Sardinia Endurance Festival 2024 kicks off in Arborea

From 26 to 29 September, the Sardegna Endurance Festival 2024 kicks off at the Horse Country Resort in Arborea. On the track the best horses and riders from Europe and the world. The presence of 138 athletes and 153 horses representing 29 nations is expected: Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Bahrain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Croatia, United Arab Emirates, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Jordan, Great Britain, Italy, Kuwait, Holland, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Syria, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey, Hungary and Uruguay.

Sixteen nations will take part in the 'Fei Endurance European Championship for Young Riders & Juniors' on 27 September. Twenty-three will compete on 29 September for the 'Fei Endurance World Championship for Young Horses' young horse title. The programme of the event was presented at the Horse Country Resort, by Show director of the Sardegna Endurance Festival Aldo Capovilla and veterinary and equestrian competitions expert Mauro Ardu and the owner of the facility Riccardo Giachino.

The green meadow at the heart of the Horse Country facilities will be the starting point, the health checkpoint for the horses, and the finish of the races, which will wind their way along a 120-kilometre route, between the territories of Arborea and Terralba, crossing some of the most evocative corners of the western coast of Sardinia. 'The route,' explain the organisers, 'will run through breathtaking environmental realities, where man and nature still conserve a balance of coexistence that has now disappeared in so many other places around the globe. Horses and riders will venture along the delimited tracks along pinewoods and paths of Mediterranean maquis areas, they will then plough through wetlands and lakes to skirt sand dunes and beaches and then cross the fishermen's village of Marceddì. And it is precisely the environmental value, together with the organisation of the event, that gives Arborea an extra edge when it comes to the selection of running sites, assessed by the International Equestrian Federation (Fei), to host the event.

The discipline of Endurance, which is very well established in the countries of the Persian Gulf from where many competitors and some of the best horses arrive, is a competition of endurance and balance of effort of the horse and rider. The competitive competition is sometimes very tough and demanding. The length of the race tracks can range from 30-40 kilometres up to 120 or 160 kilometres. The horses in the competition are mostly Arabian and Anglo-Arabian breeds. In addition to the hosts of the Horse Country Resort, the International Equestrian Federation is in the front row to organise the Sardegna Endurance Festival 2024. Supporting the internationals are no less than three ministries: those of Tourism, Environment and Energy Security and Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry. And then the Autonomous Region of Sardinia and its Agencies Forestas and Agris, the municipalities of Arborea and Terralba, the National Olympic Committee and the Italian Equestrian Sports Federation. 'In these four days of competitions with the European Junior and World Young Horse Championships, athletes from all over the European continent will compete. For Mase, which for two years has been on the road to a new model of environmental education, athletes represent one of the ideal vehicles for achieving the goal of culture,' emphasised Claudio Barbaro, Undersecretary for the Environment. 'Sport, hard work, sacrifice, loyalty, all with full respect for the animals and the surrounding environment, the unparalleled natural setting of an event without equal in the world,' Patrizio La Pietra, Undersecretary for Agriculture.

On the day before the race, examinations are carried out to check the horses' fitness, while for all competitions, every 30-35 kilometres, there are so-called 'Vet Gates', where the horse, once it has recovered its energy, starts again, provided it has the appropriate physiological parameters. Members of the veterinary commission check: heartbeat, hydration status, mucous membrane colour, bowel movements, breathing and gait. In a nutshell, the metabolic and mechanical parameters that make it possible to assess whether the horse is fit to continue. Should one or more of these elements be out of standard, the horse will be eliminated from competition. During the Vet gate, the competition time is stopped and a mandatory rest period (30 to 50 minutes) is triggered to allow the animal further recovery. To win, it is not only necessary to cross the finish line first, but it is essential to finish the race with the horse in the best condition. In fact, if a horse crosses the finish line first, but its physical parameters are judged unfit, it will be eliminated. There is also the 'Best Condition' prize: a title awarded to the horse that reaches the finish line, within an hour of the first, that is in the top 5 and is in the best physical condition.