002...

Read the rest here

Global Coordination of the AlUla World Endurance Championship


SOURCE: ENDURANCE.NET - April 1 2026 - Participation in the AlUla endurance events, particularly the upcoming FEI World Championship, involves a massive global coordination effort centered on National Federations (NFs). The participation framework is structured around strict team compositions, complex logistical support provided by the Organizing Committee (OC), and a tiered qualification system.

Global Reach and Team Composition

The events in AlUla are designed to accommodate a vast international field. The 2024/2025 season competitions and the test events have attracted approximately 200 elite athletes from more than 60 nations, with recent reports indicating participation could reach 300 riders from over 70 countries...

Read the rest here:
< http://endurance.net/international/SaudiArabia/2026WorldEnduranceChampionship/GlobalCoordination.html

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