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- Southwest Idaho Endurance Riding group Raises Money for Local Fire District
- Equestrian Canada Announces Team for 2026 FEI World Championship
- Team GBR Announces Nominated Entries for 2026 FEI Endurance World Championship in Butheeb
- France's Long List for the 2026 World Endurance Championship
- US Equestrian Announces U.S. Endurance Team for 2026 FEI Endurance World Championship
- Rocío Echeverri McCandless appointed FEI Director Endurance
- 2026 Antelope Island photos by Merri Melde
- Great Britain: Heart Over Height: How a 13.2hh Cob-Cross Conquered the Gruelling 160km Red Dragon
- Rescue Founder Vera V-Abdallah Is The Safety Net That Never Gives Up; Exposing the Untold Realities of Equine Mass Seizures on the Saddle Talk with Sandy & Cara Podcast
- 2026 Hillbilly Holler photos by Hanna Bartnick
- 2026 Old Selam Day 3 - Riding with the famous Two Step Betty LTH
- 2026 Distance Horse National Championships are This Weekend, Oct 2-4
- 2026 Land Between the Lakes photos by Hanna Bartnick
- 2026 Big South Fork photos by Becky Pearman
- New Study Highlights Exceptional Horse Welfare Standards in British Endurance Riding
- Slovakia to host sixth leg of Emirates International Endurance Village race series
- Sabotage by former staff member ‘likely cause’ of two positive dope tests
MORE NEWS...
Southwest Idaho Endurance Riding group Raises Money for Local Fire District
By Merri Melde and Karen Steenhof
October 12, 2026
The Southwest Idaho Trail and Distance Riders (SWIT&DR) teamed up with the Boise Back Country Horsemen to sponsor a trail ride under the full harvest moon on September 26, 2026. The Moonlight Scramble raised $2505 for the Murphy Reynolds Wilson Fire District (MRW) in Owyhee County, Idaho. Each club kept $175 each to cover expenses.
MRW is the first responder for all structural fires, wildland fires, and medical emergencies in its rural desert area of Owyhee County. The MRW fire district is comprised of 330 square miles of desert and mountains making it the second largest fire district in Idaho. MRW is an entirely volunteer department that currently has four stations and 32 volunteers.
This is the fourth year that Endurance rider Karen Steenhof has organized a fundraising trail ride, sponsored by SWIT&DR, for MRW in the Murphy, Idaho area...
Read the rest here
Equestrian Canada Announces Team for 2026 FEI World Championship
October 18
Equestrian Canada (EC) is pleased to announce the athlete and horse combinations who will represent the maple leaf at the 2026 FEI Endurance World Championship, taking place December 19th, 2026, in Butheeb, United Arab Emirates.
The Canadian Endurance Team will be:
Stephanie Richter – Campbell River, BC
Horse: Forward Motion CH
Grooms: Melody Blittersdorf and Sylvia Gillies
Owner: Melody Blittersdorf
Tara Anne Greasley – Santiago, Chile
Horse: Inca
Grooms: Dessia Miller and Kimberley Woolley
Owner: Tara Anne Greasley
Yvette Vinton – Morriston, FL, USA
Horse: Alcazar Richarson
Grooms: Ruben Parra, Emma Webb, and Andrea Vargas
Owner: Yvette Vinton
The following combinations have been named as alternates:
Yvette Vinton – Morriston, FL, USA
Horse: Here Comes the Boom
Owner: Yvette Vinton
Support Team
Misha Green – Chef d’Équipe
Kimberley Woolley – Head Coach
Laura Kelland-May – Assistant Coach
Dr. Glenn Sinclair – Team Veterinarian
The FEI Endurance World Championship brings together the world’s leading endurance combinations for one of the sport’s most demanding international competitions. The 2026 Championship will see Canada compete on the international stage against teams and athletes from around the world.
Equestrian Canada wishes the Canadian Endurance Team every success as they prepare to represent Canada in the UAE this December.
Team GBR Announces Nominated Entries for 2026 FEI Endurance World Championship in Butheeb
October 15 2026
British Equestrian and Endurance GB have announced the highly anticipated nominated entries of athlete and horse combinations for the FEI Endurance World Championship for Seniors 2026. Following weeks of intensive selection discussions and 1:1 consultations with qualified riders, the selectors have named the elite partnerships poised to represent Great Britain at the prestigious event in Butheeb, UAE, taking place on the 19th December 2026.
The Nominated Athletes & Horses...
Read the rest here
France's Long List for the 2026 World Endurance Championship
JornalDEndurance - Full Article
Two Months to Go Until the 2026 World Championship!
October 15 2026
Journal d'Endurance
It’s official! The national federations have now submitted their long lists to the FEI for the 2026 Endurance World Championship, taking place in Butheeb on Saturday, 19 December!
