After many years of isolation, South African endurance riders have more and more opportunities available to them to compete on the international scene. These opportunities include participation on an individual basis, informal team competitions and formal team competitions. Let’s have a look at the informal and formal team competitions that will take place in the near future.

Informal teams
Over the past four years South African riders have visited New Zealand to participate in the endurance ride held with the Kelt “Horse of the Year” show. In return, riders from New Zealand participated in rides in South Africa. This was mostly done on an informal, unorganised manner.

In 2009 this competition will be given more structure. Four South African riders will participate as an informal South African team in the ride in New Zealand, and in return a team of four New Zealand riders will participate as an informal team in the Dullstroom ride, to he held in August. The New Zealand leg will be over 100 km, and South Africans will be riding on loaned New Zealand horses.

The South African leg will be over 123 km, and here the New Zealanders will ride loaned South African horses. The aim is to give riders, who are close to being included in a formal South African team, the opportunity to participate on the international scene. In a novel way to determine the winning team, riders will be given points for their achievement at each ride. The results of the two rides will be added up to determine the winner. It is great to see that this opportunity is not going to waste, and plans to also include Australia in future, make this an exciting prospect.

Formal competitions
During 2009 South Africa will participate with formal teams in the following competitions:
• The South African International FEI Challenge. This ride, to be held at Beaufort West on 6 June, will include a team competition over 120 km between teams from South Africa, Namibia and Botswana (on own horses), England and France (on loaned horses). A challenge between five nations is something to look forward to!
• The 2009 Fauresmith 200, to be held on 7, 8 and 9 July. As is the case annually, Erasa teams will be selected to participate at Fauresmith. Teams from Australia and New Zealand will also participate here (on loaned horses), making this a "tri-nations" challenge in another format. It will be absolutely marvellous to give the Aussies another hiding (after the one they were given on the cricket field recently)!
• The 2009 Africa Championships, to be held on 2 September at Walvis Bay. South African teams will participate against teams from Namibia and Botswana, and possibly other international teams as well.

World championships
The 2009 world championships for juniors and young riders, will be held on 5 and 6 September in Babolna, Hungary. World championships are held every second year, and our riders are keen to make their mark at this ride. The ride is held at one for the oldest Arabian stud farms in the world.

In 1789 Emperor Joseph II purchased it upon a recommendation of Capt József Csekonics, the director of the Mezöhegyes stud farm, for the purposes of establishing a second stud. The cuirassier captain, who was committed to the cause of Hungarian horse breeding and had good connections, skillfully selected the area and founded the military equestrian estate, which initially also served as a stop-over for dispatch riders.

Napoleon's troops scorched the farm after the battle at Györ in 1809, but it was reconstructed between 1810 and 1820. It was in 1836 that a famous Shagya stallion was imported to Bábolna from Syria, and the stud is famous for its role in the development of the Shagya-Arabian.

This breed is characterised by elegance, harmonic movement, exceptionally good intention and learning skills in addition to robust arduousness and ideal dimensions. Purebred Arabians are also bred, using stallions imported from Egypt.

What a marvellous opportunity for our young riders!