The Horse Whisperer......

The International Equestrian Federation’s judicial committee has cleared all parties from blame for the deaths of two endurance horses at last year’s World Equestrian Games in Jerez.

In a carefully worded statement, the FEI says that both horses, the French-owned Floyd and Spanish horse Sir Fire, died because of a multi-systemic failure.

Significantly, the statement stops short of saying that fatigue and exhaustion were definitely the cause of their deaths, as was stated in a press announcement in the immediate aftermath of the 160km ride.

Instead, after what is described as an “extensive investigation and an official enquiry”, the findings say only that the deaths “appear to have been associated with fatigue and exhaustion”.

The findings exonerate riders Anna Maxenchs Serra of Spain and Malaysian heart surgeon Dr Nik Isahak Wan Abdullah, who had leased Floyd from Michele Brac de la Perriere for the ride.

Both riders had been under investigation for “abuse of the horse” after the case was referred to the FEI judicial committee under regulation 143.

The full statement of the judicial committee is to be published shortly.

I was rummaging through the internet just now looking at the goings on at last year's World Equestrian Championship 2014 in Compeige,France as I was told there was a rider fatality due to a fall, and several horses had died due to exhaustion, a result of a combination  of tough course and bad weather  riding condition. Lo and behold ! I came across this late disclaimer of my own mishap at the World Equestrian Game at Jerez, Spain, some 12 years ago.

I was a 'tran tang tang' young 50 then, at the prime of my youth. 

The morning ride at 5 am started with an electrical storm, amidst thunder and heavy downfall. Some 200 or so crazy, very superfit, mainly pure arabian horses wanting to go off  as if this was going to be just a one kilometre race, with 200 or so riders from 50 countries, all soaked wet in their riding jodphurs, all frightened like hell that in the starting mellee anyone of us could be forcefully dismounted. There were three of us, then. Myself, Laily Bunyamin and Lawrence Liew of Sabah . Our captain,  Dato Awang Kamaruddin was a non- stater as his mount was predisqualified for an obvious lameness, probably sustained in the stable or during travel to Jerez from France.

Laily Bunyamin was dismounted by her mount right at the start as I heard her cry from behind me and saw her horse bolted in front of mine at the word 'GO'! I had difficulty controlling Floyd , a half-breed Arabian from Montpellier, France. He wanted to jion his stable buddy and tried to dismount me. He was huge and powerful for an Arabian. A cross between the smaller but more  super tough Arabian and the bigger ,  faster and taller French national horse, a Selle Francais. A good marriage and compromise. The French eat, sleep and dream of endurance. They know their horses. They pride in being one of the top endurance nation, a national pastime and sport for the 'marheins'

As the main body of riders passed the 5 kilometre mark, the horses were more at ease and riders' tension dropped more significantly and we could concentrate on strategy and ride our own ride. Mine was just simple. I am a relative new comer to endurance at this world level. This was just my second world championship ride, the 1st one was in Dubai's World Endurance Championship 1998. 

I aimed for top 40 and have to ride as such.Floyd had on board, a heart rate monitor attached to his abdomen and I could track his heart rate with a watch monitor on my wrist. I planned to ride him at between 120 to 140 heart beat a minute which would ensure on a statistical basis that Floyd would be  less affected bymuscular fatigue and resultant fatigue induced lameness and injury, and also problematic 'metabolic' issues  arising from lactic acidosis accumulation, during one of the five vet check stops. That was the science. The art of the whole thing was to avoid misshap until the last 5th segment of the race when you go full blast for a podium finish. The Sun Tzu art of war in endurance is to survive 1st, then go for the 'neck' if there are windows of opportunity available.

Our 160 kilometres are divided into 5 loops of about 35 kilometres each loop and the 5th loop being a race to finish at 10 kilometre. 

What was left of the Malaysian team in the 1st loop were only 2 riders, myself and Mr Lawrence Liew . Team glory was already out of question as it needed a minimum of three riders. Lawrence and myself were now riding for personal glory.  I have no illusion about winning. The Maktoums of Dubai , father and son were riding million Euro champions. In their stables in Dubai are double digit million euros top class horses getting fat on feed and grass. The Maktoums buy off competition before each world event this way.

The French and the Spanish were seasoned campaigners in this event. Valarie Kanavy, the reigning champion of Dubai's WEC was there. Top 40 would be a reachable goal, if  I ride Floyd with wisdom and science. That was what I plan and thought. Providence had other plan that day : the humbling of Dr Nik.