This is the first step before the final list of riders and horses competing at the Senior World Championship is confirmed. Each national federation can nominate a maximum of 14 horses and 10 athletes.
Following the CEIO2* at Barroca d’Alva in Portugal, where the French riders delivered excellent performances and claimed team gold, French team selector &. coach, Jean-Michel Grimal was able to make his choices among the combinations that had stood out throughout this year’s selection competitions.
It is an especially important decision, as France will be defending its back-to-back World Championship team titles, won at Monpazier in 2024 and at Butheeb in 2023, following the disqualification of Bahrain’s team several months later due to a doping case.
Without further ado, here are the French riders :...
Read more here:
https://journaldendurance.substack.com/p/two-months-to-go-until-the-2026-world
US Equestrian Announces U.S. Endurance Team for 2026 FEI Endurance World Championship
USEF.org
10/13/2026
Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the combinations named to the U.S. Endurance Team for the 2026 FEI Endurance World Championship in Butheeb, UAE on December 19, 2026, and the team will be led by Chef d'Equipe Jeffrey Stuart.
The following unranked athlete-and-horse combinations have been selected to the U.S. Endurance Team for the 2026 FEI Endurance World Championships and are listed in alphabetical order...
Read more here
Rocío Echeverri McCandless appointed FEI Director Endurance
13 October 2026
Author: FEI Communications
The FEI has announced the appointment of Rocío Echeverri McCandless (CRC) as its new Director Endurance.
Rocío Echeverri McCandless brings extensive experience in equestrian sport, combining in-depth technical expertise in Endurance as an athlete, official and administrator with a strong background in sports governance and executive leadership.
Echeverri McCandless has competed internationally as an Endurance athlete, representing her native Costa Rica at several major events, including the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy (FRA). An accomplished Endurance Technical Delegate, Judge and Steward, she has officiated at international competitions across four continents at the highest level of the discipline, notably at FEI World Championships.
Her experience extends to other FEI disciplines, including Eventing and Dressage. She served as Chef d’Équipe of the Costa Rican Dressage team that won the bronze medal at the Central American and Caribbean Games 2023.
Read the rest here
2026 Antelope Island photos by Merri Melde
2026 Antelope Island Endurance ride photos in Utah by Merri Melde, The Equestrian Vagabond:
https://www.theequestrianvagabond.com/Clients-Endurance
Great Britain: Heart Over Height: How a 13.2hh Cob-Cross Conquered the Gruelling 160km Red Dragon
September 30 2026
At 17 years old and standing just 13.2hh, The Red Barron proved that partnership, stamina, and sound horsemanship outshine stature as he and young rider Maisie Denham stormed to fourth overall in one of Britain’s toughest multi-day endurance rides.
The mist rising off the Cambrian Mountains at the Red Dragon Festival of Endurance is legendary for humbling even the most experienced combinations. Spanning 160 kilometres across rugged Welsh terrain, the premier class demands peak cardiovascular conditioning, relentless soundness, and an unbreakable trust between horse and rider.
Lined up alongside sleek Arabians stood an unlikely contender: The Red Barron—affectionately known at home as ‘Noddy’—a 17-year-old Cob/Arab cross measuring a modest 13.2 hands high. Guided by 20-year-old Newtown rider Maisie Denham, the pint-sized powerhouse did far more than simply finish; he delivered a masterclass in pacing, stamina, and equine management to claim 4th place overall, along with an extraordinary sweep of subsidiary honours.
The Little Horse with a Giant Character
Back home in Newtown, Powys, Noddy is hardly an imposing endurance machine. He is a cheeky, food-obsessed herd member whose favourite pastime involves finding creative ways through electric fencing to reach better grazing. Yet beneath his mischievous paddock persona lies the heart of a true athlete...
Read the rest here
Rescue Founder Vera V-Abdallah Is The Safety Net That Never Gives Up; Exposing the Untold Realities of Equine Mass Seizures on the Saddle Talk with Sandy & Cara Podcast
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEOctober 7 2026
On the latest episode of the Saddle Talk with Sandy and Cara podcast, hosts Sandy and Cara sit down with Vera V-Abdallah, Executive Director and founder of Love This Horse Equine Rescue, to discuss her high-stakes mission as a safety net for America's most vulnerable, unhandled castaway horses.
From intercepting horses bound for slaughter to managing complex law enforcement seizures across the U.S., V-Abdallah has established herself as a last-resort guardian angel for animals other organizations lack the skill set or resources to rehabilitate. Holding both a rigorous three-year German state certification as an equine specialist (Pferdewirt) and a U.S. law degree, V-Abdallah combines elite classical training methods with legally ironclad adoption contracts to ensure no horse in her care ever falls through the cracks again.
"If you have a horse under saddle, you can always find a home for that horse," states V-Abdallah during the interview. "When horses are unhandled, regardless of pedigree, there is simply no market for them, making them extremely vulnerable."
