THIS WEEK'S CURRENT NEWS

2026 Red Rock Rumble photos by Bill Gore

2026 Red Rock Rumble Endurance ride photos in Nevada by Bill Gore:
https://williamgorephotography.smugmug.com/2026-Endurance-Rides/Red-Rock-Rumble-2026

2026 Fort Valley photos by Becky Pearman

2026 Fort Valley Endurance ride photos in Virginia by Becky Pearman:
https://beckypearman.smugmug.com/Other/Endurance-2026/Ft-Valley

Lost Light Films Brings Endurance Riding to the Big Screen with Chasing Dreams, Based on Tevis Cup Champion Sanoma Blakeley's Memoir

Read the rest here

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...

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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

The Nominated Athletes & Horses...

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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

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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

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Rocío Echeverri McCandless appointed FEI Director Endurance

Inside.FEI.org

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

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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

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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...  

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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 RELEASE
October 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

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2026 Hillbilly Holler photos by Hanna Bartnick

2026 Hillbilly Holler Endurance ride photos in Tennessee by Hanna Bartnick, Feral Photography:
https://feralphotography.net/events/

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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

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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/

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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

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