Sheikh Hamdan and his dad was leading in the 4th loop, myself was behind around 50 horses behind, not bad for top 40 still.  The courses were generally tough and hilly terrain. Very 'technical' course as the French would put it. Very soggy and slippery as well due to the early morning downfall. Downcast skies throughout the day made cooler weather and thus a speedier pace but with soogy underfoot, guarantee a higher disqualifiacations at each vet gate due to muscle stiffness and lameness. Floyd was still going strong at the middle of the 4th leg. My chance of top 40 was getting brighter. His heart rate was steady at 120 to 130. Beyond 150 would be the 'Anaerobic' zone and a potential 'metabolic' crisis awaiting. Floyd was doing fine at just 120, This ride seemed to be a breeze to him, I keep telling myself, and at that rate I could even go for top 10! Petronas and Tun Dr Siti Hasmah, my sponsor and patron will more than happy.

Four more hills to climb as we were to complete the 4th stage, Floyd slowed down his pace to a walk. Three more hills to go, he stopped and refused to move. He was getting stiff and I had to dismount and walk him and support him to prevent from falling. We walked this way passed another desolated hill in heavy rain, then the horse ambulance was in sight. The rest was history.

I know how Lee Chong Wei must have felt when his not so clever orthopod gave him dexamethasone too near the competition to heal his wound faster, and the clever treatment become 'not so clever' when he was tested positive for steroid. This is a defencible mistake but the world would not care. From a hero he become zero. I was there in 2002.

In France the press derided me for 'over-riding' Floyd. Locally I was ok. Our press know nothing about the sport way back in 2002. I am one of the pioneers.

Actually on hindsight I think I know why Floyd had stayed so well up till the last bit. His cardiovascular parameters must have been  caumoflaged by the excessive 'herbal' pills that the French owners and handlers gave  throughout the rides during 'water-stops' and vet stops.

But how could I tell this to the technical committee when Madame Michele Brac de la Perriere and her husband sob so much that day it was as if they had lost their son!
The whole equine herbal industry in France could have been affected had I open up.

I would rather remain a 'pariah' within the International Endurance community until the technical committee exonerate me some 6 months later.

 I did not bother to even read their subsequent exoneration until I discovered it today in the net some 12 years later!

I am a 'child of today'

Al hamdullillah. All Praise only belong to Allah

other articles on endurance in the blog:

WEC
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2008/11/malaysia-wec-some-personal-comments.html

Post WEC : Where Do We Go From Here
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2008/12/post-wec-where-do-we-go-from-here.html


Random Thots Of A Chronic Endurance Addict
http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2009/02/random-thots-of-chronic-endurance.html

Equestrian Endurance.....Playing God.

I had a chance once upon a time to 'play god' to a sport which I stumbled upon just by chance at a ripe old age of 46. Was reading "HELLO" magazine and came across an article on Patrick Swayze of 'Dirty Dancing' fame being invited to ride in a hundred mile race in the desert of Abu Dhabi. That was way back in 1997.....
The rest was history...






Malaysia Story, Part I
Stephanie Teeter
Ridecamp@endurance.net
.............
Anymore it seems like the only time I have to reflect on or write about the places I've been, is on an airplane to someplace else. John and I just got off the plane from Malaysia, spent 2 days in Idaho unpacking and packing, drove two horses and our LQ trailer from Idaho (where Merri is taking care of things for the winter) down to Arizona (where our friends Kevin and Rusty give us a place to park ourselves during the winter), took a day to get organized, take a short ride in the Sonoran desert, and then board a plane for Argentina. We're in transit now, and will soon see our friends Miguel and Celina Pavlovsky for a day in Buenos Aires, and then off to El Reparo - where Mercedes Tapia and Eduardo Becar Varella have their home and Endurance training center on the pampas. They are hosting Argentina's National Endurance Championship this year, at the Cazon Endurance Village which they built in the nearby town of Cazon - with the aid of their Polo friends and contacts. Mercedes and Eduardo are both veterinarians, and have strong lasting friendships with their clients. But more of that story to come, as the adventures of the next couple weeks unfold - including joining Malaysian riders in Uruguay and Chile as they hope to increase their stables of Endurance horses and qualify for their place in the 2008 WEC.
But this story is about Malaysia - about this small country's determination to host the FEI World Endurance Championship of 2008. A truly amazing story about dreams and determination and commitment, and an uncanny drive and ability to do whatever needs to be done along the path to success. This small country is full of highly educated and talented people. Centuries of cultural mixing - from the invading Siamese armies in the south to the introduction of Islam into population which previously embraced various types of 'ancient' religions, as well as Hindu/Buddha. From decades of British colonial rule to years of Japanese occupation during WWII. Complex cultures and dialects, tropical climate, fishing traditions and ocean bound societies - centuries of rebounding from occupiers and invaders - a very nationalistic people with a deep understanding of the best - and the worst - that the rest of the world can offer. In everything the Malaysians do there is a strong sense of art - of beauty - a fullness of color and form - and a precision of line. The Malaysian people have a kindness and calmness about them - a quick smile and genuine warmth and an easy going manner- but a very strong and determined core. They seem to be able to adapt to and understand the western ways as well or better than other 'developing' countries.