Key Episode Highlights:
• The Law Enforcement Go-To: Why federal and local agencies nationwide call on Love This Horse to handle massive seizures of feral, unhandled, and unneutered horses—particularly traumatized Arabians.
• Taming the Untameable: The patience, classical European training, and energy required to transform emotionally battered, hopeless animals into willing partners (including three rescue alumni that went on to compete in the world-renowned Tevis Cup).
• Legal Shielding: How V-Abdallah uses her legal background to craft binding adoption contracts that stand up in court, guaranteeing a lifetime safety net for every horse she rescues.
• Dispelling Industry Bias: Why common stereotypes surrounding mares harm adoptability, and how proper handling reveals their true loyalty and potential.
To listen to the full episode, visit the Horse Radio Network or tune in to Saddle Talk with Sandy and Cara on all major podcast platforms.
Media Contact:
Ashley Winch
Ashley@horseradionetwork.com
Podcast Operations Director, Horse Radio Network
2026 Hillbilly Holler photos by Hanna Bartnick
2026 Hillbilly Holler Endurance ride photos in Tennessee by Hanna Bartnick, Feral Photography:
https://feralphotography.net/events/
2026 Old Selam Day 3 - Riding with the famous Two Step Betty LTH
The Equestrian Vagabond blog
September 6 2026
by Merri Melde
Neither Willie nor I were tempted to do a 50 today (much less the 100 that our pasture mate DWA Papillon and Connie were attempting), so we slept in and saddled up for the LD.
I gave Willie a good walk-about warm up for 15 minutes before the start, and scouted out our competition. Not to see who we could beat, but to see who we might ride with, or, any hot horses we might avoid, as I just wanted, as always, an easy fun ride with no Rocket Pony beneath me to have to apply brakes to for 25 miles.
Nobody looked to be in a big rush anyway, with half the 12 starters standing around talking. Willie was a bit amped, but completely controllable, though I was glad I stuck with his Kemberwick bit and not his jaquima halter sidepull. On our walkabout we met Two Step Betty LTH with Jessica aboard; Betty pinned her ears at Willie, and Jessica laughed. “She hates everybody.”
And once the trail was open, a couple of riders took off, and we ended up walking out beside Betty and Jessica (with plenty of space in between). Betty wasn’t in a big hurry, just off on another day of endurance business, and Willie wasn’t in a big hurry, so we sort of headed out together. Once we crossed the creek and the road and started out on a two-track logging road, Betty was trotting ahead of us and going exactly the pace I wanted for Willie, which he was completely agreeable to. He had his head bowed to his chest, looking all macho and powerful, but he wasn’t pulling on the reins at all. I think Phinneas (RIP) taught Willie to do this, because it makes a horse look like a magnificent racehorse galloping on the track.
Jessica said we could try riding with Betty, I said we’ll stay back, and if Betty gets mad, we will let you go ahead! We gave Betty plenty of space, which one should do anyway, and not ride up another horse’s butt, for so many reasons. I’m going to write an article on that one day, called “Get Off My A$$...”
Read more here:
https://theequestrianvagabond.blogspot.com/2026/09/2026-old-selam-day-3-riding-with-famous.html
2026 Distance Horse National Championships are This Weekend, Oct 2-4
ArabianHorses.org
September 30 2026
The 2026 Distance Horse National Championships will take place October 2-4 at the Huntersville Hundred ride at Menahga, Minnesota.
The Distance Horse National Championships is the overhead titled event, hosted by AHA, which includes partnered Breed National Championships along with Huntersville Hundred Open Rides. Our partnered breeds are Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC), Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA), Performance Shagya-Arabian Registry (PShR), American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) and Akhal-Teke Association of America (ATAA).
Along with the Breed National Championships we also offer Open Huntersville Hundred 40 Mile Competitive Trail Ride recognized by AHA. We will also be holding Open Huntersville Hundred Limited Distance Ride, Open 50 Mile Endurance Rides and an Open 100 Mile Endurance Ride which is sanctioned by American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) and AHA.
We also offer a Limited Distance Challenge which is the same horse/rider combination entered in all three Open Huntersville Hundred Limited Distance Rides; rules and information can be found under the Rider Information tab. All Huntersville Hundred Rides are open to all equines and have no qualifications or membership requirements!