They can build the cities and the industries and the academies, they can pump the oil and produce the electronics, they can play in the global market - but they don't seem to jeopardize their unique culture in the process. They revere their royalty - the King, the Sultans - the art and dance and textiles and crafts of Malaysia are strongly supported and proudly displayed. The society is quite complex. Generations of Indian, Chinese and Malay cultures seem to have settled into roles in society (apologies for my stereotypical categories - this is my personal observation) with a large segment of business owners and trading companies being of Chinese descent, Indians as professionals and educators, and Malays as the core of government and cooperative business growth. And of course the underlying friction in a society that has a wide range in socioeconomic status, a range of religious and ethnic factions, and conflict between the desire to maintain traditional values and the need to adapt to modern ways in order to be a player in the global economy.

A classic example of the dicotomy - the tension between traditional and modern - is in the definition of 'weekend' in Malaysia. In most of Malaysia, the 2 days per week allocated to 'weekend break' are Friday and Saturday. Friday is the muslim holy day (comparable to Sunday in Christian cultures) and Saturday is the 2nd day of 'weekend' holiday. Government and schools resume on Sunday. But in Kuala Lumpur - the capital city of Malaysia and center of business and economy - the weekend is composed of Saturday and Sunday, as it is in most of the rest of the world. Basically businesses and national government cannot afford to lose a day of trading and communication with the rest of the world in order to survive, and surpass.

So yes, I am a tremendous fan of Malaysia - a place I never ever would have imagined going to, much less becoming involved with to the degree that I have! I'm fascinated with their beautiful people and beautiful tropical climate, with their politically ambitious society, with their balance between religion and industry, art and economy, royalty and parliamentary democracy, poverty and wealth, and gentle but effective persuasion.

My first trip to Malaysia was in May 2005, thanks to Dr. Nik's impulsive notion to bring me over to his country - to experience, first-hand, Endurance riding in the tropics, Endurance in Malaysia. Which then gave me the opportunity to use the internet to share Malaysia and Malaysian endurance with others around the world. (Dr. Nik's clever ulterior motive!) . I received an invitation to come and ride in the Edaran Classic, the country's premier and most professionally run Endurance event at the time. Tansri Tajuddin, owner of Edaran Electronic Systems, is a patron and supporter of Equestrian sport, and an equestrian himself. As Malaysia began to embrace the sport of Endurance riding more strongly, so did Tajuddin. He brought a high degree of professionalism to the sport by guiding his staff in the creation of a first class Endurance event. Located at Tajuddin's Ar Raudah Equestrian Center (north of Kuala Lumpur) an Endurance training center evolved, and a network of trails was created to offer a challenging event. Tajuddin created a first class Endurance event and invited his network of friends and associates to support the sport - and further it's growth in Malaysia. My first experience was amazing - I fell in love with the country, with the people, and made lasting friendships. And was tremendously impressed with the organization and professionalism of the event coordinators. The venue was excellent and the trails were challenging - and interesting! Through palm oil plantations, and villages with curious children and farmers, past farms with goats and dogs and water buffalo, past quarries and ponds with bull frogs piercing the night with loud exclamations. Experiencing amazing heat and humidity and rain and the vivid colors - silk batiks and men with brightly colored clothing and bold signs and banners and the overwhelming jungle greens of the day, and the reds and purples of a sunset on a tropical coast. It was absolutely amazing and captivating and I fell in love with the country.

Malaysia's first dabbling with the sport was in the 1990's on the coast of Sabah (west coast of the island of Borneo). Peter and Penny Toft of Australia helped pioneer the sport, and their stories of tigers and jungle trails and seeking relief from the oppressive heat and humidity by riding in the ocean- and all the growing pains associated with a new equestrian sport are amazing. Malaysia entered the world endurance stage in 1998 by sending a team to the World Endurance Championship in 1998. An intrepid group of riders, including Dr. Nik and Dato (Awang) Kamaruddin who are still passionate endurance riders, came to Dubai with an assortment of Polo ponies and race track thoroughbreds. They managed to qualify for the event by completing a 120km course set up with the guidance of the FEI, consisting of lap after lap around a race track. That's all they could manage at the time, and that's all that they needed. I recall seeing the group from Malaysia in Dubai, and was delighted and amazed that they were there - with boundless enthusiasm and an odd assortment of horses. And I believe 2 of the riders actually completed the event! (those were in the good ol' days when the FEI actually allowed 24 hours to complete a 100 mile course). That was in 1998. A slow and steady growth of the sport followed - with more individuals taking on the challenge, adding venues, buying horses, competing abroad, carrying the sport forward.

Then in the fall of 2005, the year that Dubai hosted their second WEC, the year that I rode at Edaran and many of us first became familiar with Malaysia as a place where they really did have Endurance rides... in that year Malaysia submitted a bid to the FEI to host the 2008 World Endurance Championship. 2006 had already been granted to Aachen, Germany - and the 2008 WEC was a choice between two bidding nations - Bahrain and Malaysia. Both countries were relative newcomers to the sport, both countries had national support but had not yet hosted a major international event, and the bid went to Malaysia.

By this time Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin, the Sultan of Terengganu and next in line to become Malaysia's King in fall of 2006, had also taken up the sport. HRH Mizan was already an accomplished equestrian, with years and family generations of polo and jumping, and he took to Endurance naturally and enthusiastically. And also in 2006, construction of Malaysia's venue for the 2008 WEC, Terengganu International Endurance Park, began. Terengganu was the obvious location for an International venue in many ways - it is one of the few places in Malaysia where there are flat, sandy trails. Tropical climate and mountainous terrain do not combine well to produce a venue appropriate for a world championship - too tough, too dangerous, too hot, too long. Terengganu was the perfect location, and as the home of Malaysia's King, it was a go. Construction of the Endurance village began - the FEI had granted Malaysia the bid, now they had to do it right - and in typical Malaysian fashion this meant the best of everything, as good or better than any other International venue - and not just functionally perfect, also beautiful.

-more later-

Steph
Endurance.net

An Equestrian Journey: Asadullah Khan a.k.a CuChullaine O' Reilly

......Some days these tragic events which weigh upon our souls today will be naught but a footnote. Empires fade. Wrongs will be righted, and the Quran is still right when it says:

"But God, in His infinite mercy and love,

 Who Forgives and guides individuals and nations,

 And Turns to good even what it seem to us as evil.

 Never forsakes the struggling soul that turn to Him."

We Muslims believe that our deeds are personified, that there are witnesses for us and against us. Many of my previous deeds were dark ones born  of war and misunderstanding.

Now after my struggles, after many lands, I have ultimately come to believe that I am only three things.

I am a Muslim, a Scholar, and a Horseman.

Anything else is but dust and mirage of this fleeting image which we call life.

See you on the trail, Saddle pals.

    *************************************

......An equestrian journey is not merely about covering vast amount of mileage. It is a journey that helps you see the world's pretensions, and opens you up to adventure of self conquest. It is a journey you and your horse take to reach the borders of an otherwise invisible place.

It is an antidote to the world's  obsession with speed because the three- mile per hour pace of your horse forces you to slow down your body, which in turn results in opening up your spirit. It allows you to ride on the secret trail traced deep inside your soul.

   **************************************

Asadullah Khan a.k.a CuChullaine O' Reilly,

Founder of Long Riders Guild.

[ Go to Link: "An Equestrian Journey". Read, A word from the Founder ]

  ***************************************

The road leads neither East nor West, but within.

Rumi.

 

Random Thots of A Chronic Endurance Addict : HM , President's Cup and All That Jazz .

Fellow Endurancers ,

It is impossible to be in endurance riding in Malaysia unless you are either half mad or very passionate about it !At least in our context ,hundreds of hours riding in the hot sun bringing up an endurance prospect ,then when he is ready ,riding from dawn till dusk in a 160 km race ,braving rain ,possible death by lightning ,falls and the occasional brush or near brush with the 'unseen' .

I know from Che Din RTES that our KDYMM rode at least thrice a week whenever he could get time off from the 'Affairs of the State'.HM rode almost in all local competitions ,rain or shine ,thunder or no thunder and if the unfortunate thing happened to His Majesty in any of the race I would probably be the 1st to have to tender my apology to the Permaisuri for having 'planted' in him that germ of passion in this grueling sport some 6 years back .

HM started with just being one of the back packers ,then ,slowly but surely as he found there was an obvious polite and 'rather ridiculous' 'traffic jam' behind him [ I do not seriously think HM did mind people in front and winning otherwise he would not be in endurance ] ,moved on to being middle of the pack .By the 1st 160 km ride held in Gunong ,Bachok ,Kelantan in 2004,when I had an epic battle with Azman of TMKN Stable for 1st and 2nd placing ,HM was already good enough to be 3rd on his beautiful appalosa .Still I could notice some traffic jam behind him notably Shuiab [ now a datuk ,a riding datuk ],Penn ,etc and etc .