For more information, see:
https://arabianhorses.org/competition/national-events/distance-nationals/
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2026 Land Between the Lakes photos by Hanna Bartnick
2026 Land Between the Lake Endurance ride photos in Kentucky by Hanna Bartnick, Feral Photography:
https://feralphotography.net/events/
2026 Big South Fork photos by Becky Pearman
2026 Big South Fork Endurance ride photos in Tennessee by Becky Pearman:
https://beckypearman.smugmug.com/Other/Endurance-2026/Big-South-Fork
New Study Highlights Exceptional Horse Welfare Standards in British Endurance Riding
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 25 2026
A recent study by veterinary physiotherapy student Eleanor Vinnicombe has provided an in-depth look at endurance riding in Great Britain, highlighting the sport's commitment to horse welfare. The research, which analysed over a decade of data from Endurance GB, the national governing body, offers valuable insights into completion rates and the factors that contribute to a successful ride, reinforcing the organisation's focus on horsemanship and equine wellbeing.
The study, "A Retrospective Study into the Influence of Elevation Gain on Completion and Elimination Rates at Endurance Rides," examined 12,962 horse-and-rider combinations competing between 2002 and 2025. It found that, regardless of whether a ride was on flat or hilly terrain, the average completion rate was a high 75%. This figure is a testament to the robust veterinary checks and high standards of preparation that are central to the sport.
Endurance riding is a unique equestrian discipline where riders cover long distances over marked routes. It is not just a test of speed, but of partnership, preparation, and careful management. Horse welfare is the highest priority, with multiple veterinary checks before, during, and after the ride to ensure each horse is fit to continue. These "vet gates" are a cornerstone of the sport, where veterinarians check the horse’s pulse, soundness, and overall condition.
Eleanor Vinnicombe's research delves into the reasons horses are eliminated from rides, finding that lameness is the most common cause. Far from being a negative, this reflects the extreme sensitivity and efficacy of the sport’s veterinary safety net, ensuring horses are pulled well before minor fatigue or subtle gait changes can develop into injury.
This focus on soundness, even for minor issues, underscores the "to finish is to win" philosophy of endurance, where completing the ride with a sound, healthy horse is the ultimate goal. The study's findings align with international data, demonstrating that Endurance GB's welfare standards are on par with global best practices.
"This research reinforces what we in the endurance community have always known: that our sport is built on a foundation of exceptional horse care," says Shelley Bates, Operations Director of Endurance GB. "We are incredibly proud of our members, volunteers, and organisers who work tirelessly to ensure the welfare of our horses is always the top priority. This study provides a welcome, evidence-based confirmation of their dedication."
The study is particularly significant as it highlights the success of Endurance GB's approach to the sport. By creating a supportive and knowledgeable community, the organisation empowers riders to achieve their goals while maintaining the highest standards of equine welfare. This commitment is evident from the grassroots level, with pleasure rides and novice classes, all the way up to championship competitions.
Endurance GB extends its gratitude to the ride organisers, volunteers, and crew members who make these events possible. Their hard work and dedication create a safe and enjoyable environment for both horses and riders, fostering a strong sense of community and shared adventure.
This research serves as a powerful reminder of what makes endurance riding so special: the incredible partnership between horse and rider, the spirit of adventure, and a deep, unwavering commitment to equine welfare. Endurance GB continues to welcome riders of all levels to experience the challenge and camaraderie of this rewarding sport.
Top: Eleanor Vinnicombe, LRG Photography
Slovakia to host sixth leg of Emirates International Endurance Village race series
WAM
25th September 2026
AMORIN, Slovakia, 24th September, 2026 (WAM) -- amorin in Slovakia will host the sixth leg of the Emirates International Endurance Village race series tomorrow, featuring eight races over three days.
The races are being held in partnership between the Emirates International Endurance Village, EIEV PULSE and the Slovak Equestrian Federation, under the supervision of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI). Seven races will be staged alongside the main 160-km event...
Read the rest here:
https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/279329560/slovakia-to-host-sixth-leg-of-emirates-international-endurance-village-race-series
Sabotage by former staff member ‘likely cause’ of two positive dope tests
HorseAndHound.co.uk - Full Article
A former staff member admitted crushing banned drugs and putting them into horses’ feed troughs
By Lucy Elder
Published 15 September 2026
“Intentional sabotage” by a disgruntled former employee who admitted crushing up drugs and putting them in horses’ feed troughs is the “likely cause” of two horses failing dope tests at the same event, an FEI Tribunal has found.
Freesia De Lap AA and Divine Du Vialaret both tested positive for atenolol, a prescription beta blocker primarily used to treat high blood pressure in humans, at an endurance competition in Dubai (28 to 31 January). Atenolol is on the FEI’s banned substance list, so is not permitted for use in competition horses at any time.
The FEI brought cases against the horses’ riders and trainers, who all represent Bahrain. These are Muhammad Abbas Khalid, who trains 11-year-old mare Freesia De Lap AA, and rider HH Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa; and Abdulrahman Mohamed Al Saad, trainer of nine-year-old mare Divine Du Vialaret, and rider Mohamed Abdulsamad Al Bastaki...
Read more here:
https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/equestrian-sports/endurance/sabotage-by-former-staff-member-likely-cause-of-two-positive-dope-tests
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