Now ,HM is unbeatable ,starting from the early days of preparation for the WEC 2008 .No more 'polite traffic jam' by people who should know him better .HM is just plain unbeatable .One can follow HM in probably the 1st two phase ,after which either your horse need to be retired due to early 'punture' or blown 'gaskets' due to over-riding beyond it's ability and conditioning , or get vetted out for muscular lameness !Except probably in mid 2008 which I consider was a rather 'freak accident' when the Penn brothers who then were ardent 'specialists' [ they don't anymore I think and I hope ] in the 'helicopter technique' .With the likes of 'finished horses' like Magna Thor ,Ibrahim Pasha ,HM is now the 'gold standard'. THE MAN TO BEAT in Malaysian Endurance .HM is now every hardcore riders' target .He has raised endurance to a higher plane and that is very healthy !

Personally I harbor an ambition to keep up with HM at one of the rides and probably eclipse him at the finish ,preferably a photo finish kind of thing similar to the one I had several years back with one of TMKN boys in Gunong .But a casual visit to his training 'camp' yesterday and a short chat with 'the boys' tells me that this is going to be a tall order.The conditioning format HM and his boys are undergoing look more like a Bahrani or UAE schedule ,very long continuous canter up to 20 km at a stretch which would be suitable conditioning for terrain like Bidong.

I would have to get back to my drawing board and redraw my programme .My training ground in a large Sime Darby oil palm plantation in Dengkil , just neighbouri HM's is too hilly for the purpose of developing long cantering skill and stamina in my 'athlete' .Gotta put my thinking cap on !Life is getting to be more interesting and intellectually more challenging .

My Mr Gedebe is still very green and his sinews and muscles ,bones and most importantly , mind ,[ if you work long enough with endurance horses preparing the mind is a difficult task ],not yet 'hardened' to the task but I am looking forward to that happening sometime during the next Sultan's Cup or probably early next year .When you are working with one horse one has to have patience to avoid sports injury .[ My recent letter of application for an ISN spare through my friend Burn of ISN Stable I was told by the Pos Malaysia people unfortunately landed up somewhere at Padang Pa' Amat ,Pasir Puteh ,Kelantan !How it got there beats my wildest imagination ! ] .

Forego ,my former ISN mount seem to be doing well .Insyallah ," kalau Dia dah kata rezeki tu kita punya kita punya lah dia ,kalau termaktub tidak kita punya ,tidak lah kita punya walaupun dah telan kebahagian halkum ".That is my simple philosophy in life .Leave to Him .

I hope the rest of my endurance friends are pulling their 'socks' and working harder,only then we can progress .Try to beat the gold standard by thinking ,conditioning and pushing oneself on a plane several notches higher .WEG 2010 in Kentucky USA is just 16 months away .We have to work harder .In this sport ,being present at that kind of level is redeeming itself .

At the international level ,yesterday The President's Cup in UAE saw Yousef Ahmad Al Bloushi coming in with his cousin brother Omar Hussien Al Bloushi as 1-2 champions .They were trainers from the famous AL Reef Stable ,UAE .Maria Alverez Pontoon ,the recent Individual WEC Champion could only manage 8th ,the highest amongst the best of the rest of the world invited riders .Only 20 of the best world riders riding their own mounts were invited .Total prize money : 1.5 million dirham !

The average winning speed was in excess of 25 kph !UAE yet again proved to the rest of the world that their trainers's conditioning strategies are way ahead on a different plane and planet from those trainers and thinkers of the sport from previous endurance world powers like USA,Spain ,France .The rest of the world has no answer to their superiority in the knowledge of conditioning and horse preparation at this rarefied level .

A desert endurance devoid of technicalities like hills and valleys and going at that level of speed just mean that your horses need to be very superfit to endure and sustain at the speed they are consistently winning .Super genetics and super training and 'super super' conditioning ! No two ways about it .When you have technicalities ,you have period of let up for slowing down and catching your breath and thus a slightly less prepared horse could still be numero uno on the basis that riders skill come to the fore .In Dubai /Abu Dhabi ,the top ten winners are super horses .

I have been studying their strategy for the last 10 years or so and marvel at their persistence and ingenuity ,of course certainly helped by their unlimited cheque book !.Nutrition at this level is common knowledge ,it is conditioning strategies and peaking at the right precise moment of the most important race ,which is the cutting edge and separates the men from the rest of the boys .10 years back when they were new to endurance they just buy the best continental champions with their petrodollars and start winning .Then they get smarter .Then buy the most costly of the 'quite unfinished horses' which are relatively cheap compared to the champions .Now they are riding their own horses from their breeding program .

In this increasingly monolithic world when the 'Muslim world' can get 'clobbered' up badly if there is a spark somewhere else in the world unaccounted for ,sports can be seen as a fine art of war and relative 'economic and ideological' show at least of supremacy .Sometime it is nice to be able to give 'big brothers' the occasional bloody nose in their traditional sport as in endurance .At least tell 'the new barbarians' that we are made of finer stuff than them and certainly several millenium years ago when Paris ,London and Madrid [and USA was still Land of the free ]were still covered in mud ,dark at night and full of plague ,Cordova was a city of light ,centre of knowledge and haven of peace , even for the persecuted Jews of that time !

UAE has been doing just that in the last 10 years or so .

Post WEC :Where Do We Go From Here .

Fellow 'Endurancers' ,

Post World Endurance Championship ,Lembah Bidong Terengganu .Where do we go from here ?A million dollar question .

Let us not discuss how much WEC costs us .That is beyond mere mortals like you and me and anyway it was a monumental success from the viewpoint of Malaysians as perfect host.We always are .

From the perspective of actual performance of Team Malaysia ,OK friends ,I have promised I am not going to go over it again ,lest I will qualify myself for the firing squad .OK ,so ,where do we go from here ?

First and foremost ,let us look at Bahrain and Qatar .Forget about UAE ,since UAE is a million miles ahead ,not from just us but from the rest of the world .Some blokes in the USA are even thinking of opting out of FEI Endurance because even USA , a former superpower in Endurance a decade ago has now been reduced to the dustbin of history .

What about Bahrain and Qatar ?They were just in the 'kindergarten' just like us when Dato Awang ,myself and a few others were at it in Europe some 8 years back ,now they are 2nd and 3rd in the WEC Team Championship .Where have we gone wrong ?It is not due to lack of funding [c'mon we have overspent millions on team preparation !].Poor planning ?Lack of confidence in ourselves ?Not our sport ?[ then may I suggest we go back to sepak takraw ]

I think it is a combination of all of the above plus a couple more [ cari makan factor etc etc ], but from now on let us use more of our 'grey mater' .It may help . It is quite painful at least for me to see all those millions wasted while we are seeing our sport developing in the way we would not like to be ie .....ism that would kill the initial competitive route that it was naturally taking prior to the WEC preparation frenzy .Govt funding and help ? Yes ,yes and yes but we have to thread a careful line here in case we become overdependent .We want individuals to still dream of buying and owning their own mounts and bringing them up to a level able to give the 'big boys' a run for their money .We want people who pride themselves in beating the odd on their way to the podium and say for example "RTES or Al Raudhah can go and fly kites ,I can still beat you despite your superior every thing " !That is healthy development .

This is how I look at the future post WEC if we are to progress and develop the breadth and depth of our sport in a healthy and holistic manner and in the most economical and realistic way :

1.Chief de Quippe.

We should certainly look beyond efficient 'water carriers' and 'transport' managers .Also beyond EAM Endurance Chairman who has to play to the gallery for popular votes and so called 'palace'rating.An effective CDQ must be someone who knows 'endurance ' like the back of his knuckles ,may be a vet ,may be a rider or better still an ex rider ,who most importantly must be willing to be unpopular ,especially with the riders whom he chooses ! .Unsalaried of course .Not necessarily in the EAM but may be co-opted member ,answerable to the EAM President but not neccesarily 'kowtaying' to him .He must 1st and foremost be independent in mind and spirit .He plan ,set up the selection criteria and sit with a committee for selection and preside that committee .Hire and fire .In short a supremo .Some of you may think Ia m describing a 'devil' .Well in Malaysia ,to get us somewhere you have to be a little 'devil' .The Kelantanese has got a better name for such individuals .Give him a tenure of 3 years ie beyond EAM but such 'devil' will sack himself if he think he is not up to the mark .Find that 'devil' .Of course he has to operate with one or two assistants and some nominal budget from EAM or whatever .

If people think the CDQ has to be from EAM then by all mean let the Endurance Chairperson be the CDQ .A supremo CDQ who does not bow to pressure from within and without .Still a little'devil' .

2.International Competitions

This is free country .People can compete where they like and their results and experience will be taken into overall consideration by the CDQ but from the National interest of carrying our 'Jalur Gemilang' there are only several that it is imperative we have to be there .Off the cuff I can only think of 3 :The annual Open European Championship ,WEC/WEG and since we are already in the club ,The President's Cup in Dubai .Sending a team of riders or one pallet ,to carry our Jalur Gemilang to these event is 'small money' compared to the amount we have spent in our team preparation for WEC .We have to learn to do things economically ,cut off the frills and the 'makans and the unnecessary "kompangs etc etc ".EAM or ISN should be looking at funding ,leave the CDQ to do his job .Branding and finance is not his job ,it is EAM and ISN .If any EAM President is not aware of this he should not be there .The CDQ's brief is to move around ,know the horses and the riders and have a 'movable' but fair premise for selection of the Malaysian team for any international event .No hiding behind 'monolithic' committees who at the end of the day bear no responsibility for total failure .A typical Malaysian scenario .

3.Local Competitions

I look at the Sultan's Cup as already a '3 star' brand.It would be a pity to just go back to the original format .Go on a higher 'plane' at less cost .Bring it to the level of The President's Cup of Dubai but at lesser cost by decreasing the 'volume'.Achieve 4 star or 5 star status by increasing the prize money ,decrease the distance to 120 km or maintain the same ie 160 km ,invite only continental champions to challenge local riders say one pallet each from USA ,South America , one from Europe and one from Australia and New Zealand .

UAE ,Bahrain and Qatar can fly in on their own as many riders they like .If we have the right 'jalan' with the 'Pak Sheikhs' ,even the Sultan's Cup they can sponsor .They have been doing this with all other big rides around the world .Just the right 'jalan' .

These visitors to bring their best horses and best riders .We learn from them .And dont forget ,Branding .Teranggannu has all the potential of being a major tourist destination .We are better than that cheap skate sex destination in Phuket .If properly branded ,may even be better than Bali .

The rest of competitions concentrate on more 80's and 120's ,just maximum only 2 160's .We already have the toughest ride in the world [AL Raudhah] ,the best 120 in the World ,Gunong ,Kota Bharu and a few others to play around .Revamp the rides rulings by EAM to make the rides more inclusive rather than exclusive .Some vets at present are making new people to shy away from endurance by their stiff interpetation of the rules and making more rules .The new EAM rules on endurance are in my opinion convoluted and difficult to implement .So convoluted that if we let some vets to totally dictate the rules of our sport ,there will be no riders to take part in any class .Some of them are 'control freaks' .There must be balance .We endurancers are still small in numbers ,let us be more practical .

Look into establishing another class of ride ie for the 'local ponies' of certain height .Again be inclusive .We want endurance to also be a 'sukan raayat' .

4.Clubs

Over the past few years we have grown in number which is very good .The big ones like Al Raudhah ,RTES and TMKN Stable lead the way by virtue of unlimited funding etc etc but in laissez faire economy this is healthy .Small clubs ,State funded clubs and individuals [ like me ] are encouraged to steal some thunder from the big boys .What is worrying to many of us is the unimpeded flow of public funding to a selected few of the present 'big boys'in the past which is not healthy at all to the sport .They do not need help to procure horses etc etc .This create a new form of ..ism which would negate progressive competitiveness of others .The initial edge obtain is small compared to the overall negative effect to the sport .People who hold the purse string on public fund should be aware of this unhealthy trend .it would kill the sport .Leave it alone .Channel your fund to a central body like EAM to manage for competition purposes rather than procurement of horses etc etc for the selected few .

In my estimation ,endurance can go a long way in the route towards 'Sukan Untuk Negara' .We just need to put our 'grey mater' more into it rather than just follow our 'basic cari makan'instinct .At the International Level we need not bring in the medals ,being there is enough .Post WEC ,we have to keep working harder and reconfigure our "Brand Malaysia" .

"SUKAN UNTUK NEGARA" .

Malaysia WEC : Some Personal Thoughts.

Maria Mercedes Alverez Ponton and puny looking arab gelding ,Nobby : Individual Gold ,World Endurance Championship ,2008 ,Lembah Bidong ,Terengganu ,Malaysia .18.2 kph average over 160 kilometres under extreme heat and humidity ,a myth blowing feat .Team UAE ,Bahrain and Qatar :Team Gold ,Silver and Bronze .Relegating the Europeans ,Australians and Americans to the 'dustbins' of endurance history .That was Malaysia WEC that was !

I am still in a state of shock .I never perceive one could go beyond 16 kph in our conditions ,especially our high humidity .We have difficulty even breaching 12 kph .When ESPN's Lisa Wong asked me ,looking at our tired Ms Laily on Jesse James walking past the finishing line at the end of phase 5 when Maria had long gone home to her hotel room to sleep , what ails the Malaysians ?: I could only offer the best classical excuse .We Malaysians are still at the wrong end of a 'steep learning curve' .

Yes ,the 100 million ringgit [ I assume the WEC cost us that much but given our penchant for the 'plus plus and more plus ,it could well be much more ! ]lesson is that we really was on the wrong side of a steep learning curve .

Could still recall one and a half year ago as I sit for a dinner pow wow with Mr Bond from the Al Raudhah fraternity[ I am sure he would just wish to be known here as Mr Bond only ] ,to discuss plan how to achieve a team of 12 with the limited resources we have .Money is there .Abundant .The Minister of Sport then was just a phone call away .Our horses could so far not breach even 12 kph average .The solution :Go Down Under and South America get good horses on the cheap ,allocate to 16 or 20 named riders ,have local 160's 2 monthly and choose the best 12 .We have then 1 1/2 years to do it .Fullstop .

Then came Equine Influenza Down Under .Followed by nonsensical FEI 'playing to the gallery 'double CoC requirement .Mr Bond's plan went haywire .Some bright spark suggest Europe ,South America to buy horses and bring back and compete .Some much more brighter blokes suggest obtaining CoC overseas .Local rides may be too tough , may not make it in time .They forget that Endurance is all about toughness .They forgot that horse traders are horse traders .In retrospect , TMKN Stable prequalified four of their horses without going anywhere ,DIET ,2 or was it 3 . [But what the heck ,MONEY was there , spend it !Was the credo of the day ]

Money was there .Then the ' National Erection' .Money still not there .Sports Minister too busy .Won 'tanpa bertanding . Still more delay .Money already there but..... but money not yet there .Rumours abound .6 to 8 months gone .No substantive local competition ,no oversea buying forays .Typically Malaysians .

By the time things got moving WEC was already only 7 to 8 months away .Double CoC in 8 months!.Frantic oversea rides on 3rd rate 'buffalos' at 1st rate price .Typically Malaysians .Local rides was worse . Only started 6 months away from WEC !We spent 9 months laying on our back from inactivity and then all the frenzy of double CoC in the next 6 months .

By the time of WEC yesterday we are either riding 'tired' local horses or 3rd rate oversea 'buffaloes' just flown in at the last minutes at 1st rate cut throat prices .Desperate people with desperate poor forward planning get to pay at desperate price

That is the story about horses .The human factor is another story .

The Americans and French ,for any important event such as WEC appoints their CDQ 2 years ahead in advance .The CDQ usually is a person who is an all rounder in endurance ,preferably has indepth knowledge of competition at the highest level .Would be great if at the same time he or she is also an efficient 'water carrier' for the team but this is not the most important of his pre-qualications .

CDQ of any respectable team call the shots in term of team selection ,strategy and discipline ,so by this alone he cannot be a 'water carrier ' .Usually fears no one .Usually the 'cerebral man' of the team .Becky Hart of America ,for example inspires confidence , even though unfortunately America did not do well this time and for many years now .The late Pierre Cazes of France was the best example and I think France Endurance missed him very much .

Malaysia change our CDQ for whatever reasons just weeks before WEC .I am still curious .Perhaps in future if Dato Awang decides to stop competing he could well be our next CDQ ?How about it Dato ?

Exclusivity Vs Inclusivity :
For sometime now I have sadly watched that Malaysian Endurance has moved towards exclusivity :certain individuals with certain State and personal affiliation got 'invited' to oversea rides time and again at the exclusion of more experienced and able riders .This trend really started way before this WEC ,even before the ill fated Asian Games .In a system where point accumulation was important this practice put most very experienced people 'excluded' out of the ball game and edged out into the wilderness .And this was done with public funding ,not private .

Ours is a very small fraternity ,inclusivity is better than exclusivity if we are still interested in the 'quantum' leapt .

From our standard 12 kph to Maria Mercedes 's 18 ,indeed we need a quantum leapt .We need to believe in ourselves .We need to prepare our own horses and not depend on people in far away lands .We need to get 1st rate horses if we pay at 1sr rate prices .We need to have 'ilm' ilm and ilm.They is no short cut .We need people with Ilm to plan and take charge .We need plain honest people with passion .We need change .

If you ask Maria as to how she prepare Nobby : It is sheer hard work and there is only one word repeated thrice in her vocabulary : conditioning ,conditioning and conditioning .No ISN or government handouts there .

As I look into the dark moonless night towards the swells in the South China Sea on this desolate beach somewhere in Batu Burok and reminiese back to 2002 , I felt like it was only like yesterday that I had that fateful conversation or rather advice [ a very bad habit of dr nik ,always .Does not know his place this insolent chap ,always planting 'ideas' ] the then younger Sultan Mizan riding with an elderly looking chap [ Dato Jaafar ]hacking on the beach while waiting for the 'buka puasa' azan .I was on my way to Kota Bharu and stopped at Primula for 'buka puasa'.

"Tuanku ,if Tuanku really want to open Tuanku and Malaysia to the world ,Tuanku should stop just hacking around and be in Endurance .The best teacher is Dato Awang of Kiara .He is our SEA Games champion ".

Malaysia WEC .We have indeed come a long way .But we have to be honest with ourselves .We need to change our ways .Otherwise 'pi mai pi mai dok tang tu jugak ': We are champion at forms rather than substance !